POTENTIAL THREAT WARNING
In the last 24 hours, multiple rumors have circulated on both pro-Resistance and pro-Taliban social media outlets suggesting that the Taliban may be intending to use chemical weapons against NRF bases in Panjshir sometime in the next 72 hours. Although The Afghan Digest assesses these threats as improbable (in large part because we are not aware of any reliable means of utilizing chemical weapons that may be in the Taliban’s inventory), chemical weapons use is not impossible. In fact, we have previously reported on information about a possible chemical/biological weapons program in Afghanistan.
Please note that several sources within the Resistance are convinced that these rumors are a propaganda ploy, and we have no outside confirmation the weapons exist. Regardless, given the gravity of the potential threat and indiscriminate deaths caused by chemical weapons use, we felt obligated to include a few resources that may be helpful in case weapons of this nature are ever used.
INFORMATION ON CHEMICAL ATTACKS
HOW TO PROTECT AGAINST A CHLORINE GAS ATTACK
LAST 24 HOURS:
Taliban security forces blew up a suspected ISIS-K weapons dump in either a home or a car in Parwan. Exact details remain unclear, but the Taliban have arrested 3 personnel connected to the location where the weapons were found.
Sources claim Commander Maulvi Mehdi Mujahid took over the city Balkhab in Sar-e-Pul with a force of 3,000 Hazara fighters. Reportedly, the Taliban governor fled the area, and Mehdi’s forces are growing as more Hazaras volunteer. The commander’s long-term intentions are unknown, but rumors are flying that he could a powerful source of support for broader Hazara Resistance efforts. Alternatively, he could solely be serving his own self-interest. Mehdi was the Taliban’s only Shiite Hazara commander until he was recently ousted, in part because of his ethnicity and in part due to his recent comment that “no one had the right to obstruct girls’ education”.
Reports by the US Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) stated that accusations that former President Ghani fled the country with over $150 million USD are likely untrue. SIGAR believes $500,000 USD is a more accurate estimate.
Amanullah Ghalib, the former CEO of Afghanistan's state owned energy company DABs, has returned to Afghanistan at the invitation of the Commission for Return. As the Taliban’s electricity debt to neighboring countries continues to grow, Ghalib may have been targeted for return given his expertise in energy and business.
Sources stated that the fighting in eastern Tajikistan between government counter-terrorism units and local militias has resulted in the deaths of 10 people over the last two days. Sources in Tajikistan claim the fighting began when Jamaat Ansarullah fighters (a militant group largely based in Afghanistan that is also known as the Tajik Taliban) crossed the border and fired on a Tajik security vehicle.
NEXT 24 HOURS:
The Taliban will dispatch a convoy of approximately 100 fighters to Sar-e-Pul province to investigate reports that government offices in Balkhab have been seized. At-risk Afghans in Balkhab are cautioned to expect violence upon the arrival of the convoy.
The Taliban are sending additional forces up the Salang Highway to reinforce checkpoints along the route. This potentially confirms an earlier report of a Resistance attack on a Taliban patrol in the area. At-risk Afghans traveling along the highway can expect an increased security presence at the checkpoints, and it is possible that vehicle and document inspections will be more thorough for the next week.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS:
Islamic State In Khorasan Province’s Rocket Attack In Tajikistan – Analysis
By Nurbek Bekmurazev – The Jamestown Foundation
On May 7, several rockets were launched from the Hojagor district of Takhar province, Afghanistan into the neighboring Panj district in Tajikistan (Radio Ozodi, May 8). The Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP) released a statement on the same day to claim responsibility for the attack (Eurasianet May 9). On May 8, the State Committee of National Security of Tajikistan (GKNB) claimed that “bullets accidentally ended up on the territory of Tajikistan” after a shootout between Taliban and ISKP forces near the Afghan-Tajik border.
AFGHAN NEWS
'Daesh Weapons Cache' Destroyed in Parwan: Officials
By TOLOnews
Security officials in Parwan province said a "Daesh cache of explosives and weapons" in the province's center…
Islamic Emirate Denies Reports of Reopening Girls’ Schools
By TOLOnews
The Islamic Emirate denied the authenticity of a statement leaked on social media suggesting that girls' schools would be reopened in the next two weeks, saying that a final decision…
WFP Local Officer: More Humanitarian Aid Funding Needed
By Banafsha Binesh – TOLOnews
An official of the World Food Program (WFP) for Afghanistan told TOLOnews that the organization needs $2 billion to help the…
REGIONAL NEWS
Can Iran Get Along with the Taliban?
By Christian Hoj & Halimullah Kousary – War on the Rocks
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi called the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan “an opportunity to restore life, security, and lasting peace in…
China Eyes Russian Territory Amid War in Ukraine: Report
By Arif Ahmadi – Khaama Press
While Russia-Ukraine war draws world attention, China is conducting military drills on its far north-eastern border, according to…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Germany won't recognise Taliban as "dire" Afghan conditions persist
By Reuters
Germany will not recognise the Taliban as the legitimate rulers of Afghanistan as long as "dire" conditions under the Islamists persist, Germany's…
German Foreign Minister Visits Islamabad
By Saqalain Eqbal – Khaama Press
The German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Islamabad on Tuesday, 7th June, for a two-day visit…
THE DAILY WTF
Russia: US Flight from Afghanistan 'Lesson for Countries Willing to Host NATO Bases'
By FARS News
"What happened in Afghanistan is a good lesson for everyone in the world who is willing to blindly trust…”
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 88.81 AFN (as of 8 JUN 2022)