LAST 24 HOURS
BOMBING AT FUNERAL IN BADAKHSHAN KILLS AT LEAST 11 PEOPLE – Taliban officials have confirmed that a bomb blast in the Hesa-e-Awal neighborhood of Faizabad has killed at least 11 people and wounded nearly 40 more. The bomb was detonated in a Mosque during a funeral ceremony for the recently murdered Deputy Governor. There are conflicting reports that the Taliban Minister for the Economy, Qari Din Mohammad Hanif, was present at the ceremony and may be among the dead or wounded. ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attack that killed the Deputy Governor but no group has yet claimed responsibility for Thursday’s bombing.
SECOND FATAL BUS ACCIDENT IN PAST 24 HOURS KILLS 9 – A bus collided with a cargo truck in Zabul Province on Thursday and at least 9 people were killed while another 30 are injured. The incident occurred in Qalat yesterday morning and no information was released about what may have caused the crash. A crash in Sar-e-Pul Province on Wednesday resulted in the deaths of 24 people.
INDIA SENDS TEAM BACK TO KABUL TO WORK ON ITS EMBASSY – India’s Foreign Minister says that a small team of ‘technical professionals’ has been sent to Kabul to staff the Embassy there and monitor events. The staff does not include full consular support and is mainly there as observers and to apprise New Delhi of potential areas of mutual cooperation. The Minister did not say when the Embassy may be fully functional again.
FORMER PTI PARTY MEMBERS FORM NEW PARTY IN PAKISTAN – Many of the senior leaders from the PTI party who had left after the 9 May violence announced the formation of a new party called the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) at a press conference in Lahore on Thursday. Some sources with insider knowledge claim the new party has received partial backing from several leaders in the Army. The IPP is offering a centrist approach to politics in Pakistan with a focus on dealing with the economic nightmare the country faces.
NEXT 24 HOURS
ISIS-K BECOMING ACTIVE AGAIN – After several months of Taliban victories over ISIS-K across the country, the terror organization struck back by killing the Deputy Governor of Badakhshan on Tuesday. Many observers believe the terrorist organization was likely behind the deadly Mosque bombing yesterday in Badakhshan. It is possible that ISIS-K could strike again during prayers today and at-risk Afghans are urged to remain alert when visiting religious facilities. We do not have information pointing to any specific threat but over the course of 2022, ISIS-K developed a pattern of launching attacks in groups of three. Please be alert and stay aware of your surroundings.
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
The Israeli Defense Forces have wrapped up a large joint exercise focused on combat operations directed against Iran.
Multiple conflicting messages are circulating about a possible breakthrough in US/Iran nuclear talks. Several news outlets claim that sources have provided clear indicators that an agreement may be back on the table. Skeptics say the talks are still ‘comatose’.
Protests are being planned after the grave of an executed protestor was vandalized. Students say the vandals were aligned with the regime.
PAKISTAN
A report on the economic viability of the industrial sector fell far short of expectations and showed a nearly 3% decline.
Emergency planners in the country are sounding alarms about the coming monsoon and concerns are mounting about a potential tropical cyclone that may hit the coast in the coming days. The floods of 2022 have strained emergency services and stocks of supplies are low.
Pakistan will fill a chair on the UN’s economic and social council for the next three years having been elected by the General Assembly on Thursday.
SPOTLIGHT AID
'In Dire Straits': Taliban's Alleged Interference In Foreign Aid Deprives Afghans Of Lifesaving Help
By RFE
Miller said that the WFP had halted operations in two districts of the southeastern province of Ghazni from January to April because local Taliban officials attempted to direct the delivery of aid. He added that an aid organization that received funding from Washington suspended its activities in the southern province of Uruzgan in April "after the Taliban issued demands to provide transportation support to Taliban representatives and otherwise interfered in staff recruitment processes."
AFGHAN NEWS
Taliban to bar international groups from providing education in Afghanistan
By Sahan Journal
UNICEF said Thursday it is deeply concerned by reports of the Taliban pushing out international organizations from Afghanistan’s education sector and ordering them to…
Teachers, parents trade barbs over inattention to children
By Wida Qalandari - Pajhwok Afghan News
Teachers and experts consider parents’ role as important in motivating their children to learn their lessons and urge the…
Haqqani calls for nation to be ‘more united’
By Ariana News
Speaking in Mazar-e-Sharif city of Balkh province, the ministry said: “Enemies are making many conspiracies to divide Afghans, but the…
REGIONAL NEWS
Embassy Asks Pakistan to Stop Arresting Afghan Refugees
By Mohammad Farshad Daryosh - TOLO News
The Afghanistan embassy in Islamabad said on Twitter that the POR, ACC, and passport holders were among the Afghan citizens detained by…
Imran Khan Accused in a Senior Lawyer Murder Case
By Nizamuddin Rezahi - Khaama Press
Unknown gunmen shot Lawyer Abdul Razzaq Shar to death while he was on his way to the Balochistan High Court Complex in Quetta on…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Visa Program for Afghans Gains Momentum, Many Applicants Trapped Under Taliban
By Akmal Dawi - VOA
Nearly two years after the United States evacuated approximately 124,000 people from Afghanistan, tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the…
Alakbarov’s three-year term as UN’s humanitarian chief in Afghanistan ends
By Ariana News
Ramiz Alakbarov Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General (Humanitarian) has ended his three year term in Afghanistan and thanked the…
THE DAILY WTF
The Afghan valley proud of its young suicide bombers
By France 24
Taliban-trained suicide bomber Ismail Ashuqullah regrets missing the chance to blow himself up at the height of the Afghan war -- like many other young men…
‘Sigh’ TAD Staff
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 86.10 AFN (as of 9 JUN 2023)