>> a reminder of our top stories, ukraine's president running europe russia's ambitions would not stop in his country, in response to a russian general who says moscow plans to seize all southern and eastern ukraine. >> the invasion to ukraine could be considered just the beginning. they will want to invade other countries. of course we will resist as long as possible to break this

ambition of the russian federation, but also nations that believe in the victory of life over death, they have to fight with us, help us. anchor: russia's defense ministry admitted for the first time -- sank last week, 27 are missing and 400 were rescued. the human rights office says there is growing evidence of russian war crimes in ukraine, including indiscriminate shelling and executions. it condemns what it calls horrors of crimes against civilians and russia denies it has committed atrocities. >> there is evidence mounting of war crimes committed, including indiscriminate shelling and execution of civilians. the vast majority of violations are attributable to russian forces. if you look at civilian casualties, 92.3% of what we

managed to record was in government-controlled territories by russian forces. anchor: the taliban says 33 have been killed at an explosion in a mosque in afghanistan. it comes after a series of bombings killed 18 thursday. the isil affiliate claimed responsibility. they have stepped up attacks in recent weeks. syrians injured in al-aqsa mosque, and encourage -- incursions by jewish national groups sparked unrest. back with more news in half an hour. up next is "inside story." stay with us. ♪

>> taking on isil in afghanistan, bombing scale at least 18 people, many are minority she a muslims. can the taliban government contain isil and other armed groups? this is "inside story." ♪ >> hello and welcome to the program. the afghan taliban arrested the mastermind of a bomb attack on a mosque, a major isil operative killing people thursday p the same day the armed group claimed two attacks in afghanistan,

highlighting security challenges for the taliban since returning to power last august. isil detonated the remote control bomb during midday prayers. isil frequently targets the shia muslim community. >> the incident at the mosque was heartbreaking. i was at the market and came to the site as fast as i could. the toll of casualties and injuries is more than we expected. >> we urged them to take -- pay attention to the security of the people. afghanistan's situation is so bad we have no secure place to live. >> isil also said it was behind bus bomb blasts. at least four mechanics working for the taliban i there. two explosions in the capital kabul claim to six lives and

injured 25. attacks killed nearly 400 civilians since the taliban take over last year. isil has been blamed for nearly 40% of the bombings. let's bring in our guests. from kabul, and executive director of the democracy, peace think tank. and, director of the center for security, strategy and policy research. and from the afghan capital, for the norwegian refugee council. a warm welcome to you all and thank you for joining us on "inside story." how serious a security challenge does isil remain in afghanistan? >> thanks for having me. since the fall, the taliban were in control of the zone.

it is significant for the security of the country. there has been a vacuum regarding public opinion. it has been a security challenge for years, since 2013 we have had blasts and attacks. since 2016, it has taken momentum. with recent incidents, which are harsh and have created sorrow and anger, [indiscernible] this will be a big challenge for the taliban because of complicity in the

counterinsurgency. these capacities will create more challenges for the taliban. host: how concerned are afghanistan's neighbors about the impact of the security situation in afghanistan could have in the region? >> thank you so much for having me. i think specifically for pakistan it is of great concern. the concern has been there ever since the taliban took over. the situation has deteriorated since the taliban's takeover this last year. it is not only a concern for pakistan, it is a concern for iran, and other countries. the taliban, though they made a lot of promises, it seems with

the recent resurgence of tpp, and isis attacks inside pakistan, the taliban no longer has control of their own borders. not only their own borders, but inside their country. the concern is absolutely great. host: let's talk about how the overall security situation in afghanistan is impacting the distribution of aid inside afghanistan. the fact of this violence is happening now, how much more difficult does it make it for yourself, your colleagues, other aid organizations, to get much-needed aid to people who need it most? >> i think at the moment the aid and humanitarian action in afghanistan is proceeding well. we came through a winter period

where we were worried about supporting people during the cold months. that by and large has been achieved. currently we are seeing signs of increased insecurity. last week's attack on the boys school was very shocking. that impacts the ability of schools targeted in that way for us to provide education for students in afghanistan. at the moment, we are not seeing any specific impact on what we are trying to do and i think there are worries for the future if things intensify. our concern is getting on with the job of looking at delivering humanitarian aid at the moment

and then moving to a situation where development assistance can enter the country because humanitarian assistance will only take us so far and we need to look at the economic collapse which has occurred over the last few months, and what we can do about that. obviously, if the insecurity affects resumption of assistance to afghanistan, that would be of concern. host: i know you touched on this in your previous answer, but would you say the overall level of violence and bombings in afghanistan, have a reason or declined since the taliban returned to power last august? >> first sure security has gotten better because before the 15th of august, 24 provinces and 400 districts, there were

bombardments from u.s. troops and the previous governments and attacks from the taliban. everything was happening in a high heat. the number of incidents have decreased noticeably, but the problem is, with recent attacks and mosques and schools, it has been increasing worries that afghanistan is getting into another phase of war. secondly, it is the first spring and summer after the takeover of taliban. [indiscernible] this first spring with the taliban takeover of kabul, more

destabilization. host: tensions are rising between pakistan and afghanistan. what is behind the airstrikes afghanistan conducted last week? >> pakistan has not officially come out and accepted that the strikes were made. there is no official statement yet. they have undergone a recalculation of their relationship with each other. i would divide that into three phases of good, bad and ugly. we are in the ugly phase right now. whatever expectations afghanistan had from the

taliban, that tpp would be curtailed. that is at the heart of the deteriorating relationship between pakistan and afghanistan. there is no question about it. i have some stats they have faced since august last year. there are 256 attacks reportedly accepted by ttp since august which killed pakistani security forces. hundreds have been killed. in this month alone, they have

claimed more than 40 attacks. it is not minor. secondly, pakistan is fencing its border. that is problematic. there is no solid commitment given by the taliban. terrorism remains pakistan's highest priority. host: neil, the norwegian refugee council, your organization, said the crash

unraveling since august 2021 has driven humanitarian need while making the aid response challenging. how much more vulnerable is all this making communities that are already vulnerable? neil: i think if you look at the appeal recently made at the end of march, we have 24 million people at risk, which is half the population of afghanistan. we are concentrating most on 9 million at risk of starvation. the figures are startling in relation to undp reports which suggest 97% of the population will be in poverty by mid 2022. the situation in afghanistan was bad before. obviously, when you reach close to 100%, it represents a complete economic collapse.

we are seeing many more people still vulnerable. i myself was in an idp settlement the other day. there were reports from families saying they are really cutting down on the meals. i witnessed people cooking plastic. we hear stories of children being sent to work in hazardous conditions or begging. and also girls being forced into early marriage. all of these things are symptoms of an almost complete economic collapse. humanitarians can fill the gap in the short-term, but what we need is actually a restarting of the economy. the world bank is having their spring meetings at the moment

and discussing the reconstruction trust fund and it is really important that money flows and is released in the right way so things can continue further wider economy to be reestablished. host: you are talking about the importance of money flowing into the country, the restarting of the economy. i have spoken to others of your colleagues on this program the last few months, talking about the fact restrictions on the banking system in afghanistan, that that is hampering the efforts of aid agencies. i want to ask you how much more difficult it makes your work when it is so difficult getting money and resources into the country for yourself and other organizations. neil: we solve the problem in the short term with th u.n.

corridor, that money is brought in in cash, and deposited in a bank, and we are able to use it. the problems around the central bank, which is still not functional, and the commercial banking system, and the private banking international system which is risk adverse and cannot properly function and bring money in as it would, and afghan businesses find it difficult for normal banking procedures. could be slightly better, but we have been forced to create an unusual measure. there are other humanitarian

agencies not in the position we are in, therefore they are having difficulties, particularly national ngo's, in terms of how they operate. we fixed the problem in the short-term, but longer-term problems remain. host: i saw you nodding along to what neil was saying. rabia: the challenge he mentioned and the international community is facing, an impasse national community has faced. we have received criticism for engaging with the taliban, but they have to do something about the crisis. the situation is difficult. it will continue to remain difficult. my only concern as somebody who

looks at these regions, there is a lot at stake. isis attacking hazaras or creating chaos for the taliban probably serves taliban's interest because it brings international attention to the taliban. they can tell the international community that we don't have control over the situation, we need counterterrorism assistance. first it was humanitarian assistance and now things are moving slowly towards bringing attention to counterterrorism assistance. i think things will get worse from here onwards because recognition for the taliban is not coming from anyone. host: you just heard rabia talking about how recognition is not coming for the taliban. are they still seeking recognition?

do they think international recognition is happening soon? host: -- faiz: the commission at the beginning of coming back to power, they traveled around the world, visited europe, went to norway, oslo, and conferences with u.s. delegates and islamic countries. it seems the path is jumpy and difficult for them. the decision on women's rights and being allowed to work, and non-inclusivity. and now food insecurity is coming.

with the taliban entertaining insecurity, they are losing public opinion. there is another resistance, which will take momentum with such incidents that affect a specific group of people. those are the biggest challenges the taliban are stuck in a cycle . domestically, they face too many problems. there is the insecurity, domestic clashes, contractions relating different sects and ethnicities. host: we talked about tensions between pakistan and the

tele-band. i want to ask you, is the taliban concerned, and how concerned are they by the increase intentions -- in tensions? faiz: everyone believed that once the taliban were back [indiscernible] they have thought that destabilizing kabul benefits the taliban. previously, they were pushing for recognition. we must not forget pakistan had

officially good taliban and bad taliban. now they both work against pakistan interests. they are taking an internal issue to afghanistan and creating an original problem for afghanistan, which was bitter. a real problem. now all these seem in a dream, which may not come true, with the taliban in power. host: our other countries in the region putting pressure on taliban to contain threats from isil and other armed groups?

and if so, how much pressure? rabia: i would like to comment on what faiz said, to point out a contradiction in his statement. which is, how is it beneficial for pakistan to have a destabilized western border, that it already has an equally fragile eastern border? the contradiction is, chinese interest in afghanistan, how does it serve pakistan's interest to destabilize afghanistan if it wants economic security, and to play a role in connecting the region? with respect to the isis situation, the concerns are great, but i do not see a lot of countries coming out in the region and putting pressure on the taliban.

there is much happening in the region with respect to russia, ukraine, and how that situation is evolving. so far i have yet to see, besides pakistan, anybody putting pressure on the taliban. we should not wait for a huge attack, hundreds of civilians, in order for that to happen. i hope the region wakes up. pakistan should draw a red lines with the taliban. ttp is one of them, border fencing is the other, and recognition of an international border. i think pakistan needs to

specify these lines clearly in no uncertain terms. host: we have run out of time, so we have to leave the conversation. thanks to our guests, faiz zaland, rabia akhtar, and neil turner. thank you for watching. you can rewatch this on aljazeera.com. you can also go to our facebook page. join the conversation on twitter #-- @ajinsidestory. ÷÷ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■ñ■

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