LAST 24 HOURS
KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS TOLD TO STAY HOME – Late reporting and traffic on social media outlets suggest the Taliban may be suspending kindergarten schooling for children. Not long after the Taliban’s Ministry of Education announced it was closing Teacher Training Centers across the country and reassigning the staff members to schools, reports began to arrive that the Ministry of Labor had informed local leaders that kindergarten programs were being shut down. A letter that has been attributed to the Ministry of Labor announced that nearly 500 kindergarten teachers were to be dismissed. We assess this letter is authentic and constitutes a new nationwide policy. Some protests will likely take place as the new policy is put in place.
EUROPEAN UNION DELIVERS ALMOST 100 TONS OF MEDICAL SUPPLIES – The EU has been operating its ‘Humanitarian Air Bridge’ since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. The flights deliver medication and medical equipment to struggling NGOs and hospitals across the country. The latest flight is the 29th to reach Afghanistan under this program.
DEATH OF TTP LEADER ‘TARIQ’ CONFIRMED IN KUNAR PROVINCE – Previous reporting indicated the notorious mastermind behind multiple terror attacks in both Afghanistan and Pakistan had been killed in Kunar Province on Tuesday. Confirmation of his death was received on Wednesday. However, there has been no information provided surrounding the circumstances of his killing and who may have carried out the operation. Tariq rose to international prominence after the tragic Dasu Attack in July 2022 where 10 Chinese nationals were killed and another 26 were wounded when their bus was hit by an explosive device.
4 PUBLICLY FLOGGED IN KABUL – 3 men and 1 woman were publicly flogged in the Paghman neighborhood on Wednesday. The four were accused of immorality and received 20 lashes and a one-month prison sentence for their crimes.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NO THREATS REPORTED
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
Russia supports the UAE in a squabble over 3 islands claimed by Iran. Senior advisors to the Supreme Leader said Russia exhibited ‘naivete’ by supporting the Emirate's claims.
President Raisi has continued his tour of Africa and arrived in Harare, Zimbabwe today for talks with his counterpart.
Investigators who were looking into the fire at the Aftab Oil Refinery that interrupted operations on 10 July announced they had discovered the cause and linked it to a vehicle that was transporting flammable material. Some suggested the fire was the result of saboteurs.
PAKISTAN
An explosive device was detonated at a counter-terrorism department facility in Karachi yesterday evening. 3 people were injured in the blast.
In Balochistan, a night attack on a Pakistani security post in Zhob resulted in the deaths of 9 police and military personnel with another 15 reportedly injured. Two separate terror groups have claimed credit for the incident.
In addition to Saudi Arabia’s recent deposit of $1BN dollars, the UAE has followed with a $1BN deposit of its own to the central bank.
SPOTLIGHT OPINION
Taliban Appointed Envoy To India
By Muhammad Imran - EurAsia Review
India’s stance on recognizing the Taliban-appointed Chief Envoy in the Afghan Embassy in Delhi has raised eyebrows and stirred debates. In May, the Taliban Ministry of Foreign Affairs designated Mr. Qadir Shah, already serving as Trade Counselor, to assume the role of Chief Envoy in New Delhi. However, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in India has not accepted Mr. Shah’s credentials, leading to a diplomatic impasse.
AFGHAN NEWS
Teacher Training Center Shut Down by Islamic Emirate: Teachers
By Banafsha Binesh - TOLO News
The Ministry of Education (MoE) in a letter which was released 6 days ago said that the instructors and employees of Teacher Training Centers will be…
Afghan Interior Minister Warns of ISIS Attacks on Taliban Officials
By Nizamuddin Rezahi - Khaama Press
Taliban’s Interior Minister in a letter stated that Islamic State (ISIS) militants are planning to launch attacks targeting senior Taliban leaders…
Kabir says Afghanistan is free and no longer an ‘occupied’ country
By Ariana News
Mawlavi Abdul Kabir, political deputy and acting prime minister of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), said on Wednesday that Afghanistan is…
REGIONAL NEWS
Iran says IEA has not met its pledges over water rights
By Ariana News
Iran’s Foreign Ministry says that although the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) acknowledges Iran’s water rights from Helmand River, it has not met its…
Dasu terror attack 'mastermind' killed in Afghanistan
By GEO News
The mastermind of the deadly Dasu attack, a notorious Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) leader, has been killed in the Kunar region of…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Swedish Committee seeks dialogue after bans on its activities in Afghanistan
By La Prensa Latina
The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA), one of the largest humanitarian organizations in the Asian country, on Wednesday sought dialogue with the Taliban government, a day after the Islamist group…
Critical shortfall of funds threatens humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan
By Ariana News
The UN said in a statement this week that in addition to the eight million people, 1.4 million new and expecting mothers, toddlers and…
THE DAILY WTF
‘Like a jailhouse’: Afghans languish in US detention centres
By Brian Osgood - Al Jazeera
“We thought our problems had been solved, that we had escaped the risk of prison and torture in Afghanistan,” he…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 86.25 AFN (as of 13 JUL 2023)