LAST 24 HOURS
FLOODS IN BADAKHSHAN DISRUPT COMMUNICATIONS, CLAIM LIVES – The official count of those killed in the flooding in Badakhshan stands at 6 with another 8-16 injured. However, accurate reporting from the Province has been difficult due to a communications breakdown in cellular services. It is not clear when the systems will be brought back online.
PAKISTAN DEPORTS OVER 500 AFGHAN REFUGEES TUESDAY – Taliban authorities confirmed that Pakistan had deported approximately 530 Afghan refugees through Spin Boldak Gate on Tuesday. The majority of the refugees had reportedly crossed into Pakistan via Spin Boldak on Sunday and Monday but were turned around and forced back across the border due to a lack of legitimate travel documents.
ICRC PLANS TO EXPAND PROGRAMS – ICRC officials announced that an expansion of their programs would soon start after meetings with Taliban officials in Kandahar concluded on Tuesday. It was not clear if the expansion was solely for Kandahar Province or, more widely distributed across the country. Health care was the primary sector where assistance was required. Details on which programs would be expanded and in what sectors have not yet been provided.
CANADA ANNOUNCES NEW ECONOMIC PROGRAM FOR SKILLED REFUGEES – The Minister of Immigration, Sean Fraser, announced the launch of 2 new pathways to attract refugees and displaced persons with skills needed in the Canadian economy. The Economic Mobility Pathways Pilot allows employers in Canada to peruse a pool of skilled laborers from among those displaced populations in order to fill critical experience gaps. The program promises to be faster than traditional pathways while also doing away with the requirement of having to have worked for the Canadian government in some fashion. The two programs are organized along the following lines:
Skilled refugees who currently hold job offers from Canadian companies.
Skilled refugees without such offers.
More information about the programs can be accessed HERE.
NEXT 24 HOURS
SOME TTP MEMBERS REPORTEDLY PREPARING TO RESIST FORCED DISPLACEMENTS ALONG THE DURAND LINE – A source in Kabul said that a senior Taliban commander had been sent to discuss the resettlement program with Waziri tribal elders in order to prevent any bloodshed when the program begins. While several community meetings have already taken place, this meeting was organized after Kabul received reports that local TTP members had disappeared from the communities and a report of a convoy of trucks that may have been carrying arms and ammunition from Pakistan reputedly crossed the border to the North of the fence and is thought to consist of arms shipments intended for the TTP on the Afghan side of the border. Kabul does not currently know if the TTP fighters intend to resist the Taliban when the time comes or if they plan to launch operations against Pakistani border forces. While we have no confirmation of this information, it seems feasible that TTP loyalists will likely resist the resettlement effort. Kabul was unsure of how many TTP members may be consolidating in the area, or where they have established a rally point.
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu announced that the current deal being discussed between the US and Iran would be acceptable to Israel’s interests. He downplayed the talks by saying they comprised a ‘mini-deal’.
President Raisi is continuing his tour of Latin American countries after signing several agreements with Venezuela.
Iranian military units clashed with Kurdish groups in Western Iran yesterday. The Iranian strikes were said to be retribution for the killing of a Basij paramilitary force member.
Iran transferred an additional 100 Afghans who had been imprisoned in the country to Afghanistan on Tuesday. The majority had been convicted of crimes in Iran and their cases will be reviewed by the Taliban to determine what should be done with them.
PAKISTAN
Emergency managers now say that close to 40,000 people who were considered to be at extreme risk for the inbound Cyclone have been successfully relocated to safer environs. The plan calls for evacuating an additional 60,000 before Thursday morning.
A 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck Jammu and Kashmir no loss of life has been reported but some structures appear to have been damaged.
A police officer was killed and another injured after thieves attacked a police checkpoint in Shikapur on Tuesday morning. Police are looking for the robbers.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Could the Iran-Afghanistan water dispute ignite a new war?
By Yeni Sefak
Escalating tensions over the allocation of water resources have increasingly become a potent catalyst for potential conflict between Iran and Afghanistan. Provoked by accusations that the Taliban obstructed the flow of the Helmand River by closing the Kamal Khan Dam in May, these tensions have resulted in intermittent border clashes along the two nations' extensive 900-kilometer frontier. Although a temporary détente prevails currently, the specter of large-scale conflict ominously persists.
AFGHAN NEWS
Austrian man arrested in Afghanistan, accused of spying
By AMU TV
Vienna has confirmed an Austrian man is being held in Afghanistan but the foreign ministry did not give details around his arrest nor did they identify the…
Afghanistan: 6 killed, 8 injured during floods in several provinces
By ANI
The Taliban-led State Ministry for Disaster Management said that six people have died and eight others were injured in seven provinces as a result of…
Two Herat schoolgirls in hospital after being sexually abused by ‘kidnappers’
By AMU TV
Two young girls, aged 11 and 13, who were kidnapped on Monday while on their way to school in Payeen Ab area in Herat were found later in the day after having been sexually abused, sources from…
REGIONAL NEWS
Taliban, Pakistan Reach Settlement on TTP Members’ Relocation to Northern Afghanistan
By Fidel Rahmati - Khaama Press
The Taliban decide to reassure Islamabad that TTP is not engaging in operations against the Pakistani…
Cyclone likely to hit India’s west coast, south Pakistan on Thursday
By Ariana News
A storm off India’s west coast has strengthened to become a powerful cyclone and could hit India’s western state of Gujarat and southern parts of Pakistan this…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
US Secretary of State signs MoU with Afghan Evac Coalition
By Ariana News
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday renewed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Afghan Evac Coalition to facilitate evacuation of…
Islamic Emirate Delegation Attends Meeting on Afghanistan in Norway
By Banafsha Binesh - TOLO News
Norway's foreign minister Anniken Huitfeldt announced the ministry “invited three people from the civil service in Kabul to participate in this year’s Oslo Forum,” adding “they are…
THE DAILY WTF
US offers asylum lifeline to Afghan war hero as UK refuses to recognise his military service
By The Independent
The US is formally investigating whether to give safe haven to the Afghan pilot UK officials are threatening to deport to Rwanda, sparking fury from top politicians and military figures who…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 86.01 AFN (as of 14 JUN 2023)