LAST 24 HOURS
PAKISTAN COUNTER TERRORISM OPERATION IN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA RESULTS IN SEVERAL ARRESTS – Police from Doaba launched a successful counter-terrorism operation that resulted in the arrests of 4 TTP Militants near Torawari. One of those arrested was a suspected Commander. Police recovered a treasure trove of intelligence that the group had in their possession. SIM Cards, mobile phones, remote-controlled explosives, and other arms and ammunition were confiscated. The SIM cards and mobile phone recharge cards were said to have come from Afghanistan. At least some of the four militants were known to the Police and had been involved in several kidnapping and extortion scams. The men were taken without a fight and no casualties were reported on either side.
HUNDREDS OF AFGHANS RETURN FROM PAKISTAN OVER LAST THREE DAYS – News outlets affiliated with the Taliban regime have claimed that nearly 1,000 Afghans returned to Afghanistan by way of Torkham and Spin Boldak gates. It is thought that only about 100 were deported from Pakistan and the remainder were returning home after celebrating Eid al-Adha with friends and relatives.
RUMORS THAT FORMER PRESIDENT KARZAI IS UNDER PRESSURE FROM THE TALIBAN – Insiders with access to both the Taliban and former Afghan President Karzai’s staff say the Taliban have directed the leader to refute criticisms of human rights abuses or he will be added to the travel exclusion list.
IRAN EXECUTES 2 AFGHAN NATIONALS ACCUSED OF PARTICIPATING IN THE SHAH CHERAGH TERROR ATTACK – The young men, Mohammad Ramez Rashidi and Naeem Hasemi Qatali, were hanged in Shiraz at dawn yesterday. Both men reportedly admitted to assisting ISIS in planning and carrying out the attack but human rights groups say the confessions were coerced and that neither received a fair trial.
NEXT 24 HOURS
TURKISH CRACKDOWN ON AFGHAN REFUGEES POSSIBLE – Reports and video have been received of Turkish police and immigration officials visiting neighborhoods in Ankara and Istanbul where many Afghan refugees have congregated. The videos depict arrests of whole families and it is not clear what violations those taken into custody were charged with. It is too early to tell how many Afghans may have been rounded up in yesterday’s operations. It is also not clear if the program is specifically directed at Afghan refugees and whether it will expand to other areas of the country. At-risk Afghans sheltering in Turkey are advised to maintain an extraordinarily low profile until the situation becomes clearer.
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
Unidentified militants attacked a police station in Zahedan (Sistan & Baluchistan Province), killing 2 policemen. 4 of the militants were also killed in the clash.
Iran and Iraq plan to collectively staff and administer some of the border crossings along their shared border. The intent is to increase security through better cooperation and sharing of information.
Reports are circulating that Iranian-backed militias in Syria have begun to pull in oil drilling equipment and vehicles to Deir Ezzor City over fears of potential attacks by coalition forces. It is not currently clear what threat precipitated the redeployment of assets.
PAKISTAN
While the monsoon rains are expected to recede today and tomorrow, an additional 9 people were reportedly killed due to the adverse weather. The cumulative death toll from this round of storms could reach 200.
Several police have been kidnapped in Sindh Province after responding to reports of child abductors operating in the Katcha region. An operation to recover the Police is being planned.
Rain has caused disruptions to flight schedules at Karachi Airport. Mainly domestic flights were affected.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
How the Taliban are violating women's rights in Afghanistan
By Silja Thoms - Deutsche Welle
By shutting down thousands of beauty salons across Afghanistan, the Taliban have taken another great stride toward erasing women from public life. Here are some of the other restrictions faced by Afghan women.
AFGHAN NEWS
Muttaqi Says Economic Crisis in Afghanistan is ‘Propaganda’
By Banafsha Binesh - TOLO News
Speaking at the greeting ceremony for some Islamic Emirate officials who returned on Friday night from completing Hajj, Muttaqi said that while money used to be spent on…
Helmand farmers: Wheat yield good, but prices down
By Rizwanullah Bilal - Pajhwok Afghan News
Some farmers in southern Helmand province express satisfaction with this year’s wheat yield, but complain the grain prices are such that they are…
Afghanistan Launches 4-Day Polio Vaccination Campaign
By Fidel Rahmati - Khaama Press
The Ministry of Public Health of Afghanistan said the four-day Polio Vaccination campaign launched Saturday in the country’s eastern region, including Nangarhar, Laghman, Kunar and…
REGIONAL NEWS
Pakistan Cautiously Lauds Afghan Taliban's Moves to Counter Cross-Border Terrorism
By Ayaz Gul - VOA
Pakistan is optimistic Afghanistan's Taliban will effectively combat cross-border terrorism to emulate the kind of cooperation that U.S. President Joe Biden recently hinted at…
Iran Executes 2 Afghan Nationals Convicted for Shah Cheragh Attack
By Nizamuddin Rezahi - Khaama Press
Iran publicly executed two Afghan citizens, namely Mohammed Ramez Rashidi and Sayeed Naeem Hashimi Qatali accused of having involvement in…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Karzai, German FM Discuss on Intra-Afghan Dialogue
By Fidel Rahmati - Khaama Press
Hamid Karzai, the former president of Afghanistan, and Annalena Baerbock, the foreign minister of Germany, discussed the importance of intra-Afghan dialogue as “a suitable approach for…
UN Reiterates Concerns About Women's Work, Education Ban
By Banafsha Binesh
UN Women director Osnat Lubrani said that banning women and girls from work and education in Afghanistan contradicts basic human rights and…
THE DAILY WTF
Security in Afghanistan Unprecedented in the Last 40 Years: Ambassador
By Bakhtar News Agency
In the meeting, the Japanese ambassador called the provision of public security unprecedented in the last forty years…
“Unless one is Hazara, Panjshiri, Shiite, Female, Tajik, Uzbek, Christian, Former ANA…” TAD Staff
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 89.17 AFN (as of 9 JUL 2023)