LAST 24 HOURS:
The Afghan/Iran border has fully reopened.
Sources in Eastern Afghanistan provided video clips of Pakistani aircraft flying along the border (Dangam and Kunar) and claim the flights surged after the reported death of three Pakistani soldiers at an army outpost in Waziristan. Sources in Pakistan have claimed negotiations with the Taliban over removing suspected TTP affiliated groups from the areas immediately adjacent to the border have been successful and that several groups have been removed over the past two weeks.
The assassination of the Director of Mines in Badakhshan has caused a furor among the Taliban. Orders issued to local commanders were intercepted stating “All organs should begin a serious purge between the forces and eliminate liaison officers.” We are waiting for further clarification on the order, but violence is expected across Badakhshan.
An unconfirmed report from Tasnim Iran News suggests that Marshal ‘Pasha’ Dostum has purchased tens of millions of dollars’ worth of arms and equipment from Turkey and intends to enter Afghanistan soon. Multiple reports of Dostum’s involvement with various resistance forces have steadily come in since August of 2021. We are unable to confirm the veracity of these reports.
NEXT 24 HOURS:
Pakistan is expected to restart construction activities along the Durand Line after a significant lull. Apparently, the recent reports concerning the relocation of TTP affiliates in Eastern Afghanistan was the impetus for the decision. In previous situations, violence has erupted after the commencement of construction activities.
Several hundred Taliban security personnel arrived in Herat over the previous two days, and there is an expectation of another potential attack in the city. At-risk Afghans in Herat are encouraged to avoid large gatherings, markets, and mosques for the time being.
ANALYSIS SPOTLIGHT:
By Ahmed-Waleed Kakar – New Lines Magazine
Muhammad Sadiq Akif was not in Kabul as the city fell to the Taliban last August. An insurgent propagandist who had been chronicling the frantic last days of the war on Twitter, he was over 60 miles to the southeast, in Loya Paktia. Taliban control there was tenuous and the surrender of a regional CIA-created militia, the notorious Khost Protection Force, was still being negotiated. Akif arrived in Kabul days later. Across the city, fluttering in the summer wind, was the Taliban’s white flag. His prayers had been answered.
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 86.78 AFN (as of 26 APR 2022)
AFGHAN NEWS
Afghanistan: Students, lecturers slam Taliban decree to prohibit co-education in universities
By ANI
Taliban’s decision to prohibit co-education by segregating weekdays for male and female university students at two institutes in Kabul is…
State-owned radio station starts broadcasting in Nangarhar
By Yousouf Zarifi – Pajhwok Afghan News
A new radio station called Istiqlal has started broadcasting in the 3rd Ground Brigade in eastern Nangarhar…
Afghan Citizens Turn to Stablecoins, Not Bitcoin, to Protect Wealth
By Rahul Nambiampurath – Be In Crypto
Citizens are worried that the Taliban will seize assets, which would worsen an already declining…
REGIONAL NEWS
Afghan Refugees Protest in Front of UNHCR in Islamabad
By Waheeda Hasan – TOLO News
They called on the UNHCR to expedite their registration, the distribution of immigration cards, and their…
Afghanistan will not tolerate 'invasions,' defense minister says
By Reuters
The comments come after the Taliban administration blamed Pakistan for airstrikes that officials say…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Afghan, Qatari FMs Meet in Doha, Discussing Economic & Political Issues
By Khaama Press
Spokesperson of the Ministry Abdul Qahar Balkhi in a series of Twitter posts said both sides discussed Afghanistan’s economic and political situation including the…
The Ordinary Americans Resettling Migrants Fleeing War
By Eliza Griswold – The New Yorker
On the morning of August 15th, Halima, a twenty-two-year-old engineering student at the Afghan National Defense University, was…
THE DAILY WTF
Haqqani calls on former officials to return home, assures them of their security
The acting interior minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), Sirajuddin Haqqani, has called on former high-ranking government officials and security forces to…