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Taliban claims it has ‘no hand in civilian killings’

The Taliban early Monday said there was no truth in the claims made Sunday by the foreign community in Afghanistan that it was killing civilians, destroying public infrastructure and carrying out assassinations.
In a statement published on their website, the Taliban stated: “Representatives of a number of European and other countries have baselessly asserted through a statement that the Islamic Emirate is continuing a senseless war, is killing civilians, is destroying public infrastructure and is involved in assassinations.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan rejects all such allegations,” the statement read adding that “all charges which they have leveled are unsubstantiated.”
According to the Taliban, the group “has absolutely no hand in civilian killings and neither is it involved in the destruction of public infrastructure, rather it considers safeguarding and securing public infrastructure its own responsibility.”
This comes after the EU and other diplomatic missions in Afghanistan including Australia, Canada, the UK, the US and NATO, issued a joint statement on Sunday that called out the Taliban for the ongoing attacks.
In a united front, they accused the Taliban of being responsible for the majority of targeted violence in the country and said the group’s “attacks undermine state institutions and contribute to an insecure environment in which terrorist and criminal groups are able to freely operate.”
The foreign missions pointed out that they had all invested heavily in energy, food security, water resources, and road infrastructure for the benefit of the Afghan people.
In line with this aid having been provided they said: “We condemn the ongoing destruction of vital infrastructure, including digging up roads, destroying cell towers, and blowing up energy stations by the Taliban.
“These actions serve no purpose besides hurting the Afghan people who – largely due to decades of conflict – suffer from food insecurity and significant economic and development challenges, further exacerbated by the ongoing pandemic.”
The missions stated that the Taliban must “understand that their violent, destructive actions outrage the world and must cease if peace is to come to Afghanistan.”
The EU and foreign missions stated they “expect the Taliban to demonstrate its support for the people of Afghanistan by ending the violence, stopping the destruction of vital infrastructure, and committing to a sustainable peace, for the benefit of all Afghans.”
But the Taliban shifted blame and stated: “The principle and leading cause for the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan is foreign occupation from which the Afghans have died for a full two decades, which has imposed on our people an impotent administration and which is still continuing to lend support to this corrupt regime.”
The group went on to blame foreign countries, including the EU for the current crisis.
“Unfortunately, most countries including the European Union are either directly or indirectly involved in the tragedies, destruction, bombings, killings and various other crimes being experienced by our people for the past twenty years, and some are still exerting efforts to extend the presence of foreign occupation forces in Afghanistan and to prolong the ongoing conflict.”
The group said if the Doha agreement, signed in February between the US and the Taliban, is implemented, it will prove beneficial and in the interest of everyone including Afghans but if it was not adhered to there would be repercussions.
“…if some discard the Doha accord and keep searching for excuses to continue the war and protract the occupation, then history has proven that the Afghan Mujahid nation can valiantly defend its values, soil, homeland and rights,” the statement read.
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Afghanistan–Russia first business forum inaugurated

Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs of Afghanistan Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk on Friday officially inaugurated the first Afghanistan–Russia Business Forum on the sidelines of the 16th Kazan International Economic Forum.
According to a statement issued by the deputy PM’s office, Abdul Ghani Baradar stated that since the Islamic Emirate’s takeover, Afghanistan has achieved political stability, expanded its economic activities, increased trade, and attracted investments from both domestic and international investors across various sectors. He noted that numerous large and small-scale projects have been launched for the country’s reconstruction, being implemented by both domestic and foreign companies in coordination with IEA.
Baradar emphasized that alongside the launch of infrastructure projects, IEA has also prioritized trade expansion and seeks to facilitate the export of Afghan products to regional and distant countries. He highlighted Russia as a strong potential market for Afghan goods and called for the establishment of favorable conditions for trade.
He further stated that IEA is ready to construct the second Salang Tunnel to promote trade and transit with Russia and Central Asia and requested cooperation from the Russian Federation in this regard, considering its relevant expertise.
Baradar also reiterated Afghanistan’s interest in participating in the North–South Corridor and stressed the importance of the Afghan–Trans project, calling for Russia’s cooperation in initiating and implementing it.
He added, “We are eager for Afghanistan to play an effective role in strengthening this corridor and contributing to regional economic connectivity.”
Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk expressed Russia’s support for a stable and developing Afghanistan, noting that such progress is in the interest of the entire region.
He stated that Afghanistan is moving in a positive direction and the participation of a high-level delegation from the Islamic Emirate in the 16th Kazan Forum demonstrates the Afghan people’s desire to live in peace and advance economic matters in a peaceful environment.
He further noted that Russian companies are ready to cooperate with Afghanistan in areas such as mining, construction of water dams, electricity generation, railway expansion, manufacturing of transport equipment, regional connectivity, and trade growth.
Overchuk added that a cooperation agreement has been signed for the establishment of a joint trade center between Moscow and Kabul. He expressed hope that the center would create new avenues for bilateral cooperation and effective utilization of existing opportunities.
The opening ceremony was also attended by the Deputy PM and the Minister of Industry and Trade of Tatarstan. The Deputy PM of Tatarstan stated that Tatar automotive companies are ready to operate in Afghanistan and that Tatarstan is prepared to sign an intergovernmental cooperation agreement with Afghanistan in this field.
It is expected that, on the sidelines of the 16th Kazan Forum, major agreements will be signed between Afghan and Russian traders to boost trade between Kabul and Moscow.
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Feasibility study of trans-Afghan railway to be ready in early 2026: Russian deputy PM

A feasibility study of the trans-Afghan railway is due to be ready early next year, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk said at the 16th international economic forum Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum 2025.
“Russian and Uzbek railway specialists are drafting the feasibility study of the trans-Afghan railway construction project together. We are expecting the project feasibility study to be ready in early 2026 so that decisions on its implementation could be made,” Overchuk said, Interfax reported.
The trans-Afghan transport corridor will connect to the European Union, Russia, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Southeast Asia. Uzbekistan said in 2023 it had reached an agreement with a number of countries to implement the project, key participants in which, besides Uzbekistan, would be Afghanistan and Pakistan. A preliminary agreement on Russia’s participation in the project was reached in early April 2024, during Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s visit to Moscow.
Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan signed an agreement in February 2021 to construct a 573-kilometer railway line through Afghanistan, connecting landlocked Central Asia to Pakistan seaports.
The Uzbek Transport Ministry said earlier it would take at least five years to build the trans-Afghan railway, the tentative cost of which might reach $4.8 billion.
Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov told Interfax in April that roughly 8 million to 15 million tonnes of Russian cargo might be annually transported by the prospective trans-Afghan railway.
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Russia considering issue of IEA diplomat for ambassador post: Kabulov

Russian Special Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov has said that Moscow is considering the issue of the Islamic Emirate nominating a diplomat for the post of Afghan ambassador to Moscow.
Kabulov said this on the sidelines of an international economic forum in Russia, TASS news agency reported.
Earlier, Russia’s Supreme Court made a decision to suspend the ban on the activities of the Islamic Emirate by the Russian side.
The decision has enhanced conditions for trade and economic relations between the two countries, Afghanistan’s Charge d’Affaires in Moscow Jamal Nasir Garwal said.
“Our trade and economic cooperation was not so successful because the Taliban used to be blacklisted in Russia. Fortunately, after the Supreme Court’s decision, this problem was resolved. This opened up better conditions for developing our cooperation,” the diplomat said at the 16th International Economic Forum Russia – Islamic World: KazanForum.
Garwal expressed hope that Russia and Afghanistan will soon sign investment agreements in geological exploration and mineral resource extraction.
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