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Daesh, al-Qaeda to establish Islamic Caliphate in Badakhshan
Local officials in Badakhshan say that some 600 families of Daesh and al-Qaeda, who are citizens of some Asian countries, are present in the province and have chosen the Khustak Valley of Jurm district as the center of their activities.
Badakhshan Governor Zakaria Sowda said, “After Daesh was defeated in Helmand and Nangarhar provinces, it is now working with the Al-Qaeda group, all of whom are foreigners, to build a caliphate center in Dara-e Khustak, Jurm district of Badakhshan. If it is not stopped, it will be a great danger after the peace process in Afghanistan and the Middle East.”
Altafullah Alizai, commander of the army’s brigade in Badakhshan, said, “Dara-e Khustak is under the control of Daesh and al-Qaeda for years. The place has open borders with China, Tajikistan, and Pakistan. It has gold mines, exported by the group to foreign countries through the open borders – a good income stream for them.”
Badakhshan military officials say that the Ansarullah network, the eastern Turkestan group, and the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan are among the groups working directly with the Daesh and al-Qaeda in Jurm, Warduj and Raghistan districts of Badakhshan province.
They add that more than 2,000 Taliban, in addition to these groups, conduct anti-government activities in 22 districts of Badakhshan.
Asadullah Mohammadi, the Police Chief of Badakhshan, said: “In the last week, a number of security forces were killed and others were wounded. The enemy has also suffered casualties. These groups fighting against the Afghan forces are all foreigners.”
Mohammad Ali Ahmadi, First Deputy Chief of Special Operations in the North, said: “Foreign groups in the valley are using advanced weapons against us. Most of these fighters are citizens of Middle Eastern countries. Up to $10,000 has been recovered from the fighters killed in action.”
Meanwhile, residents of the Khustak Valley, Jurm district say that al-Qaeda and Daesh groups, along with their families, have forcibly taken hold of their homes.
“They kicked us out of our homes and located their families. All are black-skinned foreign nationals,” said one resident of Khustak Valley.
Another resident of the valley, said, “There are foreigners who have weapons and ammunition that our government does not have. All of them use dollars. Wherever they take, the people of that locality are kicked out of their homes.”
It is noteworthy that Badakhshan is one of the most insecure provinces in northeastern Afghanistan.
The province has borders with Pakistan, Tajikistan, and China. The Taliban, al-Qaeda, and Daesh have recently taken over Raghistan district and parts of Jurm district too.
Roza Otunbayeva, Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), recently visited the city of Maimana in northern Afghanistan, where she met with local officials, entrepreneurs, and UN staff.
UNAMA wrote on its Facebook page on Sunday, that during the visit, entrepreneurs — including women — met with Otunbayeva, and requested support to facilitate access to new markets, particularly in Uzbekistan.
UNAMA further stated that among these entrepreneurs was a group of women who, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), had established a tailoring workshop.
They expressed their appreciation for the support received and spoke about the significant growth and development of their business.
UNAMA added that the organization remains committed to promoting economic opportunities and empowering Afghan communities, especially women.
Anand Prakash, head of the Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan Division of the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, met with Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul for talks on various issues.
According to a press release issued Sunday by the Afghan Foreign Ministry, bilateral political relations, trade, transit and recent political developments in the region were discussed in the meeting.
Muttaqi stressed the need for the expansion of diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries and explained that Afghanistan currently offers favorable opportunities for investment. He said Indian investors should take advantage of these opportunities.
He also said that facilities should be created for the movement of people between Afghanistan and India and the issuance of visas for medical purposes, students and businessmen should return to normal.
Meanwhile, Prakash said that relations with Afghanistan are important for India and he hopes that these relations will expand further in various fields.
He stressed that India will continue its cooperation with Afghanistan and wants to invest in some infrastructure projects and restart projects that were paused for some time.
The two sides also emphasized the expansion of relations, the exchange of delegations, visa facilitation and bilateral cooperation.
Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has said in a phone call with his Uzbek counterpart that Afghanistan is fully prepared for the implementation of the Trans-Afghan railway project.
During the call, the two sides discussed strengthening bilateral and multilateral relations, as well as expanding political, economic and transit cooperation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul said in a statement on Sunday.
Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov noted that Afghanistan’s exports to Uzbekistan have tripled in the first four months of 2025 compared to last year. He vowed to create more facilities in the field of trade and transit between the two countries, especially in issuing visas to Afghan citizens.
Meanwhile, Amir Khan Muttaqi said that Afghanistan is fully prepared for the implementation of major economic projects such as the Trans-Afghan railway project and for the strengthening of political, trade and transit cooperation with Uzbekistan. He said that the existing opportunities should be utilized for the mutual benefit of the two countries.
The two sides also discussed the holding of a trilateral meeting between Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Pakistan at the level of foreign ministers and agreed to coordinate through diplomatic channels to determine the exact date and place of the meeting.
The three neighboring countries signed an agreement in February 2021 to construct a 573-kilometer railway line through Afghanistan, connecting landlocked Central Asia to Pakistan seaports, with an estimated cost of $4.8 billion to enhance regional economic connectivity.
Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation with Uzbek foreign minister last Thursday to discuss the Trans-Afghan railway project.
Dar expressed hope that the three countries would soon sign a framework agreement on this important regional project.
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