LAST 24 HOURS
ANOTHER EARTHQUAKE REPORTED IN HERAT – A 4.1 magnitude quake struck about 20 miles away from Herat City yesterday morning. The epicenter was reported to be the Qara Bagh region. No deaths were attributed to the quake but the tremors reportedly weakened walls in several buildings throughout the Province which had survived the series of quakes that have devastated the Province.
IRAN PLANNING DEPORTATIONS FOR AFGHANS – As expected, the Iranian Interior Minister said on Thursday that all illegal Afghan immigrants should depart Iran immediately. Ahmad Vahidi, the Interior Minister went on to say that those Afghans who possess valid visas and documents would be ‘organized’. No deadline for Afghan refugees in Iran was given but a source in Tehran says that a timetable is being developed.
PAKISTANI ARMY ENGAGES TTP MILITANTS ALONG BORDER – 6 TTP terrorists were reportedly killed in separate military engagements in both North and South Waziristan yesterday. The operations also resulted in the deaths of 4 Pakistani soldiers. The operation in the North took place near Gharyoum and reports indicate that a TTP leader named Hazrat Zaman (aka Khawarey Mullah) was among those killed by the military. The Southern operation took place near the Asman Manza region and it was not immediately clear if any terrorists were killed in this operation.
AFGHANISTAN UNITED FRONT ANNOUNCES ARRIVAL – A new political group announced its formation and said it had opened an office in the US capital on the 18th of October. The group says it intends to free Afghanistan of the Taliban and expel extremist groups said to be sheltering there. The group intends to mobilize the youth of Afghanistan and cooperate with other Resistance movements to coordinate a more concerted effort to remove the Taliban from power. The Political Commission is headed by Governor Masood Bakhtawar. The group can be found on X (formerly Twitter) at @afgunitedfront
US STATE DEPARTMENT CAUTIONS ALL US CITIZENS ABROAD OVER THREATS – On Thursday, the US Department of State urged US nationals working and living abroad to exercise increased caution over threats stemming from the Israel/Hamas conflict. The alert warns US citizens to avoid tourist destinations and to register with the US Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NO THREATS REPORTED
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels apparently launched three cruise missiles and an unknown number of drones yesterday which were shot down by a US Navy ship in the Red Sea. Based on the trajectory of the weapons, a spokesman said they could have been targeting Israel.
US forces in Syria also came under drone attacks from the Iranian-backed militias two days ago in southeast Syria. No deaths were reported but some minor injuries were sustained by occupants of the Al Tanf base.
The European Union announced that it had bestowed the Sakharov Human Rights prize to the deceased Iranian woman who died in police custody in Iran last year, fomenting nationwide protests against the regime. Mahsa Amini was posthumously named the official awardee for this year’s award.
PAKISTAN
The country is bracing for the return of former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif tomorrow and security has been tightened around the airport where many thousands are expected to gather. The former PM is spending the night in the UAE before making the last leg of his trip.
Stocks in Pakistan crossed the 50,000 barrier after news of a $1.5 billion deal with China over petroleum production was announced. The market has responded to the recovery of the national currency and has been edging higher.
Education administrators are calling for teachers who remain out of the classroom to protest conditions in the education system to have their pay cut off and benefits terminated. A recent investigation into the school system found that some teachers were drawing salaries even though they were working in other countries and many were being paid for working in separate schools.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
The Daily Hustle: Selling traditional Afghan clothes on Facebook
By Sayed Asadullah Sadat - AAN
How to support your family when you have just lost your job during hard economic times? That was the question one journalist asked himself after his newspaper laid him off during the calamitous contraction of the economy in 2021 when the amount of international money coming into Afghanistan suddenly diminished. The journalist’s response surprised even himself – he started a business in an area he knew nothing about – clothing. He has used modern technology to help create a business that supports himself and dozens of others. AAN’s Sayed Asadullah Sadat has spoken to the former journalist about how he came to set up his online business selling beautiful traditional Afghan clothes via Facebook.
AFGHAN NEWS
4.1 magnitude earthquake strikes Herat, Afghanistan
By Fidel Rahmati - Khaama Press
On Thursday morning, residents of Afghanistan’s western Herat province were abruptly shaken awake as yet another earthquake, measuring 4.1 on…
Doctors: Mental Health Issues Plague Herat Earthquake Victims
By Nasir Ahmad Salehi - TOLO News
Earthquakes in the province have left many residents with mental illness, doctors at the Herat Provincial Hospital…
IEA’s intelligence forces donate 24 million AFN to Herat quake victims
By Ariana News
Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid says the country’s intelligence forces have given 24 million afghanis in…
IEA plans to formally join China’s Belt and Road Initiative
By Ariana News
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) wants to formally join Chinese President Xi Jinping’s huge Belt and…
REGIONAL NEWS
Ministry: Regional Cooperation Discussed at China's BRI Forum
By Bibi Amina Hakimi - TOLO News
Hafiz Sediqullah Abed, the Deputy of Finance for Ministry of Transportation and Civil Aviation, discussed issues related to Afghanistan with…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Kakar: Pakistan, Russia Share Common Interest Against Terrorism
By Naweed Samadi - TOLO News
Anwaar ul Haq Kakar, Pakistan's caretaker prime minister, said at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow and Islamabad have a…
US encourages Afghanistan's neighbors, including Pakistan, to accept refugees
By Simon Lewis & Kanishka Singh - Reuters
The United States "strongly" encouraged Afghanistan's neighbors, including Pakistan, to allow entry for Afghans seeking protection and…
THE DAILY WTF
Commissioner for gearing up obtaining information about Afghan illegal immigrants
By The Nation
Commissioner Hyderabad Khalid Haider Shah has asked to all the Deputy Commissioners, senior superintendents of police and officers of other concerned agencies to gear up the process of obtaining information and identifying Afghan illegal immigrants in…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 75.42 AFN (as of 20 OCT 2023)