LAST 24 HOURS
There have been multiple reports of the Taliban arresting large groups of male non-combatants in Panjshir because the Taliban claims that they are suspected of supporting the Resistance. Currently, there are several hundred Panjshiri males who are thought to be detained. Their fate is unknown. Several assassinations of former government officials have also been reported, although official confirmation has not been given.
Taliban forces in Panjshir under newly appointed Special Commander Zakir have withdrawn from their assault positions near two NRF bases and are consolidating in an unidentified valley to confer with leaders. Sources within the Ministry of Defense said the previous attacks were meant to probe the NRF positions in an attempt to determine which directions their heavy weapons were oriented.
ISIS-K launched several recruiting calls on social media urging Uzbek men to come to Afghanistan and join their jihad. The videos have been dubbed in Uzbek and are captioned in Uzbek (both Latin and Cyrillic) leaving little doubt as to their target demographic. The posts are being distributed by Xuroson Ovozi (Voice of Khorasan), which recently announced it had partnered with ISIS-K’s propaganda wing. Most of the messages are circulating on the popular app Telegram.
NEXT 24 HOURS
A second offensive in Panjshir will be likely once ongoing military consultations among Taliban commanders conclude. A local source claimed some senior Taliban commanders expressed consternation with the new special commander after yesterday’s probing attacks. The source stated that the senior commanders were not informed that the attacks were merely probes and they would not have committed so many of their men if they had known.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Terrorism Might Be the Least of Our Problems a Year After America’s Withdrawal from Afghanistan
By Douglas London – Just Security
There was no perfect solution in Afghanistan. Looking back a year after America’s withdrawal, American military action in the country appears much like this generation’s Vietnam. In this age of multidimensional battlefields and hybrid warfare, American planners were slow to realize that outright military victory would be difficult to secure. And when they came to that conclusion, as reflected in the 2017 South Asia Strategy which sought to redefine the conflict and influence conditions on the ground rather than secure such a victory by force, it was too little, too late.
AFGHAN NEWS
Taliban Calls Suicide Bomber Brigade ‘Pride’ of Group
By Saqalain Eqbal – Khaama Press
The “martyrdom brigades,” aka suicide bomber units, are a part of the Taliban security forces and the group’s “pride,” said Mawlawi Noor Jalal Jalali, the…
In the Taliban's Afghanistan, the near-broke central bank somehow still functions
By Steve Inskeep – NPR
A recent visit to Afghanistan showed a country facing an economic crisis. The banking system has seized…
Taliban’s Door-to-Door Searches in Northern Afghanistan Extends to Faryab, Takhar, and Jawzjan
By Saqalain Eqbal – Khaama Press
Local sources in Taloqan, Sheberghan, and Maimana, the provincial capitals of the northern Afghan provinces of Takhar, Jawzjan, and…
REGIONAL NEWS
Pakistan says IEA’s claim of US drone operations is ‘highly regrettable’
By Ariana News
Responding to a claim by the Afghan minister of defense of the US using Pakistan’s airspace for drone operations, Pakistan said…
Iran to Secure Its Border With Afghanistan Without Afghan Help: Envoy
By TOLOnews
Iran's special envoy for Afghanistan, Hassan Kazimi Qomi, said that the Islamic Emirate lacks enough forces to secure the border between Afghanistan and Iran and that Tehran is ready…
Ex-NDS Director Says Pakistan Forces Operate Against TTP in Afghan Territory
By Saqalain Eqbal – Khaama Press
Former Afghan National Directorate of Security (NDS) director Rahmatullah Nabil claims that the Pakistani military has started an operation…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Afghan refugees on the racism they’ve faced in their first year in Europe
By Deepa Parent – Open Democracy
Europe is just the greener side of the same hell,” says Rias Ahmed*, a former Afghanistan government official who now lives in…
THE DAILY WTF
West Wages a Press War in Afghanistan to Show the Situation Worse: Farahi
By Bakhtar News Agency
The Deputy Minister of Publication in the Ministry of Information and Culture Mawlawi Hayatullah Muhajer Farahi, in a meeting with his…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 88.51 AFN (as of 30 AUG 2022)