LAST 24 HOURS
The security conference convened in Tashkent, Uzbekistan was delayed for a day to allow for stragglers to arrive and attend. The conference will host representatives from 20 nations and the major NGOs involved in humanitarian response work in the region.
A delegation from Pakistan arrived in Kabul for talks with TTP leadership. Mufti Taqi Usmani of the Deobandi School is a part of the delegation, and his presence appears to have sent a powerful message to the TTP that the government of Pakistan is sincere.
Mullah Pir Agha, a long-standing Taliban commander famed for his brutality and work eradicating ISIS-K was killed in a traffic accident in Ghazni after returning from the Hajj.
2 Pakistani soldiers were reported as killed by snipers along the border with Afghanistan. Sources on the Pakistan side said the shots did not come from the Afghanistan side of the border and believed the action was undertaken by members of the Baloch Liberation Army.
A powerful storm system swept across the southern portions of Afghanistan and dumped up to 7 centimeters of rain in certain provinces. 5 people reportedly drowned in the flooding and several farmers lost entire herds to the floodwaters.
NEXT 24 HOURS
While the conference in Uzbekistan will draw the bulk of the attention, the meetings in Kabul between the TTP and representatives of the Pakistani government may be more important to local security in the country. While many scoffed at the idea of the Taliban-hosted talks, the dialogues have continued, and many analysts believe it may be the first concrete steps towards brokering a permanent ceasefire.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Uzbekistan Faces Headwinds in Stabilizing Central and South Asia
By Kamran Bokhari – National Interest
Uzbekistan has assumed a leadership role in crafting an approach to the Taliban-led Afghanistan. Driving Tashkent’s behavior is a concern about instability spilling northwards. Uzbeks, however, are not simply looking to mitigate risk; rather, they are pursuing an ambitious agenda to promote economic connectivity and regional development. Though Uzbekistan’s connectivity project is unlikely to bear fruit anytime soon, incremental progress will provide a modus vivendi for dealing with Afghanistan, and Central and South Asia more broadly. Washington and its allies should support Tashkent’s efforts or face the alternative of more warfare in two contiguous but increasingly unstable strategic regions. This is in nobody’s interest.
AFGHAN NEWS
Taliban Intelligence Arrests a Salam Watandar Radio Correspondent in Northern Afghanistan
By Saqalain Eqbal – Khaama Press
Taliban intelligence in the province of Faryab, according to the Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC), has interrogated a local…
WHO Contract With Afghan-Japan Hospital Ends
By Hadia Ziaei – TOLO News
The officials of Afghan-Japan Hospital said it has been over a week since the contract of some employees of this hospital with the World Health…
Markus Potzel Pays a Visit to Central Afghanistan’s Bamyan Province
By Saqalain Eqbal – Khaama Press
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) Acting Head, according to UNAMA News’s tweet on July 25, stressed the importance of…
REGIONAL NEWS
Tashkent Conference on Afghanistan Delayed Until Tuesday
By Madina Morwat – TOLO News
Islamic Emirate’s spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that the Tashkent conference on Afghanistan will be held…
Alleged Kabul-Islamabad Contract for Wakhan Trade Route Seen Online
By TOLO News
The social media users claimed that Pakistan seeks to reach Central Asia via the Wakhan. They said that the Pakistani government has talked with China and Afghanistan in…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Afghan expats launch new movement called Republicans
By Javed Hamim Kakar – Pajhwok Afghan News
A number of Afghan expats have launched a new movement called “Republicans”, promising efforts for mounting pressure on…
Sydney Demonstrators Demand an Immediate Increase in the Afghan Refugee Intake
By Saqalain Eqbal – Khaama Press
Demonstrators in The Justice for Refugees rally in Sydney, according to Australian media, called for “fundamental changes” in how refugees are treated and the…
THE DAILY WTF
Photos, video, and testimony suggest that the Taliban are sexually exploiting young boys
By Beth Bailey – Washington Examiner
According to a special immigrant visa applicant living in an Afghan city, the Taliban bring boys as young as 10 to offices and…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 89.98 AFN (as of 26 JUL 2022)
