The US State Department on Thursday asked the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to ensure that Afghanistan is not used to support terrorist groups, movement of terrorists or acts of terrorism.

A State Department spokesman told Geo News that Washington has “been very clear that we will judge the Taliban (IEA) by what they do, not what they say.”

“The Taliban (IEA) wants international legitimacy. This requires the Taliban (IEA) to meet their commitments to the international community,” the official said.

The spokesperson said the most enduring interest for the US in Afghanistan was to ensure that it never again became a safe haven for terrorists, especially for those who wished harm to the US or its partners or allies.

“We are in regular communication with Pakistani leaders as a part of our partnership on counterterrorism issues. We continue to discuss Afghanistan in detail, including through our annual counterterrorism dialogue and other bilateral consultations,” the official said.

Islamabad has time and again urged Kabul to take meaningful action against terrorists using Afghan soil to launch attacks inside Pakistan.

However, the IEA has repeatedly rejected claims of militant groups in the country and have said they will not allow any group to threaten a country from Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, the Pakistan Army’s top commanders were briefed on how terrorist groups operating from Afghanistan pose a threat to regional and global security, besides acting as proxies against Pakistan and its economic interests, especially the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

A day ago, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said security forces had killed seven terrorists trying to infiltrate the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the North Waziristan district.

In a statement, the military’s media wing had said the security forces on April 16 had detected a movement of a group of seven terrorists near the border in the Spinkai area of Ghulam Khan in the tribal district, Pakistan’s The News reported.

Badakhshan Police Command says it has cleared more than 6,000 acres of poppy fields in northern Badakhshan province.

The anti-narcotics department of Badakhshan Police Command says that since the beginning of the campaign to destroy the poppy fields in this province, they have cleared more than 6,000 acres of land.

According to these officials, poppies have however been planted in more than 10 districts this year.

The anti-narcotics department of the Badakhshan Police Command says that the campaign to destroy the poppy plantations started two months ago and continues.

According to the officials, during this period, 6,300 acres of land has been cleared.

Some of the farmers whose fields were destroyed say that poppy is more profitable than other agricultural products, but now that their land has been cleared, they want alternative crops.

According to the officials, Kishim, Argo, Darayimand and Jurm districts are among the districts where poppies are cultivated.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said Wednesday it was deeply concerned for the rights and welfare of Afghan refugees in Pakistan in the wake of the recent announcement by Islamabad that it plans to start Phase Two of the deportation campaign.

Pakistan is home to an estimated 3.7 million Afghans, and a reported 500,000 have crossed the border so far.

Many Afghans living in Pakistan have been there for decades and have spent more time in the country than their country of origin, without any legal recourse to remain in the only place they can effectively call “home”.

For many Afghans, Islamabad’s “repatriation” campaign means packing up their belongings and carrying them on a horse, cart, car and bus and traveling en masse to a country that is already struggling with widespread poverty, inadequate health services and increased restrictions on women, MSF said in a statement.

The second phase of the deportations leaves an estimated 800,000 Pakistan-issued Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders vulnerable to return, while phase three is expected to result in the further deportation of UNHCR-issued Proof of Registration (PoR) card holders, MSF said.

MSF first started working in Pakistan in 1986, and today provides much-needed medical care to people in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh provinces.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) and UN agencies estimate that more than half a million people have been deported from Pakistan or voluntarily returned to Afghanistan in the past six months.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said last month that nearly two million Afghan refugees are living in Pakistan and that the agency needs $368 million this year to assist these people.