Radio Hurriyat, a Taliban-affiliated media outlet, has reported that the group’s Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, has assured the family of former Afghan parliamentarian Zahir Qadir that efforts are under way to address his detention in Kenya.

Citing a reliable source within the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry, the report stated that Muttaqi has tasked the group’s diplomatic missions with engaging the Kenyan government to ensure Qadir’s rights and legal protections are upheld.

Zahir Qadir was arrested on 18 April in Nairobi, Kenya, on charges of “attempted drug trafficking” and “illegal transport of weapons,” reportedly at the request of the United States. A Nairobi court has ordered that he remain in custody while extradition proceedings to the US are prepared.

On 8 May, Qadir’s family announced that his scheduled extradition hearing had been postponed, with a new court date yet to be confirmed.

Meanwhile, Zaker Jalali, an official at the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that Muttaqi had met with members of Qadir’s family and directed the Taliban’s diplomatic mission in Doha to pursue the matter through the Kenyan Embassy.

Jalali added that the Taliban “defend the rights of every Afghan without discrimination.”