LAST 24 HOURS
PAKISTAN AND IRAN WITNESS TERROR RELATED VIOLENCE ON FRIDAY – Both neighbors were struck by presumed terror attacks yesterday that left over twenty people dead. While Pakistan has been reeling from a barrage of terror attacks, Iran has seen far fewer incidences throughout 2023. Friday turned out to be a bloody day in both countries as terrorist organizations launched a total of three attacks.
Iran - At least 11 Iranian policemen were reportedly killed in an attack on a police station in Sistan-Baluchistan. The attack took place in the village of Rask near midnight and was considered to be one of the deadliest in the Province for years. The group that claimed responsibility for the attack is the Sunni jihad group - Jaish al-Adl (Army of Justice). An unidentified number of militants were also killed in the gun battle. A source in Tehran said that the body count will likely grow as several of the police officials were grievously wounded and may not survive.
Pakistan - In the first engagement, a dual-pronged attack was carried out in the Tank District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province when a suicide bomber used an explosive device to clear the entrance to a police station and a neighboring apartment building. Gunmen then entered the buildings and opened fire on the occupants. At least 8 police officers were reportedly killed and 3 militants died in the fray. An obscure terror organization known as Ansar-ul-Islam claimed responsibility for the attack. In the second engagement, TTP terrorists launched an attack on a military checkpoint in the Khyber border area and killed 2 Pakistani soldiers while wounding 5 others.
A SUNNI/SHIA COUPLE TOLD THEY WOULD NOT BE GRANTED A BIRTH CERTIFICATE FOR THEIR CHILD FROM THE TALIBAN – A couple was informed by the Taliban Statistics and Information Department that they could not apply for an official birth certificate for their child because their union presented problems under the recently reinstated Sharia law. All documents about the child have been retained by the Department and the couple has been left with no recourse but to await a decision from a Taliban religious ‘scholar’.
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SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Why Pakistan Is Deporting Afghan Migrants
By Megan Fahrney - Council on Foreign Relations
Pakistan’s announcement in October 2023 that it would expel all unregistered migrants has sparked fears among the country’s nearly two million undocumented Afghans that they will be deported back to dangerous conditions. Pakistan says the measure is necessary to stem the growing influence of terrorist groups operating in its border region, but critics, including both the United States and Afghanistan’s Taliban government, warn it could lead to further radicalization.
AFGHAN NEWS
Major Rally Held in Kabul in Support for Palestine
By Naweed Samadi - TOLO News
A major gathering was held in capital Kabul on Friday in support of the people of Palestine and to condemn the…
Deputy PM Meets with UK’s Chatterston Dickson
By TOLO News
The Prime Minister’s office said in a press release that the Political Deputy Prime Minister Mawlawi Abdul Kabir met with Robert Chatterton Dickson, chargé d’affaires…
REGIONAL NEWS
Deadly Attack Further Inflames Tensions Between Pakistan And Afghan Taliban
By Abubakar Siddique - RFE
A suicide bomber killed 23 soldiers in an attack on a military base in northwestern Pakistan on December 12, in one of the deadliest attacks…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Canada Provides CAD 21 million to Assist Displaced Afghans in Central Asia and Pakistan
By International Organization for Migration
The Government of Canada announced yesterday (14 December) a contribution of CAD 21 million channeled through the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support the…
THE DAILY WTF
Pakistan: Farms, mines in trouble with Afghans pushed out
By Jamila Achakzai - Deutsche Welles
The abrupt departure of thousands of undocumented Afghans has left Bibi Jawzara, an elderly Pakistani woman, "really…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 69.90 AFN (as of 16 DEC 2023)