LAST 24 HOURS
PAKISTAN SHARES INTELLIGENCE ON TTP PRESENCE IN AFGHANISTAN, EXPECTS ACTION – The Foreign Minister, Zahra Baloch, told reporters that Islamabad had finally shared intelligence files that detail suspected TTP operational bases in Afghanistan with an accompanying demand for Kabul to take action. Specifically, Islamabad expects the Taliban to ‘dismantle TTP networks’ and ‘prevent terrorist attacks across the border’. The Taliban’s official spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, refused to comment on requests for information about the exchange of intelligence but said the Taliban were ‘still gathering information’. As TAD has pointed out previously, Pakistan’s inability to mount an effective information campaign and to provide both the Taliban and the international community with concrete proof of TTP operations emanating from within Afghanistan has hampered its efforts to coerce the Taliban into taking action. A source in Pakistan said the intelligence shared with the Taliban consisted of a combination of overhead imagery and communication intercepts that had been degraded so as to protect the means by which it was collected. Academics and analysts who gave opinions on this recent development indicated they did not think Kabul/Kandahar would take any action but would probably attempt to discredit the intelligence information and question its validity.
BADAKHSHAN ISSUES CONTINUE – Bakshullah Yaftali, the leader of a Badakhshan highway security unit was arrested and transferred to Kabul for questioning several days ago. His arrest was carried out by a specialized Taliban unit and he faces charges of ordering the deaths of 4 Kandahari Taliban at an undisclosed location along the main highway to Faizabad. Some sources say a confrontation arose over a drug shipment that the 4 Taliban were escorting but this information has yet to be verified. Kabul has dispatched a team to deal with several issues in the Province and their presence has been attributed to Yaftali’s arrest.
GERMAN FOREIGN OFFICE INVESTIGATING TALIBAN REPRESENTATIVE’S PRESENCE AT MEETING IN COLOGNE – Officials from the Foreign Office condemned the inclusion of a Taliban representative (Abdul Bari Omar) in a meeting between German government officials and members of the Afghan diaspora. The Foreign Office expressed concern and questioned how the official received a visa. The man appeared in a photograph with the German Minister of Health, Welfare, and Sport which was posted to social media and drew immediate criticism from Afghans around the globe.
BALOCHISTAN OFFICIAL SAYS ALL ILLEGAL AFGHANS TO BE DEPORTED BY JANUARY 2024 – Jan Achakzai, the acting Minister for Information in Balochistan made the remarks yesterday and additional comments concerning the fate of ‘documented Afghans’ residing in Pakistan have increased anxiety of those with valid documents in Pakistan. The Minister followed remarks about the ‘illegal Afghans’ with a suggestion that those residing legally in the country may also find themselves facing deportation after 1 January. The Minister cited the cessation of war in Afghanistan as a reason for continuing the deportation operation. Islamabad initially maintained that the operation would involve several phases and that all ‘foreigners’ would be evaluated based on their situation. However, many took this to mean that those with valid documentation would be left alone.
CSTO VIEW NORTHERN AFGHANISTAN A THREAT TO REGIONAL STABILITY, KABUL DISAGREES – Russian General Anatoly Sidorov, Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff said the Taliban did not have the security situation under control and that the Northern Provinces represented a threat to neighboring states. Sidorov said that measures to contain possible conflict and terrorism were being proposed by the body. The Taliban strongly rejected the claims as baseless and reiterated their talking points that all regions have been pacified and the Taliban have ensured that the Northern Provinces are one of the safest areas in the country. Ultimately, there are no governments who believe the Taliban are not sheltering terrorist organizations. Nor do many believe the Taliban have successfully dealt with Resistance forces who continue to operate in the country.
NEXT 24 HOURS
SEVERAL PROTESTS AGAINST DEPORTATION OPERATION PLANNED FOR TODAY – A second round of demonstrations and protests focused on the deportation of Afghan citizens from Pakistan are reputedly planned for Lahore, Karachi, and Islamabad today. Organizers have called for protestors to assemble at the respective Press Clubs in these cities at approximately 1600hrs local time to call on officials to reverse the deportation order. Violence is not expected at any of the venues but Police will be on hand to monitor the gatherings and Afghans who attend could find themselves detained if stopped and questioned.
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
2 US citizens were convicted of attempting to sell sanctioned Iranian oil to China yesterday and will face sentencing in February.
Iranian media and citizens on social media have confirmed that the ‘Hijab Police’ have returned in force to Tehran’s metro and streets.
The upcoming elections appear to be set to break records for low turnout after several polls indicated voter participation will lag. Most blame the regime’s disqualification of numerous candidates.
PAKISTAN
The weekly inflation rate rose nearly 10% and markets reacted poorly to the news and the exchange lost nearly a point in a moderate sell-off.
The Pakistani military appealed an October Supreme Court decision to bar civilians from being tried in military courts for participating in the deadly May riots.
The Pakistani Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, TTP) released the 21st issue of its online journal. The issue compared Jews to ‘Pigs and Monkeys’ and promoted other antisemitic themes.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Afghanistan’s Economy Once Again Nears the Precipice
By Belquis Ahmadi, William Byrd Ph.D., Scott Worden - The USIP
More than two years into Taliban rule, Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world with some of the highest humanitarian needs. The situation has shown some signs of stabilizing over the last year — but many Afghan households are still struggling to procure basic needs, and many women have been driven from the workforce altogether. Unfortunately, financial troubles loom ahead, and the already beleaguered Afghan economy is now projected to decline. Combined with population growth and the influx of thousands of Afghans forced to return from neighboring Pakistan, this is a recipe for increased humanitarian need over the longer term in the absence of major structural and political reforms.
AFGHAN NEWS
By Save the Children
Thousands of Afghan refugees who have crossed into Afghanistan from Pakistan in recent weeks are experiencing alarming levels of…
Afghans Returning from Pakistan Need Shelter, Jobs
By VOA
On November 1, Pakistan’s government began deporting Afghans who had been living there…
Kabul residents complain of soaring fuel prices
By Ariana News
As winter is approaching, Kabul residents express concerns and complain about rising in fuel prices, especially coal…
REGIONAL NEWS
Pakistan agrees to release Afghanistan-bound containers stuck at Karachi port
By Ariana News
The agreement came during a meeting between Afghanistan’s acting industry and commerce minister, Nuruddin Azizi, and Pakistan’s foreign and…
Afghanistan’s North is Threat to Member Countries: CSTO
By TOLO News
This official added that the current leadership of Afghanistan does not yet fully have the situation in the country under…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
UN-mandated assessment proposes new process for Afghanistan with key recommendations
By Siyar Sirat - AMU TV
A United Nations-mandated assessment report on Afghanistan, being discussed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) members on Friday, has put forward three…
'Robust Measures' Keep US Aid From Benefiting Islamic Emirate: Miller
By Fatema Adeeb - TOLO News
The spokesman for the US department of State, Mathew Miller, told a press conference in a response to a question about SIGAR John Sopko’s testimony to the US Congress regarding the…
THE DAILY WTF
'There are Afghan workers beaten with a coal shovel and sent back without being paid'
By Hikmet Adal - BIANET
Vezir Mohammad Nourtani, an Afghan migrant worker employed in an illegal coal mine in Zonguldak, lost his life in an environment filled with harsh working conditions and…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 69.07 AFN (as of 18 NOV 2023)