LAST 24 HOURS
TAJIKISTAN AND PAKISTAN AGREE ON INTELLIGENCE SHARING AGREEMENT OVER AFGHANISTAN SECURITY THREATS – President Rahman has taken the hardest line against the Taliban regime and his government has continued to raise alarms in the region over both terror-related threats as well as continued narcotics trafficking. Dushanbe sees the greatest threat coming from the Jamaat Ansarullo (JA) which is reportedly based in Badakhshan Province and began a social media campaign calling for an overthrow of Dushanbe. Last September, Tajik border security forces killed 3 militants who were later discovered to have ties to JA on the border and found a trove of weapons, ammunition, and explosives in their possession. Sources in Kabul say that Taliban leadership has long believed that Tajikistan is the primary support base for various Resistance groups and has focused intelligence efforts to try and capture evidence of arms trafficking coming from Tajikistan. They have not succeeded to date but the sources confirm it remains a top priority for the Minister of the Interior. With the new dynamic in Islamabad taking shape, Afghanistan may now have to contend with two openly hostile neighbors on its doorstep. Our analysis indicates that more successful terror attacks in Pakistan and new terror attacks or threats to domestic security in Tajikistan will likely lead to support for Resistance groups in Afghanistan who are opposed to the Taliban.
RESISTANCE LEADER AHMAD MASSOUD MEETS WITH FRENCH PRESIDENT IN PARIS – Massoud’s presence at the Paris Peace Forum signals that some countries in Europe may be keen to maintain ties with the Resistance groups in Afghanistan and could view them as a potential hedge against the Taliban should conditions in the country change. It is no secret that many governments are simply waiting for a major terror attack outside of Afghanistan that can be traced back to the country. Should such an event occur, Massoud and other Resistance groups could find themselves the recipients of a sudden influx of military assistance. The Resistance has largely been content to let the Taliban illustrate their draconian policies to the world and have avoided the open warfare witnessed in Panjshir, Takhar, and elsewhere during 2022. Their strategy throughout 2023 has been targeted assassinations and high-profile objectives that mainly targeted Taliban command and control and security checkpoints. They have also seemingly conducted specialized missions that have targeted Taliban personnel/units who have used a heavier hand when dealing with civilians. This strategy may be intended to create a kind of ‘Robin Hood’ effect among the citizenry. While the number of fighters the Resistance commands is thought to be low (2-6,000), they still represent virtually the only opposition to Kabul/Kandahar left in the country.
SIV CASES DENIED OVER MISSING CONTRACT NUMBERS – One of the more bizarre and egregious barriers for Afghans who qualify for SIV consideration is a demand from the US State Department to include the contract number under which an Afghan may have been employed while working for the USG in Afghanistan. The Afghan Digest staff has spoken with many of the military officers who were charged with base administration and even they are not aware of the contract number which funded many of the programs. It is simply unrealistic to expect an employee to have retained that information (if they were even appraised of it, to begin with) over such a long period. After a brief investigation into the matter, there does not seem to be a repository at the Pentagon or State Department for these elusive contract numbers. Many of the companies and/or NGOs that employed Afghans during the US’s involvement in the theater no longer exist and the records have either been destroyed or misplaced. This requirement smells suspiciously like a convenient method of simply denying otherwise valid SIV cases and ought to be examined as either a flaw in the application process or a deliberate attempt to reduce the number of SIV caseloads.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NO THREATS REPORTED
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
Zainar Matapour, an Iranian-born Norwegian citizen was charged with terrorism offenses yesterday for the 2022 shooting at the Oslo Pride parade that killed 2 people and wounded 9 others.
Israel struck Iranian-backed terrorist organizations in the West Bank this past week which has led some to speculate the conflict is already widening and efforts to promote a cease-fire and termination are failing.
Iran’s Interior Minister stated that the US is pursuing a strategy of economic collapse for the regime in Tehran.
PAKISTAN
Police disrupted a planned PTI political gathering in Lahore yesterday and told organizers that no permit had been granted for the meeting.
The Pakistani Army announced it had set up four mobile health units in North Waziristan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to better treat rural tribal communities.
Higher food prices erased recent declines in inflation as food prices and select commodities increased in cost last week. The official inflation rate rose by approximately 1% over the previous week.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Inflicting Collective Punishment On Afghans For The Acts Of A Few Terrorists – Analysis
By P. K. Balachandran - EurAsia Review
A massive tragedy has been unfolding in Pakistan in the past month. Over 250,000 Afghan refugees have been deported from Pakistan to Afghanistan as a collective punishment for the terrorist acts of a few.
AFGHAN NEWS
Our Families Remain in Pakistan: Returnees
By TOLO News
Deported refugees, including women and children, told TOLOnews that they still have no information about the fate of their families in…
Girls Reiterate Call to Reopen Schools
By TOLO News
Coinciding with World Science Day, girls who are students above the sixth grade want to reopen schools once…
By Hasth-E Subh
In response to the escalating number of mysterious killings in various provinces, particularly in Bamiyan, Sayed Sufi Gardezi, a high-ranking official from the former…
REGIONAL NEWS
Pakistan Extends Stay of 1.4 Million Registered Afghan Refugees
By Ayaz Gul & Sarah Zaman - VOA
Pakistan announced Friday that it had extended, after a delay of four months, the legal residence status of about 1.4 million Afghan refugees until year-end, though it…
Afghanistan’s Consulate in Khorog Works with Islamic Emirate: Consulate
By Fatima Adib - TOLO News
The acting consular of the Islamic Emirate in Khorog in Tajikistan says that he works directly and under the supervision of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
By Evan Dawson & Megan Mack - WXXI News
Saturday is Veterans Day, and as we thank members of the U.S. military for their service, we discuss the latest with the Special Immigrant Visa…
Afghanistan 'future's bright' after memorable World Cup
By France 24
Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott on Friday said the "future is bright" for his team after enjoying their most successful…
THE DAILY WTF
Over 80 per cent of Afghan repatriates possess valid documentation
By ANI
More than 80 per cent of Afghans sent to transit centres possess some form of identification, raising challenges for authorities in the repatriation process…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 73.48 AFN (as of 11 NOV 2023)