The delegation, comprised of representatives from the private sector, responded to an official invitation extended by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce of Afghanistan.

The overarching objective of the visit is to consolidate and expand the trade and transit relations between Afghanistan and Kyrgyzstan.

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The department on Friday said in a series of Tweets that Taliban security forces conducted a special operation on an ISIS hideout in the ‘Butkhaak’ district of Kabul city, adding that civilians were not harmed in the attack.

The intelligence department of the Islamic Emirate claims the special operation on the ISIS hideout resulted in the death of Asad Laghmani known as “Qais”, who was involved in the terror attack at the interior ministry mosque.

Previously, General Michael Kurilla had warned that within the next six months, ISIS in Afghanistan will have the potential to target the US and other Western countries interests. He further added that the militant group’s ability to conduct operations in Asia and Europe is rapidly expanding.

In response to the US general’s remarks, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid rejected the presence of ISIS militants in Afghanistan. Mujahid said ISIS fighters have been suppressed and targeted across the country, and they will not have a chance to excel under the Islamic Emirate regime in Afghanistan.

It’s the US that dignifies the presence of ISIS in the country, which gives the militant fighters the moment to accelerate their attack, and it needs to be stopped, Mujahid added.

Nearly six months ago, the mosque at the interior ministry of the Taliban administration came under attack, claiming the lives of four people, and injuring 25 others.

Prior to this, Taliban security forces reported several attacks on ISIS hideouts in Kabul, Mazar-e-Sharif, and other parts of Afghanistan.

The ISIS fighters have claimed the responsibility for several brutal attacks in Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif over the past couple of weeks.

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The protest took place in Kabul and demanded to lift of the ban restriction on education and work for females. The protest came after a statement issued by the Ministry of Higher education stated the opening of Universities without female students.

The Taliban-led government banned women from attending university last December, which has confronted massive condemnation nationally and internationally.

The United Nations condemned the ban on women’s right to education and work, saying, “Under the Taliban, Afghanistan remains the most repressive country in the world for women,” said the UN special envoy, Roza Otunbayeva.

On the other hand, the Taliban banned women’s working in NGOs last December. The protesters also urged the international community to pay attention to the current Afghan women’s situation, particularly the ban on working.

Meanwhile, the UN warned the de facto government to drop humanitarian aid if women were prohibited from working. Banning women from working in NGOs disrupted humanitarian aid since Most of the aid organizations’ staff were female.

In a report delivered on Monday to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Richard Bennett, the Special Rapporteur for the United Nations on human rights in Afghanistan, stated that the Taliban’s prohibition on female education “may amount to gender persecution a crime against humanity.”

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Khalid Zadran, the Spokesperson of the Kabul Security Department confirmed to Khaam Press that Mursal Nabizada, a former representative of Laghman province in the Afghan Parliament was killed by unknown gunmen in the 12th district of Kabul city.

Khalid Zadar said that unknown gunmen entered Mursal Nabizada’s house in the “Ahmadsha Baba Mena” locality in the 12th district of Kabul city and shot two people to death last night.

He further added that perpetrators have not yet been identified and the reasons behind the killing remain unclear.

Meanwhile, Mursal Nabizada’s brother was also wounded, however, his family has yet to comment on the terror incident.

The Spokesperson further added that investigations are underway, and will share the finding with the public in this regard in a timely manner.

This comes as terror incidents including suicide attacks, targeted killing, and bombing has unprecedentedly increased in the recent past, resulting in the death in the injury of scores of Afghan servicemen and civilians.

On Wednesday, December 11, an explosion took place near the entrance of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the heart of Kabul, causing serious casualties. Although Islamic State (IS) militants have been behind terror attacks in the recent past, no group claimed the responsibility for the blast.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, security has been a major challenge for the de facto regime. The optimism the general public had with the establishment of Afghanistan’s interim administration is gradually fading.

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Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said on Monday that the interim administration in Kabul had apologized to Pakistan for Afghan Border Forces shooting on civilians in the Chaman area of Balochistan the previous day and that the “issue has been handled.”

According to the military’s public relations branch, at least seven people were killed and 16 others were injured when Chaman came under “unprovoked and indiscriminate” heavy gunfire and artillery bombardment by Afghan border troops on Sunday.

The event has been denounced throughout Pakistan’s political spectrum.

Asif said today at a session of the National Assembly that the “provocation at Chaman came from the Afghan side.”

“A part of the fence was broken […] our employees were fixing it […] they hit the barrier with a vehicle […] they argued that the fence repair work should have been forwarded to the border security committee.

“When the situation worsened, they began firing. In the first exchange of fire, there were no injuries. Later, when they fired heavy gunfire […], five of our citizens were killed, and two more died on route to Quetta,” he said.

Asif said that in reaction, Pakistan fired on the Afghan position, resulting in the deaths of eight to nine Afghan troops.

“Thereafter, the border security committee convened again, and it was determined that Afghanistan was at fault […] we feel there was no motivation […] there is no proof that the assault was planned.”

The minister said that Afghan officials had confessed their error and pledged to prevent such instances in the future.

Asif emphasized, however, that Afghanistan’s internal condition is evident in its dealings with Pakistan.

Adding that Pakistan wished Afghanistan well and wanted the situation there to improve, he said, “We would work wholeheartedly for Afghan peace.”

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At least three people have been reported injured in an explosion at the Qari Saber Mosque in Kabul on Friday.

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The media reported a horrific explosion at the Khalifa Mosque in Kabul during Friday prayers, killing and injuring more than 300 people.

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Pakistan says its security forces are being targeted from across the border in Afghanistan. Pakistan Taliban, known by the acronym TTP (Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan), and ISIL (ISIS) affiliated fighters, who operate along the porous border between the two countries have carried out numerous attacks inside Pakistan since 2007.

In 2014, the group attacked a school in Peshawar, killing 150 people, mostly children, in one of its deadliest attacks in the country.

The Taliban warned Islamabad of “consequences” saying it would not tolerate “invasions” from its neighbors after nearly 50 people were killed on April 16 in alleged Pakistani air raids in the border provinces of Kunar and Khost. Pakistan has not confirmed if it was behind the air raids.

The Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan was celebrated by officials in Islamabad and it was hoped that the armed group would rein in TTP and ISIL fighters, but instead, attacks have risen. More attacks have been recorded this year than in the same period last year.

ISIL affiliates have also carried out attacks inside Afghanistan, posing a major security threat to Taliban rule.

The alleged Pakistani air raids sparked protests, with residents in Afghanistan’s Khost and Kandahar provinces taking to the streets saying those killed in the attacks were civilians.

Pakistan says its security forces are being targeted from across the border in 
Afghanistan [File: Arshad Arbab/EPA]

Imtiaz Gul, a political analyst based in Islamabad, said Pakistan has long complained against “terrorist outfits operating in eastern Afghanistan”.

He said Pakistan has carried out attacks against “terrorist hideouts” even during the time of former President Ashraf Ghani. “They [rebels] were also targeted by US-led drone strikes,” he told Al Jazeera.

‘Terrorists using Afghan soil’

Pakistani officials allege TTP fighters harbored on Afghan soil are taking advantage of the Taliban’s governance issues and conducting attacks in Pakistan.

“Terrorists are using Afghan soil with impunity to carry out activities inside Pakistan,” Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement last Sunday.

But Taliban authorities have denied providing safe haven to the rebels, saying they have checked cross-border attacks since coming to power last August.

“There was a lot of expectation when the Taliban came to power amid hope that the group will extend a lot of support to Pakistan in countering terrorism,” said Amir Rana, director of Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS), pointing out three threats: first the TTP, the second Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP or ISIS-K), and the third Baloch fighters who use hideouts in Afghanistan.

Demonstrators take part in a protest against alleged Pakistani airstrikes 
in Khost [AFP]

According to PIPS, the Pakistan Taliban was responsible for 87 attacks across Pakistan in 2021, with most attacks targeting military personnel within its western borders.

From January to March this year, 97 Pakistani soldiers and officers have been killed in “terrorist attacks”, according to the Pakistani military.

Last week, a Pakistani military convoy was ambushed close to the border in North Waziristan, killing seven soldiers and four attackers in a gun battle. It was claimed by the Pakistan Taliban. On Saturday four Pakistani soldiers were killed in firing from across the border.

The TTP and Taliban are believed to share ideological roots and have previously also participated together in attacks against the United States-led Afghan government. But they maintain separate operation and command structures.

Last November, the Taliban mediated a ceasefire deal between the Pakistani government and the Pakistan Taliban but that did not last. Pakistan Taliban unilaterally ended the truce accusing Islamabad of reneging on its promises. Its main demands are the imposition of Islamic law in Pakistan and the release of its fighters.

Faiz Zaland, a professor at Kabul University, says it is unlikely the Taliban will act against the Pakistan Taliban considering they fought together for the past 20 years against the US-led NATO forces.

“The fighters have sacrificed their lives together like brothers against the US-led occupation in Kabul,” he told Al Jazeera.

The security establishment

Taliban has, however, maintained that it will not allow Afghan soil to be used against Pakistan. Officials from the group, however, did not respond to requests for comment on the matter.

But Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government’s spokesman, issued a statement condemning the air raids saying that “it is paving the way for enmity between Afghanistan and Pakistan”.

The recent air raids also added to the growing Taliban anger against Pakistan for building a 2,700km (1,677 miles) fence along the countries’ border, known as the Durand Line.

Tensions come despite Pakistan repeatedly appealing for the recognition of the Taliban administration which faces diplomatic isolation.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement condemning the air raids 
in Afghanistan [File: Reuters]

Obaidullah Baheer, a lecturer at the American University of Afghanistan, said, “Pakistan’s administration expects the Taliban to have the same level of subservience the Taliban showed in the 90s, and as the group is trying to shed away the stamp of being Pakistan’s proxy, it leads to the Taliban taking a tough stance at times.”

The recent spat, Rana from PIPS said, will likely affect the “already-tense relationship” even in the bilateral front between the two neighbors. Pakistan is Afghanistan’s biggest trading partner.

However, analysts say the group does not have enough resources to retaliate against its nuclear-armed neighbor.

“It is hard to imagine that the Taliban will take any strong actions against Pakistan. Even if they want to, they lack the capacity and resources,” said Said Sabir Ibrahimi, a non-resident fellow at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation.

The air raids come days after Shehbaz Sharif was sworn in as the prime minister after Imran Khan was removed following a no-confidence motion.

But analysts say Pakistan’s powerful military, which was accused of providing a safe haven to Taliban leaders in the past, dictates the country’s Afghan policies. It has increased border operations in recent months.

“It is not an issue related to the new government or old government, this is a matter related to the security establishment and the newly elected government will only extend support according to the security establishment in Pakistan,” said Rana.

Baheer from the American University of Afghanistan said the reason the Pakistani government is yet to claim the attack in Afghanistan could be “so that they do not risk a complete fracture of ties with the Taliban and leave them some face-saving by not claiming it, which would demand justifying it as well”.

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The Iranian embassy in Kabul in a statement condemned the terrorist attack on Pul-e Khishti Mosque in Kabul, which left 11 people injured.

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News sources reported on Wednesday that a massive explosion targeted Pul-e Khishti Mosque in Kabul.

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