Deputy Prime Minister for Administrative Affairs Abdul Salam Hanafi says if anyone attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of the country, it is Afghanistan’s religious and international right to defend itself.

Hanafi made these remarks during the inauguration ceremony of a commercial complex in Kabul.

“If someone interferes in Afghanistan’s internal affairs, it is Afghanistan’s undeniable, religious, and international right to defend itself. If someone throws a stone at us, we will be compelled to respond, even if it means throwing a mud-brick back at them,” said Hanafi.

Hanafi also reiterated the importance of positive interaction and good relations with countries in the region and the world, emphasizing that tension among neighboring countries benefits no one.

He stated: “It is in no neighboring country’s interest to have tension among them. The better the relations, the more it benefits the people of the neighboring countries. Therefore, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan always supports this peaceful policy and friendly relations.”

“The policy of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan towards the world is that we seek positive engagement with everyone,” he added.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has rejected claims made by Pakistan’s representative to the UN Security Council, Munir Akram, that Afghanistan is an ISIS (Daesh) “recruitment center”.

According to a statement issued by the foreign ministry, the IEA said the claims were unfounded and accused Pakistan of trying to shift focus away from its own internal issues.

The ministry reiterated that since the IEA’s return to power significant strides have been made to eradicate Daesh and other extremist groups in Afghanistan.

The foreign ministry stated that Pakistan is using these allegations as a distraction from its own instability. The ministry urged the international community to recognize the progress made in Afghanistan and to refrain from placing blame on the country.

This comes after Monday’s UN Security Council meeting where the threat of Daesh was discussed. The UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, Vladimir Voronkov, said ISIS-K in Afghanistan (Daesh) “supporters plotted attacks in Europe and were actively seeking to recruit individuals from Central Asian States”.

Voronkov provided details on the global terrorism landscape during the past six months, and said “in Afghanistan, ISIL-Khorasan (Daesh) continued to pose a significant threat”.

Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations also raised the issue of ISIS-K in Afghanistan and said the “access terrorist groups like ISIS have to leftover American weapons in Afghanistan” was concerning.

Afghanistan meanwhile does not have an Islamic Emirate representative at the UN and has repeatedly called for their seat to be handed over to them, stating any discussions on or including Afghanistan were meaningless without the IEA’s participation.

The Islamic Emirate has also repeatedly rejected claims of Daesh being active in Afghanistan and have said that the group has been eradicated in the country.

On the subject of US weapons in the country, the IEA has described such concerns as baseless and repeatedly stated that all US weapons and military equipment left behind are secured by the government, with no group or individual having access to them.

Afghanistan’s former president Hamid Karzai has strongly condemned the explosion that rocked Kunduz city on Tuesday, leaving at least five people dead.

In a post on X, Karzai called the incident “an act against human and Islamic principles”.

The incident took place outside a Kabul Bank branch in the city when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives.

The Qatar government was also quick to condemn the incident and expressed its condolences to the families of victims.

According to a statement issued by Qatar’s Foreign Affairs, Doha is fully committed to “the rejection of violence and terrorism, regardless of the motives and causes”.