LAST 24 HOURS
UN SURVEYS PANJSHIR FOR WAR CRIMES – Richard Bennett, UN Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan toured the Province and attempted to gain insight into the alleged mistreatment of non-combatants and the execution/torture of supposed Resistance collaborators. Local observers claim that residents in Panjshir had organized protests to coincide with the visit. A source in the Ministry of the Interior claimed the leadership has been very concerned about the visit and has been meeting in a restricted office with members of the Ministry of Defense. His report is expected sometime next week.
TAJIKISTAN SAYS 3,000 TERRORISTS CURRENTLY HOLD AFGHAN PASSPORTS – The Tajik government continued its criticism of the Taliban regime by claiming they had issued over 3,000 Afghan passports to terror groups in the country. The claim was made by the Minister of the Interior yesterday and may corroborate the analysis conducted by the Afghan Digest in March 2022. Following closely on the heels of the Minister’s remarks, President Emomali Rahmon called for the establishment of a ‘security belt’ around Afghanistan.
TTP AMBUSHED PAKISTANI MILITARY IN N. WAZIRISTAN – A band of TTP militants used an improvised explosive device to ambush a Pakistani military roving security patrol in N. Waziristan. All the occupants were believed to have been killed in the blast but the number of dead is currently unknown.
TALIBAN RECRUITMENT EFFORT IN PANJSHIR – Taliban security force personnel in Panjshir are reportedly going door-to-door in select communities with offers to join their ranks. They have promised 13,000 Afghanis to each soldier who signs up. Whether that figure is a one-time bonus or the monthly pay is unknown. Sources in the Ministry of Defense have long insisted the pay for the Taliban troops has been irregular and some of the local Commanders often steal the funds for themselves. It is not currently clear how successful the recruitment effort has been.
FOOTBALL BANNED IN BAGDHIS – Taliban leaders in Baghdis Province have purportedly stated that the sport has no religious basis and have prohibited it. This information has not yet been verified.
NEXT 24 HOURS
FOREIGN TALIBAN SYMPATHIZERS HELPING TARGET AFGHANS ONLINE – Sources within the Ministries of the Interior and Defense are claiming that many pro-Taliban online users are assisting the Taliban by copying information from social media accounts and infiltrating online groups, posing as anti-Taliban sympathizers and collecting information. While not a new phenomenon, it comes at a time when online social activism is running high with the #stophazaragenocide and #stoptajikgenocide movements in full swing.
PANJSHIRI AND HAZARA ARRESTS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE – While the visit of the UN Human Rights reporter was expected to force a halt to arrests in Northern and Western Kabul, sources and eyewitnesses say the practice has continued. It is not clear if ethnic minorities are being taken for registration or imprisonment. At-risk Afghans are cautioned to avoid going out if at all possible and to avoid wearing ethnically distinct clothing until the activity ceases.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Forced ethnic displacement in Afghanistan: Talibanisation or a continuation of social engineering?
By Natiq Malikzada - The New Arab
"The Taliban are not only facilitating settlements of Pashtuns and their supporters from within Afghanistan but they are also helping Pashtuns from the other side of the Durand line – from Pakistan – to usurp lands of other ethnic groups in the country"
AFGHAN NEWS
UN sets up 'Family Health Houses' in Quake-hit Paktika province of Afghanistan
By ANI
The United Nations Population Fund (UNFP) has announced the formation of family health houses in the earthquake-ravaged Paktika…
UN Rapporteur Meets Local Officials in Panjshir
By TOLO News
Bennett said that the purpose of his visit was to address concerns about the human rights situation in the province, according to…
Ulema Council of Takhar Established Under Supreme Leader Decree
By Bakhtar News
The council is formed of 15 religious scholars and 5 elders of the province and its chairman, who have direct contact with the IEA’s Supreme leader…
REGIONAL NEWS
Islamic Emirate Urges Turkey to Recognize Govt
By TOLO News
“We want to have deep diplomatic relations with Turkey and other countries, so If God wills, the Islamic Emirate will be recognized through…
By Hasht-e Subh
The Minister of Interior of Tajikistan has claimed that the Taliban group has issued Afghan passports to more than 3,000 “members of…
Tajik President calls for ‘security belt’ around Afghanistan
By Ariana News
Addressing delegates attending an International and Regional Border Security and Management Cooperation to Counter Terrorism conference on…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Taliban faction open to ties with Israel, Afghan source says
By Y Net News
Afghanistan's Taliban – one of the world’s most austere Islamist regimes – may be reconsidering its stance toward the State of…
THE DAILY WTF
Hanafi Urges Traders to Invest in Afghan Agriculture Sector
By Nazir Shinwari - TOLO News
He said that there is no threat to anyone in the country and that the security issues have been…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 86.82 AFN (as of 20 OCT 2022)