LAST 24 HOURS
Multiple local eyewitness reports are circulating on social media claiming that there was a drone strike on a known Taliban base in Panjshir province’s Dara district. Official sources have not confirmed the strike, but the Ministry of Defense in Kabul was tracking potential casualties from an “event” in the same district. Several nations have claimed a Taliban camp was established in Dara to train terrorists and suicide bombers as far back as January 2022. Most analysts believe that if the attack occurred, it was likely carried out by a US drone. As information becomes available, the Afghan Digest will share it.
In two separate edicts, the Taliban are expected to forbid women to work as stewardesses on Ariana Airlines flights and potentially bar women from attending wedding parties in the near future. Reportedly, the edicts were crafted by the Minister of Vice and Virtue, but it is unclear if they will be adopted fully.
Taliban officials arrested one person yesterday during house-to-house searches in Mazar-i-Sharif. A source within the Ministry of the Interior claims that Taliban GDI agents apprehended a known ISIS-K affiliate from Syria but were warning Ministry employees to keep the news quiet until they could interrogate the subject. Apparently, the subject had a satellite phone in his possession, and the log of calls was of extreme interest to the leadership of the GDI. The prisoner was reputedly transferred to Kandahar for internment. No further information was available.
Another clash has been reported at an undisclosed location on the Afghanistan-Iran border. Iranian media sites initially stated that the clash erupted when Taliban border security forces fired upon an Iranian patrol vehicle, killing 1 Iranian soldier. The report was removed from the official state-run news site after about an hour. We are waiting to confirm if the incident took place.
NEXT 24 HOURS
Fighting in Panjshir and Baghlan is likely to continue over the next 24 hours. Panjshir will probably see the majority of the action as the NRF mounts an offensive against high elevation Taliban positions in the Dara district. We do not assess any direct threat to at-risk Afghans from the forecasted engagements.
SPOTLIGHT OPINION
'War Is Betrayal.' Coming to Terms With America's Disastrous Departure from Afghanistan
By Phil Klay – Time
As the Taliban took Kabul, the phones of veterans across America began lighting up with messages from Afghans they’d worked with: “Please help.” “My family is in danger.” “If I don’t get out I’m going to die.” The Taliban had waged a murder and intimidation campaign for years, targeting those who’d worked with the Americans, who’d championed women’s education, who’d worked in government. Now, with the American withdrawal and the collapse of the Afghan government, those who’d believed in American promises were under threat like never before.
AFGHAN NEWS
Hundreds of thousands of applicants awaiting passports
By Ahmad Sohaib Hasrat – Pajhwok Afghan News
The Central Passport Office issues 4,000 passports daily, but still hundreds of thousands applicants have to…
Former Afghan President Karzai Says Taliban Seeks US’s Trust but Needs Afghan People’s First
By Saqalain Eqbal – Khaama Press
In an interview with American NPR on Monday, the former president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, stated that…
Scores of Families Displaced After Fire in Northern Afghanistan
By Saqalain Eqbal – Khaama Press
Local Taliban government officials say that a fire in the village of Bala Mardian in the northern province of Jawzjan has caused…
REGIONAL NEWS
Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan mulling creation of new transport corridor from China – company
By Interfax
"The sides discussed the organizing of a new corridor, China - Kyrgyzstan - Uzbekistan - Afghanistan and establishing mutually-beneficial conditions for cargo traffic along the…”
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Afghan Adjustment Act To Help Afghan Evacuees Stay in the U.S.
By Fiona Harrigan – Reason
As the Biden administration completed the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan last August, it evacuated over 76,000 Afghans…
Petraeus: Doha Deal 'Among the Worst Diplomatic Agreements'
By TOLO News
The former head of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan and former head of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), David Petraeus, said the deal signed between…
THE DAILY WTF
How Much U.S. Money Did Departing Afghan Officials Steal? How Much Cash Fits On A Helicopter?
By Gerald Posner – Forbes
When President Ashraf Ghani and his top aides fled Afghanistan on a fleet of four helicopters last August, did they…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 90.11 AFN (as of 11 AUG 2022)
