LAST 24 HOURS
ISIS-K CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR MONDAY BOMB BLAST IN KABUL – In a post on the ISIS-K Telegram channel yesterday, the terrorist group took credit for the bomb blast that was reported on Monday in Police District 6 of Kabul. 2 people died as a result of the blast but it is not yet clear if those killed were ISIS members, Taliban, or innocent bystanders.
IRAN’S AMBASSADOR IN KABUL DEMANDS RELEASE OF IRANIAN JOURNALIST – Kabul Kazemi Qoomi, Iran’s top diplomat in Kabul called on the Taliban to immediately release Mohammad Hossein Velayati, an Iranian photojournalist (Tasnim News agency) who was arrested earlier in the week on unspecified charges. A source in Kabul says that charges of spying for Iran are rumored to be behind Velayati’s detention. Other rumors say he refused to pay a bribe to a Taliban security forces member when passing a checkpoint. The Taliban have not commented on the matter as of yet.
REFUGEES ATTEMPTING TO CROSS INTO GREECE FROM TURKEY WARNED OF WILDFIRE DANGERS – Uncontrolled fires in certain areas along the border (Thrace) have made crossings extremely dangerous and there are unconfirmed reports that human smuggling operations may have resulted in the deaths of some refugees who were caught in the fires.
THE TALIBAN HALT THE DEPARTURE OF SEVERAL FEMALE AFGHAN STUDENTS WHO WERE SCHEDULED TO STUDY IN DUBAI – Security personnel intervened when the young women arrived at the airport in Kabul on Wednesday and halted their travel to Dubai where they had received generous scholarship offers from a wealthy patron. Currently, it is thought they were denied boarding permission because there was not a male chaperone present (or, not enough chaperones) to escort the women. The benefactor who had financed the scholarships, Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, took to Twitter/X to express his displeasure with the disruption and called on officials to allow them to travel as soon as possible. The incident appears to be having a ripple effect and the Emirati companies who have been instrumental in managing the airport operations in Kabul have also attempted to resolve the situation.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NO THREATS REPORTED
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
8 Iranians who were accused of killing a Basij paramilitary force member during the protests last year were sentenced to prison yesterday.
Private vehicle travel has been reauthorized for Kurds living in Kurdistan who wish to travel to Iran. A temporary travel ban had been put in place for a month after reports of ‘security issues’ at the Haji Omaran border crossing were relayed to Tehran.
The number of pilgrims applying for visas to attend the Arbaeen Pilgrimage drops by nearly two-thirds from 2022. The Iranian regime has offered multiple incentives for pilgrims to participate but the ploy seems to be having little effect.
PAKISTAN
An additional arrest warrant has been approved for former PM Khan in the case related to the 9 May riots. Khan is currently serving a sentence for a corruption charge but the Supreme Court may become involved after saying that discrepancies occurred during the handling of the case.
The owner of the cable car that suffered a mechanical failure and could have killed several passengers has been arrested by police and faces charges of endangering the public and forging fraudulent maintenance records.
The President invited senior election officials to a meeting at his office to discuss the upcoming elections and to set the date for National elections.
SPOTLIGHT OPINION
Resurgence and Realities: Afghanistan’s Shifting Terror Threats
By Siddhant Kishore - Geopolitical Monitor
As the world observed the second anniversary of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan on August 15th, attention has shifted to the changing landscape of terrorism in the region. The two years since Kabul’s fall have raised concerns about the impact on regional stability and security. A complex picture of resurgent extremist groups, human rights abuses, and geopolitical challenges with Afghanistan’s de facto rulers has emerged.
AFGHAN NEWS
Taliban’s annual report fails to address right to education, work for females
By Milad Sayar - AMU TV
For the past month, the Taliban’s ministries and departments have delivered daily reports on work done over the past year and in some instances, plans for the…
Taliban Reportedly Stop 100 Afghan Female Students From Flying to UAE for Studies
By Ayaz Gul - VOA
The Taliban have allegedly barred a group of young girls from leaving Afghanistan for the United Arab Emirates, where they were expected to…
Islamic Emirate Officials Stress Need to Facilitate Female Education
By Asma Saayin - TOLO News
Speaking at an event titled “women’s role” held by the Academy of Science of Afghanistan, the deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, said that the…
REGIONAL NEWS
Passport Distribution for Afghan Citizens Begins in Three Countries
By Hadia Ziaei - TOLO News
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the beginning of the process of distributing passports to Afghan immigrants in Iran, Pakistan, and…
US-Pakistan Cooperation on Afghan Refugee Management
By Noorulain Naseem - Stimson Center
Since August 2021, when the Taliban’s seized power following the U.S. and NATO’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, over 600,000 Afghan refugees and migrants have…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
The International Institute is touring the country to lure Afghans to St. Louis
By Andrea Y. Henderson - NPR
The International Institute of St. Louis’ Afghan Community Support Program is traveling across the country to tell Afghans that St. Louis is a good place to start businesses…
West must stop playing the ‘Great Game’ in Afghanistan: former UN official
By Ariana News
In an op-ed published by UK’s Financial Times newspaper on Tuesday, Mark Malloch Brown, a former UN deputy secretary-general, said some 28.8 million Afghans require…
THE DAILY WTF
Stanikzai: US Hindering Islamic Emirate’s Intl Recognition
By Fatima Adib - TOLO News
Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, said considers the US to be the only obstacle to formal recognition of
“Just spitballing here but maybe it has something to do with arcane domestic policies implemented by villains masquerading as religious leaders. Just maybe.” TAD Staff
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 83.83 AFN (as of 24 AUG 2023)