LAST 24 HOURS
BALUCH NATIONAL ARMY LEADER SURRENDERS WITH 70 OF HIS FOLLOWERS IN QUETTA, PAKISTAN – Sarfraz Bungulzai (aka Mureed Baluch) appeared before the press yesterday to announce that he and approximately 70 of his followers were abandoning their two-year struggle for independence. Bungulzai led the Baluch National Army after the previous leader was arrested by Pakistani intelligence agents earlier in 2023. The BNA sought to target Pakistani security forces since forming in January of 2022 and has been implicated in several deadly attacks in Balochistan. Bungulzai expressed remorse over his involvement in the group and claimed that he had taken the decision to lay down his arms after learning that foreign support was being supplied to the group and also claimed that India had offered support over the previous two years. Bungulzai urged other separatist groups to lay down their arms and said that the ‘State’ was not the enemy but foreign intelligence services were using them for their own gains.
TURKISH ISLAMIC ‘SCHOLARS’ VISIT KABUL – A visiting delegation of reputed Turkish ‘scholars’ arrived in Kabul and met with the Minister of the Interior, Sirajuddin Haqqani. While not much is known about the discussions, the Taliban sought to use the visit as another opportunity to impress the international community with the steps the Taliban has taken to achieve Islamic rule. However, as has been witnessed in past visits, the delegation may offer a different view of the discussions.
TEENAGER IN THE US ARRESTED FOR ATTEMPTING TO JOIN ISIS-K – Agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Hamzar Mashkoor while attempting to board an international flight in the US city of Denver. The youth told investigators that his family was from Afghanistan but that he was born in the US and wanted to return to Afghanistan to stay with family in Nangarhar. Originally, Mashkoor said he supported the Taliban but switched allegiance to ISIS after seeing the Kabul airport bombing in 2021. He was arrested on 18 December and is currently in custody with federal officials.
RUSSIA DOING ‘DAMAGE CONTROL’ AFTER REMARKS ABOUT TALIBAN AND SECURITY – A meeting between the Taliban’s Foreign Minister and Russia’s envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov focused on mending fences after recent remarks have stirred up animosity among some senior Taliban figures against Russia. Russian diplomats and military leaders in neighboring countries have recently called the Taliban’s border security efforts into question and announced a series of regional security cooperation operations that will be held in 2024 to prevent terrorism and tackle drug trafficking from Afghanistan. The meeting in Kabul appears to have been scheduled to calm the Taliban and Russia’s envoy resorted to blaming the US for Afghanistan’s lack of recognition and access to financial reserves.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NO THREATS REPORTED
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
British court convicts Austrian citizen on terrorism charges for helping to plan an attack against an independent Iranian TV station in London.
Sara Massoumi, a journalist was sentenced to a six-month prison stint and banned from working in the media field for two years after she had posted a tweet that was critical of the regime’s crackdown on the press.
The regime is suspected of hanging a woman on Wednesday who had been convicted of murdering her husband. Samira Sabzian was married to her husband at age 15 and claimed to have been physically abused by her deceased spouse.
PAKISTAN
Counter-terrorism units reportedly conducted searches for foreigners in the Tarnol area of Islamabad. It was unclear if any Afghans were rounded up but the searches did uncover a trove of stolen vehicles, narcotics, and electronic devices.
2 Policemen were wounded when a blast at the former Chief Justice of Pakistan’s Lahore residence took place in the garage on Wednesday. It was not immediately clear if the blast was intentional or an accident.
A 10kg bomb was defused after being discovered in the middle of a road in the Kohi Bhara, Dera Ismail Khan area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is not known who may have planted the explosives.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Can the US force Taliban to lift ban on girls' education?
By Zia Ur Rehman - Deutsche Welle
The recent decision by the United States to impose sanctions on two key Taliban leaders, believed to influence the Islamic fundamentalist group's Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada in prohibiting secondary and higher education for girls, is seen as a part of global efforts to compel the Afghan administration to lift the ban.
AFGHAN NEWS
Afghan girl’s journey: University to Hospital bed
By Fidel Rahmati - Khaama Press
A year ago, Medina used to sit on the university bench, listening to her professor’s lecture on communication within the journalism field…
Salang Highway Reopened in Ceremony With Islamic Emirate’s Officials
By TOLO News
Salang highway was reopened on Wednesday after being blocked for nearly four months, with the presence of some officials of the…
Secret Schools Offer 'A Ray Of Hope' For Rural Afghan Girls
By Abubakar Siddique - RFE
In a mudbrick house, dozens of Afghan girls sitting on plastic mats scribble in their notebooks during a science…
REGIONAL NEWS
Travel conditions for Afghans not to be reversed: Kakar
By S. Muddasir Ali Shah - Pajhwok Afghan News
On Tuesday, Anwaarul Haq Kakar ruled out reversing the “one-document regime” — a valid passport and…
Pakistan deports over 1,700 Afghan migrants in 24 hours
By Siyar Sirat - AMU TV
Pakistani authorities deported 1,748 undocumented Afghan migrants on Tuesday, Dec. 19, according to local media reports, marking a continuation of high numbers similar to the…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
US Dismisses as 'Farce' Claims of Abandoning Arms in Afghanistan
By Ayaz Gul - VOA
The United States has again denied leaving any weapons in Afghanistan during the American military’s withdrawal from the country in…
UNAMA chief briefs UNSC, says humanitarian situation remains a ‘grave concern’
By Ariana News
UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva briefed the United Nations Security Council on…
THE DAILY WTF
Islamic Emirate Considers Witholding of UN Seat 'Illegal'
By Hadia Ziaei - TOLO News
The Islamic Emirate considers the UN members' decision to not hand over the Afghanistan seat at the United Nations to its ambassador…
“The international community considers barring females from living their lives ‘illegal’” TAD Staff
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 69.96 AFN (as of 21 DEC 2023)