Recent Appearances...

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Recent Appearances...

Afghanistan

No More Terrorists: Why Russia Needs Afghanistan and the Taliban

2025-04-23

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Leonid Savin

[REGNUM] On April 7, at the request of the Prosecutor General's Office, the Supreme Court of Russia excluded the Afghan Taliban movement from the list of terrorist organizations. What will now change in Russia's relations with Afghanistan?

Islamic Emirate spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said : "We consider this step very important. In the future, Afghanistan and Russia will certainly establish good relations in the economic and diplomatic spheres. The Russian President is pursuing the right policy towards Afghanistan."

Right, until the Al Qaeda-linked jihadi groups supported and protected by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban) government hook up with their counterparts in Russia and start causing trouble; you go on feeling smug about putting one over on the West until then, guys. But when the next Beslan or Crocus City Hall mass attack happens, don’t come crying to us. Ditto for India, except about being smug — they think of thrmselves as pragmatically managing the Talibs, just like the Israelis were doing with Hamas until 10/7.

The news was long expected: Taliban delegations, despite their “forbidden status,” had previously regularly visited Russia to participate in all sorts of forums and meetings at a high political level.

Therefore, the formal recognition of the Taliban as a political force, just like the various ruling parties in other countries, acting within the framework of their sovereignty and deciding issues of their state and society, was only a matter of time.

And if we look at it from the pragmatic position of Russian interests, this time was lost. Since practically immediately after the expulsion of the US occupation forces, other major players quickly began working in Afghanistan, considering it as a promising place for the implementation of all sorts of projects.

For example, Chinese companies are already actively developing mineral deposits in Afghanistan. Oil and gas giant CAPEIC signed a 25-year oil production contract with the Taliban in early 2023, under which it will invest $150 million annually in the Afghan economy.

Iran is also actively developing cooperation, since it has a long border with Afghanistan, and Iran’s seaports are needed by Afghanistan for import-export operations.

TRANSPORT ROUTES
It is significant that just before the decision to change the status of the Taliban, a high-level Russian government delegation visited Afghanistan and met with the Taliban, in particular with the Minister of Public Works Ashraf Khakshenas.

It is known that, in addition to general issues of expanding economic and trade cooperation, the discussions included repairing the tunnel on the Salang Highway, building new tunnels in mountainous areas, and developing the Afghan railway network with the supply of relevant components and necessary equipment.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan has also shown interest in building railways, and the Afghan side has confirmed that it is interested in expanding ties with the Central Asian republics. And earlier, it was Kazakhstan that openly proposed removing the Taliban movement's status as a terrorist organization.

As for the Taliban's own interests, the Islamic Emirate plans to expand its railway network from Hairatan to Herat, and from there to Kandahar and Spin Boldak. This will connect Central Asia with South Asia, as well as Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Pakistan.

In general, the Taliban want to reduce Afghanistan's economic dependence on Iran and Pakistan. They currently use trade routes through these countries to organize imports and exports. Amajry part of Afghan commercial goods are transported from these countries to China.

Some neighboring countries use Afghanistan's trade dependence as a political tool, blocking trade routes during harvest time, for example, causing Afghan farmers millions of dollars in losses.

The Taliban's railway project is part of a broader plan to connect Afghanistan to China and Russia via Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. The new road would reduce Afghanistan's dependence on its neighbors while making the trade route faster and more cost-effective.

Currently, Afghan goods transported via Iran and Pakistan take at least 40 days to reach China, while the new route will reduce this time to 12-15 days. In addition, transportation costs will be reduced by 15-20%.

The Trans-Afghan Railway project, which will connect Pakistan and Uzbekistan, has been around for a long time. Back in February 2021, the three countries signed a roadmap in Tashkent for the construction of the Termez-Mazar-i-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar railway. After the change of power in Afghanistan, the Taliban also supported this initiative.

Using new logistics opportunities, Kazakhstan joined the work on the route through Afghanistan in 2024. But for now, cargo is transported by car through Afghanistan and Pakistan to the port in Karachi. After the railway line is put into operation, delivery will be significantly simplified.

In November 2024, at the international forum "Transport of Russia", it was announced that "the multimodal North-South route to Iran will be expanded by the eastern branch through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to Afghanistan. Then the route will go to the ports of Pakistan or India."

RUSSIAN INTEREST
In addition to cooperation with Afghanistan in the field of infrastructure projects, the extraction of various minerals seems promising. It was Soviet geologists who conducted research in this country in the 50s-70s, that is, even before the introduction of Soviet troops.

Last year, the research resumed and showed good results. It was noted that the samples of precious and rare earth metals showed an excess of the forecast. The Afghans have silver, gold, platinum, palladium, lithium, tantalum, niobium, cesium, rubidium, beryllium, cadmium in abundance...

Therefore, participation in the local mining industry may be quite attractive and promising for Russia.

Moreover, with the changing situation, energy cooperation also looks quite attractive.

In addition to the long-standing unrealized TAPI (Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India) gas pipeline project, there was also a gas pipeline project from Iran to Pakistan. But Islamabad suspended construction of its section due to force majeure.

Given the agreement between Russia and Iran on swap supplies, energy cooperation would also be useful for Moscow. Although in strategic planning, it is probably necessary to think about its own branches of gas and oil pipelines towards energy-vulnerable Pakistan via Afghanistan.

To this can be added the CASA-1000 energy network project for Central Asia, as well as the possibility of building nuclear reactors in the future.

In addition, cooperation between our countries in the field of security is of great importance.

On April 21, 2025, at an international conference in Baku, Director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin stated : “We are all aware of the important place of Afghanistan in the geopolitics of Greater Eurasia. This country has enormous potential as a link between the north and south, east and west of the continent. It is in the common interests of our states to promote restoration and prosperity on Afghan soil.”

And he added: “The information coming into the SVR allows us to say with confidence that the main problem is the desire of Western countries to maintain instability in Afghanistan in order to solve their own selfish geopolitical tasks. It is to Western, most often British, intelligence services that the threads of the terrorist attacks of the so-called “Vilayat Khorasan” * are drawn.

The terrorist organization in question is a local branch of ISIS*, which attracts those who are upset with the Taliban. The problem is that there is a kind of Pashtun nationalism within the Taliban, and for this reason, members of other ethnic groups who are prone to radicalization are readily recruited by ISIS*.

And then there are both terrorist attacks inside Afghanistan and their planning beyond its borders. And given the revealed connections with Western intelligence services, this factor seems extremely important.

Meanwhile, the “legal fork” still remains due to the fact that the UN continues to view the Taliban as an organization guilty of violating human rights, especially discrimination against women and religious minorities, in particular the country’s Shiite community.

Thus, the press secretary of the UN Secretary-General Stephane Dujarric, after Russia removed the Taliban movement from the list of terrorist organizations, stated that “this is a sovereign decision of the Russian Federation, the status of the Taliban movement in the UN, established by member states, remains unchanged.”

The Russian Foreign Ministry clarified that this step does not change Moscow’s commitment to UN Security Council sanctions against individuals and legal entities associated with the Islamic Emirate.

But the aforementioned sanctions are unlikely to be an obstacle to economic cooperation, since both Moscow and Kabul have learned to circumvent them using various mechanisms.

Link

Afghanistan

Islamic Emirate, Pakistani Forces Clash in Khost

2025-01-05

[ToloNews] Military festivities between the forces of the Islamic Emirate and Pakistain in Khost province
... across the border from Miranshah, within commuting distance of Haqqani hangouts such as Datta Khel and probably within sight of Mordor. Khost is populated by six different tribes of Pashtuns, the largest probably being the Khostwal, from which it takes its name...
ended this morning (Friday, January 3) after several hours.

According to local residents, the festivities began at 1:30 AM last night and continued until 5:00 AM.

Initially, Pak forces targeted the Alisher district of Khost with rocket attacks, and then the forces of the Islamic Emirate responded to these attacks.

The Islamic Emirate has announced that the festivities caused no casualties.

Some residents of Khost province have also criticized Pakistain’s attack on the Ali Sher district.

"Last night, at 1:30 AM, Pakistain launched rocket attacks, which Afghan forces defended against, and the festivities continued until 5:00 AM," said Hakeemullah, a resident of Khost.

"As a result of these festivities, people face numerous problems. Poor and impoverished individuals cannot afford transportation to the villages," said Dawlat Khan, another resident of Khost.

Verbal tensions and military festivities between Afghanistan and Pakistain are not new and have also occurred in the past.

The issue of Tehrik-e-Taliban
...Arabic for students...
Pakistain (TTP) has often overshadowed relations between the two sides.

Meanwhile,
...back at the argument, Jane reached into her purse for her .38...
political and military analysts believe Pakistain should resolve its issues with Afghanistan through diplomacy rather than confrontation.

"Pakistain is a close neighbor of Afghanistan, and it is necessary for this country to understand Afghanistan's current situation. Issues should be resolved through political, economic, and transit avenues via diplomatic channels," said Hadi Quraishi, a military analyst.

"These acts of violence and attacks yield no good results and bring nothing but hatred between the two nations," said Aziz Maarej, a former diplomat.

It is worth mentioning that on December 25, 2024, Pakistain carried out ~~Arclight~~ airstrike
<del>Arclight</del> airstrike

...KABOOM!...
s on parts of the Barmal district in Paktika
...which coincidentally borders North Wazoo and Kurram Agency...
province, which resulted in the deaths of over fifty local residents, including women and kiddies.

Link

Afghanistan

The removal of the Taliban from the list of terrorists does not suit everyone

2024-12-14

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.
by Kirill Semenov

[REGNUM] At a meeting on Tuesday, December 10, the State Duma adopted in the first reading a bill that provides for the possibility of excluding the Taliban movement (an organization under UN sanctions for terrorist activity) from the list of organizations banned in Russia.

The authors of the draft law (No. 778 284-8) were a group of parliamentarians, including senators Andrei Klishas, Andrei Yatskin and Yuri Fedorov, as well as deputies Vasily Piskarev, Andrei Lugovoy and Dmitry Vyalkin.

According to the draft law, “the ban on the activities of an organization included in the single federal list of organizations, including foreign and international organizations recognized as terrorist in accordance with Russian legislation, may be temporarily suspended by a decision of a Russian court based on an application by the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation or his deputy, if there is factual information that such an organization, after being included in the said list, has ceased carrying out activities aimed at promoting, justifying and supporting terrorism.”

Earlier, on November 25, the Afghan portal "Alemara" reported on the negotiations between the Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergei Shoigu in Afghanistan with the Afghan Deputy Prime Minister Abdul Ghani Baradar Akhund. Shoigu emphasized Russia's readiness to develop bilateral cooperation with Afghanistan, pointing to plans to exclude the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) from Russia's blacklist in order to strengthen political and economic ties.

Akhund, who oversees economic issues in the Taliban-formed government, noted that Afghanistan intends to “play a key role in strengthening the North-South Economic Corridor, as well as economic ties in the region.”

At the moment, it has become obvious that all concerns about the hypothetical expansion of the Taliban into neighboring countries have remained at the level of conjecture and speculation. The Taliban movement has demonstrated in practice that it intends to build good-neighborly relations with all its neighbors.

In addition, the Taliban have demonstrated that they are willing to take into account the interests of the minorities living in the country. This is especially noticeable with regard to the local Shia Hazaras, who have been given the opportunity to openly practice their version of Islam, build mosques and hold holidays, including in Kabul, while representatives of the Hazaras have received various positions in the IEA administration.

For Moscow, the positive attitude of the Afghan government towards Russia itself and its approaches to international affairs, including its approach to the CIS, certainly plays a role.

Afghans look with hope at the confrontation between Russia and the collective West, with the hope that Russia “ will be able to withstand this onslaught, this pressure, and will be able to achieve a revision of this unipolar world order.”

Therefore, it can be said that the Taliban have passed the probationary period that Moscow set for them regarding their exclusion from the terrorist lists.

The Taliban's continued "terrorist" status has slowed down the development of bilateral contacts between Moscow and Kabul. This has an impact on trade relations and makes it difficult for entrepreneurs who want to do business with Afghanistan to do so, due to concerns, even if hypothetical, of being prosecuted for justifying or financing terrorism.

ATTACK ON HAQQANI AMID RUSSIAN INITIATIVES
However, it is obvious that the prospect of removing the Taliban from the terrorist list and their rapprochement with Russia does not suit everyone.

This also applies to external forces hostile to Afghanistan and Russia, which have tried to show that the IAE's merits in the fight against terrorism are exaggerated, and that the Taliban are not fulfilling their obligations to suppress the activities of the ISIS (an organization whose activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation) Khorasan Velayat (ISIS-Kh) (an organization whose activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation).

It was precisely the achievements in the fight against this cell that were noted as an important indicator that the Taliban itself is not a terrorist force, but rather a counter-terrorist force.

But on Wednesday, the day after the Duma vote, a suicide bombing in Kabul killed Khalil Haqqani, the Taliban's acting minister for refugees and repatriation. He was a high-ranking member of the influential Haqqani family.

The incident marked the first killing of a serving minister since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021. Experts say the attack is a "declaration of war" by ISIS-K against the Haqqani family, but both external and internal opponents may be behind it.

This attack on the Haqqani family, against the backdrop of Russian initiatives, can also be seen as a challenge to the reformist wing of the Taliban led by this clan, which is behind many of the initiatives to get closer to Moscow.

The family's most influential representative, Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani, also held talks with Sergei Shoigu at the end of November.

Initially the most radical in the Taliban movement in matters of war and resorting to prohibited methods of waging it, Haqqani after its end turned out to be the most moderate in terms of state-building. It is with him that hopes are associated for a change in the internal policy of the Taliban.

It was Haqqani who was behind the amnesty of many members of the previous administration and tried to prevent reprisals.

His supporters also opposed the ban on female education.

In fact, because of Haqqani's position, a compromise system has essentially emerged in the country, where the so-called "Kandahar clique" from Emir Akhunzada's entourage is pushing forward more and more restrictive laws, but which, due to Haqqani's opposition to them, end up not being laws, but rather some kind of non-binding recommendations. Or loopholes appear in each of them, as in the issues of female education and employment, when in fact women can study in private schools for a fee or in religious schools for free, but the latter also provide for secular education.

Finally, the Haqqanists, unlike the Kandaharis, adhere to a more global agenda and, as noted by Russian observers who have been in contact with them, “like to talk” about multipolarity, which is why they more openly express their hopes for Russia’s success in the SVO.

SUCCESSES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM
However, despite the ongoing terrorist attacks, the Taliban's success in the fight against terrorism is hard to doubt. In fact, this became an important factor in the recognition of the Taliban and the removal of terrorist labels from the movement.

It is significant that the Americans, who spent 20 years trying to eradicate Osama bin Laden's brainchild in Afghanistan, were forced to acknowledge this success. But as soon as they left, the Taliban themselves solved this problem.

In particular, as Christie Abizaid, director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, stated on September 11, 2023, is in its historical decline in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and its revival is unlikely.”

The Taliban, despite the ongoing terrorist threat and isolated attacks, have been able to suppress ISIS-K activity in Afghanistan. After a significant increase in its activity due to the security vacuum created in parts of the country by the US withdrawal, the Taliban have changed this dynamic by denying the terrorists control over certain territories they were able to acquire by following the Americans fleeing the country.

Their activities were hit and their activity significantly reduced, which was noted in the relevant reports of international structures.

It is emphasized that the Taliban were able to conduct a successful campaign against ISIS-K and eliminated most of the sleeper cells that were ready to continue terrorist attacks in Afghan cities. After a surge in terrorist attacks in the first months after the Taliban came to power, their number is beginning to decline as a result of counter-terrorism measures by the IEA security structures.

In particular, in 2022–2023, the number of terrorist attacks and other attacks by ISIS-K has significantly decreased. If in the first year of the Taliban rule (2021–2022) there were 314 attacks and assaults, then in 2022–2023 there were only 69, that is, fewer than during any period of the group’s activity in Afghanistan since its emergence.

The Taliban's fight against ISIS is systemic and consistent, Khorasan itself is turning into a virtual province, and its connection with Afghanistan and the territory of Greater Khorasan is becoming more conditional, as stated in the UN report of January 2024.

As ISIS* researcher Aaron Zelin notes : “ Unlike most past cases of jihadist external operations, where basing was critical, a paradox occurred in which the Taliban’s Islamic Emirate effectively undermined much of the local capacity of the Khorasan Province in Afghanistan.”

At the same time, the main threat of ISIS-K now comes not from Afghans, but from citizens of Tajikistan. Rather, the reverse process of Tajiks moving to Afghanistan to participate in terrorist activities there is observed. Other citizens of the republic are drawn into ISIS-K activities through its cells in Iran and Turkey.

FIGHT AGAINST DRUG TRAFFICKING
Countering drug trafficking is another area where the Taliban have demonstrated success in their activities, which has also become an argument for removing the terrorist label from the movement.

The Taliban have already imposed a total ban on drug production and use in Afghanistan. They continue their campaign against the illegal drug industry, arresting drug addicts and drug dealers, and destroying opium poppy and cannabis fields. This has already led to a significant drop in production, but it also has a downside, hitting poor rural residents particularly hard.

In particular, the UN estimates that the cessation of opium poppy cultivation has affected the lives of almost seven million people.

According to a 2023 UN report, poppy cultivation in southern Afghanistan has declined by more than 80% as a result of Taliban campaigns to stop its use in opium production. For example, poppy cultivation in Helmand province has declined by 99%.

In November 2023, a UN report showed that poppy cultivation had declined by more than 95% across Afghanistan, stripping the country of its status as the world's largest opium producer.

Many farmers have switched to growing wheat or cotton, but they struggle to make ends meet. Developing agriculture will require more irrigation systems, cold storage facilities, and better roads. The Taliban does not have the budget to develop such infrastructure. Perhaps establishing economic ties with neighbors after sanctions are lifted will help to partially solve this problem.

Overall, the Taliban have managed to stabilize the economy somewhat. Afghanistan's foreign trade has fallen since they seized power. However, despite the decline in imports, most of the country's income now comes from taxes.

As experts note, the Afghan economy is no longer in a state of free fall and appears to be frozen in a precarious equilibrium, albeit at its lowest level.

Modest positive trends include lower inflation, exchange rate stability, some recovery in imports, more than a doubling of exports, stability or a slight increase in labor demand, and stable wages.

Link

Afghanistan

CHR - New Intel: Sources Report Terrorists in Afghanistan Taking A Page From October 7 Playbook

2024-10-29

[CatherineHerridgeReports] "The system is blinking red," a former special operator said. "No one wants to be in the room when the Afghanistan grenade goes off."

The new reporting underscores concern that terrorist groups, including Al Qaeda, are strengthening their foothold in Afghanistan.

DEEP DIVE
Vice President and now Presidential candidate Kamala Harris once boasted that when President Biden made the final call to pull US troops from Afghanistan she was the last person in the room.

Three years later, a recent UN report left no doubt Al Qaeda is building out its infrastructure in Afghanistan.

The UN monitoring team found, "Al-Qaida cells are operating in multiple Afghan provinces, mainly in the south-east of the country." And "While the Taliban have done much to constrain the activities of Al-Qaida and their affiliates...its reorganization and training activities, as well as new travel into Afghanistan, indicate that the group still uses Afghanistan as a permissive haven under the Taliban, raising questions about Al-Qaida’s intent."

Credible sources now describe footage that suggests small terrorist cells, primarily Al Qaeda, training with ultralights and paragliders in Afghanistan. The sources describe the terrorists as "taking a page from the October 7 playbook" by mirroring the tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) of the 2023 Hamas attack which killed more than 1200 people in Israel.

The raw intelligence and reports also describe operatives trained to build light aircraft and drones from "off the shelf" materials available in large home improvement stores. As described, the idea is not to export equipment from Afghanistan, but to build it once an operative is inserted near the target. These small cells apparently have cooperation from the Taliban who, in some cases, monitor training sessions.

The reporting comes through credible sources and I draw no conclusions about potential contact between al Qaeda and Hamas. As described, the most innocuous analysis is the footage was designed to boost morale among fighters and for fundraising.

Another intelligence stream details that in recent months an Al Qaeda operative traveled from Afghanistan to Saudi Arabia for financing, tasked with developing a weaponized drone capability for use against the US or its interests overseas.

That said, I understand the reporting has been shared at senior levels of the Defense Department, Homeland Security and likely CIA. They have the ability to investigate, to assess the credibility of the reports, and most importantly, they have a duty to warn.

My contacts say there is a sense of urgency among field agents and officers who are aware of the raw intelligence, but there is a "head in the sand" attitude at more senior levels. Multiple sources explained, "No one wants to turn over the Afghanistan rock."

The presence of these camps, and the threats they pose are amplified by the American military hardware that the Biden administration abandoned in Afghanistan. In 2021, reporters were told and the public was reassured that the equipment would fall into disrepair.

This has proven false. Images shared with our team from multiple sectors in Afghanistan suggest every level of the armed forces from police to military are leveraging our ballistic helmets, gloves, boots, optics, body armor and weapons.

By summer, as I pulled the threads on the Afghanistan story, the warnings became more alarming. NGOs and other groups who work with the US-based Afghan community voiced some of the deepest concerns. They were, understandably, reluctant to go on the record, fearing retaliation from the administration.

Intelligence is like a mosaic. Slowly the pieces fall into place. It is a partial picture at best, but it suggests a landscape that is beginning to mirror pre-9/11 Afghanistan. Twenty-three years ago, the safe haven in Afghanistan afforded al Qaeda the freedom to train, to recruit and to raise money for the 2001 terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans.

On Saturday, seeking comment, our team emailed the media contact for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which has oversight for the US intelligence community. When there was no response, and with the Sunday afternoon deadline approaching, we re-upped our questions adding the Defense Department, Homeland Security and CIA.

The DoD duty officer and a CIA spokesperson responded. Both said they could look into our query Monday. Our questions focus on intelligence community efforts to determine credibility of the intel, risk to national security and briefings to congressional committees with oversight, including armed services and intelligence.

One of the most famous chapters in the 9/11 Commission Report is called, "The System was Blinking Red." It contains the painful chronology and missed opportunities to disrupt the 9/11 hijackers in the summer of 2001.

"As (CIA Director) Tenet told us, ’The system was blinking red in the Summer of 2001.’ Officials were alerted across the world. Many were doing everything they possibly could to respond to the threats. Yet no one working on these late leads in the Summer of 2001 connected the case in his or her in-box to the threat reports agitating senior officials and being briefed to the President.."

Twenty-three years later, the warnings are there. Political sensitivities should not hinder efforts to acknowledge and disrupt emerging threats in Afghanistan.

The article below, published in 8am (Hasht-e Subh Daily), has been sitting, half-edited, for a while because I’ve been too busy with life to finish the job — and at roughly 3000 words it was easy to push off to later. But it relates to Joe of the Jungle’s submission so it’s time to share under his headline, even without doing all the work I intended. The acquisition was triggered by a Media Line piece linked by Grom the Reflective in September in comments:

Hamza bin Laden’s return: Al-Qaida’s revival in Afghanistan sparks global terror fears: Terror group leader's survival and resurgence could signify al-Qaida’s most significant revival since the Iraq War, leading to worry across the world.

Herewith the opening of the piece — the rest can be read at the link.

The Taliban Host Terrorist Groups: Four New Settlements Built for Al-Qaeda and TTP
30.June 2024
The Hasht-e Subh Daily has obtained information indicating that the Taliban are constructing a well-equipped base with residential houses for the al-Qaeda network in the Malekuddin area of Nawa district, Ghazni province. Additionally, they are building three settlements for the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in the Dasht-e Bagh-e Attar area of Qarabagh district, Dasht-e Kabuli area of Waghaz district, and Kotal-e Rouza on the outskirts of Ghazni city. These settlements, in addition to residential houses, also include large religious schools and equipped dormitories, with some nearing completion.

Simultaneously, TTP members have chosen specific areas in Ghazni for relocating their families, with plans to move there soon. One of the TTP factions relocating to Ghazni is led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a TTP commander who has carried out extensive attacks against the Pakistani military. Furthermore, the findings of this report indicate that Haji Furqan (Uighur), a commander of the East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) and a senior member of al-Qaeda, is residing in a guesthouse of Sirajuddin Haqqani in the Sherpur area of Kabul.

The findings from the Hasht-e Subh Daily in Ghazni province show that the Taliban are engaged in constructing four residential settlements with large religious schools and other security measures for the relocation of al-Qaeda and TTP members. According to the report, the construction of some of these settlements and religious schools in Ghazni is nearing completion. Information suggests that a settlement with a Madrasa in the Nawa district of Ghazni is being built for al-Qaeda, while the other three settlements are exclusively for TTP members and will soon be operational. The report also indicates that alongside the residential settlements, the Taliban have constructed large religious school buildings with all amenities, funded by the Haqqani network.

Link

Afghanistan

Taliban Oppression: 80 Arrested, 38 Executed in One Month

2024-09-29

[8am] Despite their promises of a general amnesty, the Taliban
Taliban

...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
continue to arrest former military personnel and civilians. In September 2024, they arrested around 81 people across 18 provinces and executed more than 25 individuals in 13 provinces. Some of these killings have been attributed to unidentified gangs. Among those executed, 14 were killed by Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
— Khorasan Province (ISKP) at the Daykundi-Ghor border. The victims included former military personnel and civilians, accused of various offenses. The Taliban detained individuals for spreading critical content, being affiliated with anti-Taliban fronts, shaving their beards, or having ties to ISKP or the "Hizbut Tahrir
...an al-Qaeda recruiting organization banned in most countries. It calls for the reestablishment of the Caliphate...
" group. These figures, based on reports from the Hasht-e Subh Daily, suggest that due to widespread repression and censorship, the actual number of executions and imprisonments may be higher.

In September 2024, 25 people were executed in Takhar, Ghor, Ghazni, Nangarhar
The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country..
, Faryab, Daykundi, Khost, Badakhshan, Nuristan, Laghman
...Afghan province with a population of about 445,600, which is multi-ethnic and mostly a rural society. During the invasions of Alexander the Great, the area was known as Lampaka, wich is apparently Olde Macedonian for Laghman.The city of Mihtarlam serves as the bucolic capital of the province. The population is half Pashtun, the remainder Tadjik and Pashai. It had a repution for great wealth until it was conquered in the tenth century by Abu Mansur Sabuktigin.

He conquered it and set fire to the places in its vicinity which were inhabited by infidels, and demolishing the idol-temples, he established Islam in them, He marched and captured other cities and killed the polluted wretches, destroying the idolatrous and gratifying the Musulmans. After wounding and killing beyond all measure, his hands and those of his friends became cold in counting the value of the plundered property.

After that it was mostly notable for the production of dirt, rocks, and holy men...
, and Balkh provinces. Of these, around 15 killings were attributed to unidentified gangs, but sources and relatives of the victims accused the Taliban of being responsible. Additionally, 13 Hazara
...a grouping of Dari-speaking people of Sino-Tibetan descent inhabiting Afghanistan and Pakistain. They are predominantly Shia Moslems and not particularly warlike, which makes them favored targets...
s from Daykundi were executed near the Ghor border, along with a Sunni resident from Ghor who was passing through the area. ISKP grabbed credit for the attack.

Last week, the Taliban shot six people in Takhar province and displayed their bodies in a market in the Baharak district center. Local sources reported that the Taliban left the bodies on public display in "Qayoom Bazaar" in Baharak district on Friday, September 20, for several hours. The group did not provide details about the victims’ identities, but sources claimed that the Taliban executed them on charges of theft.

Before these six executions, the Taliban killed Amanullah, a former local police commander of the previous government, in Rustaq district, Takhar province. Sources stated that the Taliban shot Amanullah, the leader of former local uprisings, in the village of Sarjoy as he was returning home.

The Taliban’s campaign of civilian killings continues, with reports of them brutally murdering a student in Ghor province. Sources say Kamaluddin Nizami, an accounting student at a university in Shiraz, Iran, had returned to Ferozkoh, the capital of Ghor, for the holidays. Taliban intelligence tortured him for three days before killing him.

In Badakhshan province, sources report that the Taliban’s head of education in Ishkashim district killed a teacher. The victim, Wali Mohammad Mosamim, taught mathematics and was about to be appointed as the district’s head of education. However,
today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday...
a Taliban official killed him in his office, according to sources.

Since the Taliban’s takeover, extrajudicial, serial, and mysterious killings have surged. After many of these incidents, sources and victims’ relatives often accuse the Taliban, though the group frequently blames unidentified gangs while also claiming they have established nationwide security.

In the past month alone, three individuals were killed in Ghor, a former military member in Babaji district, Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
province, a former security officer in Faryab province, a man and a woman in Shahristan district, Daykundi province, a young man in Mandol district, Nuristan province, another young man in Faryab province, the head of the previous government’s Directorate of Transportation in Nangarhar province, a student in Khost province
... across the border from Miranshah, within commuting distance of Haqqani hangouts such as Datta Khel and probably within sight of Mordor. Khost is populated by six different tribes of Pashtuns, the largest probably being the Khostwal, from which it takes its name...
, a teacher in Mazar-e-Sharif, Balkh province, a man in Rashidan district, Ghazni province, a young man in Laghman province, and a driver in Kunduz. The Taliban attribute these attacks to unidentified gangs, but sources accuse the Taliban of being responsible for most of these killings.

ARRESTS OF FORMER MILITARY PERSONNEL AND CIVILIANS BY THE TALIBAN
The Taliban have arrested a former military officer in Baghlan province, two former security forces members in Kabul, and one other individual in Nangarhar province. While the group offers no explanation for these arrests, sources close to the detainees report that the Taliban frequently target former military personnel, often accusing them of being involved in anti-Taliban activities as part of their broader Dire Revenge against those who once opposed them.

In addition to former security forces, the Taliban have arrested civilians and former ~~babus~~ government employees on various charges. Over the past month, they have detained around 65 individuals for reasons ranging from alleged collaboration with the National Resistance® Front of Afghanistan to shaving their beards, clashing with nomads, publishing satirical content, and criticizing the Taliban. Many detainees were coerced into making confessions. The Taliban have also arrested some of their own members on charges of affiliation with Islamic State — Khorasan Province (ISKP), as well as members of the "Hizbut Tahrir" group.

Reports show these arrests took place in Kabul, Takhar, Nangarhar, Ghazni, Herat
...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns...
, Panjshir, and Baghlan, and the whereabouts of many detainees remain unknown. Sources confirm that the families of those arrested are unaware of their relatives’ locations, and the Taliban have provided no further information. It has been reported multiple times that the Taliban arrest individuals on various pretexts, demanding money or weapons for their release.

In recent weeks, the Taliban have detained three civilians in Baghlan, four in Takhar, 25 in Ghazni, 17 in Panjshir, 15 in Badghis, and three in Herat. Although the Taliban regime employed some of these individuals after being hired during the previous government, the group has given no reasons for the arrests, which appear arbitrary. Sources claim many detainees have been tortured and coerced into making confessions.

INTERNAL PURGES AND ALLEGATIONS OF ISKP AFFILIATION
The Taliban are grappling with severe internal divisions, leading to multiple festivities among their commanders and fighters across various provinces. These confrontations have escalated into the use of both light and heavy weapons. Amid rising tensions, the Taliban have arrested several of their fighters in some provinces, accusing them of belonging to the Islamic State — Khorasan Province (ISKP).

On Saturday, September 14, sources informed Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Taliban arrested seven of their members on charges of collaborating with ISKP. According to these sources, the arrests targeted individuals within the Taliban’s military ranks, reflecting the group’s ongoing concerns about ISKP infiltrators in their ranks.

Taliban intelligence forces also arrested Amirjan Fouladi, a former military officer, in Bamyan province and transferred him to an undisclosed location. Fouladi’s family has not been informed of his whereabouts. Sources indicate he had recently served as the "Plan and Operations Manager" for the Taliban police command.

For over three years, the Taliban have openly supported commanders and fighters accused of crimes. When a video leaked showing a Taliban commander in Takhar province committing sexual assault, the group arrested the person who filmed the incident, not the perpetrator.

In addition, members of "Hizbut Tahrir," who previously collaborated with the Taliban before their rise to power, have also faced arrests. On Thursday, August 22, Taliban intelligence in Takhar province detained several members of the group in Kalafgan district, rejecting mediation attempts by local elders. The Taliban had previously arrested other members of this ideological group.

Meanwhile,
...back at the cheese factory, all the pieces finally fell together in Fluffy's mind...
the UN Secretary-General recently presented a quarterly report on Afghanistan to the UN Security Council, revealing that between May 14 and July 31, 2,127 security incidents were recorded, marking a 53 percent increase from last year. The report also highlighted the ongoing torture, arrests, and killings of former military personnel, despite the Taliban’s promise of general amnesty. The arrest and killing of former government military personnel continue unchecked.

Link

Afghanistan

On issues of recognition of the Taliban

2024-04-11

Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited.

Commentary by Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin.
[ColonelCassad] Regarding questions about recognition of the Taliban:

1. The Taliban did not say a single bad word about Russia after February 24, 2022.

2. The Taliban have not committed a single terrorist attack on Russian territory.

3. The Taliban is ready to trade with Russia and does not care about the West in general and sanctions in particular.

4. The Taliban does not supply weapons and ammunition to Ukraine.

5. The Taliban kills ISIS terrorists on their territory and persecutes those who served the pro-American regime.

6. The Taliban have, in practice, seriously reduced the production of heroin and other types of drugs in Afghanistan.

That’s during even years. During odd years, they require Afghan farmers to grow the stuff, same as they did their first time in power.

7. The Taliban is ready to be part of economic corridors in the interests of China, Russia and Iran.

8. The Taliban is ready to provide access to the development of its mineral resources (China is already doing so).

9. The Taliban do not demonstrate any intentions to expand into Central Asia.

Among the disadvantages of the Taliban at the moment:

1. Insufficient representation of all key peoples of Afghanistan in the government.

Not something likely to change, since they’re about Allah’s business over there.

2. The presence of radical groups within the Taliban, including those associated with Western intelligence services and Pakistani intelligence.

Which Western intelligence services? Show your work. Otherwise, see #1.

3. Too strict a policy towards women - both in matters of their education and in matters of their punishment.

See #1.

4. Insufficient control over semi-autonomous clans on the borders of Iran and Pakistan.

Overall, the pros already outweigh the cons.

Link

Afghanistan

Resurgent al-Qaida training camps latest black eye from Biden Afghanistan withdrawal

2024-02-25

[JustTheNews] UN report claims al-Qaida now has eight training camps in Taliban-controlled country.

Two reports released just days apart are providing stark new evidence of the lasting consequences of President Joe Biden’s bungled withdrawal from Afghanistan and his administration’s dealings with the Taliban ever since.

The United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team reported late last month that the terrorist group al-Qaida, though weakened from its heyday in the early 2000s, has reconstituted as many as eight training camps and five religious training schools known as madrassas on Afghan soil under the Taliban’s rule while also increasing its propaganda operations and recruitment.

“The relationship between the Taliban and Al-Qaida remains close, and the latter maintains a holding pattern in Afghanistan under Taliban patronage,” the report stated bluntly. “Regional States assess that the presence of Al-Qaida senior figures in the country has not changed and that the group continues to pose a threat in the region, and potentially beyond.”

You can read the full report here.

While the UN report blamed the Taliban for its hosting of al-Qaida, the Biden administration continued to send massive humanitarian dollars to the Afghan regime, in many cases through the UN and global charities, according to a separate report from an American watchdog.

John Sopko, the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, reported a few days after the UN report was issued that the United States accounted for all but $300 million of the $2.9 billion in humanitarian aid sent to the Taliban since the withdrawal of American troops in August 2021. Most of it, he noted, came in cash.

“The U.S. is the largest international donor, having provided about $2.6 billion in funding for the UN, other PIOs, and NGOs operating in Afghanistan since August 2021,” the report noted. “More than $1.7 billion of that funding came from State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to support humanitarian activities.”

You can read Sopko's report here.

Experts said the flow of cash to help the Taliban while it allows al-Qaida to flourish sends a dangerous message to bad actors, and much of it is routed through the very UN that issued the report.

“America is the biggest funder of this thing. So the United States taxpayer is disproportionately on the hook paying for these activities,” former Deputy National Security Adviser Victoria Coates said recently.

And coupled with the billions in high-tech weaponry Biden left behind in Afghanistan, the dynamic is creating heartburn in Congress.

“This administration has a history of giving money to terrorist organizations, abandoning $80 billion worth of military equipment in Afghanistan so the Taliban can run around with our M4s and our Blackhawks, and all of our equipment. They have an American last agenda,” Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., told the Just the News, No Noise television show last week.

The Taliban, of course, claims it does not harbor al-Qaida and that the UN report was “propaganda.”

"There is no one related to al Qaeda in Afghanistan, nor does the Islamic Emirate allow anyone to use the territory of Afghanistan against others," the Taliban said in a statement.

But U.S. officials told Just the News they have significant intelligence of al-Qaida’s presence and reconstitution inside Afghanistan since the Taliban overthrew the democratically elected government as U.S. troops were withdrawing in 2021.

They noted that when U.S. drones killed al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in 2022, he was living inside a Taliban Cabinet member’s guest house in Kabul’s diplomatic district.

U.S. officials added they are concerned by al-Qaida’s resilience, especially since American intelligence efforts have less visibility inside Afghanistan since the bungled withdrawal.

The UN report, culled from intelligence from its various member nations, said that while al-Qaida does not have the capability to command and conduct long-range terror attacks like 9/11 right now, it is clearly showing signs of expansion and regional reach after years of diminishment from the Bush to the Trump years.

“Al-Qaida was reported to have established up to eight new training camps in Afghanistan, including four in Ghazni, Laghman, Parwan and Uruzgan Provinces, with a new base to stockpile weaponry in the Panjshir Valley,” the report said. “Some camps might be temporary.

“Five Al-Qaida madrasas operate in Laghman, Kunar, Nangarhar, Nuristan and Parwan Provinces,” it added. “The group maintains safe houses to facilitate the movement between Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Provinces of Herat, Farah and Helmand, with additional safe house locations in Kabul.”

Equally troubling, the Islamic State terrorist group is also showing resiliency in several regions of the world, particularly Afghanistan, the UN warned.

“Member States assessed that, despite the recent loss of territory, casualties, and high attrition among senior and mid-tier leadership figures, ISIL-K continued to pose a major threat in Afghanistan and the region,” it noted.

Link

Afghanistan

Taliban execute two murderers by machine-gunning them through the spine in front of thousands of spectators at football stadium

2024-02-22

[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Taliban authorities publicly executed two men convicted of murder today by machine-gunning them through the back in front of a crowd of spectators.

Both men were executed by multiple gunshots to the back in Ghazni city after Supreme Court official Atiqullah Darwish read aloud a death warrant signed by Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

'These two people were convicted of the crime of murder... after two years of trial in the courts of the country, the order has been signed,' Darwish said.

Thousands of men gathered in the stadium to witness the execution.

Families of the convicted men's victims were present and were asked if they wanted to grant the condemned a last-minute reprieve but they declined.

Public executions were common during the Taliban's first rule from 1996 to 2001.

Thursday's executions are believed to be the third and fourth death penalties meted out since the Taliban authorities returned to power.

The first two had also been convicted of murder.

There have been regular public floggings for other crimes, however, including theft, adultery and alcohol consumption.

The previous execution was carried out in June 2023, when a convicted murderer was shot dead in the grounds of a mosque in Laghman province in front of some 2,000 people.

Many governments, international organisations and aid agencies cut off or severely scaled back their funding for Afghanistan in response - causing a serious knock to the already struggling economy.

The Taliban government has also barred girls and women from high schools and universities, banned them from parks, funfairs and gyms, and ordered them to cover up in public.

Link

Afghanistan

Taliban Close Gates of Two Private Schools in Ghazni Due to ‘Shaved Beards of Educators’

2023-10-04

Taliban Close Gates of Two Private Schools in Ghazni Due to “Shaved Beards of Educators” @HashteSubhDaily https://t.co/ec9GppDXxh pic.twitter.com/ufr6UvVz3f
— Hasht E Subh English (@8AM_Media) October 3, 2023

Link

Afghanistan

Daily Evacuation Brief October 2 - 3, 2023

2023-10-03

[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS

TALIBAN INTELLIGENCE DEPARTMENT REPORTEDLY HACKED – According to several online anti-Taliban outlets, the General Directorate of Intelligence in the Ministry of the Interior has been hacked and a steady stream of documents is already being leaked online. One of the outlets on X (formerly Twitter), called @TalibLeaks began releasing some of the official-looking correspondence between Taliban agencies yesterday. The group says they have hundreds of communication documents and plans to begin circulating them on Telegram soon. A source in Kabul says the hack was extensive and the Minister for the Interior has directed the GDI to use ‘misinformation’ to attempt to control the damage that may be coming. The source said that some of the leaks include documents in both Pashto and Chinese that detail security discussions between Chinese advisors and the Ministry of the Interior. It is thought that these documents could be embarrassing to China. Some of the leaked documents put on display show a heavy reliance on written communication by GDI agents and there is speculation that the agency lacks personnel who are familiar with technology.

FORMER AFGHAN ARMY SPECIAL FORCES REPUTEDLY READY TO SUPPORT THE NATIONAL RESISTANCE FRONT – A video circulating on social media that has been attributed to the leadership of the remaining elements of the Afghan Special Forces under the Republic states that remnants of the organization have joined the NRF and will operate in Kandahar, Helmand, Ghazni, and Maidan Wardak. Estimates of the troop strength available in the country vary widely from a few hundred to well over one thousand. If this information is true, it represents a definite increase in the capabilities available to the NRF and likely a morale boost as well.

RECENTLY ANNOUNCED YOUTH PROGRAM WILL ONLY FOCUS ON MALES – A new program that is being bandied about by the Ministry of Information and Culture promises to ‘reform’ how the youth of Afghanistan can negotiate the difficult economic situation in the country. However, a source in Kabul says the program will only be offered to males and will primarily focus on orienting youth to approach their professional careers with an ‘Islamic mindset’. The man in charge of the program, Deputy Minister of Youth Mohammad Yunus Rashed reportedly has no record of academic or business experience. The source said the program is akin to the ‘religious training’ provided to Taliban military recruits which consumes roughly 80% of a Taliban recruit's basic training. Rashed has caged the program as a means of repairing the damage done to Afghanistan’s youth during the 19-year occupation by foreign troops.

CONFLICT TRACKER

Kunduz A relatively new resistance group, the Basij National Front, announced it has launched an ambush of a Taliban convoy in the Ali Abad district. The BNF claims to have killed 1 Tqliban fighter and wounded an additional 2 fighters in the action.

NEXT 24 HOURS

POSSIBLE TROUBLE BREWING IN BAMYAN – Several reports have surfaced that indicate the ‘nomads’ who have been resettled in the Province have continued to threaten the Hazara population and recently cut down several trees near a school in the Vers District and then threatened Hazara leaders who attempted to intervene with threats of violence. Previous clashes have been reported between Hazara communities and Kuchi tribesmen since mid-2022. The Taliban have intermittently intervened on both sides of these disputes and have sometimes found themselves being threatened by one side or the other. While no direct threat has been received in Bamyan, recent history dictates taking a cautious approach and at-risk Afghans residing in the District should take care to avoid potential hotspots between these groups.

Daily Evacuation Brief | October 2, 2023

[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS

DISSECTING THE TALIBAN FOREIGN MINISTER’S STATEMENT AT THE MOSCOW FORMAT – At the conclusion of the Moscow Format meeting, Minister of Foreign Affairs Muttaqi read out a statement to the attendees which attempted to address concerns that have continued to be raised about the de facto regime’s governance over 2022-23. The statement paints a very heroic picture of the Taliban’s quest to assume leadership of the country. Some of the criticisms leveled at the US and international community are completely valid but several of the claims he makes are questionable. While not absolving Russia from blame during the Soviet occupation, Muttaqi chose to focus on the last twenty years as the main culprit behind Afghanistan’s weakened state. It is important to note that many of the chief concerns voiced by other states in attendance at the meeting were not directly addressed. We felt it would be valuable to list the issues that Muttaqi specifically chose to bring up:

Security is Restored - This point has been debated by analysts and observers virtually from the day the Taliban took power. While the regime enjoyed a brief honeymoon period events over the last two years do not seem to indicate that citizens feel a sense of security. Likewise, neighbor states have never deviated from assertions that the security situation in Afghanistan is a major concern.

Open to Investment - This point is strongly related to the first, but we agree that the Taliban have attempted to foster an ‘investment friendly’ environment. Provided one is a male.

Eradicating the Drug Trade - While poppy cultivation has certainly been curtailed, it is not clear how effective the Taliban’s anti-narcotics operations have been. Neighboring states (Tajikistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, et al) have continued to intercept sizable drug shipments that were said to have emanated from within Afghanistan. A new report suggests that methamphetamine production has now supplanted opium and is being sent across borders in increasing quantities.

Foreign Engagement Increasing - Muttaqi claimed that political and diplomatic engagement has increased substantially over the previous two years. He emphasized that regional states have been instrumental in this regard. China’s appointment of a new ambassador was trotted out and held up as a model for other countries to follow. Muttaqi gives the impression that his Ministry is somehow responsible for achieving this ‘quasi’ recognition. However, the record clearly shows that most of the diplomatic engagement with neighbors and others has been prompted by crisis situations. The Taliban regime remains an outlier in the international community and clearly does not have a seat at the table among regional states.

Tourists, Journalists, Diplomats, and Aid Workers Freely Roam Afghanistan - This is another point that is hard to evaluate. There have been constant assertions from the Taliban that tourists have begun coming to the country in the tens of thousands but it is difficult to substantiate these claims. Most reports from those who have visited/worked in Afghanistan under the Taliban rule are not encouraging and suggest that very few are able to ‘roam freely’ in the country.

POLICE ROUND UP APPROXIMATELY 800 AFGHANS IN ISLAMABAD – In an unprecedented operation, Pakistani police began a major roundup of Afghan citizens in Islamabad that netted approximately 800 people. According to news reports, more than half of the Afghans who were brought in were determined to possess legal documentation and were allowed to go free. Roughly 370 lacked passports and were said to be marked for deportation. The police operations were reported in the following neighborhoods: Bahara Kahu, Tarlai, Meherabadaiyan, Golra, and Kalani Shams. There are conflicting reports from many of those who were arrested over what documents were checked to verify legal status in Pakistan. Most said that the possession of a valid passport was enough to gain their release. However, others said they had their visas scrutinized. We have confirmed that some of those picked up in the operation were released with expired visas and were told by police that new applications would need to be made or they could be deported. We are waiting for additional information from sources and contacts in Pakistan to determine if this activity will continue and for clarity on what Pakistani authorities are looking for with regard to ‘legal’ status.

MINISTER FOR HIGHER EDUCATION SAYS MEN AND WOMEN NOT EQUAL – During a conference at Baghlan University, the acting Minister, Neda Mohammad Nadim, said “A male is the ruler, he has the authority, he must be obeyed, and the woman must accept his word.” While the Minister has attempted to portray himself as a sometimes moderate, his words clearly enunciate the Deobandist school of thought so prevalent among the Taliban’s senior leadership ranks. Some leaders from the former regime used the Minister’s words to cast doubt on previous remarks that ‘a curriculum for female students’ was in development.

NEXT 24 HOURS

PAKISTAN ROUNDUPS – We are advising all at-risk Afghans in Pakistan to avoid going out of their residences for the next few days. It is not currently clear how long, or how widespread this new policy will be enforced. We encourage evacuating groups to maintain contact with their people in Afghanistan on a daily basis if at all possible. If one does have to leave a residence, they should make sure others know where they are going and carry their documents with them (digital photos at a minimum).

Link

Afghanistan

Brutal Taliban Torture Campaign Unleashes Fear in Ghazni Province; Locals Forced into Mountain Hideouts

2023-09-30

[8am] Local sources in Ghazni province have reported that Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
fighters subjected several residents of Nawur district to "horrific" torture.

Sources confirmed to Hasht-e Subh on Saturday, September 30, that over the past week, Taliban fighters brutalized inhabitants of the Khawat, Jerghay, and Boregai areas in Nawur district, demanding that they surrender "weapons or money for weapons" to the group.

According to these sources, the Taliban fighters subjected a local doctor to extreme torture, leaving him in a "critical condition."

Presently, dozens of families have abandoned their homes and sought refuge in the mountains due to fear of the Taliban.

Sources add that at least two families have paid the equivalent of purchasing four firearms to the Taliban for their release from the "Taliban’s torture."

According to reports, most residents of Nawur district lack any military background or affiliation with the previous government.

Notably, a few weeks ago, Taliban fighters coerced residents of three villages in Nawur district, who had been imprisoned for 40 days, into paying a fine of five million Afghanis to a nomad.

Link

Afghanistan

Taliban’s Disruption of Aid Programs Push Hazaras To the Brink

2023-09-28

[KabulNow] Residents in Afghanistan’s central Daikundi province accuse the Taliban authorities of misappropriating foreign aid assistance from Hazara-populated areas to the ones they prefer.

Unexpectedly.

Ali Daryab, an activist in Daikundi, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, said that the Taliban have diverted aid to Pashtun areas in the neighboring provinces, such as Ghazni and Uruzgan.

Jan Mohammad, also an alias, a resident of the provincial capital Nilli, said that the Taliban’s governor, Aminullah Obaid has distributed ration cards to Pashtuns, mostly Taliban fighters, who move into Nilli from other areas only to receive assistance, including cash handout, and then return to their original homes.

Link

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