LAST 24 HOURS
MORE TALIBAN DEFECTIONS – Another Taliban Commander, Bahr al-Din is reported to have joined the Resistance in Badakhshan Province with approximately 50 of his fighters. The news follows on the heels of Commander Bahruddin and District Governor Mukhlis's reputed defections since last Thursday. While not definitive, the pace of defections in the North seems to be increasing.
EDUCATION OFFICIALS UNDER FIRE – While the Taliban leadership and the Taliban Ministry of Education are being blasted by the international community for their stance against girls’ education, local education officials in Afghanistan are increasingly being targeted for questioning the policy and taking part in activism. The Taliban arrested an education center leader in Daikundi on Saturday and a former Faizabad District head of education was reportedly assassinated with his son in Jawzjan yesterday. Both had taken an active role in denouncing the draconian policies put in place by the Taliban.
FORMER AFGHAN POLICE OFFICIAL MURDERED IN PAKISTAN – Abdul Samad Achakzai was the former Commander of local police in Uruzgan and had also served as the Chief of Police for the Panjwayi District of Kandahar. He was killed by unknown gunmen in Quetta, Pakistan where he had fled when the Taliban came to power. He had recently denounced the terrorist attacks on the Kaaj education center in a video message. No group has claimed responsibility for the killing.
OFFICIAL RAID ON MEDICAL FACILITY – The Taliban’s National Food and Drug Authority conducted a raid on the Ariana Medical facility under the guise of seizing expired medicines the center is accused of using. However, sources in the Police claimed that a burgeoning black market for medications has turned such activities into moneymaking schemes for some officials. The source went on to say that some of the medication and supplies are routinely sent to the Taliban forces fighting in the North.
BLAST REPORTED IN LAGHMAN PROVINCE – An explosion was said to have occurred in the city of Mehtarlam (Esmat Chawk). Early reports suggest 3 may have been killed and approximately 15 non-combatants and traffic police were wounded. The target of the attack may have been a vehicle driven by an unspecified Taliban official. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
TALIBAN SENDS ANOTHER SENIOR LEADER TO BADAKHSHAN – In another sign, the Taliban is worried about the developing situation in Badakhshan, the Chief of Staff, Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat was dispatched to the Province to meet with local Commanders and assure the security forces personnel of Kabul’s support. It is believed he met with Provincial leadership at the 219 Omar Sales base.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NO KNOWN SECURITY THREATS REPORTED
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
The Afghanistan Debacle Summed Up: We Suck at Nation Building
By James Warren - The Daily Beast
Back in 2005, I found myself interviewing a retired Marine general about his experiences on Iwo Jima and in Vietnam for a book I was writing on the history of the Marine Corps. Before putting on the tape, Major General Fred Haynes, a tall, courtly Texan in his mid-eighties, sighed, and said, “James, I hate to say it, but we are never going to win this thing in Afghanistan. Thirty-seven years in the Marine Corps taught me a few things about the United States. We are very good at blowing things up and inflicting maximum punishment on our adversaries, but we ought to get the hell out of the nation-building business because we don’t know what we are doing.”
AFGHAN NEWS
Badghis Elders and Civil Activists Call to Reopen Girls' Schools
By TOLO News
Several tribal elders and civil activists in Badghis province expressed concern over the continued closure of schools for…
Afghanistan ranks 6th among countries with most IDPs: UNHCR
By Ariana News
According to UNHCR, the bad economic situation, successive droughts, and insecurity in the past years are the reasons for the increase of IDPs in…
Herat women complain of street harassment
By Benyamin Bariz - Pajhwok Afghan News
Police spokesman Mohammad Shah Rasouli said more than a hundred people had been arrested on charges of women’s…
REGIONAL NEWS
Terrorists killed in northwest Pakistan were trained in Afghanistan: Report
By ANI
Terrorists killed in a clash with Pakistani security forces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat district, were in contact with militants in Afghanistan, according to…
Turkish Aid Organization Helps 1,000 Destitute Afghan Families
By Hadia Ziaei - TOLO News
According to the head of the Turkish humanitarian aid organization IHH, Turkish citizens and businessmen have donated the aids to the…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Drone Use Limited by New Biden Counterterrorism Strategy
By TOLO News
President Joe Biden on Friday formally issued new guidance curtailing the use of armed drones outside of war zones including Afghanistan as part of a new…
UK resumes scholarship program for Afghans
By Ariana News
The British government and the Chevening Scholarships program announced that after a two-month hiatus, the country’s scholarships have…
THE DAILY WTF
By Save the Children
Children are under increasing emotional and psychological pressure as they bear the brunt of the worsening crisis in…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 87.66 AFN (as of 11 OCT 2022)