The Taliban will not allow any more evacuations of Afghans until the situation improves abroad for those who have already left, their spokesman said on Sunday.

“The government has the responsibility to protect the people so this will be stopped until we get the assurance that their lives will not be endangered,” Zabihullah Mujahid told a news conference.

More than 120,000 Afghans and dual nationals were evacuated up to August 31 when the last US-led troops withdrew, two weeks after the hardline group seized Kabul.

Read: Afghan refugees in UAE protest months-long wait for resettlement

Hundreds more were allowed to leave on flights after that, but the last official evacuation by air was on December 1.

Occasional evacuations have taken place by road via Pakistan until recently, however.

Zabihullah said the Taliban had received reports of thousands of Afghans “living in very bad conditions” in Qatar and Turkey.

Opinion

Editorial

Battling hate
Updated 15 Mar, 2026

Battling hate

In the current scenario, geopolitical conflict, racial prejudice and religious bigotry all contribute to the threats Muslims face.
TB drugs shortage
15 Mar, 2026

TB drugs shortage

‘CRIMINAL negligence’ is the phrase that jumps to mind when one considers the disturbing consequences of the...
Chinese diplomacy
Updated 14 Mar, 2026

Chinese diplomacy

THERE are signs that China is taking a more active role in trying to resolve the issue of cross-border terrorism...
Fragile gains at risk
14 Mar, 2026

Fragile gains at risk

PAKISTAN is confronting an external shock stemming from the US-Israel war on Iran that few of the other affected...
Kidney disease
14 Mar, 2026

Kidney disease

ON World Kidney Day this past Thursday, the Pakistan Medical Association raised the alarm on Pakistan’s...
Delicate balance
Updated 13 Mar, 2026

Delicate balance

PAKISTAN has to maintain a delicate balance where the geopolitics of the US-Israeli aggression against Iran are...