LAST 24 HOURS
TALIBAN SAY THEY ARE ‘RESEARCHING’ ISLAMIC LAW TO ALLOW WOMEN TO WORK FOR NGOS – The Minister of Mines and Petroleum, Shahabuddin Dilawar spoke with reporters on behalf of the Taliban regime and said that religious ‘scholars’ are busy combing through Islamic law and texts to find a pathway to allow women to work for NGOs in the country. It is not clear what the Taliban sees as prohibitive with regard to women’s roles as the overwhelming majority of the Islamic world doesn’t restrict these activities. Our analysis indicates that the more cerebral elements within the regime realize they made a massive overreach with the spate of recent policies and are looking for ways to backtrack. However, it doesn’t appear the old guard in Kandahar is likely to entertain the reversal of any policies.
CHIEF UN AID OFFICER PLANS TO VISIT AFGHANISTAN IN WAKE OF FEMALE WORKERS’ BAN – Martin Griffiths, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the United Nations is planning a visit to Afghanistan. A spokesman for his office announced the visit yesterday and says he hopes to meet with ‘decision makers’ in Kabul who have the authority to reverse the aid worker ban. No date was provided with regard to his impending visit.
TALIBAN ATTEMPTS TO HEAD OFF OIC PLAN TO CENSURE THE REGIME – A source in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that senior leadership has called an urgent meeting to try and formulate a strategy to block a plan being put forth by the Organization for Islamic Cooperation (via the International Islamic Fiqh Academy) to condemn the Taliban for their policies regarding women. The source said the plan will likely be backed by most international Islamic scholars affiliated with the Academy. The source went on to state that the Taliban was caught ‘off guard’ when the measure was announced and is desperate to kill the initiative before it gains any momentum.
THE SALANG PASS IS CLOSED TO TRUCKS AND BUS TRAFFIC DUE TO HEAVY SNOW – Officials said the clearing operations from the devastating tanker fire is nearly complete but the pass is expected to remain closed to truck and busses for at least forty-eight hours due to dangerous road conditions caused by snow.
HEAVY SNOWS HAVE PARALYZED TRANSPORT IN WESTERN/SOUTHERN PROVINCES – Many of the Southern Provinces have reported complete closures of main roads and have said that drifting snow in some areas will take days to clear.
NEXT 24 HOURS
RUMORS OF A CLEARING OPERATION PLANNED IN JALALABAD – A source with the Ministry of Defense claims that security personnel planned a raid on a hotel in Jalalabad where an ISIS-K cell is thought to be staying. GDI agents were sent from Kabul to oversee the operation yesterday evening. The name and location of the hotel were not supplied.
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
Leaders of the regime fired the Governor of the Central Bank over the ‘mismanagement’ of the national currency policies.
A planned ceremony to remember Hamidreza Rouhi, who was shot and killed on 17 November, was violently dispersed by security forces.
A memorial ceremony was held in Bukan and Mahabad to commemorate the deaths of 3 protestors.
PAKISTAN
The National Security Council will meet today to discuss the new strategy to address terrorism in the country.
Police and Rangers in Karachi conducted search operations in an attempt to quash the recent rise in criminal activity. Reports indicate that all people are being checked in the area with biometrics.
It is not clear if the speaker of the National Assembly has accepted the resignations of all 123 members of parliament from the former Prime Minister’s party.
SPOTLIGHT OPINION
The Taliban’s dangerous hermit kingdom
By Javid Ahmad & Douglas London - The Hill
As we prepare to close out another tumultuous year, the world confronts uncertainty that evokes déjà vu, outrage, and at times an urge to look away. With much attention rightly drawn to Ukraine, it’s understandably challenging to remind the world of the danger in the Taliban’s campaign to turn Afghanistan into a hermit kingdom, from where its leaders can insulate themselves from external pressure or internal dissent and from which no distance or distraction will provide reprieve.
AFGHAN NEWS
'Teach Everyone Or No One': Afghan Men Join In Protests Against Taliban's Ban On Women's Education
By RFE
Afghan women have found a strong supporter as they protest against the Taliban banning women from universities…
Kabul Witnesses First Snowfall of the Year
By Asma Saayin - TOLO News
The city of Kabul was blanketed with snow on Thursday, something that was widely celebrated by the residents amid severe economic…
Taliban officials in Kandahar to Media: Be prepared for more restrictions
By AMU TV
Taliban intelligence officials said at a meeting with journalists in Kandahar on Wednesday that media outlets should be prepared for some changes in their operations, hinting at…
REGIONAL NEWS
Number of TTP Militants in Pak-Afghan Border Region Between 7,000 and 10,000: Pak Interior Minister
By News 18
“The biggest reason for this is the failure of (the) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and Counter Terrorism Department (…) It is their job to stop it,” the interior minister said…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
UN to Hold Meeting on Intra-Afghan Dialogue: Envoy
By Fatima Adib - TOLO News
Chargé d'Affaires of the Afghanistan Permanent Mission to the UN, Naseer Ahmad Faiq, said that a meeting would be held by…
By Riyadh Daily
Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Hissein Brahim Taha, called on the International Islamic Fiqh Academy (IIFA) to launch an…
THE DAILY WTF
Afghans taking extraordinary measures to survive
By RTE
"This is not about bad parenting. This is about the effects of crippling poverty and the dire straits that parents find themselves in," UNICEF's Sam Mort told…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 88.99 AFN (as of 30 DEC 2022)