LAST 24 HOURS
EARTHQUAKE IN BADAKHSHAN – A 5.4 magnitude earthquake hit Badakhshan Province on Monday. The epicenter was in the Jurm District and the effects were felt in Faizabad. However, news about potential damage and casualties has been slow to come in and bad weather has complicated communications to more remote areas that may have been more severely affected.
IMRAN KHAN SAYS LONG MARCH TO BEGIN AGAIN ON THURSDAY – Spokesmen for Imran Khan’s party now say the Long March will pick up from the assassination attempt location on Thursday. The PTI leaders had initially said the march would start on Tuesday and then changed it to Wednesday before finally settling on Thursday. Late reporting indicated that the former PM would likely not join the convoy until it reaches Rawalpindi. Some estimated the columns will meet on the outskirts of Islamabad on the 14th or 15th. Several local observers say the “wind has gone out of the sails” for many supporters and they do not expect as large a crowd in the capital as initially expected.
IRANIAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE SAYS AFGHANS PARTICIPATED IN THE ATTACK ON THE SHAH CHERAGH SHRINE – In a bizarre move, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence released a statement that summarized an investigation into the deadly attack on the Shah Cheragh Shrine. The statement claimed that 26 foreign nationals participated in planning, executing, and supporting the attack. The statement claimed that several of the terrorists were Afghan but only named one. The statement went on to say the foreign operatives contacted the operational headquarters of ISIS in the region. They said the operational headquarters was located in Afghanistan.
PAKISTANI POLICE CONTINUE ROUNDUP OF AFGHANS IN SINDH PROVINCE – Sindh Province continues to see Police stopping and arresting Afghans who are in the country. The latest tally suggests that over 1,000 Afghans are currently being held and processed as illegals. The crackdown has caused international furor and many have called on the UN to intervene and protect the Afghans. It is not clear what will be done with the refugees but deportation was not a top priority according to a source in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
NEXT 24 HOURS
THE RESUMPTION OF THE LONG MARCH COULD PORTEND VIOLENCE – While most observers seem to think the Long March has lost momentum, others see a clear call to action after the assassination attempt and some of the legal wrangling that has taken place in the aftermath. These conditions could provoke hardcore supporters of Khan to clash with police at any time. While we do not assess an immediate threat to at-risk Afghans in the capital, we encourage all to continue to monitor reports on local media outlets and minimize the time spent in public.
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
A source inside the Government of Iran has warned that the leadership is preparing to initiate a violent putdown of the uprisings and that University campuses would be targeted first.
PAKISTAN
A Pakistani soldier was killed in a terrorist attack in Kashmir. 5 terrorists of the LeT group have been named in the attack.
The former PM claims he had received prior notification of an attempt on his life by secret supporters in the current regime. Most observers have dismissed his claims as political theater.
UZBEKISTAN
Several international human rights groups have declared the earlier security crackdown in Karakalpakstan as unjustified and excessive.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Three’s a crowd: United States and the Afghanistan-Pakistan relationship
By Shivam Shekhawat - Observer Research Foundation
In a recent interview, the United States Special Representative for Afghanistan, Thomas West, rejected any possibility of a Pakistani hand in facilitating talks between the Interim Taliban Administration and Washington. Restating that the US is engaging pragmatically with the Taliban to secure the rights of the Afghan people, he evaded the question on needing Pakistani airspace for carrying out operations inside Afghanistan, stressing instead on the ‘reorganisation of its capabilities’ in the region. This rather terse denial of any need for Pakistani cooperation in managing the situation signifies the incongruity in Islamabad’s relationship with the US and Afghanistan post August 2021.
AFGHAN NEWS
Earthquake Shakes Landslide-Stricken Northeastern Afghanistan
By Saqalain Eqbal - Khaama Press
The earthquake that shook northeastern Afghanistan on Monday, November 7, was 5.4 on the Richter scale, according to the…
Hazara girl wounded in deadly Afghan attack triumphs in exams
By France 24
1 month after losing her eye in a deadly suicide bomb attack on her academy, a young Hazara woman has finished among the top candidates in…
There Is No Justice in Afghanistan, HRW Says
By Hasht-e Subh Daily
Two years after the assassination of Yama Siavash, a former TOLO News anchor, Human Rights Watch has strongly criticized the negligence in reaching cases of…
REGIONAL NEWS
Lack of Intl Recognition of Govt Harming Regional Economy: MoE
By Fatema Adeeb - TOLO News
The Ministry of Economy said that the delay in recognizing the Islamic Emirate is not only affecting Afghanistan but…
2,723 Afghan refugees return from Iran in 2 days
By Noorullah Zazai - Pajhwok Afghan News
About 2,723 Afghan refugees returned from neighboring Iran during the past two days, the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation said on…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
US failure to help Afghans is worse than we thought
By Nick Cleveland-Stout - Responsible Statecraft
A new lawsuit alleges that some NGOs set up to help evacuate those who helped the United States in Afghanistan are…
Dublin Lesbian Line speaks to Afghani LGBTQ+ activist Basira Paigham in new podcast episode
By Nicole Lee - GCN
The incredible team over at Dublin Lesbian Line has released its latest episode of the Women STAR podcast featuring Afghani…
THE DAILY WTF
Haqqani Asks Taliban Forces to Observe Personal Hygiene and Wear Fragrances
By Saqalain Eqbal - Khaama Press
The Afghan people, particularly those in Kabul, the Afghan capital, challenged the Taliban’s practices of attire in the first year of the group in power and mockingly urged them to take a bath…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 88.27 AFN (as of 8 NOV 2022)
