LAST 24 HOURS
TALIBAN COLLECTING INFORMATION ON FEMALE HEALTH WORKERS – Taliban authorities are collecting information from private hospitals and clinics about their female staff members. The information requested appears to concern the employee’s family and includes data that is suspicious (occupation, address, social media profile, etc.). It is not clear what has prompted this latest drive for data but some are concerned the Taliban may be considering closing private health care facilities in the future.
BOWING TO PRESSURE FROM CITIZENS, TALIBAN TO OPEN TWO ADDITIONAL PASSPORT OFFICES IN KABUL – After no small amount of embarrassment over the media coverage of thousands of Afghans trying to get passports from the troubled passport directorate, the Taliban says it plans to open two new distribution offices in Kabul. It is not clear when or where the new offices will be located and it is important to note that the Taliban has given such assurances before and then never followed through.
WOMEN REPORT BEING TURNED AWAY BY POLICE WHEN REPORTING CRIMES – The idiocy of the Taliban appears to have no end. Several women have reported that they were turned away by Taliban police for attempting to make a complaint directly. In each case, the Police told them they must make the complaint through a male member of the family.
RECIPIENTS OF FOOD AID IN HAZARA COMMUNITIES COMPLAIN ABOUT QUALITY OF FOOD – Leaders in the Hazara communities that have received humanitarian shipments of food say that the food distributed is often of poor quality or has long expired. Despite repeated complaints, these communities reportedly continue to receive food items that are sometimes years past their safe shelf life date. Several reports have emerged after major disaster incidents about Taliban corruption influencing relief efforts. Many videos and photos have been shared that show aid being transported to markets and sold. Ethnic and Shiite enclaves seem to be targeted most frequently by the scam.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NO THREATS REPORTED
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
IRGC units launched ballistic missiles into Iraq and Syria yesterday and said they were targeting Israeli intelligence bases. The strike in Iraq was close to the US consulate in Erbil but no damage or casualties were reported by US authorities. 4 civilians were reportedly killed and 6 others were injured.
The Revolutionary Court has added 15 months to the sentence of Nobel laureate, Narges Mohammadi’s prison term for ‘spreading propaganda’ against the regime.
2 US sailors missing after a vessel carrying Iranian missile parts boarded off the Somali coast. The 2 men were reported missing last Thursday and are presumed lost.
PAKISTAN
In a bid to provide relief from inflation, Islamabad has reduced the price of gasoline fuel for the next 14 days. Diesel prices will not be cut.
Former PM Imran Khan has refused to sign a contempt indictment issued by the Chief Election Commission over remarks he and his party leaders made against the Election Commission.
Based on data from the latest census, the number of young voters (18-35) has increased by over 10 million since the 2018 election season. In many Districts, young voters make up over 50% of the electorate.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
The Taliban’s curious love of SIM cards
By Sophie Schmidt - Rest of World
A few months ago, Pakistan began forcibly deporting thousands of Afghans who had fled over the border when the Taliban returned to power in 2021. They returned to an Afghanistan engulfed by poverty, widespread starvation, and shortfalls in medicine and shelter. Upon arrival, the refugees found an unlikely welcome package: humanitarian aid, set up by the Taliban, in the form of food, tents, and free SIM cards.
AFGHAN NEWS
Shakib: We Mediate, But Not Accommodate TTP in Afghanistan
By Mitra Majeedy - TOLO News
The charge d'affaires of Afghanistan's embassy in Islamabad, Sardar Ahmad Shakib, in a special interview with TOLOnews said that the Islamic Emirate’s mediation between Pakistan and…
Taliban’s Warning to Publishers: Prison Awaits if You Protest Book Confiscation
By Amin Kawa - Hasht e Subh
Yesterday, the Taliban collected thousands of book volumes from bookstores and publishing centers in the city of Kabul, and…
Thousands of trucks stranded as Torkham border crossing remains closed
By Sharif Amiry - AMU TV
Thousands of trucks remain stranded at the Torkham border crossing, a critical point between Afghanistan and Pakistan, as reported Monday by Taliban…
REGIONAL NEWS
Iran’s special rep for Afghanistan meets Jilani
By Business Recorder
Iran’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Affairs Hassan Kazmi Qomi on Monday discussed Afghanistan as well as regional security…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
UNICEF Wants More Aid For Children Affected By Earthquake In Western Afghanistan
By RFE
UNICEF, the UN's aid and relief organization for children, has called for greater support for the nearly 100,000 children affected by the October…
Denmark donates $6.2 million in humanitarian aid to Afghanistan
By AMU TV
The United Nations Special Trust Fund for Afghanistan (STFA) has confirmed that Denmark has donated $6.2 million (DKK 42 million) in humanitarian aid…
THE DAILY WTF
Afghan Women, Girls Detained Over ‘Bad Hijab’ But Taliban Deny Enforcing Dress Code
By Ali Orokzai - Polygraph
“The concern of the UNAMA for women is incorrect. The concern of the UNAMA about the mistreatment of women in Afghanistan regarding…
“He’s not even a good liar.” TAD Staff
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 71.00 AFN (as of 16 JAN 2024)