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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

Taliban Enforce Ban On Girls Over 10 From Attending Primary School In Afghanistan, Close Unapproved Private Universities

2023-08-07

Turning up the heat another notch under the pot.

[OutlookIndia] In a concerning development, local Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
officials in some provinces of Afghanistan have issued a new set of restrictions against female education, reportedly banning girls over the age of 10 from attending primary school classes. The directive from the Taliban-ruled Ministry of Education has sparked widespread concerns over women's rights and access to education in the country.

According to a report by BBC Persian, officials from the Taliban-ruled Ministry of Education held meetings with school principals and short-term training classes in Ghazni province. During these meetings, they explicitly conveyed that "any girl over 10 years of age is not allowed to study in primary schools."

This move comes after the Taliban had previously allowed education for girls up to the sixth grade. However,
it's easy to be generous with someone else's money...
now girls above the third grade are being sent home, and girls over 10 years old are prohibited from entering the school premises.

In some provinces, local authorities from the "Ministry for Preaching and Guidance" have also been involved in separating girls based on age, further exacerbating concerns over the future of female education in the region.

The Taliban's history of restricting women's education has intensified since the withdrawal of US and NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants...
-led forces in Afghanistan. Last year, the group banned girls from secondary education, reopening high schools for boys only. In December, they extended the ban to college and university-going women, imposing an indefinite restriction on university education for thousands.

Unapproved New Campuses of Private Universities Closed Down: MoHE

[ToloNews] The Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) said that additional campuses of private universities in capital Kabul and in the provinces, which were opened without coordination with the MoHE, were closed.

"The Ministry of Higher Education made the decision to improve and strengthen the laws and procedures of the ministry," said Ziah Hashimi, a front man for the MoHE.

Gul Rahman Qazi, head of a private higher education organization, said that the closure of additional branches of private universities will affect the country’s educational sector.

"In general, it does not benefit the society and the people. But as the government is responsible for the society and people, it doesn’t benefit the government either," he said.

Meanwhile,
...back at the revival hall, the pastor had finally been wrestled from the pulpit.
Y'got the wrong guy! he yelled just before Sergeant Malone's billy club landed...
the heads of private higher education called on the interim government to rescind their decision.

"One of the reasons for (additional campuses) is to attract more students from the area," said Bahram Bahri, head of a private organization of higher education.

Habibullah Baghlani, a university head, said that the interim government has the right to close campuses down if the university lacks a license for additional campuses.

"When it is investigated and found out that they lack a license, then they are right to close them," he said.

Earlier, the union of private universities said that the enrollment of students has dropped by 70 percent compared to before.

Link

Afghanistan

Taliban Detain and Torture Several, Including Women and Children, in Nawur, Ghazni Province

2023-08-04

[8am] Local sources in Ghazni province report that the Taliban
Taliban

...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
have engaged in a week-long spree of detentions, harassment, and torture of residents in the Nawur district of the province.

According to credible sources from the province on Wednesday, August 2, the Taliban have indiscriminately beaten and abused several individuals, including women and kiddies, in various areas of the Nawur district.

These sources state that Taliban fighters launched an unexpected attack on the village of Naw Qala-e Yakhshi in the Khwat area of Nawur district, where they beat several locals and took a man and two children, aged 11 and 13, with them.

The sources also claim that Taliban intelligence operatives attacked the Jungle Sukhta and Sarbukan areas of the district, employing violence against the people without any apparent reason.

Meanwhile,
...back at the shouting match, a new, even louder, voice was to be heard...
sources from Yakhshi and Mir Bacha villages in the Khwat region of the district have confirmed to the Hasht-e Subh Daily that the Taliban have subjected the residents of these regions to harassment and abuse in the past three days.

According to these affected individuals, they have made multiple attempts to approach local Taliban officials in the province to address the misconduct of their personnel, but their pleas have gone unheard.

It should be noted that prior to this, the Taliban had detained 17 residents of the Nawur district based on the orders of a nomadic (Kuchi) individual.

Link

Afghanistan

Brutal Beheading in Herat: Unidentified Assailants Claim the Lives of Nurse and Brother

2023-07-19

[8am] Local sources in 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...
province have reported a horrifying incident where unidentified individuals brutally killed a sister and her brother in the region.

This tragic event occurred on Monday, July 17th, on Haji Hashem Road, in the Khosh Gate area of Herat.

The identity of the victim, who worked as a nurse in the Herat provincial hospital, has not been disclosed.

According to the sources, the assailants first entered a house in this part of Herat city and then beheaded the two individuals.

As of now, the motive behind this incident remains unclear.

Local Taliban
Taliban

...mindless ferocity in a turban...
authorities have not provided any statement on the matter.

Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, mysterious killings, especially targeting healthcare workers, have increased in various provinces of the country.

“Did the Prophet Mohammed have healthcare workers? No, he did not! He drank camel piss and was grateful for it, and so should you!”

This marks the second case of a mysterious murder of a female healthcare worker in the past three months. Prior to this, on Tuesday, May 16th, the hanged body of a female nurse named Nazdana was found in Jaghori district, Ghazni province.

Could be the Taliban, could be ISIS, could be cranky male friends’n’relations engaging in a spot of honour killing... but it’s probably the Taliban.

Link

Afghanistan

Former Security Commander’s Son Arrested in Ghazni’s Qara-Bagh District

2023-06-05

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

...mindless ferocity in a turban...
have arrested the 13-year-old son of Ramazan Zirak, the former security commander of Qara-Bagh district in the previous government.

Thirteen is exactly the right age to start ‘em down the bacha bazi path, and the photo at the link shows a handsome young lad. With the added frisson of being the son of the enemy of the Taliban. What vile people they are, to be sure.

Sources from the province stated to Hasht-e Subh on Monday, June 4, that the Taliban detained this individual yesterday from Mr. Zirak’s home in Qara-Bagh.

Sources emphasize that the detained individual is currently being held in Taliban custody at the security command of this district.

According to sources, despite the repeated efforts of tribal elders, the Taliban have not yet released this child from captivity since yesterday.

The Taliban have also denied the family of this child permission to see him and have stated that he is under interrogation.

It should be noted that Mr. Ramazan Zirak left the country after the fall of the previous government, and his family resides in Qara-Bagh district.

Previously, the Taliban have consistently targeted and arrested family members of former government military personnel.

Link

Afghanistan

US Has Suspended Assistance Operations in Ghor: Miller

2023-05-27

[ToloNews] The US Department of State spokesperson said that Washington has suspended operations in Ghor province following "evidence of continued attempts by the Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
" to divert assistance.

I’m shocked. Not that the Taliban would steal it, but that the Biden administration would actually show some spine.

Speaking to news hounds in Washington D.C., the US State Department’s Spokesman Mathew Miller also said that the World Food Program halted distribution in two districts of Ghazni province from January to April, when local officials attempted to interfere in distribution.

"In April, another US government partner suspended activities in Uruzgan province after the Taliban issued demands to provide transportation support to Taliban representatives ... We have been very clear. We don’t provide funding for the Taliban and we have a very strict monitoring and compliance process in place for the partner with which we do work," he said.

"The Islamic Emirate has the control of the whole country. And there is no doubt that they also have access to this money," said Seyar Qureshi, an economist.

Miller said that the State Department and US Agency for International and Development (USAID) worked with all partners to provide basic needs assistance to the people of Afghanistan.

"The State Department and USAID continue to work with the World Bank, with the UN, with NGOs and other implementing partners and like-minded governments to provide humanitarian basic needs assistance to the people of Afghanistan. Not to the Taliban," Miller said.

This comes as the Ministry of Economy (MoE) said that the suspension of some aid by the US will damage Afghanistan.

"The suspension of aid will damage the people of Afghanistan and it will cause livelihood challenges and so we demand that the US release the money of the people of Afghanistan," said Abdul Latif Nazari, the deputy Minister of Economy.

"The reduction of aid by the US is kind of a pressure tactic on the Taliban and it can also be because of the lack of a formation of an inclusive government which is in favor of the US and West," said Sayed Masoud, an economist.

Earlier, speaking to the US House Oversight Committee, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconciliation (SIGAR) John Sopko testified that he cannot say whether the US assistance is currently not "funding the Taliban."

Link

Afghanistan

Appointed to Settle The pasture Dispute Between The Kochi and Hazara Communities in Southen Ghazni Province-Afghanistan

2023-01-02

[KhaamaPress] The previous government failed to end the grassland dispute between Kochi and Hazara
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...
ethnic groups.

A group of a delegation headed by acting Minister Mullah Noori has departed to Ghazni province to address the grassland dispute between Kochi and Hazara, the Official said on Sunday.

The delegation includes Mullah Noorullah Noori, Acting Minister for Tribal and border Affairs; Mowlavi Fazal Bari Fazli, acting deputy Minister for Agriculture, Haji Najib, acting director for General Directorate of Intelligence, Haji Khalifa, a representative for the Interior Minister, Mawlavi Obaidullah, Representative for Attorney General Office.

The Official asserted that the acting government saw conflict resolution as part of its mandate and would mobilize all resources to that end. Therefore, the delegation aimed to find a permanent solution in the Nawar District of Ghazni.

The grassland dispute has a long history between Pashtun nomad-Kuchis and Hazara ethnic groups. The Ghazni people expressed concern about the advancement of armed Kuchis in their agricultural land last year.

Several disputes existed in other parts of the Ghazni province, such as Malistan and Jaghori. In addition, a similar situation has been in other central provinces of Afghanistan, such as Maidan Wardak, Bamyan, and Ghor.

Although the local people have frequently sought the local authorities to fix the problems, there was no intention of doing so. The head of the deployed delegation hoped that the dispute would end soon if both sides cooperated with the delegations.

Pajhwok adds:

Mohammad Gul Kochi, representative of Kochi tribe, told Pajhwok Afghan News Hazara people often resort to violence and attacked Kochies over grassland dispute in Nawar district in the past years.

"During republic regime Hazara people on the direction of their elders Mohaqiq, Qasami and Changiz often attacked Kochies in which over 20 people were killed, scored injured and some were tortured."

Mohammad Mehdi, a tribal elder from Hazara ethnic group, said: "A mistake that the governor of Nawar district committed was the kidnapping of a woman from Kochi tribe and she was murdered after some time."

He added Hazara tribe collected 10 million afs and gave it to Kochi tribe as ransom money.

Civil society ~~activist ~~muppet~~~~ Sydullah Taraki said tribal and ethnic disputes cause insecurity and fighting adding that government should find permanent solution to such issues.

Nawar district is known for its massive grasslands, greenery, hillsides and beautiful weather. Past government dubbed Nawar as national park.

Link

Afghanistan

Taliban Destroy the Poppy Fields After Collecting the Harvest

2022-09-25

[Hasht-e-Subh Daily] Local sources in Ghazni report that the Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
destroyed the poppy fields after encamping and collecting opium sap in this province.

Local sources in Ghazni report that on Friday, September 23, the Taliban started destroying poppy fields in the Gilan district of this province, while they had already collected the crops two weeks ago.

According to sources, the local Taliban are involved in the planting, production, and trafficking of narcotics, and have dramatically destroyed harvested fields after collecting the harvest to avoid being criticized.

It is said that dozens of acres of land had been allocated for poppy cultivation this year under the nose of the Taliban without any fear, but receiving support from the local commanders in several districts of Ghazni province.

Meanwhile,
...back at the wrecked scow, Agent 49 felt gingerly for his head. It was still there. He had been hoping differently...
the Taliban’s anti-narcotics administration in Ghazni has announced the beginning of the campaign to destroy poppy fields in this province while they have already collected the products from the fields.

Destroying and complaining against poppy cultivation in this season of the year while the harvest is already collected and transported to the markets is nothing more than throwing dust in the eyes and playing politics.

Link

Afghanistan

The Taliban Makes Mullah Hibatullah’s Name Mandatory to Be Mentioned in Friday Prayer Sermon

2022-06-01

“May God bless and keep the Tsar... far away from us!”

—Fiddler On The Roof

[KhaamaPress] In a new directive, the Director of the Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
Hajj, Islamic Affairs and Endowments has ordered the preachers at the Ghazni congregational mosques that mentioning the name of Taliban leader Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzadah in the Friday prayer sermon is mandatory.

If the holy mans defy the order, officials from the Taliban Information and Culture Directorate for Ghazni province have warned that they will face serious consequences.

During a meeting at the Hajj, Islamic Affairs and Endowment Office on Monday, May 30, Mawlawi Abdul Manan Madani, the Director of the Hajj, Islamic Affairs and Endowment Office in Ghazni province, told the congregational mosque preachers and mullahs that the Taliban had already provided the text if they delivered a sermon.

The Taliban have issued mandatory orders with threatening warnings against various segments of the population, especially women, during their nine months in power.

The Taliban’s mandate to enforce the hijab, the forced covering of female performers, the denial of girls’ access to education, the torture of journalists, and the intimidation of former soldiers are among the things that have hampered the Taliban’s international legitimacy because they are flagrant breaches of human rights
...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty...
in the eyes of the UN and international community, as well as Human Rights Watch.

Link

Afghanistan

The Taliban in Kandahar Stops Arms and Ammunition from Being Smuggled into Pakistan

2022-05-30

[KhaamaPress] A man has been caught in Kandahar province in connection with weaponry smuggling to Pakistain, according to local Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
officials.

On Saturday, 28th of May, the Bakhtar state news agency stated that Taliban forces had discovered and apprehended a man who was attempting to smuggle a substantial quantity of weapons and ammunition through Spin Boldak.

Four Kalashnikovs, three M16s, three PK machine guns, 900 heavy machine gun bullets, 33 grenades, and other ammunition were discovered with the detainee, according to the report.

Taliban security officials in Ghazni province had previously announced the arrest of three people in connection with weapons smuggling into Pakistain.

Military equipment is alleged to have been smuggled out of Afghanistan and into neighboring countries, mainly Pakistain, following the fall of the Afghan government.

According to recent reports, US weaponry used in Afghanistan were transferred across Pakistain to Indian Kashmir
Kashmir

...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there....
. The weapons were discovered, according to reports, by Indian officials.

Link

Afghanistan

The Taliban in Ghazni Prevents the Smuggling of Weapons to Pakistan

2022-05-17

[KhaamaPress] Taliban
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
security officials in Ghazni province have announced the arrest of three people in connection with weapons smuggling to Pakistain.

The Taliban had identified and wanted the men as they tried to transport weapons to Pakistain in a truck, according to the state-run Bakhtar news agency, quoting the Taliban Interior Ministry.

According to the ministry, Taliban forces launched an operation in Ghazni province’s Qarabagh district to arrest two smugglers.

The Taliban has previously reported the arrest of Pak weapons smugglers.

Following the fall of the Afghan government, military equipment is said to have been smuggled to neighboring countries, particularly Pakistain.

It was recently reported that US weapons used in Afghanistan had been transported to Indian Kashmir
Kashmir

...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there....
via Pakistain. Indian officials are reported to have announced the discovery of the weapons.

Link

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