LAST 24 HOURS
WOMEN PROTESTORS CONTINUE TO BE ROUNDED UP – Reports coming out of Herat, Kabul, and Balkh Provinces indicate that the Taliban are continuing to arrest primarily women and girls who are participating in protest marches against the violence at education centers, which the Taliban refer to as ‘acts against the state’. Videos of the arrests, footage from within jails, and clips from university campuses have circulated widely on social media. One protest in Mazar-i-Sharif seemed to catch the Taliban by surprise and attracted several hundred protestors, but the Taliban soon cracked down, dispersing the marches and arresting several women.
THIRD BLAST ROCKS KABUL MONDAY – Another blast has been reported in Kabul near the Pul-e-Sukhta neighborhood (Shahid Mazari Road) in western Kabul. Casualties have been reported, but it is not clear how many may have been killed/injured or who/what may have been targeted in the attack. No groups have claimed any of the bombings over the past 5 days, but the areas have been a frequent target of ISIS-K in the past and they are suspected in all three attacks.
DEPUTY PM IN BADAKHSHAN – As tensions in Badakhshan province continue to escalate, the Taliban dispatched Deputy Prime Minister Mawlawi Abdul Kabir to meet with elders and local leaders. Taliban-controlled media portrayed the visit as routine, but previous cases have shown that a senior official's visit is often followed by violence.
POLICE UNIFORMS ISSUED IN KUNDUZ – Over the last year, a major complaint among Afghan citizens has been the inability to identify Taliban security forces. Some citizens have claimed that criminals will pose as Taliban along pedestrian routes and roads and demand bribes to allow people to pass. Others have reported incidences of sexual harassment. The Taliban have slowly attempted to rectify the situation, and Kunduz is thought to be the fifth Province where police uniforms are being issued.
LATEST BEGGAR ROUNDUP NUMBERS FOR KABUL – The Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs released a report on Monday claiming that 10,150 beggars had been questioned in the city by the end of September. Of those 10,150:
7,029 were women and 2,436 were determined to be in need
834 were men and 294 were determined to be in need
2,287 were children and 1,245 were determined to be in need
Biometrics were taken, and the Taliban said those who had been assessed as ‘in need’ were referred to the Ministry of Labor for education and job training. They were also promised a monthly stipend while they are in these programs. Nothing is known about the remaining 6,175 who were accused of ‘professional begging’.
NEXT 24 HOURS
POSSIBLE RETALIATION IN BADAKHSHAN – The recent large-scale reinforcement operations and high-level visits clearly illustrate that the Taliban are concerned about the situation in Badakhshan province. With the recent capture of the Shekay District and the visiting Taliban leadership, it is a near certainty that the Taliban will attempt to retake the area. At least 500 fighters were sent to the province, but without a firm grasp of where the fighters are situated, it is impossible to say where conflict could occur. At-risk Afghans in the province should be aware of significant motorized troop traffic and the potential for reprisals against the local populace.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Isis is wreaking havoc in Afghanistan
By James Snell - The Spectator
The bomb tore through an examination hall in Kabul on Friday, where students – mostly minority Hazara, mostly young women – were sitting a practice test in preparation for university. Thirty-five were killed, dozens more injured. An unspeakable human tragedy.
AFGHAN NEWS
Afghanistan: Another explosion occurs in Kabul days after suicide bombing in education center
By Free Press Journal
An explosion occurred near the Pul-e-Sukhta area on Shahid Mazari Road in the west of Kabul, the Afghan…
Death toll rises to 53 in Kabul classroom bombing
By Holly Johnston - The National News
A total of 53 people were killed in a suicide bombing at a Kabul education centre last week, the…
Taliban Attempt to Preclude Protest in Balkh Fails; Students’ Protest Starts with Delay
By Saqalain Eqbal - Khaama Press
Students at Balkh University in northern Afghanistan’s Balkh province who had been confined inside the university by the Taliban broke the lock and…
REGIONAL NEWS
‘We have to wait for a level of trust’, Indian FM on visas for Afghan students
By Ariana News
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar has asked the Afghan students enrolled in Indian universities to wait for a…
Taliban-Ruled Afghanistan Is New Market For Russian Fuel
By Grzegorz Kuczynski - Warsaw Institute
Russia has approved a provisional agreement with the Taliban government to supply oil products…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Lithuania wants its $2.8 mln transferred from NATO’s Afghan trust fund to Ukraine
By LRT
Lithuania can ask for just over 2 million US dollars to be returned to it or transferred to other NATO funds by the end of the year…
THE DAILY WTF
Taliban Denies Food Poisoning Among Students at Kabul University
By Saqalain Eqbal - Khaama Press
The health condition of these girls was brought on by careless food consumption, according to a statement released by the Taliban…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 88.08 AFN (as of 3 OCT 2022)