LAST 24 HOURS
ANOTHER EXPLOSION IN KABUL – Eyewitnesses reported a sizable explosion in the Khair Khana neighborhood of Kabul on Saturday. The blast was said to have taken place near the Maulana Jalaluddin Mohammad Balkhi High School (Police District 11). Some eyewitnesses were quoted saying they heard a rocket sound before the blast and most saw the students screaming and running away from the sound of the blast. No casualties have been reported and Taliban security forces have cordoned off the area. No group has claimed credit for any attack and it is not clear if the blast was triggered by a terrorist device at this point.
TALIBAN WILL TREAT TERRORISTS USING AFGHAN SOIL AS SEDITIONISTS – Zabibullah Mujahid announced on Friday that anyone caught planning or carrying out attacks on other countries from within Afghanistan will be tried for treason in the future. The Taliban have continually claimed that no terror groups (with an external focus) reside in Afghanistan. The statement seems to indicate an acknowledgment that the reverse is true. Whether it has any effect on diminishing future cross-border attacks remains to be seen.
IRAN URGES MORE ACTION TO PROTECT SHIITES/MINORITIES – In the wake of the latest bomb attack on a Shiite community in Kabul, Iranian officials took to social media to condemn the attacks and alleged the Taliban was not taking threats to minority religious and ethnic communities seriously enough and urged the de facto regime to do more.
*NOTE: The staff of the Afghan Digest mourns the seemingly never-ending attacks perpetrated against non-combatants in Afghanistan. In our daily rush to analyze events and predict threats, we sometimes forget the human cost that Afghans and their allies are experiencing. While we think about it constantly, it is important for us to say it.
NEXT 24 HOURS
TALIBAN FIGHTERS ARRIVE IN NURISTAN – Two columns of Taliban security forces personnel began arriving in Nuristan to quell a previously reported revolt in two Districts. The convoys were photographed upon arrival but have remained outside of the villages where local inhabitants have seized Taliban administrative offices. One source claimed they seemed to be waiting for something but could not say what that might be. It is possible the Taliban are waiting on a negotiator to arrive and speak with the local inhabitants. Although violence can’t be ruled out, the fact the Taliban have yet to enter the towns suggests that force will
THE CENTRAL BANK TO AUCTION DOLLARS – The DAB announced its intentions to auction $10 million dollars on Sunday.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Ethnic War a Newfangled Pakistani Forward-policy for Afghanistan
By Ajmal Sohail - Modern Diplomacy
According to the intelligence information, Pakistan’s ISI is trying to start ethnic and maneuvering war again in Afghanistan, of which distinct objective is to refurbish the age-old enmity between the Achakzai and Noorzai tribes in the southwest zone. Besides, they want to start an ethnic war among Pashtuns and non-Pashtuns across Afghanistan, and between the northern and southern directions, thus, the prominent leaders of the Taliban, who are led by the ISI, have been entrusted with the task. As in the east and north of Afghanistan, Pashtun Taliban militants are oppressing other Non-Pashtuns, raiding their homes; however, no high-ranking Pashtun Taliban officials are preventing them because the ISI network leads this strategy. In order to revamp a civil war in Afghanistan, score of influential figures have been summoned by the Pakistani military establishment.
AFGHAN NEWS
Explosion reported near high school in Kabul (+VIDEO)
By MEHR News Agency
The explosion occurred near Mawlana Jalaluddin Mohammad Balkhi High School in the 11th district of…
Kabul’s Emergency Hospital admitted over 2,700 war-wounded in past year
By Ariana News
Emergency Hospital, a facility run by an Italian NGO that specializes in treating victims of war, said that it received more than 16,000 patients in its…
Survivors of Deadly Attack, Demonstrate in Kabul Following Explosion at Education Center
By Saqalain Eqbal - Khaama Press
The suicide attack in the Kaj educational center in Kabul on Friday drew crowds of students to the streets, demonstrating, some of whom…
REGIONAL NEWS
Taliban Bans Use of Pakistani Currency in Afghanistan
By Saqalain Eqbal - Khaama Press
According to a letter that Khaama Press has obtained, the Taliban Intelligence Agency’s Anti-Money Laundering Branch declared to the…
MoCI to Sign Deals With 3 More Countries to Import Wheat, Oil
By Amina Hakimi - TOLO News
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) said that it is planning to sign deals with Central Asian nations Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan as well as…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
UN Security Council condemns Friday’s suicide bombing in Kabul
By Ariana News
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemned Friday’s deadly attack at the “Kaj” educational center in west of Kabul, which left scores…
WFP says it assisted 2 out of every 5 Afghans in past year
By Ariana News
“A massive scale-up of life-saving food assistance over the past year has helped save countless lives. WFP has assisted 21.4 million people – two out of every…
THE DAILY WTF
MoI: Death Toll From Friday's Blast at 25, UN Says 35
By Mohammad Farshad Daryosh - TOLO News
“Latest UN figures show at least 35 killed & 82 hurt,” UNAMA said on Twitter. “Majority of casualties are girls & young…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 88.26 AFN (as of 2 OCT 2022)
