LAST 24 HOURS
BOMB BLAST REPORTED BY IRANIAN MEDIA DEEMED ‘FAKE NEWS’ – The Mehr News Agency referenced a report, purportedly made by The Kabul Times on its Telegram channel, about a massive blast at the Grand Mosque in Kandahar. The report went on to say that several senior Taliban figures were in the Mosque when the blast struck. The reports have since been discredited and eyewitnesses in Kandahar say no such event took place.
PAKISTAN’S NEW ANTI-TERROR OFFENSIVE HAS BEGUN – Pakistan’s National Security Committee announced it had launched a comprehensive counter-terror operation that involves nearly every sector of the federal government. The goal is to rid the country of terror groups. Many in the government have blamed a soft-touch approach with TTP that was reputedly spearheaded by the intelligence services for the chaos that has crippled the country. Based on the press release, it appears that security forces have been ordered to adopt a much more aggressive approach to dealing with militant groups. A primary focus of the new strategy will be to break the bond that has formed between Baluchistan separatists and the TTP.
THE ORGANIZATION OF ISLAMIC COOPERATION WEIGHS IN ON FEMALE WORKERS BAN – Leaders of the OIC called on the Taliban to take a fresh look at the ban on female aid workers. The OIC said the ban is counterproductive and will have negative effects on the citizens of Afghanistan.
WASHINGTON ‘BLAME GAME’ IN FULL SWING – First the Republican-led House launched an inquiry into the US’s involvement in Afghanistan. Now, the Biden administration has released a report that claims to have determined what led up to the disastrous departure of US and partner forces. Both of these efforts are heavily influenced by politics and both are attempting to simultaneously deflect/assign blame. While other nations have announced similar efforts to try and understand what mistakes were made, they lack the back-alley switchblade panache of the US political circus the world is currently witnessing. Ultimately, the accusations and counter-accusations are likely to be unproductive and certainly won’t help those at-risk Afghans who are struggling to survive. One would hope that these US ‘leaders’ could put the knives away and focus on ameliorating the problems for those they called allies for nearly 20 years.
NEXT 24 HOURS
PAKISTAN’S NEW STRATEGY AGAINST TERROR TO BEGIN – While we have no specific details about potential counter-terrorism operations in Pakistan, we assume the government would not have made the announcement without having an operation or two prepared to launch. We do not assess any direct threat to at-risk Afghans sheltering in Pakistan but feel obliged to mention that operations are likely.
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
The government has ordered the firing of women workers in the education and health sectors for not wearing hijabs.
A man accused of killing 7 people during protests in Khuzestan Province last year has been sentenced to death. Many believe that Iranian security forces were to blame and the man’s confession was forced under torture.
Official data from the Iranian Statistics Center shows that over 20,000 girls under the age of 15 were married from April 2022 thru January 2023.
PAKISTAN
A spate of poor economic news followed the recent interest rate hikes with Pakistan’s main exchange losing 300 points and inflation increasing 1% from the previous week.
More parties and former political figures are joining the chorus for a national dialogue on elections.
Pakistan’s National Security Committee announced an all-out anti-terror operation had begun across the country that involves all departments of the government. A Baluch separatist leader, Gulzar Imam, was reportedly captured by intelligence forces yesterday.
SPOTLIGHT GENDER
The daily risks taken by Afghanistan’s female journalists
By Katie Dancey-Downs - Index On Censorship
“Every single day, the situation is intensifying,” Zan Times editor-in-chief Zahra Nader told an audience this week. Along with Afghan Witness and the Centre for Information Resilience, the Zan Times editor shone a spotlight on the experiences of Afghan reporters with the online event Discrimination, Prohibition and Perseverance: The Reality for Female Journalists in Afghanistan.
AFGHAN NEWS
Acting Education Minister Warns Against Speech Encouraging Rebellion
By Mitra Majeedy - TOLO News
Nadim's remarks come following statements of some Islamic scholars and political figures who criticized the barring of females from…
Earthquake Strikes Afghanistan’s Badakhshan Province
By Fidel Rahmati - Khaama Press
This fifth quake jolted the province within ten days, increasing worry among the experts and local…
Afghanistan: Central bank delivers report for last fiscal year
By Ariana News
Officials said during the last year, Da Afghanistan Bank has managed the country’s foreign exchange reserves to meet the needs of the market and is…
REGIONAL NEWS
Iranian press review: Schoolgirl poisonings resume following Nowruz holiday
By Middle East Eye
Toxic gas attacks on girls' schools in three different cities in Iran resumed immediately following the…
Non-Islamic decisions of Taliban isolated country: Council of Resistance
By Amanj News
This council denouncing the Taliban’s recent decision said that the Taliban’s illegal domination in Afghanistan is the root of all pain and…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan: AFJC calls for cancellation of Taliban’s plan to register journalists
By AFJC
The Afghanistan Journalists Center said that the plan violates the essential spirit of journalism, as well as the independence of…
Afghan twins celebrate Ramadan together for first time since being reunited
By The National News
“Living without family is not a life,” says Obaidullah Jabarkhyl, an Afghan schoolboy living in the northern suburbs of…
THE DAILY WTF
Unrecognized Taliban Aims To Boost Legitimacy By Wresting Control Of Afghan Diplomatic Missions
By Abubakar Siddique - RFE
The hard-line Islamist group claims that it has a diplomatic presence in 14 countries, including in all neighboring countries barring…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 86.64 AFN (as of 8 APR 2023)
