Taliban’s Moscow Outreach Collides with Rising Violence at Home as UNICEF Flags Child Mental-Health Crisis
The Taliban’s diplomatic push at this week’s Moscow Format meeting coincided with a surge in violent incidents across Afghanistan, including overnight airstrikes in Kabul and strikes in southeastern provinces, while the United Nations children’s agency warned of an accelerating mental-health emergency among Afghan youth.
Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi attended the seventh Moscow Format consultations—joining representatives from Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Iran and Central Asian states—as Kabul sought to broaden regional ties and secure economic and security support. Russia stressed readiness to cooperate on counternarcotics and counter-terrorism and welcomed initiatives to normalise relations with the Kabul authorities, while EU representatives reiterated substantial humanitarian funding but urged the Taliban to reverse restrictions on women that impede aid delivery.
The diplomatic outreach, however, unfolded against a string of security incidents that underline the fragile situation inside Afghanistan. According to Amu TV, residents and local sources reported continued drone and aircraft activity over Kabul after powerful overnight explosions that struck a compound said to house Mufti Noor Wali Mehsud, the leader of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP); some sources reported he was killed, though authorities had not confirmed the claim. The Taliban’s Ministry of Defense made no immediate comment, and witnesses described persistent anxiety among civilians as aircraft circled the capital.
Separate reports described powerful explosions in other parts of the capital and overnight strikes hitting districts in Paktika province, with local residents reporting damage and panic as emergency services responded. The incidents fuel regional unease because Pakistan has repeatedly accused Afghan territory of sheltering TTP militants—allegations the Taliban deny—raising the risk of cross-border escalation.
Against this backdrop of diplomacy and violence, UNICEF warned at a Kabul workshop that Afghanistan faces a mounting mental-health crisis among children and adolescents: one in four children aged 5–17 shows symptoms of anxiety, and one in seven shows signs of depression. UNICEF representatives urged the development of a national mental-health strategy and greater integration of psychosocial services into humanitarian and education programs, saying years of conflict, poverty and social restrictions—especially measures limiting girls’ education and women’s participation—have seriously undermined children’s well-being.
