A former detainee, Nadia Sadat, has made shocking claims about Taliban abuse during her imprisonment in Afghanistan. Speaking to local Afghan media, she said she was stripped naked and subjected to inhumane treatment in custody. Sadat revealed that Taliban officials recorded photos and videos of her during harsh interrogations. She had been arrested in Mazar-i-Sharif for protesting and for talking to the media about the ban on education for women and girls. She said that during her detention, Taliban officers sexually assaulted her. They touched her body without consent. Sadat described the Taliban abuse as cruel and degrading. “The Taliban…
Author: Salar Tajik
Fresh tensions have erupted in the Taliban ranks as reports confirm that HebatUllah fears coup from within his inner circle. Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s Interior Minister, has gone into hiding due to fears of assassination. The revelation came from Ahmad Zia Saraj, the former head of Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS). Saraj told Afghanistan International that HebatUllah fears coup plans involving Haqqani and other top Taliban leaders. He also claimed that foreign intelligence agencies might be backing the suspected conspiracy. As a result, Akhundzada has taken drastic steps to eliminate any threat to his leadership. To tighten his grip,…
Taliban Rift Widens as Key Leaders Stay Away from Afghanistan The ongoing division between the Taliban’s Kandahari and Haqqani factions has intensified. The prolonged absence of Sirajuddin Haqqani, Abdul Ghani Baradar, and Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai from Afghanistan highlights the severity of this internal conflict. While Baradar has returned, Haqqani and Stanikzai remain in the UAE. The Taliban’s leadership split revolves around Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and his restrictive governance. His Kandahari faction consists of hardline clerics who enforce strict policies, especially against women’s rights. In contrast, the Haqqani Network, led by Sirajuddin and his allies, favors a more pragmatic…
Afghan jihadi leader Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf has strongly opposed the Taliban’s monopoly on power, insisting that Afghanistan’s leadership must be chosen through a legitimate Islamic process. During his visit to Iran, he called for the formation of a Shurā-ye Ḥall wa ‘Aqd, a council composed of qualified representatives empowered to appoint or remove rulers. He criticized the Taliban for ruling without public approval and stressed that a true Islamic government requires broad participation. Speaking to Iran’s IRAF News Agency, Sayyaf proposed that Afghanistan’s future leadership should be determined by representatives from districts and provinces. He argued that this method…
The Taliban’s contradictory stance on women has come under scrutiny after Whitney Wright, a well-known American adult film actress, visited Afghanistan. While Afghan women face severe restrictions, the regime appears to be accommodating foreign female tourists, including a star from the adult industry. On Friday, Whitney Wright in Afghanistan shared images from Kabul and Herat on social media. Her photos featured Ariana Airlines, a tiled rooftop in Herat, a shopfront, and multiple vehicles. Interestingly, she did not appear in any of the pictures herself. An Afghan media outlet attempted to contact her to understand the purpose and timing of her…
The perception of Taliban invincibility is a myth. Before the Doha Agreement, the group fought against NATO and Afghan security forces for two decades but failed to gain full control over Afghanistan. Their attempts to seize major cities in the north, west, and south were temporary and unsuccessful. The Taliban lacked unified command and control, making it impossible to establish regular battlefronts. Many Taliban fighters received medical treatment in neighboring countries. Their leaders lived in Pakistan, Iran, the UAE, Qatar, and other nations. The idea that the Taliban had strong military capabilities was exaggerated by their external supporters. The weapons…
The Panjshir Studies Centre has released the findings of its latest survey on the residents of Panjshir province in Afghanistan. According to the report, 90% of respondents believe the Taliban are “looting” the Panjshir mines. Locals claim they receive no benefits from the revenue generated by these resources. The survey revealed that traders are extracting the Panjshir mines, and the revenue is handed over to the Taliban government. The report also states that the Taliban have issued work permits to 1,700 miners, charging 10,000 afghanis for each license. Currently, 550 miners are operating in Panjshir. Additionally, the Taliban reportedly sold…
Residents of Nimruz province report that human trafficking remains widespread despite a decree by the Taliban Supreme Leader. They claim that the trafficking network operates openly in the province, particularly from Zaranj city to the Iranian border. Instead of taking effective action, Taliban officials have focused on public messaging, instructing mosque clerics to preach against trafficking and putting up banners in the city. Two weeks ago, Mohammad Qasim Khalid, the Taliban governor of Nimruz, announced that the “Duk” border was closed to traffickers. However, local sources refute this claim. They state that human trafficking continues daily through this border, with…
At the fourth coordination meeting between the Taliban and UN agencies, held on January 15 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul, the Taliban’s foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, called for continued international assistance to Afghanistan. He stressed that aid should align with the needs and priorities of the Afghan people while also having long-term benefits for the country. This appeal for global support comes as the Taliban administration faces mounting criticism for its blatant disregard for international norms. While claiming to work towards Afghanistan’s development, the Taliban has been widely condemned for its oppressive policies, particularly against women,…
Recent weeks have seen a sharp rise in Pak-Afghan tensions, leading to the deaths of dozens of civilians, including a Pakistani security officer. In response, Pakistan launched airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Paktia province, targeting hideouts of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). However, the Afghan Taliban accused Pakistan of killing at least 46 civilians, including women and children, in these strikes. Pakistan maintained the strikes were retaliation for the TTP’s December 25 operation, where 16 Pakistani soldiers were martyred. As the Taliban consolidated power in Afghanistan, conflicts on the Pak-Afghan border worsened. Separatist groups such as the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and TTP…