Taliban - The Times Of Central Asia

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Afghanistan

Three Main Principles of Kazakhstan’s Afghan Policy

August 15, 2026 will mark five years since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan. This substantial period can be assessed in different ways, particularly given the widespread skepticism at the outset regarding the Taliban’s ability to govern effectively and build relations with other countries. The situation in Afghanistan remains complex and multifaceted, with diverging trends. On the one hand, the current Afghan leadership faces a wide range of internal challenges, primarily socio-economic. After the Taliban’s return to power, humanitarian assistance declined sharply. For many years, two-thirds of Afghanistan’s budget had been financed through foreign aid, and its reduction has significantly affected the social conditions of ordinary Afghans. According to the United Nations, only one-third of the $2.4 billion humanitarian response plan required for 2025 has been funded. Over 21 million Afghans require humanitarian assistance. The economic situation has been further complicated by the deteriorating humanitarian environment, largely due to the deportation of millions of Afghan refugees from Iran and Pakistan this year. In total, around 4.5 million Afghans have returned since 2023, primarily through deportations from Iran and Pakistan, resulting in a 10% population increase. Other pressing social issues remain. Several countries continue to focus on security and terrorist threats, as well as government inclusiveness and the rights of women and girls, particularly their access to employment and education. At the same time, nearly five years into Taliban rule, the anticipated “economic and political collapse” has not materialized. The national budget is gradually increasing, and small and medium-sized enterprises are emerging. Industrial parks aimed at developing domestic production have appeared in major cities such as Kabul, Mazar-i-Sharif, and Herat. Since 2023, relative macroeconomic stabilization has been observed, although growth rates remain insufficient to offset demographic pressures and reduce poverty. The World Bank forecasts Afghanistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth at 4.3% in 2025, with inflation projected to remain low at approximately 2%. According to the United Nations, the area under opium poppy cultivation has declined by 95% during the years of Taliban rule. At the same time, synthetic drug production has reportedly increased, reflecting trends observed in many other countries. Politically, the Taliban maintains consolidated control over most of the country. In other words, a more stable, albeit fragile, reality has emerged, one that Central Asian countries must engage with on a daily basis. Kazakhstan has adopted a pragmatic approach. Its policy toward Afghanistan is based on a model of “pragmatic engagement without recognition,” while developing an independent system of transport, energy, and humanitarian ties with the country. Kazakhstan’s decision to remove the Taliban from its list of banned organizations does not signify a departure from international law nor does it constitute automatic recognition of the current Afghan authorities. On the issue of formal recognition, Kazakhstan relies on decisions of the UN Security Council. From a foreign policy perspective, this step forms part of a broader strategy: Kazakhstan is adapting its instruments to a changed reality while remaining within international norms and avoiding symbolic gestures that could be interpreted as...

Taliban

Pakistan Declares “Open War” with Afghanistan’s Taliban as Cross-Border Attacks Escalate

Pakistan launched airstrikes inside Afghanistan on Friday following a Taliban-announced offensive against Pakistani military posts along the shared border, marking a sharp escalation in tensions between the two long-hostile neighbors. The Taliban has said it is open to talks. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said on social media that “our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,” framing Islamabad’s actions as a response to cross-border attacks. According to Reuters, the Afghan authorities said operations began across several eastern provinces bordering Pakistan, while Islamabad confirmed retaliatory strikes targeting what it described as militant positions. Both sides have released sharply conflicting casualty figures, none independently verified. Pakistani officials said more than 200 Taliban fighters were wounded and over 130 killed in retaliatory operations, while reporting Pakistani military casualties. The Taliban authorities rejected those figures and claimed dozens of Pakistani troops were killed. The clashes threaten a fragile ceasefire reached in October 2025 after earlier border fighting. Pakistan has repeatedly accused the Taliban of allowing Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants to operate from Afghan territory, an allegation Kabul denies. The Durand Line border has long been a flashpoint, but analysts say the scale of recent airstrikes — including reported strikes near Kabul — marks a significant escalation beyond previous localized clashes. For Central Asian states, renewed instability between Pakistan and Afghanistan carries direct strategic and economic implications. Uzbekistan has invested heavily in the proposed Termez–Mazar-i-Sharif–Kabul–Peshawar railway, a flagship trans-Afghan corridor intended to link Central Asia to Pakistani ports and expand southbound trade. The CASA-1000 electricity transmission project, designed to export surplus hydropower from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan and Pakistan, also depends on security conditions in Afghan territory. Turkmenistan’s TAPI gas pipeline project faces similar vulnerabilities. Escalating violence risks delaying these connectivity initiatives and raising concerns about militant spillover into northern Afghanistan, an area closely watched by Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Central Asian governments have pursued pragmatic engagement with the Taliban authorities to stabilize their southern frontier; sustained confrontation between Kabul and Islamabad could complicate that strategy and undermine regional integration plans. The United Nations and regional actors have called for restraint. While both governments describe their actions as defensive, the rhetoric surrounding the latest exchange suggests a dangerous deterioration in bilateral relations. Independent verification of battlefield claims remains limited as diplomatic efforts to contain the escalation continue.

Afghanistan

Taliban Remove Uzbek Language from Samangan University Sign

The Taliban have removed Uzbek and Persian inscriptions from the main signboard of Samangan University in northern Afghanistan, replacing them with a new sign written only in Pashto and English. The move, reported by Afghanistan International, has drawn criticism amid ongoing concerns about the marginalization of non-Pashtun languages and communities since the Taliban’s return to power in 2021. Sources told Afghanistan International that the change followed the appointment of a new university head. The previous sign, which featured the university’s name in four languages, Pashto, Persian, Uzbek, and English, was taken down and replaced approximately four days later with a version that excluded the Persian and Uzbek languages. Samangan province is home to a significant ethnic Uzbek population. The decision has provoked backlash from academics and former officials. Former Faryab governor Naqibullah Faiq condemned the move as “ethno-nationalist,” warning that such actions risk exacerbating ethnic and linguistic tensions in the country. In response, some Uzbek and Persian speakers have publicly called for the reinstatement of their languages on the university sign. Mohibullah Mohib, a lecturer at Samangan University, wrote on Facebook that the sign change coincided with the institution’s transition from an institute of higher education to a full-fledged university. According to Mohib, the Taliban’s Ministry of Higher Education ordered the new sign and formally rejected a request to include Uzbek. He added that the ministry's written response explicitly denied the inclusion of Uzbek alongside the other languages. This is not the first incident of its kind. In October, the Taliban removed Uzbek from the signboard of Jawzjan University, sparking widespread criticism. Following public outcry, Uzbek was later reinstated on that sign. Over the past four years, the Taliban have faced repeated accusations of sidelining minority languages such as Persian, Uzbek, and Turkmen, including by removing Persian-language signage from government buildings and erasing cultural symbols associated with Persian-speaking poets and writers. The latest incident has also drawn attention in Uzbekistan. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Akhror Burkhanov told Qalampir.uz that Tashkent is closely monitoring the situation. He emphasized that any potential restrictions on the Uzbek language are a serious concern for Uzbekistan. Burkhanov stated that Uzbekistan is maintaining an ongoing dialogue with Afghan authorities. According to him, Afghan officials have assured Tashkent that no restrictions on the Uzbek language are currently in place or planned. They have also reiterated their respect for Uzbekistan, the Uzbek language, and the Uzbek people.

Tajik-Afghan Border

Deadly Clashes and Gold Mines Fuel Tensions on the Tajik-Afghan Border

Along a short strip of the Tajik-Afghan border, there has been a lot of activity in recent months, including the most serious incidents of cross-border violence in decades. Most of this activity has involved Tajikistan’s Shamsiddin Shohin district, a sparsely inhabited area where the population ekes out a living farming and herding in the foothills of the Pamir Mountains. Why the situation changed so suddenly is not entirely clear, but it is clear that the district is now the hot spot along the Tajik-Afghan frontier. A Dubious Post-Independence Reputation The Shamsiddin Shohin district is in Tajikistan’s southwestern Khatlon region. The district is located near the place where Afghan territory starts to make its northern-most protrusion. The elevation across most of the district is between 1,500-2,000 meters. The district is about 2,300 square kilometers and has a population of some 60,000. Shuroobad, population roughly 11,000, is the district capital, and the entire district was once called Shuroobad. It was renamed Shamsiddin Shohin in 2016 to honor the Tajik poet and satirist of the late 19th century, who was born in the area. Tajikistan and Afghanistan are divided by the Pyanj River, which further downstream merges with other rivers to become the Amu Darya, known to the Greeks as the Oxus, one of Central Asia’s two great rivers. [caption id="attachment_41640" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] The road to Shuroobad; image: TCA, Stephen M. Bland[/caption] The Tajik-Afghan frontier is about 1,360 kilometers. Some 70 kilometers is the southern border of the Shamsiddin Shohin district, but it is the first area, traveling downstream, where the current of the Pyanj River slows significantly. In the first years after the Bolshevik Revolution broke out, many Tajiks fled through what is now the Shamsiddin Shohin district into Afghanistan. Some seventy years later, thousands of Tajiks again fled through the district into Afghanistan when the newly independent state of Tajikistan was engulfed by civil war. The United Tajik Opposition (UTO), the group fighting against the Tajik government during the 1992-1997 civil war, made frequent use of the Shamsiddin Shohin area to bring weapons from Afghanistan. UTO fighters had safe havens in Afghanistan, and they often made their way through this district, retreating south of the border and returning via the district once they were rested and resupplied. There are only a few roads in the Shamsiddin Shohi district. The European Union funded the construction of the Friendship Bridge, which was completed in 2017, and connects the district to Afghanistan. It has often been closed by the Tajik authorities due to security concerns emanating from the Afghan side of the border. Anyone crossing illegally from Afghanistan into the Shamsiddin Shohin district could easily hide in the rugged hills and abundance of caves in the area, making it ideal for smugglers and other intruders. Aside from a few small villages along the banks, there are no settlements for 20 to 30 kilometers north of the river. Border posts were built during the time Tajikistan was a Soviet republic. Russian border guards remained in...

Border Security

Two Tajik Border Guards Killed in Attack Along Afghan Border

Tajikistan’s border troops have reported an armed incident along the country’s southern border with Afghanistan. While the attackers were neutralized during the confrontation, Tajikistan suffered casualties among its personnel. According to the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) of the Republic of Tajikistan, the incident occurred late on December 23, 2025. Three armed individuals described as “members of a terrorist organization” attempted to launch an attack on border post No. 5 “Bo” of the 0341 “Sarchashma” detachment in the Shamsiddin Shohin district. The intruders illegally crossed the state border at approximately 11:30 p.m. and entered Tajik territory. The following morning, at 11:15 a.m., Tajik border guards located the suspects. According to the official statement published by the Khovar news agency, the attackers refused to surrender and opened fire. All three assailants were killed in the ensuing operation. Tajik security forces seized a significant cache of weaponry at the scene, including three M-16 rifles, a Kalashnikov assault rifle, three foreign-made pistols equipped with silencers, ten hand grenades, one pair of night vision goggles, explosives, and other combat gear. Two members of the Border Troops of the SCNS, Zirekhbon Navruzbekov and Ismatullo Kurbonov, were killed in the clash. Authorities extended their condolences to the families of the fallen officers. The SCNS noted that this was the third such incident in the past month involving armed incursions from Afghan territory. In a strongly worded statement, the border service criticized the Taliban authorities for failing to uphold their international obligations and repeated commitments to secure the border and prevent terrorist activity. “These facts confirm that the Taliban government is demonstrating a serious and repeated inability and irresponsibility, in fulfilling its international obligations and consistent promises to ensure security and stability on the state border with the Republic of Tajikistan,” the statement read. Tajikistan called on Afghan authorities to issue a formal apology and implement additional effective measures to secure the shared border. According to Tajik officials, the border area is now stable, and an investigation into the latest incident is ongoing. Two earlier attacks were reported on November 26 and 30, 2025, also originating from Afghan territory. In those incidents, five Chinese citizens were killed and three injured. The attacks targeted a mining company in the Shohin district and a construction company in the Darvaz district. Tajikistan condemned the attacks and demanded that the Taliban arrest those responsible. The Afghan Foreign Ministry responded by stating that the attacks were intended to “create instability and mistrust between countries in the region.” President Emomali Rahmon publicly condemned the incidents and ordered Tajik security forces to take decisive measures to restore stability and prevent further cross-border attacks.

Taliban

Taliban Dismiss Thousands of Tajik and Uzbek Fighters

The United Nations Security Council has released a new assessment on Afghanistan, revealing that the Taliban have reduced their security forces by approximately 20%. According to Afghanistan International, which cited the UN document, thousands of ethnic Tajik and Uzbek fighters have been dismissed, particularly in provinces where these groups made up a significant portion of Taliban ranks. The downsizing order reportedly came from Taliban leadership and was attributed to budgetary constraints. While the UN document does not explicitly state that the dismissals were ethnically motivated, it notes that the concentration of personnel cuts in Tajik and Uzbek-majority provinces, most notably Badakhshan, Kapisa, Parwan, and Takhar, has raised concerns about possible ethnic discrimination. Taliban officials have previously justified the reduction by claiming their security apparatus had become excessively large. However, the UN warned that the force reduction is occurring amid rising security threats, especially from Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). According to the report, ISKP has ramped up operations by leveraging modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, to create training materials, some of which reportedly instruct on the assembly of improvised explosive devices. UN sanctions monitors cautioned that this technological advancement, combined with a diminished Taliban security presence, could heighten instability across the country. Although the Taliban have conducted operations against ISKP since early 2025, the extremist group remains resilient. The UN also highlighted that the Taliban continue to publicly deny ISKP’s presence in Afghanistan while simultaneously accusing neighboring countries of supporting the group. Despite this, the Taliban have sought international counterterrorism assistance to confront ISKP. The report estimates that more than 20 international and regional terrorist organizations remain active in Afghanistan. These include Al-Qaeda, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, the Turkistan Islamic Movement, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, and Jamaat Ansarullah. According to the UN, the Taliban have incorporated some former members of these groups into local security units, prompting concerns about ideological alignment and infiltration. The document further notes that advanced weaponry and military equipment are entering Afghanistan through cross-border smuggling and black market channels. Reports have also emerged of drone attacks targeting military sites in Pakistan. The Taliban are allegedly seeking technical support to expand their drone capabilities, with some countries reporting possible Al-Qaeda involvement in drone production sites in Logar and Kabul. Tensions also flared along the Tajik-Afghan border in late October. Armed clashes were reported on October 25 between Tajik border guards and Taliban fighters in the Davanga district of Shahr-e Buzurg, located in Badakhshan province. The confrontation reportedly stemmed from a dispute over water diversion from the Amu Darya river. The presence of Chinese-operated gold mining facilities in the area has further complicated the region’s security dynamics.