LAST 24 HOURS
TORKHAM GATE CLASHES – A clash was reported at Torkham gate early yesterday morning. Although details are not clear, it appears that 1 Pakistani Frontier Corps soldier was wounded and evacuated to a local hospital. There has been no word on further casualties. At this time, it is not clear what led to the gunfight and both sides blame the other for initiating hostilities. There has also been conflicting information about the status of the crossing with some saying it is open to non-commercial traffic while others say it is closed to all traffic. Talks had reportedly begun shortly after the fighting to reopen the portal but a decision had yet to be announced.
PARWAN MEDIA OUTLETS MUST NOW CLEAR NEWS WITH TALIBAN MOUTHPIECE – Local provincial leaders have reputedly issued an order that all news content from the few remaining journalism outlets in the Province must be cleared through the Taliban-run Bakhtar News Agency. The order was read out by the Deputy Governor on Monday and is said to have come from the Taliban’s Ministry of Information and Culture. It is not clear if this will be a nationwide policy.
IRAN’S CONSULATE IN HERAT SAYS 200,000 VISAS ISSUED AND COUNTING – The Consul of Iran’s facility in Herat says his staff has issued approximately 200,000 visas over the past 11 months. Local sources say the wait for an Iranian visa is normally less than a week.
TALIBAN ENVOY FORMALLY RECOGNIZED IN TEHRAN, DIPLOMATIC STANDOFF ENDS – An Afghan diplomatic source told AMU TV that the Afghan Embassy in Tehran would be handed over to the Taliban’s designated envoy, Mohammad Afzal Haqqani soon. An internal diplomatic squabble had broken out between Ambassador Soleimani and Haqqani. Initially, the Iranian Foreign Ministry refused to accept Haqqani’s accreditation letter but told Soleimani recently that he should hand over the embassy to Haqqani on Sunday. Iran has yet to recognize the Taliban officially but has followed the precedent set by Russia, China, and Pakistan with regard to relations with Afghanistan.
PAKISTAN CONFIRMS ONE OF TWO ISIS OPERATIVES ARRESTED IN KARACHI IS A FORMER AFGHAN ARMY COMMANDO – Two suspected ISIS militants were arrested in a security operation in Karachi. Pakistani police say both had Afghan identity cards and one had been a former member of the Afghan Commandos. Neither are suspected of any involvement in terror operations within Pakistan but were acting as logistical facilitators for ISIS-K in Afghanistan. Numerous security sweeps have been launched in Pakistan in the wake of two deadly attacks targeting police.
NEXT 24 HOURS
TORKHAM MAY REOPEN TO LIMITED TRAFFIC – Negotiations between the Taliban and Pakistani border security forces had progressed by yesterday evening and a source with the Taliban border forces believed the gate would reopen today but may have strict limitations on what types of traffic would be allowed to pass through the border crossing. Negotiations were expected to continue today.
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
Sanctions were imposed on several members of the Iranian regime by both the EU and the UK.
German Foreign Minister throws cold water on efforts to list IRGC as a terrorist entity. Claims no legal justification for the act exists.
Iranian activists called on the West for more direct support of popular uprisings.
PAKISTAN
15 people were killed when a bus fell into a ravine near Kallar Kahar on Monday. Another 70 passengers were injured in the tragic accident.
Former PM, Imran Khan, was in court on Monday in Lahore over two cases that have been brought against him for protests outside of the Election Commission in 2022.
Talks with Iranian border officials appear to have de-escalated tensions caused by Iranian border guards who killed hundreds of animals owned by residents along the border.
TAJIKISTAN
The Government reported that nearly 20 people had been killed in a spate of avalanches that have affected the mountainous regions over the past five days.
Tajik diplomats in Moscow will demand answers over reports that Tajik workers hired to perform logistical work for the Russian military in Ukraine are being mistreated.
UZBEKISTAN
A two-week joint military exercise between Uzbekistan and India began in Pithoragarh on Monday. The drills are the fourth between the two countries and are focused on enhancing interoperability between the two nations.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Regional Multilateral Consultations On Afghanistan – Analysis
By Ayjaz Wani - Observer Research Foundation
Afghanistan, under the Taliban’s control, has become a victim of one of its biggest humanitarian crises wrought by widespread food shortages, unemployment and restrictions on women’s fundamental rights. The prevalent turmoil in Afghanistan has created a conducive environment for the resurgence of radical terrorist groups such as the Islamic State of Khorasan (ISKP) and Al-Qaeda. Taliban-led Afghanistan is thus posing a security risk not just within its immediate neighbourhood, but in the whole of Eurasia.
AFGHAN NEWS
Clashes Erupt on Durand Line at Torkham Gate
By Barakatullah Hasand - TOLO News
Following the closure of Torkham gate, Islamic Emirate forces and Pakistani border guards engaged in a gun battle, according to…
Daesh has ‘very few militants’ in Afghanistan: Hekmatyar
By Ariana News
The leader of Hizb-e-Islami says that Daesh does not have a significant presence in Afghanistan and that the group carries out…
CASA-1000 Project Reportedly Delayed for Two More Years
By Bibi Amina Hakimi - TOLO News
The CASA 1000 project is reportedly facing a two-year delay due to the withdrawal of the World Bank and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)...
REGIONAL NEWS
Taliban close main Afghan-Pakistan border crossing, residents report gunfire
By The New Arab
Taliban authorities have closed the main border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan, an Afghan official said on Monday, and residents in the area reported the sound of…
Afghan Refugees Without Papers in Iran Banned from University Enrolment
By Banafsha Binesh - TOLO News
The Ministry of Science Research and Technology in a letter instructed the universities to not register Afghan students who lack…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Wichita family working to reunite Afghan soldier with his family in the U.S.
By Shawn Loging 0 KWCH News
A year and a half after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, some Afghans are working to secure a place for themselves and their families in the U.S. For one former…
Ebad: Donors have stopped funding 40 Covid hospitals
By S. Mudassir Ali Shah - Pajhwok Afghan News
Following the regime change in Afghanistan in 2021, donors have halted funding for 40 COVID-19 hospitals, says the…
THE DAILY WTF
Islamic Emirate Optimistic About Recognition
By TOLO News
The Islamic Emirate’s spokesman said if it is recognized, the concerns and complaints of the international community will be addressed in…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 89.17 AFN (as of 21 FEB 2023)