Latest News
Taliban refuses ceasefire call storing it for ‘Intra-Afghan talks’
In response to the ceasefire call, the Taliban responds that it will be discussed in the Intra-Afghan peace talks.
Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban political office spokesman, in an interview with a Syrian media, warns that if five thousand prisoners of the group are not released, the next option is war.
The presidential palace, in a press release, said that at the last meeting of the National Security Council it had been underlined that the prisoner release should continue based on the government’s policy.
The statement, however, expresses doubts about the prisoner release from the Taliban’s end.
President Ghani said, “I call on the Taliban to give a positive response to the legitimate demand of the United Nations, regional countries and the Afghan people, stop the war and reduce violence.”
However, Suhail Shaheen, the spokesperson of the Taliban political office in Qatar, has told a news agency that the ceasefire has been included in the agenda of the Intra-Afghan talks. Shaheen has added that if the 5,000 prisoners of the Taliban are not released, the war will continue.
Shaheen said, “If they want to resolve the situation in a political way, this is the right way. The other way is the military approach which they have chosen for the last 18 to 19 years unsuccessfully.”
This comes as Roland Cobia, the EU special representative in Afghanistan, has welcomed the prisoner releases saying that it would be much better with the violence reduction.
He underscored that the prisoner releases will be more acceptable with reducing violence adding that the “Intra-Afghan talks should be started before the entire release of prisoners.”
So far, some 361 Taliban prisoners have been released by the government and some 20 government prisoners by the Taliban.
Yet both the laterals have questions about the released prisoners; thus the release process has been paused.
Two people have been killed amid protests against a poppy eradication campaign in northeastern Badakhshan province, local officials said.
Authorities said counter-narcotics forces were deployed on Friday to Atan Jalo area of Argo district to destroy poppy fields. Clashes erupted after a number of farmers and residents reportedly attempted to block the operation.
Officials said a child was killed during Friday’s unrest, while another person died on Saturday as protests and tensions continued in the area.
According to local authorities, demonstrators also temporarily blocked the Kishm–Faizabad highway, disrupting traffic for several hours before it was reopened following coordinated efforts by security officials, religious scholars, and community elders.
Officials blamed “drug traffickers and criminal groups” for inciting the unrest and said security forces have since regained control of the area.
A high-ranking Uzbek delegation comprising government officials and private sector representatives from the Republic of Karakalpakstan arrived in Kabul on Saturday to discuss the expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Afghanistan.
The delegation is headed by Amanbay Orinbayev, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the delegation is expected to hold talks with Nooruddin Azizi, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, focusing on strengthening bilateral trade and economic relations.
The ministry said the visiting delegation will also participate in trade connectivity meetings and business-to-business sessions aimed at enhancing commercial cooperation between the two sides.
As part of the visit, the Uzbek delegation is also scheduled to travel to Balkh province, where members will attend additional trade meetings and inaugurate an exhibition showcasing Uzbekistan’s domestic products.
Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, has expressed concern over recent developments along the Durand Line, saying Pakistan has increased military and economic pressure on villages and residents living near the line.
In a statement, Karzai said the apparent purpose of these pressures is to push residents of Durand Line areas to seek help from Pakistani institutions for resolving security and other local issues.
He added that, amid this situation, some tribal elders from both sides of the Durand Line recently signed documents described as “peace agreements,” which were later officially welcomed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Karzai, these developments amount to an effort by Pakistan to legitimize the Durand Line and represent an action against Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.
The former Afghan president also urged the relevant Afghan authorities to provide the public with a clear explanation regarding the recent agreements and developments along the Durand Line.
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