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Taliban says it controls 85% territory of Afghanistan
A Taliban delegation in Moscow said on Friday that the group controlled over 85% of territory in Afghanistan and reassured Russia it would not allow the country to be used as a platform to attack others.
Taliban negotiator Shahabuddin Dilawar says they have “85% of Afghan soil under their control.”
Dilawar also said that the Taliban have controlled all 28 districts of Badakhshan province and only the provincial capital is not in their control.
Foreign forces, including the United States, are withdrawing after almost 20 years of fighting, a move that has emboldened Taliban insurgents to try to gain fresh territory in Afghanistan.
That has prompted hundreds of Afghan security personnel and refugees to flee across the border into neighbouring Tajikistan and raised fears in Moscow and other capitals that Islamist extremists could infiltrate Central Asia, a region Russia views as its backyard.
At a news conference in Moscow on Friday, three Taliban members sought to signal that they did not pose a threat to the wider region however.
The members said the Taliban would do all it could to prevent Islamic State operating on Afghan territory and that it would also seek to wipe out drug production.
“We will take all measures so that Islamic State will not operate on Afghan territory… and our territory will never be used against our neighbours,” a Taliban negotiator Shahabuddin Delawar said through a translator.
The same members said a day earlier that the group would not attack the Tajik-Afghan border, the fate of which is in focus in Russia and Central Asia.
All Afghan border towns taken over by the Taliban will remain active, says Suhail Shaheen, a Taliban negotiator, at a press conference in Moscow. He vowed to address traders’ problems.
Moscow has noted a sharp increase in tensions on the same border, two thirds of which the Taliban currently controls, the Interfax news agency cited Russia’s foreign ministry as saying on Friday.
Russia’s foreign ministry called on all sides of the Afghanistan conflict to show restraint and said that Russia and the Moscow-led CSTO military bloc would act decisively to prevent aggression on the border if necessary, RIA reported.
The Taliban delegation told the same news conference that the group would respect the rights of ethnic minorities and all Afghan citizens should have the right to a decent education in the framework of Islamic law and Afghan traditions.
“We want all representatives of Afghan society … to take part in creating an Afghan state,” said Delawar.
Dilawar says they are in talks with other Afghans to discuss a new system “that should be Islamic, Afghan-inclusive and united.”
Meanwhile, the Taliban negotiator Shaheen says that attacking provincial capitals was not part of an agreement with the US, adding that: “but we still did not attack, also we did not launch our spring offensive and it shows our commitment to the agreement.”
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Kabul’s Omid Sabz Township declared state-owned, occupants told to seek compensation from seller
Afghanistan’s Ministry of Justice says that more than 1,500 jeribs of land known as Omid Sabz Township (Haji Nabi Township) in Kabul has been legally determined to be state-owned, and that current occupants should seek compensation from the party that sold them the land.
Barakatullah Rasouli, spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice, said the Special Court for State Land Grabbing Cases ruled that the land is officially registered and surveyed in the state’s name across five cadastral plots and has never been transferred to any individual or legal entity.
The court also ordered that the property be handed over to the Commission for the Prevention of Land Grabbing and the Restitution of Grabbed Land for implementation of the ruling.
The Ministry of Justice stressed that the commission is legally responsible for enforcing the Special Court’s rulings in cases involving state-owned land.
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Turkmenistan reviews TAPI pipeline progress at government energy meeting
TAPI’s gas supply will come from the Galkynysh field, one of the world’s largest natural gas deposits, with estimated reserves exceeding 27 trillion cubic metres.
Turkmenistan has reviewed progress on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline and reaffirmed its commitment to expanding hydrocarbon production during a government meeting of the country’s oil and gas sector.
According to a statement issued by state-owned Turkmennebit on Monday, the meeting assessed the performance of Turkmenistan’s oil and gas industry during the first seven months of 2026. Senior officials from Turkmennebit, Turkmengaz, Turkmengeology, TAPI Pipeline Company Ltd. and other energy enterprises presented reports on ongoing projects and sector developments.
The statement said particular attention was given to construction of the Serhetabat-Herat section of the TAPI pipeline, with officials emphasizing that work is being carried out in line with international standards.
Participants also discussed priorities for the sector’s future growth, including expanding geological exploration, increasing production drilling to identify new hydrocarbon reserves, boosting oil and natural gas output, and improving the quality of extracted resources.
The 1,800-kilometre TAPI pipeline is designed to transport up to 33 billion cubic metres of natural gas annually from Turkmenistan’s Galkynysh gas field to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. The project is regarded by Ashgabat as a key route for diversifying its gas exports while strengthening regional energy cooperation and economic integration.
TAPI’s gas supply will come from the Galkynysh field, one of the world’s largest natural gas deposits, with estimated reserves exceeding 27 trillion cubic metres. In April 2026, Turkmengaz and China’s CNPC launched the fourth phase of the field’s development, a project expected to add up to 10 billion cubic metres of commercial gas production annually through new production facilities and additional wells.
The pipeline has also attracted renewed international attention. In June, the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School said TAPI is re-emerging as an important regional energy project, highlighting its potential to connect Turkmenistan’s vast gas resources with growing demand in South Asia.
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Mullah Baradar visits flood-hit Nuristan, pledges continued support for victims
A delegation of private sector representatives also accompanied Baradar during the visit and provided cash assistance to families affected by the floods.
Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar on Monday visited the eastern province of Nuristan to express solidarity with families affected by the recent deadly floods and reaffirm the Islamic Emirate’s commitment to supporting those impacted.
According to a statement from the Deputy Prime Minister’s Office, Baradar offered condolences to the families of those killed in the floods, praying for the victims to be granted paradise and wishing a swift recovery to those injured.
He said that immediately after the disaster, officials from the relevant government institutions were dispatched to the affected areas and used all available resources to carry out rescue operations and assist flood victims.
Baradar assured affected families that the Islamic Emirate would continue to provide assistance using all available means, emphasizing that government officials consider it their responsibility to respond to the needs of the people in a timely manner.
A delegation of private sector representatives also accompanied Baradar during the visit and provided cash assistance to families affected by the floods.
According to the statement, local religious scholars, tribal elders and flood-affected residents welcomed the delegation’s visit and expressed appreciation for the government’s support during a difficult time. They also shared their concerns and requests with the deputy prime minister.
Baradar pledged that the relevant authorities would take the necessary steps to address the issues raised by local residents.
The visit comes as Afghan authorities continue relief and recovery efforts in Nuristan following recent floods that caused fatalities, injuries and widespread damage to homes and infrastructure.
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