[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
- PAKISTAN POLICE EVICT AFGHANS FROM CAMP IN ISLAMABAD, SOME ARRESTS REPORTED – A moderately sized refugee camp that has long since been established near a club for Pakistan journalists has been razed by Pakistani police units and the occupants were evicted. The incident occurred during the night and the residents complained that they had nowhere else to go. Other arrests had been reported around the city and several Afghan refugees reported that they had been brought in for questioning and had their documents reviewed. The rumors of arrests came from three-quarters of the Districts although no officials have commented on the arrests. Several human rights and refugee groups have called on the Government to halt further security operations.
- TALIBAN OFFICIALS CONFIRM SAR-E POL POISONINGS – A spokesman for the Taliban police confirmed that approximately 80 people (primarily young female students) had been poisoned at two schools in the Sancharak District. The spokesperson said that ‘unknown people’ had entered the schools and when the students arrived, they rapidly became sick. The police did not say who might be behind the plot and what agents might have been used but a source in Iran said that water was likely used as the delivery mechanism, since it affected such a broad group. No deaths have been reported since the incident took place and those affected have been receiving treatment in a nearby hospital. Some press outlets have claimed the incident is the first of its kind since the Taliban regained the reigns of power. However, there are those who say that Hazara female students had been poisoned in a similar attack in 2022. The disgusting tactic was employed on occasion during the Taliban’s previous regime in the 1990s. The schools targeted were the Naswan-e-Kabod Aab and Naswan-e-Faizabad primary schools. There are unconfirmed reports that other schools in the area plan to cancel classes until the situation is investigated. For its part, the Taliban seem to be miscalculating the force of international outrage the event has sparked. Sources say only a cursory investigation was launched in response and few expect any of the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
- GENDER BANS DRIVES DOWN UN AID REQUEST – As a result of the bans on females in both the education and humanitarian relief sectors, the United Nations and other major NGOs have lowered requests for donor states from $4.6 billion to $3.2 billion. The move was attributed directly to the gender discrimination policies enacted by the Taliban’s Supreme Leader as the UN and NGOs in the country relied heavily on women to facilitate the various programs throughout the country.
- TALIBAN AGREES TO VISIT BY AUSTRALIAN WAR CRIMES INVESTIGATORS – Zabihullah Mujahid, chief spokesman for the Taliban told an Australian news agency that a team of Australian officials has been invited to the country to conduct an investigation over war crimes that are alleged to have been committed by Australian troops. Some are pushing back against the trip, saying it is a precursor to granting recognition. No dates for the team’s visit have yet been announced.
- SUPREME LEADER MEETS WITH PROVINCIAL EDUCATION DELEGATES – Many had hoped the meeting would signal an end to the ban on women’s education and that the long-awaited curriculum for girls would be approved. However, early reports suggest the meeting was mainly about status updates from the various regions and did not include any substantive discussion about the status of female students. Apparently, the decision to allow females back into the classroom will be made by religious scholars.
CONFLICT TRACKER
Nuristan: A sniper killed 1 Taliban security forces member in an operation targeting a Taliban camp in the Gamdish district. The operation took place at night.
Baghlan: A Taliban security checkpoint in Pul Khomri was attacked early yesterday night by an assault team of the Azadi Front. 2 Taliban were killed and 4 others wounded in the action.
NEXT 24 HOURS
REFUGEE POPULATION ALONG DURAND LINE OUTRAGED OVER PLAN TO RESETTLE THEM IN OTHER PROVINCES – While there is no discernible threat of violence in the next twenty-four hours, we feel it is important to warn at-risk Afghans after thousands of displaced persons living along the Durand Line found out they would be forcibly removed and sent to other parts of Afghanistan. Sources close to the situation say the refugees feel like they have been ‘sold out’ by the Taliban to appease Pakistan and the rumors circulating among many suggest they will be sent to the Northern Provinces in an effort to establish a larger Pashtun presence there. We believe the risk here is real in that, the area is considered to be one of the most heavily armed regions in all of Afghanistan. Many of the refugees in the area are said to have ties to the TTP and the source said that the concern raised by the Ministry of the Interior over possible defections to ISIS-K were waved off by Kandahar. Depending on when the displacement operation is put into effect, it is a near certainty that violence will ensue. Those at-risk Afghans living/working in the area should pay particularly close attention to announcements about the program’s implementation as that could provide a timely warning.
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