Explosion Heard in Kabul; Taliban Says No Reports of Damage

According to Dawn, the explosion occurred near Abdul Haq Square, where a Land Cruiser vehicle crashed. Afghan media outlet Tolo News quoted locals as saying that the Abdul Haq intersection was closed after the incident, causing serious traffic congestion in the area.

Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabeehullah Mujahid, in his post on he said.

The incident took place after Afghanistan’s Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi arrived in New Delhi for a week-long visit to India. “We look forward to holding discussions with him on bilateral relations and regional issues,” External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said in a post announcing his arrival at X on Thursday.

Mottaki’s visit from October 9-16 marks the first high-level delegation from Kabul to New Delhi since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021. Tolo News quoted Zia Ahmad Takal, head of public relations at the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as saying that during this visit, Mottaki will meet with his Indian counterpart and other senior officials to discuss various issues, including “expanding relations between the two countries.” Kabul and New Delhi.”

Although India does not officially recognize the Taliban, MEA spokesperson Jaiswal, speaking at a weekly media briefing on October 3, confirmed ongoing relations with the interim government in Afghanistan and noted both diplomatic contacts and humanitarian assistance following the recent earthquake in the region.

Earlier, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had spoken to Muttaqi over phone in May and External Affairs Minister Vikram Misri had met him in Dubai earlier this year. The United Nations Security Council approved a temporary exemption from international travel restrictions allowing Mottaki to stay in India for a week from October 9.

Muttaki’s planned visit to India last month was canceled after he was unable to obtain a visa exemption for the trip. As this is the second Taliban administration in Afghanistan since 1996, it signals renewed efforts by the Taliban government to deepen its relations with regional powers.

Muttaki came to India after attending the 7th meeting of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan. In July this year, Russia became the first country to recognize the Islamic Emirate.

During the consultations held in Moscow on October 7, special representatives and high-level officials from Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan came together. A joint statement from the meeting said participants supported “Afghanistan’s active integration into the regional connectivity system” to increase its participation in cross-border economic corridors and infrastructure initiatives.