LAST 24 HOURS
COUP RUMORS PERSIST – Several news outlets have picked up on reports of a possible challenge to the Supreme Leader’s power. Some reports coming from Pakistan have stated that ISI officials have arrived in Kandahar to attempt to facilitate some kind of settlement between the Supreme Leader and the Minister of Defense and Interior. What has been confirmed is that both Ministers are traveling to Kandahar to attempt to persuade the Supreme Leader to change his mind about the women’s education issue. Kandahar also has a sizable presence of military personnel and vehicles in the city which could be indicative of a potential power struggle brewing or, it could simply be a precautionary measure to deal with possible protests. Regardless of the reason for the troop dispositions, it’s clear there is a leadership problem at the top of the regime.
MOSQUE BOMBING – A blast was reported at a Mosque yesterday in the Koht-e-Sangi neighborhood of Kabul. Casualties have been reported (both deaths and injuries). No group has claimed credit and no details were available.
TALIBAN SECURITY PATROLLING MOST CITIES – Taliban fighters have taken up positions around many of the University campuses in Afghanistan in a bid to discourage potential protests against the unpopular education decree. Scattered reports of protestors being beaten and arrested but the information is sparse at this point.
PAKISTAN CLEARLY ENUNCIATES A ‘RED LINE’ TO THE IEA – Pakistan basically issued an ultimatum to Kabul concerning its perceived support of the TTP. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari left little room for doubt about what would happen if Afghanistan does not help stop the threat to Pakistan posed by the TTP.
FUEL PRICES SPIKE ACROSS THE COUNTRY – Prices per liter of fuel rose by approximately 6 Afghanis over the last couple of days. The increase places significant strain on the transportation sector as taxi drivers are not able to make a profit under the current circumstances. The cause for the price surge has been attributed to the devastating Salang Tunnel fire which destroyed several fuel tankers and disrupted fuel imports from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
NEXT 24 HOURS
ALL EYES ARE ON KANDAHAR – With a meeting between senior Taliban leaders in Kandahar about to take place, many are concerned the discussions could break down and violence could result. In addition, the extra security called in to deal with potential protests has the country on edge. While the situation is in doubt, it is recommended that travel plans be canceled until the picture becomes clearer.
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
The regime continues to take issue with the Ukrainian President’s remarks about support for Russia and has leveled several threats against the country in recent days.
Several European countries followed Germany’s lead and suspended guarantees for business dealings with Iran.
The currency plunged toward a near-record low.
PAKISTAN
The terrorist bombing in Islamabad has helped unite several of the political parties in the country and a new national strategy is reportedly being developed to deal with the threat.
Pakistani military special forces units deploying to Balochistan and appear prepared to initiate an undisclosed counter-terror operation.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Stop feigning surprise over the Taliban university ban
By James Snell – The New Statesman
In late 2020, as the deal to surrender Afghanistan to them was being hashed out in Doha, Taliban media said the following: what they meant by an “Islamic system” was neither “vague nor abstract”. They meant what they always meant. “Some two decades ago the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan practically showcased that an Islamic system is in fact compatible with modern times.”
AFGHAN NEWS
Paperless Afghan Migrants to be Fined or Blacklisted, not Deported: Pakistan
By Nizamuddin Rezahi – Khaama Press
The interior ministry of Pakistan in October circulated ads on TV channels and social medial warning foreign nationals who overstayed in the…
Sharia requires you to facilitate girls’ education: Sayyaf to Taliban
By Javed Ahmad Kakar - Pajhwok Afghan News
Reacting to the ban on girls’ higher education, Dawat-i-Islami party leader Ustad Abdul Rab Rasool Sayyaf…
Over 37,000 Refugees Returned Home In a Month
By Bakhtar News Agency
Local officials of Nimroz say that in the past month over 37,000 Afghan refugees returned to the country from…
REGIONAL NEWS
Policeman killed in Islamabad suicide blast
By Pajhwok Afghan News
A policeman was killed and six others, including two civilians were injured, in a suicide blast in Pakistan’s capital…
"Those who celebrated the fall of Kabul..." Pashtun leader slams Pakistan's Afghan policy
By ANI
As militancy continues to rise in Pakistan, Pashtun leader Mohsin Dawar on Friday said architects of the country’s Afghan policy…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
By Raffy Boudjikanian - CBC
In an apparent reversal from an announcement this fall, Pakistan's government has told Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada it will not…
OPINION: The international community in a quandary over Taliban
By Yeni Safak
After the 2020 American elections in the United States of America, President Joe Biden announced that the US will…
THE DAILY WTF
By Madison Dudley – International Business Times
It was reported in February by both The Telegraph and The Guardian that high-ranking Taliban officials have been sending their daughters to…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 89.17 AFN (as of 24 DEC 2022)