LAST 24 HOURS
SEVERAL YOUNG WOMEN REPORTEDLY ARRESTED IN WESTERN KABUL FOR VIOLATING HIJAB CODE – As many as 18 young women were reportedly taken by Taliban security personnel from the Barchi area of Western Kabul for failing to wear the hijab. It is not clear where the women are being held at this point. Yesterday, the registration of health care workers for taking the certification exams began. Female applicants were advised that they would only be allowed to participate in the exam if they wore the hijab.
TALIBAN RESTRICT SALES OF HOUSES TO FORMER AFGHAN ARMY PERSONNEL IN KUNDUZ – Mullah Rahimullah Zulfiqar, a senior Taliban Commander in the Province advised business officials in the Province to refrain from renting or selling properties to former Afghan soldiers and their family members. It is not yet clear if this policy is being implemented across the country or is only enforceable in Kunduz.
PAKISTAN ANNOUNCES LARGE COUNTER-TERRORISM ROUNDUP, MANY ARRESTED – A spokesperson for the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) announced it had arrested 14 TTP members in a large-scale operation across Punjab. In addition, a senior Balochistan Liberation Army Commander (Arshad) was arrested in Bahawalpur and a trove of equipment was seized in his safe house. The spokesperson said the terrorists were planning a series of attacks in Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, and Sargodha.
NEW ‘TALI-SCAM’ REPORTED IN KABUL – Some Taliban officials in Kabul are purportedly charging residents for water meters that they already own under a new scheme that could be scamming nearly $200,000 per month across Kabul alone. Citizens say they had already purchased water meters and owned them outright but have been forced to pay ‘rent’ for the meters under a scheme that appears to be profiting many Taliban officials.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NO THREATS REPORTED
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs floated the notion that Tehran was still open to talks regarding its nuclear program yesterday during a press conference.
Iran’s longest-serving female political prisoner, Maryam Akbari, received an additional 3-year extension after the Ministry of Intelligence filed two additional charges against her. If fully served, she will have remained behind bars for 18 years in total.
Iran has dispatched a single destroyer to the Red Sea after a US strike on Houthis attempting to board a merchant vessel reportedly left 10 dead off the coast of Yemen.
PAKISTAN
The latest inflation figures surpassed projections set by the government and now stand at 29.7%. Government targets had been set at 21.5%.
The Senate has passed a resolution that would allow for strict punishments to be imposed on those who criticize the Army and other security forces.
Counter-terrorism agents rounded up over twenty TTP terror group members over the past two weeks thanks to an operation launched in Punjab that relied on several vetted sources.
SPOTLIGHT EDUCATION
I teach in secret, defying the Taliban ban and fighting despair
By Maryam Ahmadi - Al Jazeera
According to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), some 2.5 million girls and young women are out of school due to the ban. Before the universities were closed for us, one in three young women were enrolled; some 100,000 were denied their dreams of pursuing the degrees they wanted. Not only that, even when students have found opportunities to study abroad, the Taliban has denied them the right to do so.
AFGHAN NEWS
Taliban minister claims Daesh strongholds in Afghanistan dismantled
By Milad Sayar - AMU TV
Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting foreign minister of the Taliban, stated during a recent visit to Iran that under Taliban rule over the past 18 months, all Daesh strongholds in Afghanistan have been…
IEA rejects RSF’s report Afghanistan is among most dangerous countries for journalists
By Ariana News
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has rejected a report by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) mentioning Afghanistan is among the…
A Glance at Afghanistan’s Security Situation in 2023
By Fidel Rahmati - Khaama Press
Following the collapse of the republic and the rise of the Taliban regime, Afghanistan has not been a battleground for direct confrontations, but security is still considered a…
REGIONAL NEWS
PM Kakar orders upgraded tracking for Afghanistan Transit Trade
By Fidel Rahmati - Khaama Press
Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar emphasized the need to enhance and create a foolproof tracking system for the Afghan Transit Trade, instructing further…
Restrictions on entry of Iranian trucks into Afghanistan lifted
By Ariana News
Afghan and Iranian authorities have agreed to immediately remove the 20-day restriction on the entry of Iranian trucks to…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
DAB says World Bank likely to start work of incomplete projects in Afghanistan
By Ariana News
DAB officials said talks are underway with the World Bank so that the work of these projects may kick off as soon as…
The Afghan women’s rights activist who says the world should talk to the Taliban
By Jennifer Jett - NBC News
Seraj, 75, an Afghan-American women’s rights activist and founder of the nonprofit Afghan Women’s Network, had been in Afghanistan since 2003, when she moved back with a…
THE DAILY WTF
Taliban’s Warning to the Global Community: Our Religious Approach is Immutable
By Amin Kawa - Hasht-E Subh
In the past two years, the Taliban have not positively responded to global community requests, particularly those related to respecting human right…
“The Global Community’s Approach to the Taliban: Your Religious Approach is Unacceptable.” TAD Staff
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 70.79 AFN (as of 2 JAN 2024)