LAST 24 HOURS
PAKISTAN PREPARING TO OPEN ADDITIONAL CROSSING SITES FOR DEPORTATION OPERATION – Pakistan authorities reportedly planned to open three new crossing points to aid with the deportation operation. All three sites are located in Balochistan and are meant to take pressure off the Spin Boldak gate. The templated locations for the new crossing points will be in the Badini-Shinband area of Qila Saifullah, the Brabcha and Noor Wahab areas of Chagain District. It is not clear if Taliban officials have been informed of the new deportation gates and whether logistical support will be provided to handle any possible influx of deportees on the Afghanistan side of the border. A source in Rawalpindi said that no official communication about the new crossings has been provided to the Taliban but that some Afghans in Pakistan had informed the Charge d’Affaires for the Taliban in Islamabad of the impending move.
TALIBAN ANNOUNCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ‘SHORT-TERM’ CAMPS FOR RETURNING REFUGEES – The Kabul Police issued a statement that said a temporary refugee camp was built in Northern Kabul to house the thousands of returning Afghans who are being deported from Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey. The Taliban said that sanitary drinking water, tents, and food are being provided at the facilities. Similar camps are reportedly being set up in other cities that are receiving deported Afghans. There are unsubstantiated reports that bribes are being paid by families who have recently returned to secure space in the camps and the conditions in these facilities have not been verified by a credible source.
PROTESTORS AT SPIN BOLDAK CROSSING WARNED BY POLICE – Police sent an official letter to thousands of protestors who had initiated a ‘sit-in’ to demand a reversal of policies that make crossing the border with Afghanistan infinitely more difficult and costly. Police cited ‘security reasons’ as the basis for the letter and urged protestors to move to a different location where they could be protected from unnamed threats from foreign groups.
UNOFFICIAL POLL RESULTS SUGGEST AFGHANS PREFER A RETURN TO THE FORMER GOVERNMENT MODEL – A poll attributed to the National Congress Party claims to have received responses from over 100,000 Afghans who were surveyed and the results unequivocally show strong preferences for a Federal Republic system or a Partition of sorts. It is not clear who made up the bulk of the respondents to the survey but the demographics provided show a heavy preference for Persian speakers and very few Pashto speakers.
BADAKHSHAN HEATING UP? – Several disturbing rumors have been coming out of Badakhshan Province over the past two months. While we relegated most of the rumors to simple hearsay, some now may be proving to be more than just smoke. A recent inter-Taliban dispute reportedly resulted in the death of a senior Uyghur Commander near Faizabad on Saturday. The details of the clash were not clear but the news arrived in Kabul and sources there say that a Taliban team is being sent to the Province to determine what took place and to ‘quiet things down’. China has been very vocal about its stance regarding possible terror threats from both Uyghur nationalists and/or members of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement that could cross its border. A source in Kabul said the Taliban do not want to damage its relationship with China and are taking the matter seriously.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NO THREATS REPORTED
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
A hardliner politician who is loyal to the Supreme Leader urged his counterparts to ‘take advantage’ of anti-Israel protests in the West.
An assistant to former President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told reporters that he will not participate in upcoming elections.
An Iranian border guard was reportedly killed during fighting with militants in the Sistan Baluchestan Province. The soldiers were ambushed by unknown militants while conducting a ground patrol.
PAKISTAN
Hindu communities along the border celebrated Diwali but festivities were muted over fears of potential reprisals by Pakistani military personnel.
Pakistan International Airlines has set age limits for air hostesses after several young employees simply ‘slipped away’ after arriving in Canada or European countries. Presumably, the young women chose to reside in the countries illegally rather than return to Pakistan.
Officials announced that it had reached an agreement over the national tax revenue targets with the IMF yesterday.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Economic cost of deporting Afghans
By Afshan Subohi - DAWN
Official circles and some economists downplay the potential adverse impact on Pakistan’s economy from the exodus of illegal immigrants. However, many business leaders in the smaller provinces, fearing a dangerous ethnic dimension, are concerned that the decision could further contract the already fragile economies of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as a vital source of cheap labour begins to dwindle.
AFGHAN NEWS
Over 30 Human Traffickers Detained in Past 6 Months: Ministry
By TOLO News
The spokesman for the Interior Ministry, Abdul Matin Qani, said that the interim government is committed to stamping out human trafficking in the…
Joint team set up in Herat to assess historical sites
By Ariana News
Herat’s department of information and culture says a joint team has been created in order to assess monuments and historical sites in this…
Women to lead Herat Security Dialogue for the second consecutive year
By Tabasum Nasiry - Khaama Press
The Afghanistan Institute of Strategic Studies has announced that women will lead the 11th round of talks at the Herat…
REGIONAL NEWS
Turkey Steps Up Deportation Of Afghans Amid Similar Moves By Pakistan And Iran
By RFE
Turkey has become the latest country to begin deporting a large number of Afghans back to their country with almost 4,000 leaving in…
Pakistan accuses Afghan Taliban of controlling TTP
By Kamran Yousaf - The Express Tribune
Pakistan's chief diplomat for Afghanistan has alleged that the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is under the control of the Afghan Taliban, and that the…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
A buried history of Canada's Afghan war
By CBC News
In 2007, military historian Sean Maloney was commissioned to write Canada's account of the war in…
By Susan Hutchinson - The Conversation
On November 1, Pakistan began a nationwide operation to deport over 1.7 million Afghans it says are living in the…
THE DAILY WTF
Afghan miner killed in northern Turkey to cover up illegal mine: report
By Turkish Minute
An Afghan man who was injured while working in an illegal coal mine in northern Turkey was not taken to a hospital but was beaten to death to prevent the authorities from…
‘Unconscionable. Let us hope Turkey takes the matter seriously.’ TAD Staff
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 73.55 AFN (as of 14 NOV 2023)