LAST 24 HOURS
BLAST REPORTED IN KABUL – An explosion occurred in Police District 6 of Kabul (Darul Aman) yesterday afternoon. Initial reports indicate that a motorcycle bomb detonated prematurely and it is thought the intended target was a Taliban checkpoint. There are discrepancies concerning the number and types of casualties that resulted from the attack. Most reports agree that 2 people were killed and several were injured. No group has claimed credit for the attack.
8 FEMALE ACTIVISTS WHO WERE DETAINED DURING A PROTEST IN KABUL HAVE BEEN RELEASED – A spokeswoman for the Afghan Women’s Unity and Solidarity Movement announced that the women had been freed after being held for several hours by Taliban security forces. Initial reports indicate that none were harmed but it is not clear if the women were threatened or coerced in any way.
TURKISH COURT SENTENCES 2 SOLDIERS TO NEARLY 70 YEARS IN PRISON FOR RAPING AFGHAN REFUGEE – The incident took place in January of this year when the 2 Turkish soldiers were escorting a group of 9 Afghan refugees to the border in the Saray District of Van Province where they would be deported. The soldiers separated the unidentified Afghan woman from the group and reputedly raped her. Turkish military authorities arrested the soldiers three days after the incident and the verdict was delivered yesterday after several months of investigation and a long trial.
TALIBAN MAYOR FROM BAGHLAN WHO WAS ACCUSED OF RAPE AND ARRESTED, RELEASED – A Taliban Mayor (Mullah Nemat Fateh) who was reportedly arrested over charges of raping a woman four weeks ago was released from prison and returned to his office in the Barka District yesterday. A source in Kandahar said that senior officials in Kabul said that a trial would be detrimental to the reputation of the IEA and that an Imam had spoken with the accused prior to his release. It is not clear if the victim and her family were approached by Taliban officials over the matter. The source went on to say that an unnamed senior Taliban leader said that ‘It wouldn’t matter’ as the family would probably kill Fateh in the coming months.
TAJIKISTAN REMOVES RUSSIAN/SOVIET PLACENAMES, REPLACES WITH TAJIK NAMES – Following in the footsteps of other Central Asian countries, Dushanbe is rewriting its maps and replacing names for geographic locations and cities/towns with Tajik names. The undertaking is important because Tajikistan often demarcates its borders by referencing them in relation to mountains and other geographic features.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NO THREATS REPORTED
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
The Israeli Prime Minister blamed Iran for the terror attack on Monday that killed a mother and her three children in Hebron.
The regime has executed 8 prisoners over the past three days.
The controversial prisoner swap between the US and Iran may take 60 days.
PAKISTAN
The High Court in Islamabad will hear arguments in a challenge to former PM Khan’s conviction in the Toshakhana corruption case today.
The government began disbursing compensation to Christian families whose homes were destroyed in the recent riot over the alleged desecration of a Quran by a Christian man.
A court in Islamabad has issued a 4-day extension of the detention order of PTI Vice Chairman, Shah Mahmood Qureshi. It was not immediately clear why the extension was requested by investigators.
SPOTLIGHT OPINION
It's Time to Confront Afghanistan's Taliban, Not Butter It Up
By Zalmai Nishat & Daniel Sleat - Newsweek
Two years on from the Western withdrawal and the Taliban retaking of power in Afghanistan, it's time to assess how Western policies have developed, the impact of those policies and what a new approach might look like. One conclusion is clear, however: those who believe positive engagement with the Taliban is the way forward risk abandoning the people of Afghanistan completely.
AFGHAN NEWS
2 killed, 2 injured in explosion in Afghanistan’s Kabul
By ANI
As many as two people were killed, and two sustained injuries in an explosion in the Darul Aman are of Afghanistan’s…
Women’s rugby in Afghanistan: They’re willing to risk their lives for their passion
By Fiona Tomas - The Telegraph
Most of the women, whose basic rights have been eroded since the hard-line Islamist group swept to power, are suffering from…
By MFA Afghanistan
The Directorate of Consular Affairs has commenced the distribution of passports for Afghan refugees in foreign missions through a comprehensive plan, dividing passport applicants into different…
REGIONAL NEWS
Iran admits Afghanistan’s acute drought
By Fidel Rahmati - Khaama Press
“Recently, our colleagues visited Deh Rawood hydrometric station in Helmand. This visit showed that the drought in Afghanistan is also serious,” Ali Akbar Mehrabian said, as…
Haqqani attributes Pakistan’s security incidents to internal problems
By Fidel Rahmati - Khaama Press
The acting Interior Minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani, emphasized that Pakistan’s recent incidents stem from internal issues that Islamabad itself…
China Turns to Taliban to Control ETIM: Exclusive on Bid to Woo Guv of Afghanistan’s Badakshan
By Manoj Gupta - News 18
Wary of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and continuing with its interest in Afghanistan, China is now wooing the governor of Badakshan, according…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
68 years of prison sentence for two soldiers for raping woman refugee from Afghanistan
By BIA News
In the incident that occurred on January 3, contract soldiers O.K. and A.C.D. separated a 25-year-old woman from the group of 8 individuals they had…
By Sadiya Chowdhury - Sky News
It comes after the Ministry of Defence and the Royal Military Police, which is accused of failing to investigate the claims, sought sweeping restrictions…
THE DAILY WTF
Afghanistan plans reopening of schools for female students
By Peoples Gazette
A committee of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Higher Education says it is working on a plan to reopen universities for female students, local media reported on…
“Clock is a ticking.” TAD Staff
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 84.15 AFN (as of 22 AUG 2023)