LAST 24 HOURS
ANOTHER PAKISTANI RAID NEAR THE BORDER KILLS 6 – Pakistani Army forces launched another round of raids in the Tank and North Waziristan Districts on Friday and both resulted in sizeable gun battles with militants. The clashes resulted in a total of 6 militants killed but did not say which organizations they were from and how many were killed in each engagement. Both operations were conducted close to the border with Afghanistan and weapons and ammunition that was recovered are thought to have originated from within Afghanistan.
US PRESIDENT’S REMARKS HAILED BY TALIBAN AS ‘REDEMPTIVE’ – Most Afghanistan observers expected the press to lambast President Biden for the controversial remarks he made upon receiving questions about the recent State Department report. In a comment made ‘off the cuff’, he claimed that Al Qaeda was no longer present in Afghanistan. Critics immediately jumped on the comments and dredged up recent analysis from the United Nations and other agencies that allege Al Qaeda not only continues to operate in Afghanistan but in an unfettered capacity. However, the Taliban also seized on the comments and used them to make a case that it was fulfilling its international obligations with regard to terrorism and ought to be credited for its actions. It's not clear what actions they may be referring to, as the regime recently appointed several Al Qaeda leaders to senior leadership positions.
JUNE WAS ANOTHER BLOODY MONTH FOR PAKISTAN – Analysis of terrorist actions carried out by the TTP in June reveals that nearly 160 soldiers were killed and/or wounded during the month. While the casualties incurred in May were slightly higher (206 killed/wounded), the latest figures are not being taken as a sign that the rest of 2023 will be less violent. However, the ongoing relocation of suspected TTP sympathizers from areas adjacent to the Durand Line could have an impact on the organization’s viability over the rest of the year and casualties may continue to fall. A bright spot in Pakistan’s war against terror has been its success in targeting senior TTP Commanders recently. Intelligence gathering operations have successfully produced timely and actionable information which has allowed counter-terrorism forces to deal with leaders of the terror group much more effectively. While it is not publicly discussed, there are suspicions that the Taliban in Afghanistan may be cooperating with Pakistan on at least a limited basis. It's no secret that the TTP has become a bit of a thorn in the side of Kabul as it seeks to increase trade and economic cooperation with its neighbor to the East.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NO THREATS REPORTED
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
Hardliner Imams double down on the Hijab issue as the regime is either unwilling or incapable of enforcing the law over the course of 2022.
A moderate crowd of protestors demonstrated in front of the Swedish Embassy in Tehran on Friday over the burning of a Quran in Stockholm, Sweden.
In a jab presumably aimed at the US, Russia announced that Iran would be admitted to the SCO on 4 July.
PAKISTAN
Pakistan exchanged lists of detained prisoners with India as talk of an upcoming ‘exchange’ continues to surface, despite tensions between the two countries.
Refugee-centric NGOs in Europe are seeing an increase in illegal migrants over the past two weeks and attribute the increase to fears that Europe may adopt stricter entrance measures in the wake of the Greek boat tragedy. Pakistani citizens were said to comprise the largest contingent from Asian countries.
A new report says that drug addiction has risen sharply among the youth in Pakistan and poor economic conditions are a major contributing factor.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
How to advance women’s rights in Afghanistan
By Roya Rahmani - The Atlantic Council
While the regime stays in power, concrete steps have to be taken within the current context to counteract urgent security threats, provide critical aid, get children back in schools after a year-and-a-half gap, and address other imminent issues. Recycling policies from 1996 will not work. After twenty years of societal transformation, Afghanistan is a fundamentally different place.
AFGHAN NEWS
Taliban unlikely to stop harboring foreign terrorists, says new report
By AMU TV
The Institute for the Study of War said in a report this week that the Taliban government is unlikely to change its policies toward harboring foreign fighters in…
Afghan diplomat expresses concern about persistent poverty in country
By ANI
Afghan diplomat Suraya Azizi has expressed concerns about the persistent poverty in Afghanistan during a United Nations human rights meeting…
Petrol prices up, diesel down and food stable in Kabul
By Wida Qalandari - Pajhwok Afghan News
A worker at Ahmadyar Group of Pump Stations said the price of one litre of diesel decreased from 64afs to 63afs, but the price of one litre of petrol increased from…
REGIONAL NEWS
TTP Unfazed by Pakistan’s New Multidimensional Counterterrorism Strategy
By Harsh Behere - The Diplomat
Pakistan’s persistent political instability and economic troubles offer fertile ground for the Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, to mount attacks on…
Afghan Kurd claims more than 350,000 Kurds live in Afghanistan
By Kurdistan 24
He said that Kurds have lived in areas comprising of present-day Afghanistan long before the establishment of its modern…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Afghan refugees stuck living in hotels served eviction notices with nowhere else to go
By Aasma Day - iNews UK
One 35-year-old man Farhad, whose name we have changed to protect his identity, told i he has been living in a hotel in the Liverpool area with his 67-year-old mother for…
Female Foreign Ministers Meeting calls on Taliban to swiftly reverse bans on women, girls
By Siyar Sirat - AMU TV
In a landmark gathering, foreign ministers from France, Germany, Indonesia, Liechtenstein, Mongolia, and South Africa convened at the Female Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in…
THE DAILY WTF
Afghan Taliban say Biden 'acknowledged reality' about Al-Qaeda
By The New Arab
Afghanistan's Taliban government on Saturday seized on an off-the-cuff remark by US President Joe Biden to underscore their…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 86.04 AFN (as of 2 JUL 2023)