Amu: At least 58 Pakistani soldiers and nine Taliban fighters were killed in weekend border clashes, Taliban chief spokesman said Sunday, marking one of the deadliest confrontations between the two sides in recent years. Zabihullah Mujahid said they launched a retaliatory operation Saturday night “along the Durand Line”, the disputed frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan,
Afghanistan International: Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s spokesperson, censored parts of an audio recording of Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada’s Eid speech at the Eidgah Mosque in Kandahar. Notably, Akhundzada’s voice was cut off at the moment he began criticising the widespread influence of the media among the public. The censorship of Akhundzada’s speech prompted sharp reactions
Ayaz Gul VOA News March 2, 2025 Islamabad — Taliban officials have denied President Donald Trump’s recent assertions that China holds control over a crucial former U.S.-operated military base in Afghanistan. The sprawling Bagram Air Base in question, situated about 44 kilometers north of the national capital of Kabul, served as the central command for the
Ayaz Gul VOA News February 4, 2025 ISLAMABAD — The Taliban have warned that the military weapons left behind by the United States in Afghanistan now belong to them as “spoils of war” and will be utilized to defend against any attempts to reclaim them. The statement marks the first official response from the internationally unrecognized
Ayaz Gul VOA News August 21, 2024 ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan’s de facto Taliban leaders have barred the United Nations-appointed special rapporteur on human rights, Richard Bennett, from entering the country for allegedly “spreading propaganda.” Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid disclosed the decision to Afghan broadcaster TOLO News late Tuesday. He accused the U.N. envoy of misrepresenting “the
Tolo News: Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, has dismissed Western countries’ concerns about the activities of Daesh and other terrorist groups in Afghanistan as baseless and mere propaganda. Mujahid said that the geography of Afghanistan is under the complete control of the Islamic Emirate, and no foreign or domestic rogue groups are
By Sarah Zaman VOA News July 1, 2024 DOHA, QATAR — The third round of U.N.-led talks to explore engagement with Afghanistan ended Monday without the Taliban making any reform pledges or winning concessions from the international community. A few international organizations and special envoys for Afghanistan from nearly two dozen countries met with Taliban officials in
Afghanistan International: Zabihullah Mujahid, head of the Taliban delegation, urged participants of the third Doha meeting to release Afghanistan’s Central Bank reserves and lift financial and banking sanctions on the group. Mujahid emphasised that for the Doha process to be “meaningful,” an alternative to poppy cultivation should be financially supported. He also called for the
Ayaz Gul VOA News June 29, 2024 ISLAMABAD — The Taliban on Saturday ruled out any discussions on “internal issues” of Afghanistan, including women’s rights, with international envoys at a crucial United Nations-hosted meeting in Doha, Qatar. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban government spokesperson and head of its delegation attending the conference in the capital of the
Afghanistan International: Reliable sources have told Afghanistan International that relations between Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, and Amir Khan Muttaqi, the group’s foreign minister, have soured. Recently, the Taliban selected Zabihullah Mujahid, the main spokesperson for their government, to attend the third Doha meeting instead of Muttaqi. According to these sources, Mujahid’s