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Ghani ‘refuses’ to meet with Khalilzad to discuss interim govt
US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad flew out of Kabul on Tuesday night without having met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, sources confirmed Wednesday.
Khalilzad, who spent just one day in the Afghan capital did however meet with high profile political figures to reportedly discuss the establishment of an interim government.
However, sources claimed Ghani wanted no part in such discussions with the US envoy.
Khalilzad reportedly met with former president Hamid Karzai, former jihadi leader Abdul Rab Rasul Sayyaf, the chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation Abdullah Abdullah; the National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib and the Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar.
Sahyed Ishaq Gailani, a senior adviser to the High Council for National Reconciliation told Ariana News that Khalilzad’s aim was to discuss the establishment of an interim government but he said Ghani was opposed to discussing the issue with the US envoy.
“Mr. Khalilzad arrived in Kabul with a message of interim government which is a good message for the Afghan people, but the President did not give him time,” Gailani said.
However, Juma Khan Achakzai, one of Ghani’s advisers, said the President’s failure to meet with Khalilzad was not because of the issue of an interim government but rather because he had been otherwise engaged.
“The President was busy with some government work, and Khalilzad met with the security council adviser and foreign minister, and they conveyed Khalilzad’s message to the President.”
Earlier, a member of the government’s negotiating team said the focus of the talks going forward would be on the division of power, which may lead to a change in the structure of power in the country.
Peace talks resumed in Doha on Wednesday night between the Afghan negotiating team and the Taliban after a three week break. Khalilzad meanwhile is currently on a tour of the region and will also visit Qatar as he resumes efforts to push for peace in Afghanistan.
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Baradar: Afghanistan is not an easy target, but a ‘bitter tree’
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, warned during a graduation ceremony for soldiers of the Ministry of National Defense that the Islamic Emirate will respond decisively to anyone with ill intentions toward Afghanistan.
He said the country is “not an easy target, but a bitter tree that has made the throats of empires bitter and newborns can never digest.”
Baradar also announced that in the coming days, the Islamic Emirate will introduce tax exemptions of one to five years for domestic and foreign investors, based on the level of investment in new sectors. He also said that the process of distribution of land to manufacturers will be accelerated.
Baradar called on countries to engage in political and economic relations according to the values and principles of the Islamic Emirate, emphasizing that energy and resources spent on conflict would be better used to support one another and strengthen common interests.
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Fourteen former Afghan government forces killed in last three months of 2025: UNAMA
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), in its latest report on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, stated that 14 members of the former Afghan government forces were killed in the last three months of 2025.
The report noted that during this period, there were 28 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, and at least seven cases of torture and ill-treatment targeting officials and personnel of the former Afghan government.
According to the report, some of the officials and forces who had recently returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan were among those subjected to extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, and detentions.
The report also highlighted restrictions on women’s work and movement, executions and flogging of individuals, and disruptions to internet and telecommunications services.
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Afghan counter-narcotics delegation travels to Indonesia
An eight-member delegation from Afghanistan, led by Haseebullah Ahmadi, chief of staff deputy interior minister for counter-narcotics, has departed for Jakarta, Indonesia.
The delegation includes officials from the Interior Ministry’s counter-narcotics deputyship as well as representatives from the Ministry of Public Health.
The visit comes at the official invitation of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Kabul and is supported financially by Japan.
During their stay, the delegation will participate in a meeting focused on enhancing international cooperation in combating narcotics and improving treatment programs for individuals struggling with addiction.
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