Erdogan
Khaama: Leaders from around the world including Former Afghan President and Former Chief Executive Officer of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah congratulated Recep Tayyib Erdogan after he won another term. Dr. Abdullah has stated that Turkey and Afghanistan are historical friends and allies and Turkey has always stood by the people of Afghanistan during difficult times. Click here to read more (external link).
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8am: Over the past two years, there have been 12 armed clashes between Iranian border guards and Taliban militants. These confrontations have resulted in fatalities on both sides, as well as civilian casualties, including women and children. Within the last 22 months, the Taliban have twice captured Iranian border forces. During the initial clash, several media outlets reported on the Taliban’s occupation of Iranian border posts. Click here to read more (external link).
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Ayaz Gul
VOA News
May 28, 2023
ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities and neighboring Iran said Sunday deadly clashes between their border security forces had subsided, with both sides engaging in talks to ease tensions.
The skirmishes erupted in the Afghan border province of Nimroz Saturday, killing two Iranian security forces and a Taliban border guard, officials in both countries said.
Both sides traded blame for the heavy exchange of cross-border gunfire, escalating Iran’s tensions with Afghanistan amid a dispute over water resources.
Sunday, the Iranian state-run IRNA news agency quoted a senior official as saying that “the situation is under control” in the conflict zone near the Sasuli border post in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan province.
Alireza Marhamati, the deputy provincial governor, said that “local Iranian and Afghan officials have held negotiations on the cause of the clashes and agreed to continue their talks.”
A spokesman for the Afghan Interior Affairs Ministry said in a statement that his government “does not want to fight with its neighbors” and insisted Iranian forces started the conflict, prompting Afghan border forces to retaliate.
Bilateral tensions have recently escalated over Iranian allegations that the Taliban are breaching a 1973 water-sharing treaty between Tehran and Kabul by blocking water flow from Helmand River, which flows from Afghanistan to Iran’s arid eastern border regions.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, during a visit to the border province, called on the Taliban to respect the treaty, which envisions shared water resources and outlines access to monitoring of the water level. Raisi warned the de facto Afghan rulers against violating the agreement and vowed to defend Iran’s water rights.
“The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan believes dialogue and negotiation are a good path to addressing any issue. Making excuses for war and negative actions do not serve the interest of any of the parties,” Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khowarazmi wrote on his official Twitter account.
The United Nations says Afghanistan and Iran have suffered from a prolonged drought, and drought conditions have worsened over the past decade.
Last week, Afghan Foreign Affairs Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, responding to threatening statements by the Iranian leadership, said that Kabul was committed to the water treaty.
In a televised speech, Muttaqi urged Tehran not to overlook the region’s drought and try to resolve the issue in “face-to-face talks instead of making noises” through media.
“We also expect the officials of Iran to adjust their expectations in line with the treaty and base the criteria for judgment and comments on the provisions contained in the treaty,” he added.
Analysts warned that Afghanistan and the region at large could ill afford another conflict.
Torek Farhadi, a former Afghan official, said the Taliban would avoid a standoff with Iran. He noted that Afghanistan is fragile after 40 years of war, and four million Afghans live on Iranian soil as refugees.
“Sure, skirmishes and then a war can start with Iran, but soon Afghanistan will end up as the terrain for proxy wars with Teheran,” said Farhadi. “Arms and munitions will flow to Afghanistan to fight Iran, but the fighters would be Afghan youth, and the destruction will occur in Afghanistan. Not a good perspective.”
Iran has retained its embassy in Kabul along with nearly two dozen neighboring and regional countries since the Taliban seized power nearly two years ago, but it has not recognized the new Afghan government nor has the world at large.
The Taliban’s restrictions on women’s right to education and work as well as a lack of political inclusivity in their government have deterred the international community from granting them legitimacy.
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Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty: Russia’s full-scale war in Ukraine is capturing much of the world’s attention, but Central Asia is more concerned about what’s happening south of the border in Afghanistan. There are several militant groups in northern Afghanistan who hope to topple the Tajik and Uzbek governments. Some of these groups are allies of the Taliban, whereas others are not. Click here for more (external link).
Khaama: An earthquake of magnitude 5.2 jolted the Faizabad district of Badakhshan province of Afghanistan on Sunday morning. The quake’s epicentre was 36 Km southeast of the Jurm district of Badakhshan, and the tremors were felt across the region, including Pakistan, India, and Southern Tajikistan, Indian National Center for Seismology reported. So far, no causalities have been reported due to the earthquake. Click here to read more (external link).
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Ariana: Two patients died of Congo fever in Abu Ali Sinai Balkhi Hospital in Mazar-e-Sharif city, health officials said. Reports of an outbreak of Congo fever have been recorded in a number of provinces in the north of the country. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Health News
Taliban militant (file photo)
Tolo News: Some Kabul residents criticized the surge in armed robberies in parts of the capital by irresponsible armed individuals. They asked the Islamic Emirate [Taliban] to make an effort to ensure the security of the people. Click here to read more (external link).
Zalmay Khalilzad
8am: The Doha peace agreement, which was the result of Zalmay Khalilzad’s efforts as the United States Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, was signed between the United States and the Taliban. This agreement led to the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the fall of the previous government, and the reinstatement of the Taliban. Recently, Khalilzad has expressed his opinion on the disputes between the Taliban and Iran, stating that the Taliban have acted with restraint and statesmanship in regards to Iran’s claim from the Helmand River. He is known for tweeting to support the actions of the Taliban, and this is not the first time he has done so. Click here to read more (external link).