LAST 24 HOURS
JALALABAD BLAST CALLED ACT OF TERROR – Taliban security officials in Jalalabad have stated that the explosion reported in a Jalalabad commercial center on Saturday was a terrorist attack. They went on to say the blast was caused by an explosive device that had been hidden in a flower pot. 6 non-combatants were injured in the blast and several shops were damaged. One of the shops belonged to the city’s only Sikh resident, Gul Charan, but it was not immediately clear if he had been targeted. The attack has still not been claimed by any group.
PUBLIC FLOGGINGS CONTINUE – The latest was reported on Sunday in Ghor Province where 7 people were whipped for various moral offenses. Among those punished was 1 woman. The punishments were meted out at the soccer stadium in Firoz. The Taliban forbid spectators from filming/photographing the event. While this event is thought to be the fifth public flogging since the Supreme Leader issued his decree, there have been nearly fifty reports of smaller punishment ceremonies in rural areas.
ISIS-K (DAESH) CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR PAKISTAN EMBASSY ATTACK – ISIS-K began posting messages on its social media accounts that took credit for the attack on the Pakistani Charge d’Affaires. Most analysts and observers were surprised by the announcements as most had assumed the attacks were part of the TTPs new campaign against the government of Pakistan. Pakistan has undertaken its own independent investigation into the matter of who was responsible and has yet to accept the ISIS-K claims.
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION EXAMINES CURRICULUM OFFERINGS – The Ministry announced that it was nearing the end of a research project to streamline the educational offerings for University students. Significant cuts to current degree programs are expected and while no official word has yet been given, several programs generally chosen by women are expected to be done away with.
A TRUCK RUNS OVER PEDESTRIANS AT TORKHAM GATE – Yesterday, a large container truck plowed into a group of pedestrians and at least 20 casualties have been reported. It is not clear how many were killed in the incident. An investigation is underway and very few details have been released.
NEXT 24 HOURS
PAKISTAN EMBASSY ATTACK INVESTIGATION TO CONTINUE – Likely drawn from confessions under interrogation, the Ministry of the Interior has dispatched two additional search teams from Kabul. It is believed the GDI agents are heading to Badakhshan Province but may also meet with Pakistan ISI officials at the border to share information about the ISIS groups in Pakistan who claim to have masterminded the attacks. A source in the Police said that any additional suspects who may have participated in the attempted assassination had probably fled the city at this point. We do not assess any threat to at-risk Afghans that will result from the new operations.
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
Iran is considering recalling its Ambassador after a hacking group released documents purported to contain confidential information stored by the IRGC-affiliated FARS News Agency. The Ambassador made several disparaging remarks about the Taliban in the unverified trove of documents that were released.
In what may be assumed as an olive branch to protestors, Iran announced it was dissolving the ‘morality police’. A further announcement is expected on whether the laws pertaining to the Hijab in the coming days. Several Iranian-centric news sites expect the law to be scrapped.
The government reportedly executed 4 men it accused of cooperating with Israeli intelligence on Sunday.
PAKISTAN
Business leaders are urging the government to begin taking action to stabilize the national currency.
3 Police were killed when a suspected TTP team sprayed their vehicle with automatic rifle fire in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
SPOTLIGHT RELIGION
Preserving the hidden world of Afghan Jews
By Barbara Angelakis - The Jerusalem Post
The Jewish presence in Afghanistan dates as far as 2,700 years ago when the Assyrian assault of Jerusalem in 721 BCE resulted in the forced relocation of the Ten Tribes, now referred to as the Lost Tribes. Jews fleeing Assyrian captivity made their way along the Silk Road through Persia to settle in Afghanistan. There they established flourishing communities in cities like Kabul and Herat.
AFGHAN NEWS
ISIS claims responsibility for attack on top Pak diplomat in Kabul
By ANI
The Islamic State (ISIS) has claimed responsibility for the attack on the Pakistan Embassy in Kabul on Friday, which left…
UNICEF to Provide Cash Assistance to Tens of Thousands of Afghan Poor Families
By Saqalain Eqbal - Khaama Press
According to a tweet from UNICEF released on Sunday, December 4, millions of people in poverty-stricken Afghanistan are unable to meet their…
Ministry Reports Revision of Curriculum Across Nearly 40 Disciplines
By Nazir Shinwari - TOLO News
In the curriculum review meeting, the Ministry of Higher Education said that it has revised the curricula for nearly 40 different academic fields including…
REGIONAL NEWS
Pakistan verifying reports of Daesh's claim of attack on Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul
By GEO News
The Foreign Office (FO) on Sunday said that it was verifying the reports claiming that outlawed group Deash’s branch in…
Taliban ‘Real Disaster’, But Tehran Must Side with Them: Iran Envoy
By Iran Intel
Iran's ambassador to Afghanistan believes that the Taliban group is a disaster for Afghanistan, the region and the world, but Iran has no choice but to…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Dr. Tetsu Nakamura Legacy Remembered 3 Years After His Death
By TOLO News
December 4th marks the third anniversary of the death of Dr. Tetsu Nakamura, a Japanese medical doctor and aid worker who devoted many years to…
Saudi Arabia condemns ISIS attack on Pakistan embassy in Kabul
By Al Arabiya
Saudi Arabia’s foreign ministry on Sunday strongly condemned an attack on the Pakistani embassy in the Afghan capital Kabul, and the failed assassination…
THE DAILY WTF
Delawar: No Need For National Discourse in Afghanistan
By TOLO News
“We should all work together to build our homeland; everything is fine and every Afghan has the right to serve his…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 88.21 AFN (as of 5 DEC 2022)