Al-Mirsad, citing security sources, reported that Zalmay Badakhshi, the mastermind behind the February 11, 2025 Daesh attack on the Kabul Bank branch in Kunduz, was killed in an armed assault by unidentified attackers in Peshawar.

Badakhshi, also known as Salman within Daesh, fled Afghanistan in October 2025 and joined active Daesh cells in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

He was directly responsible for the bank attack, which left five people dead and seven others wounded.

Al-Mirsad added that on February 28, laser-guided operations targeted Daesh positions in Tordara Tirah, killing 10 members of the group.

On March 1, another operation in the Turkani and Nrik areas of Ghalju Orakzai killed nine Daesh fighters, including two senior commanders, Abdul Rahman (Abu Nasser) and Mullah Farouqi.

Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan, on Saturday called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to allow girls and women to return to education.

In a post on X, Khalilzad extended his best wishes to women around the world on the occasion of International Women’s Day.

He also urged the IEA authorities to permit Afghan girls and women to attend public high schools and universities.

Meanwhile, UN Women Afghanistan also highlighted the challenges faced by women and girls in the country in a separate message on X.

The organization said that public spaces that once brought communities together in Afghanistan are now closed to women and girls, stressing that such a situation should not be considered normal.

UN Women added that when the international community stands with Afghan women, meaningful change remains possible.

Education for girls above sixth grade and access to universities for women remain restricted in Afghanistan, a policy that has drawn widespread concern from international organizations and rights groups.

Alireza Bikdeli, Iran’s acting ambassador in Kabul, said Saturday that trade between Iran and Afghanistan is continuing without interruption.

According to a statement from the Iranian Embassy in Kabul, Bikdeli noted that the Iranian government has introduced special facilities at the borders to facilitate imports and exports.

He also emphasized that cooperation between the two countries over the past 48 years has not been affected by any war or foreign intervention, and that Iran’s diplomatic missions are operating at full capacity to support traders from both nations.