LAST 24 HOURS
RESETTLEMENT OF REFUGEES ALONG DURAND LINE RUNNING INTO TROUBLE – As previously reported, the Taliban’s decision to resettle the mainly Pashtun ethnic groups from Pakistan in Khost Province to other parts of the country is not being received well by the refugees. The refugees claim they spent significant time and resources to build the homes they currently occupy in the Gurbaz District and that moving would unsettle their families and cause extreme economic hardships. Many have told local Afghan journalists that they are ‘never leaving’. Officials in Khost say the plan was formulated to appease Pakistan’s fears over the terror threat from Afghanistan. The locals in the Province see the move as a sign of weakness on the part of Kabul. While no official date for the start of relocating families has been announced, it seems the refugee groups are already organizing and planning to protest the forced displacement.
US SECRETARY OF STATE RECOGNIZES TALIBAN’S EFFORTS FIGHTING ISIS – The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, gave a nod to the Taliban for taking the fight against ISIS-K seriously. His comments fell short of praising the Taliban but did recognize the success they have had in 2022-23. Several international news outlets have continued to speculate that the US is somehow providing intelligence to the Taliban in order to reduce the threat of ISIS-K. However, no proof has been provided of such cooperation to date. The US Secretary of State reiterated the US stance of undertaking unilateral action should a valid threat to the US or its interests be identified in Afghanistan.
MINISTER OF THE INTERIOR SHIFTS MESSAGING SLIGHTLY – During a visit to Jawzjan Province, Sirajuddin Haqqani seemed to avoid any hint of criticism of the cabal in Kandahar and focused on a message of unity. In his remarks, the Minister stressed that the Taliban regime needed to build trust with the population before inclusivity could be realized. The remarks differ from some earlier statements which were perceived to be critical of the ‘old guard’ fundamentalists. After the speech, the Minister visited the site where Taliban prisoners had been rounded up in 2001 and were said to have been killed by gunfire and/or suffocation by forces said to be loyal to General Rashid Dostum.
NEXT 24 HOURS
PAKISTANI ARMY SHOULD BE HEADING BACK TO THE BARRACKS TODAY – After requests by Provincial leaders to recall the Army units after the 9 May riots broke out. Most areas report that calm has returned to the streets and the soldiers are no longer necessary. The most immediate effect will probably be a reduction in the number of search and detention operations in Islamabad. As the police units are forced to resume their pre-riot duties, manpower limitations should reduce the number of those available to focus on the Afghan refugee population.
TROPICAL CYCLONE BIJARPOY CONTINUES TREK NORTHWARDS – Bijarpoy continues to move through the Arabian Sea along a Northeast track. While some models show it could shift to a Northwestern heading and could make landfall in Sindh Province, the majority expect it to lose intensity before reaching Pakistan’s coastline. Regardless, heavy rains and strong winds in Sindh (along the coast) on the evening of 13 June.
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
A group of 35 US congressional members requested Britain, France, and Germany invoke the ‘snapback mechanism’ authorized to reimpose sanctions under a UN accord.
Iraq released $2.7 billion in frozen Iranian assets that were collected for natural gas exports. Iraq reportedly coordinated the transfer with US support and the funds paid debts owed to Iran.
An Iranian lawmaker confirmed that talks with the US had taken place but said that no deal has been struck.
PAKISTAN
Heavy rains in the Northwestern regions have killed 20 people so far and left nearly 100 injured.
The Finance Minister announced that the government would formulate plans to overcome the financial predicament without the help of the IMF. Observers see the comments as a sign that the IMF deal is dead.
Police fired shots in the air to disperse an angry crowd in Karachi. The mob descended on the Surjani police station to protest the death of a young man when police were forced to warn them off.
SPOTLIGHT OPINION
Opinion: A blistering indictment of the Trump-Biden legacy in Afghanistan
By Peter Bergen - CNN
The belief by some US officials that the Taliban would become normal political actors as they attained more power was a classic case of falling into the trap of what intelligence analysts term “mirror-imaging” – which is the often erroneous assumption that American rivals will tend to act just like the United States would act.
AFGHAN NEWS
UNSC Report: ‘Taliban Have Reverted to Exclusionary Policies of Late 1990s’
By Mohammad Farshad Daryosh - TOLO News
An annual report by the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team for the UN Security Council Committee has criticized what it considers the return of the…
Badghis residents lament lack of female doctors
By Mohammad Arif Hasrat - Pajhwok Afghan News
A number of women in remote districts of western Badghis province have complained about lack of female doctors and asked the…
Blinken describes IEA as ‘implacable enemy’ of Daesh
By Ariana News
“The Taliban (IEA) is an implacable enemy of ISIS Khorasan, and is itself taking action against that group, but regardless of…
Facing Unemployment, Young People Illegally Migrate
By TOLO News
Youth in Kabul told TOLOnews that at as the unemployment level in the country rises, young people must inevitably take the path of…
REGIONAL NEWS
Afghans avoiding accountability about Iran’s share of Helmand River: Expert
By Iranian Labour News Agency
Evaluating the recent water crises between Iran and Afghanistan, Farshid Shokrkhodaie told ILNA that currently, all the countries of the…
Turkey Appoints the First Female Central Bank Governor
By Nizamuddin Rezahi - Khaama Press
Erkan 41, is a graduate of Istanbul’s Bogazici University and earned her doctorate in operations research and financial engineering at Princeton…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Canada Signs Agreement to Resettle Afghans Stranded in the UAE
By Nizamuddin Rezahi - Khaama Press
Canada and the United Arab Emirates signed a deal to resettle at least 1,000 Afghan refugees held in the UAE since the withdrawal of the US…
Nadim Seeks Other Countries’ Support to Afghanistan’s Higher Education
By Fatema Adeeb - TOLO News
The acting minister of higher education, Neda Mohammad Nadim, in his visit to Tatarstan, Russia, urged other countries to support…
THE DAILY WTF
World needs relations with Afghanistan: IEA deputy spokesman
By Ariana News
Following the United Nations Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, Islamic Emirate’s Deputy Spokesman Bilal Karimi says the imposed sanctions should be…
‘They just don’t get it.’ TAD Staff
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 85.66 AFN (as of 11 JUN 2023)