Recent Appearances...

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Hello !
Recent Appearances...

Mullah Abdullah Zabulwal

Taliban

Afghanistan

20031112

Afghanistan

Taliban and Ethnic Discrimination: Uzbeks Frustrated with Symbolic Role in Taliban Regime

2024-10-11

I suppose I’d feel more sympathy were they not so eager to be part of the freaking Taliban government.
[8am] Many Uzbek citizens in Afghanistan argue that the Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
’s ethnic biases have excluded them from political power, denying them a meaningful role in national decision-making. They criticize the Taliban’s mono-ethnic regime, which they claim has failed to provide any significant benefits to Uzbeks over the past three years. Instead, they say, the Taliban have forced competent Uzbek leaders and representatives out of the country through threats and coercion. Even Uzbeks who supported the Taliban and fought as commanders or fighters against the former republic and foreign forces now hold no authority in political, economic, or social matters, serving only symbolic roles within the group. The former deputy of the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
’s special envoy to Afghanistan noted that these actions have prompted influential Uzbek figures to seek opportunities to form an independent force against the Taliban.

Tamkin, a 43-year-old Uzbek from Balkh province, shared her views with the Hasht-e Subh Daily on the Taliban’s discriminatory treatment of ethnic groups in Afghanistan. She said the Taliban have denied Uzbeks any political power. "The Taliban’s behavior has shaped perceptions to the point that when their regime is mentioned, only the Pashtun ethnicity comes to mind. High-ranking government positions, from ministries to even minor departments, are all dominated by Pashtuns. Uzbeks are overlooked, both in terms of ethnicity and the talent and qualifications of their youth and elders."

Tamkin added, "The Taliban should have learned from their previous rule, avoided repeating past mistakes, and formed a government where the Afghan people could see their qualified representatives in leadership positions, supporting the establishment of an Islamic government." He pointed out that the country is now under the control of a mono-ethnic regime, with other ethnic groups in Afghanistan not supporting it.

Mohammad Rozi, an Uzbek resident of Samangan province, echoed these sentiments, stating that the Taliban have done nothing to improve the lives of Uzbeks over the past three years. "The Taliban have not served the Uzbek people in any way. They threatened our elders, forcing them to flee the country, and made no positive contributions to education or higher learning. Uzbeks who fought alongside the Taliban against the republic and foreign forces now feel powerless and alienated under their rule," he said. He further added, "This government lacks legitimacy and cannot be called inclusive. Our country needs a truly inclusive government where all ethnic groups participate in national decision-making, leading Afghanistan toward progress and prosperity."

Uzbek dissatisfaction stems from the Taliban’s creation of a mono-ethnic government that has, over the past three years, fueled ethnic tensions and excluded other groups from political power, decision-making, and the pppcountry’s development. Many influential Uzbek representatives have been forced into hiding or exile outside Afghanistan.

Additionally, according to a report by the Middle East Research Institute (MERI), Uzbeks make up less than 3% of Taliban officials and hold no decision-making power, serving only symbolic roles in the regime.

In an interview on Monday, September 25, Michael Semple, the former deputy of the EU’s special envoy to Afghanistan, stated that the Taliban are using Uzbeks in Afghanistan as "tools of war and cannon fodder." He explained that the Taliban use Uzbeks in symbolic roles to claim their government is inclusive falsely. "The Taliban neither grant Uzbeks privileges nor share power with them, and they do not value them. The presence of Uzbeks in high government positions has steadily diminished," he said. Semple added that some influential Uzbeks critical of the Taliban are seeking opportunities to form an independent force against the group.

Semple’s remarks came shortly after the recent departure of Salahuddin Ayubi, an Uzbek Taliban commander, from the group. In 2022, Ayubi was appointed by the Taliban’s Supreme Leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, as the police chief of Zabul province.

Ayubi played a key role in the Taliban’s capture of Afghanistan’s northern provinces and was one of the first individuals to enter Kabul after the fall of the republic, seizing the Presidential Palace. The Taliban have yet to comment on his departure.

Meanwhile,
...back at the cheese factory, all the pieces finally fell together in Fluffy's mind...
Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum
...ethnic Uzbek warlord who distinguished himself fighting the Soviets and the Taliban. The story that he had a bad guy run over with a tank is an exaggeration. It was an armored personnel carrier...
, the leader of the National Islamic Movement of Afghanistan, currently in ~~The Sick Man of Europe~~ Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire...
, recently called for the formation of a parallel government to oppose the Taliban. He urged exiled Afghan political parties to unite and save Afghanistan from what he describes as the "Taliban occupation."

Link

Afghanistan

ISIS Claims Responsibility for Attack on Daikundi Residents

2024-09-15

[8am] The 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....
(ISIS) has grabbed credit for the attack on Daykundi residents.

On Thursday night, September 12, 2024, ISIS issued a statement on its Amaq news site, claiming that its forces killed 15 Shia individuals and maimed six others.

ISIS has a thing about the Shiites in its neighbourhood, especially Afghanistan’s Hazeras.

ISIS reported that the attack occurred in the Qariodal mountain pass, on the border between Daykundi and Ghor provinces.

Earlier, sources informed the Hasht-e Subh Daily that gunnies attacked a vehicle carrying Daykundi residents, resulting in 14 deaths and six injuries.

The Taliban
Taliban

...the once and current oppressors of Afghanistan...
in Ghor have not yet commented on the incident.

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...
and Shia communities frequently face attacks in various provinces, with ISIS claiming responsibility for most attacks against Hazaras.

Meanwhile,
...back at the shouting match, the spittle had reached unprecedented levels...
the Taliban assert that they provide nationwide security and deny the presence of ISIS in Afghanistan.

Tolo News adds:

According to local officials, the victims of this incident were residents of the Sang-Takht and Bandar districts of Daikundi who had gone to welcome pilgrims returning from Karbala.

Link

Israel-Palestine-Jordan

‘Cosmetic’ PA reshuffle seen as bid by Abbas to hold power, avoid demanded reforms

2024-02-28

[IsraelTimes] Ramallah’s new prime minister is likely to be another loyalist to the PA president, who appears to be trying to preempt US pressure for structural changes to revitalize the body.

The resignation of the Palestinian Authority’s government on Monday — formally accepted by PA President Mahmoud Abbas on Tuesday — was meant to mark a major step toward the revitalization of the administrative body, a move demanded by the US and the international community if it is to have a role ruling post-war Gaza.

But some Palestinians are less than optimistic that the plan to replace PA Prime Minister Mohammed Shtayyeh and others with a group of technocrats will be enough to salvage the ailing authority.

“It’s mostly a superficial change, not a significant one,” said veteran Ramallah-based journalist Mohammed Daraghmeh, a correspondent for the Saudi-owned Asharq TV news channel.

“This move was expected. Abbas was under international and local pressure to have a new government to get ready for the ‘day after’, so he had his cabinet resign to appease the international community,” Daraghmeh said.

Shtayyeh is to remain as a caretaker prime minister until a new technocratic government is formed, likely under the leadership of Mohammad Mustafa, the current head of the government’s investment fund and a former deputy prime minister and economy minister.

But as before, the overall authority will still reside with Abbas.

Seeking more radical reforms within the PA, Washington has reportedly been pushing for a genuine transfer of power from the president to the prime minister, while letting Abbas retain a ceremonial role. The octogenarian leader, in office since 2005, however, seems to have turned a deaf ear to calls to loosen his grip.

“The change is purely cosmetic, but Abbas is not able to understand that nobody will buy his cosmetics,” quipped Samer Sinijlawi, a Palestinian political activist from East Jerusalem and head of the Jerusalem Development Fund, which specializes in Palestinian humanitarian affairs.

Outside Ramallah’s halls of power, some influential Palestinian political figures have been seeking to formulate a vision for a reformed PA, chief among them Mohammad Dahlan. The former PA security head in Gaza, ousted from the Strip by Hamas in 2007 and exiled by Abbas to the UAE in 2011, has repeatedly called for fresh leadership.

The PA’s move to announce a new government was ostensibly designed to neuter calls by Abbas’s critics for him to empower an independent government, with a mission and a timetable for carrying it out.

Link

Britain

Afghan special forces soldier who risked her life working with British abandoned by UK

2023-11-30

[TheIndependent] A female Afghan special forces soldier who risked her life working in a unit that was set up, trained and paid for by the British armed forces is living in hiding after her application for sanctuary in the UK was rejected. The mother of four was forced to flee Afghanistan after the West’s withdrawal and is now living illegally in ~~The Sick Man of Europe~~ Turkey
...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor...
in fear of deportation.

Zahab, whose name has been changed for her safety, applied for the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) resettlement scheme in October 2021, designed for those who worked for or with British armed forces in Afghanistan, but was denied relocation. Through speaking to her former colleagues, The Independent, in collaboration with investigative newsroom Lighthouse Reports, has established that Zahab was one of a select group of women who worked for Commando Force 333, an elite Afghan fighter unit that was set up and paid for by the British government.

Link

Afghanistan

Unidentified Gunmen Fatally Shoot Man in Ghor Province

2023-10-01

[8am] Local sources in Ghor province have reported that unidentified button men riding cycle of violences targeted and killed a man in the province on Saturday, September 30, in the area of "Maidanak-e Rezaha" in the city of Firuzkoh.

According to witnesses interviewed by Hasht-e Subh, the victim was identified as "Mullah Jalal," a shopkeeper in the "Maidanak-e Rezaha" area. The motive behind the attack remains unknown at this time.

This incident follows a similar tragedy last year when Mullah Jalal’s brother, Mawlavi Abdul Matin, a professor at the Darul Uloom of Ghor province, was also killed by unidentified button men.

That sure makes it sound like the Taliban are out to wipe out the family in their inimitable taqfiri way.

The Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
have not issued any statements regarding this recent incident.

Regrettably, Ghor province has witnessed a surge in such incidents in recent months. Not long ago, unidentified armed individuals also fatally shot a shopkeeper in the Teyora district of the province.

Link

Afghanistan

The National Resistance Council for the Salvation of Afghanistan: The Taliban have killed 17 Hazaras in Uruzgan Province in the Last Two Years

2023-09-25

[8am] Following the recent killing of two 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...
individuals in the Khas Uruzgan district of Uruzgan province, the National Resistance® Council for the Salvation of Afghanistan has asserted that, in the past two years, the Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
have been responsible for the deaths of 17 Hazara residents.

The National Resistance® Council for the Salvation of Afghanistan issued a statement on Saturday night, September 23, denouncing this act by the Taliban as a "systematic massacre" of Shia and Hazara people.

The statement by this council reads: "In the recent incident, two individuals named Haji Hassan and Ali Khan, who were father and son, were brutally martyred and beheaded in the Tangi Mami area of Joye- Naw region in Khas Uruzgan district of the province. Prior to that, on September 12, a person named Sayed Amir Alawi suspiciously lost his life in the Joye- Naw region."

According to this statement, armed local individuals, with Taliban support, have set farms, and houses on fire, cut down trees, and looted the belongings of the people in this region.

The National Resistance® Council for the Salvation of Afghanistan continues to remind that Taliban members are also engaged in suppressing residents in Panjshir province, and the Andarab districts of Baghlan province.

This council calls for investigations into the committed crimes and immediate actions to prevent similar events in Afghanistan by international bodies, especially the United Nations
...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly...
Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) office in Kabul.

This comes as two days ago, Muhammad Mohaqiq, the leader of the People’s Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, claimed that Talibs had killed a father and son in the province of Uruzgan.

The Taliban have not made any statements regarding this matter yet.

Link

Afghanistan

10 Military students return home after completing Master’s degrees in India

2023-09-24

[KhaamaPress] The Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan said ten military personnel have returned to the country after completing their master’s degree program in India.

Pray for them. The Taliban aren’t kind to soldiers of the former government when they catch them.

The Ministry announced this on Thursday, stating that these military personnel had been sent to India for higher education during the previous Afghanistan administration.

According to the statement, these students returned to the country on Thursday morning in coordination with the Ministry of National Defense upon completing their educational program.

The Ministry claimed it is committed to recruiting and utilizing the expertise of skilled individuals within the government framework.

Afghan students in India have struggled for the past two years because the Indian government has denied them residence visas. This decision has jeopardized their education and put them at risk of expulsion, compelling some to return home.

Meanwhile,
...back at the wrecked scow, a single surviver held tightly to the smashed prow...
a former government army officer in Kandahar province, identified as Khalilullah Akhlaqi, was found dead with stab wounds to his throat and body in a mysterious murder incident on Sunday.

Furthermore, in Takhar province, two other former military personnel were killed by unidentified attackers this month.

On the other hand, the United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reports that over 200 former government military personnel have been extra-judicially killed in the past two years, a claim disputed by the Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
administration, who cite a general amnesty protecting individuals from prosecution.

Link

Afghanistan

On eve of 9/11 Anniversary, U.S. officials continue to downplay Al Qaeda’s presence in Afghanistan

2023-09-17

Long, detailed, and with a useful map. Herewith, the opening set-up:

[LongWarJournal] On the eve of the 22nd anniversary of Al Qaeda’s deadly attacks on New York and Washington, American intelligence officials further minimized the terror group’s safe haven in Afghanistan and its global reach. The U.S. intelligence community’s assessment that “Al Qaeda is at its historical nadir in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and its revival is unlikely” is directly at odds with intelligence gleaned by the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, which recently reported that Al Qaeda is running training camps, safe houses, and a media operations center throughout Afghanistan.

The assessment of Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan was briefed to reporters on Sept. 8 by two unnamed U.S. intelligence officials. In addition to Al Qaeda being at a “historical nadir,” its “ability to threaten the United States from Afghanistan or Pakistan is probably at its lowest point,” the officials claimed, according to CNN.

Oddly, the intelligence officials surmised that Al Qaeda is weak because the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan meant that Al Qaeda fighters no longer had a “proving ground” to battle U.S. forces.

Additionally, the intelligence officials claimed that Al Qaeda “was left without ‘leadership talent’ and “strategic guidance’” after the U.S. killed Al Qaeda emir Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike at a Taliban safe house in Kabul in the summer of 2022, CNN reported.

The intelligence officials dismissed the UN Monitoring Team’s report as “an outlier within the UN system” and “‘wildly out of whack’ with intelligence collected by the US and its partners,” CNN noted.

However, the UN Monitoring Team’s report closely tracks with information on Al Qaeda’s historical and recent operations in Afghanistan that has been gathered by FDD’s Long War Journal.

A HISTORICAL NADIR?
The unnamed intelligence officials were incredibly dismissive of the Monitoring Team’s report, which was released in early June. According to the Monitoring Team, the Al Qaeda camps are located in six Afghan provinces: Helmand, Zabul, Badghis, Nangarhar, Nuristan, and Kunar. Additionally, the Monitoring Team noted that Al Qaeda has established “safe houses” in Farah, Helmand, Herat and Kabul, and opened a media operations center in Herat.

Despite the assertions of the U.S. intelligence officials Al Qaeda was known to have a significant presence in the provinces of Helmand, Farah, Zabul, Kunar, Nuristan, and Nangarhar prior to the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. There is no indication that Al Qaeda abandoned these provinces with post-U.S. withdrawal. As the Monitoring Team has noted and FDD’s Long War Journal has independently assessed, the Taliban-Al Qaeda relationship remains strong.

Link

India-Pakistan

Torkham border crossing closed for 2nd day after clashes between border forces

2023-09-08

[Dawn] The Torkham border crossing between Pakistain and Afghanistan was closed for a second day on Thursday, leading to a build-up of trucks laden with goods, after festivities between security forces from the two countries.

The busy border crossing had closed on Wednesday after Pak and Afghan Taliban
Taliban

...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
forces started firing at each other, according to local officials.

Officials in Pakistain had blamed the other side for starting the midday firefight, which lasted for around two hours and came after the Afghan authorities started building a checkpoint on their side in a prohibited area, close to the main border crossing.

The officials said the Afghan authorities already had a checkpoint in the vicinity, commonly known as the Larram Post, but they started building another post over a small hill without discussing it with the Pak side.

They said border security officials had also held a meeting minutes before the crossfire began. However,
death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate...
it could not be ascertained what the meeting’s agenda was and what prompted both countries’ border forces to open fire.

Apart from the FC official, a Customs clearing agent had also been critically injured when he was hit by a speeding vehicle pulling back to safety after the firing started.

Abdul Basir Zabuli, a front man for the Taliban-led police in Afghanistan’s eastern 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..
province, where the crossing lies, said today that authorities from both countries were trying to determine the reason for the clash.

Irshad Mohmand, a local administration official in Pakistain, told AFP that Afghan forces tried to establish a checkpoint in an area where it was agreed that both sides would not establish a post.

"After an objection from the Pakistain side, the Afghan forces opened fire," he said, adding that Pakistain border forces responded with "retaliatory fire".

However,
death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate...
the Afghan Taliban government had blamed Pakistain.

"Pak forces attacked the Afghan side when Afghan forces wanted to reactivate their old outpost with an excavator," said Quraishi Badloon, an official for the information and culture directorate in Afghanistan’s eastern Nangarhar province.

"The attack has resulted in casualties, but the exact figures are not known yet," he said.

A local Pakistain police official told the news agency that the shooting stopped by late Wednesday afternoon, but the border remained shut, he said. "The atmosphere is tense" and "forces on both sides are alert", he said.

Another local government official said light and heavy weapons, as well as mortars, were used in the incident.

The crossing has been closed several times in recent years, including a closure in February that saw thousands of trucks laden with goods stranded on each side of the border for days.

It was also temporarily closed last month after a scuffle between the border guards of Pakistain and Afghanistan.

Both nations are in dire economic straits, with Afghanistan reeling from a drop-off in aid following the end of the US-backed occupation and Pakistain crippled by a domestic downturn and runaway inflation.

Since Political Change, Nearly 50 Clashes Happened on Border Areas: MoI

[ToloNews] Nearly 50 festivities have happened in border areas with the neighboring countries within the past two-years, a front man for the Ministry of Interior said.

MoI front man Abdul Matin Qani called on the neighboring countries to observe the border rules with Afghanistan.

"There have been some small and big festivities. You know that there have been festivities with Pakistain, Iran, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The total number is less than 50," he said.

Qani said that the festivities were first started by the neighboring countries and then faced reactions by the Islamic Emirate’s forces. According to him, at least 15 incidents of missile firing on Afghanistan by the neighboring countries have been recorded within the past two years.

"There are some problems from some sides. We call on the neighbors to not violate the land illusory sovereignty and airspace of Afghanistan. We don’t want to have negative relations with them. Some of the missiles which were fired (on us), we had a good reaction against it," he said.

Meanwhile,
...back at the railroad tracks, Little Nell tried to kick her bound feet and scream post the snotty handkerchief Scarface Al had stuff into her mouth...
the military analysts believe that the border festivities do not benefit Afghanistan and that the problems should be addressed through negotiations.

"If every country stays in line which is marked and doesn't come forward, there will be no border clash," said Mohammad Matin Mohammad Khail, a military analyst.

"The Afghanistan border forces have tried a lot to improve vibes particularly with Uzbekistan and Iran

...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan. The abbreviation IRGC is the same idea as Stürmabteilung (or SA). The term Supreme Guide is a the modern version form of either Duce or Führer or maybe both. They hate ~~Jews~~ ~~Zionists~~ Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol...
and Pakistain. I think these problems are being solved gradually and will not happen in the future," said Kamran Aman, a military analyst.

Since the Islamic Emirate came to power, many festivities took place with the neighboring countries—an issue which has been also discussed at the senior level between the governments.

Link

Afghanistan

The Territory of the Jihadists: Who Are the Foreign Fighters of ISIS in Afghanistan?

2023-08-13

[8am] Based on the findings of the Hasht-e Subh Daily, IS-K in Afghanistan has not only recruited local fighters but has also added a significant number of imported muscle to its ranks. Paks have consistently been considered primary leaders of IS-K and currently hold notable roles in the council of the group, which is the decision-making body for IS-K, evaluating and finalizing the leader’s decisions. Despite some Pak IS-K commanders being killed in Afghanistan, certain Paks still operate as nominal leaders in some provinces, including Kunar and 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...
Recently, Uzbek fighters from the Jundallah
..."Soldiers of God," a name used by ~~two~~ multiple separate terror outfits, one active in Iran and the other in Pakistain. Both are Sunni organizations that target Shiites. The Pak version has close relations with al-Qaeda and the Pak Talibs and is probably a false nose and mustache for Lashkar-e-Jhangvi...
group have joined IS-K. After the liquidation of their leader by the Taliban
Taliban

...Arabic for students...
, these Uzbek holy warriors, with around two thousand fighters, pledged allegiance to ISIS and joined its Khorasan branch to seek Dire Revenge against the Taliban.

Meanwhile,
...back at the shootout, Butch clutched at his other shoulder......
ISIS-Khorasan (IS-K) has escalated efforts to attract Pak and Uzbek fighters. The leadership of this branch of ISIS continues to strive towards enlisting dissatisfied Uzbek fighters from the Taliban. Notably, with the presence of these fighters, ISIS activities have expanded across Central Asia, resulting in rocket attacks on other countries.

The ISIS group launched its branch’s activities in Afghanistan and the region under the name "ISIS-Khorasan (IS-K)" for the first time in 2015. The geographical scope envisioned by ISIS for its Khorasan region included parts of Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistain. However,
some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them...
the activities of this group have expanded since then, extending its attacks to Central Asia. The latest United Nations
...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly...
statistics indicate that the ISIS-Khorasan (IS-K) branch currently has between four to six thousand fighters in Afghanistan.

Noted.

Previous reports suggested that considering the geographic scope of ISIS-Khorasan (IS-K), most of its members are Afghan nationals and hold key positions within the group.

However,
some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them...
findings of the Hasht-e Subh Daily indicate that a significant portion of ISIS-Khorasan (IS-K) is composed of foreign jihadists; individuals who, due to dissatisfaction with other jihadist groups, including the Afghan Taliban and Tahrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP), have pledged allegiance to ISIS. Some members of al-Qaeda also have connections with ISIS, and given the presence of both groups in Afghanistan, it’s possible that they might have dual affiliations.

Why not? The leadership of the Haqqani faction of the Afghan Taliban also have places on the Al Qaeda table of organization.

But the question remains: which specific groups’ fighters are currently part of ISIS-Khorasan (IS-K), and what role do they play in expanding the group’s operational reach?

PAKS: FROM FOUNDING IS-K TO ACTIVE ROLE IN LAJNA COUNCIL
Despite the presence of Afghan fighters within IS-K, the branch was initially founded by dissident Pak Taliban members on Afghan soil. Hafiz Saeed
...founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and its false-mustache offshoot Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The United Nations declared the JuD a terrorist organization in 2008 and Hafiz Saeed a terrorist as its leader. Hafiz, JuD and LeT are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Pak intel apparatus, so that amounted to squat. He is periodically placed under house arrest so it looks like the govt is doing something. Once the heat is off they let him go....
Orakzai, a former Pak Taliban commander, pledged allegiance to ISIS in October 2014 due to dissatisfaction with both the Afghan and Pak Taliban. He served as the leader of IS-K for about one and a half years until he was killed by U.S. forces in August 2016. After a year of leadership by Abdul Hasib Pashtun-infested Logari, the leadership of ISIS-Khorasan (IS-K) (IS-K) once again shifted to Pak fighters. At that time, Abdullah Orakzai, also known as Aslam Farooqi, assumed this responsibility in April 2017 until he was eventually detained and imprisoned by authorities of the former government in the year 2020.

Since then, some dissident Pak Taliban fighters have remained part of ISIS-Khorasan (IS-K) and have played crucial roles as commanders in the current IS-K conflict. Even some of the "amirs" or (leaders) of IS-K in Afghanistan are Pak fighters. For example, Qari Faateh, who operated as the nominal amir of IS-K in Kunar province
... which is right down the road from Chitral. Kunar is Haqqani country.....
, was announced to have been killed by the Taliban in Kabul in February of this year. At that time, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban front man, stated that Qari Faateh was the head of intelligence and operations for IS-K, and the Taliban accused him of orchestrating attacks on mosques and diplomatic sites.

Continuing, in early June of this year, the Taliban announced the killing of an ISIS commander named Tarab Bajauri in the province of Laghman. This Pak commander was operating as the "amir" (leader) of the IS-K branch in Laghman province and was considered one of the individuals who joined ISIS alongside Hafiz Saeed Orakzai. Bajauri had a long military background and was among those responsible for ISIS’s significant influence in Kunar province. The Taliban regarded him as a key member of the ISIS-Khorasan (IS-K) in Afghanistan. Such stances by the Taliban indicate that Pak fighters are significant pillars of IS-K and actively operate within Afghanistan under Taliban control.

Currently, Asadullah Orakzai is another prominent Pak commander of ISIS-Khorasan (IS-K). He operates as the amir of ISIS in Laghman province and is also a member of the Lajna Council. According to the Hasht-e Subh Daily’s findings, this council holds the leadership responsibility for ISIS-Khorasan (IS-K) and decides on the group’s activities in the "Khorasan region." Most of the IS-K commanders, especially the Pak ones who are currently active members of ISIS, are actively involved in the Lajna Council. Qari Faateh, who was also a member of this council, participated in making decisions for the future of IS-K. Additionally, Saifullah Orakzai, another prominent commander of IS-K, is a member of this council.

In this way, the findings indicate that Pak fighters are active members of the ISIS-Khorasan (IS-K) operating in Afghanistan. They have experience in leading the ISIS-Khorasan (IS-K) on two occasions and are currently serving as commanders in provinces as well as engaging in military and intelligence activities.

According to additional information, ISIS-Khorasan (IS-K) is vigorously striving to increase its Pak fighters. This branch of ISIS has included the issue of recruiting Pak fighters as part of its future plans. In this process, individuals dissatisfied with their activities alongside the Tahrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) are being targeted for recruitment by ISIS to expand its activities in eastern Afghanistan and certain areas of Pakistain. It’s noteworthy that most Pak members of the ISIS-Khorasan (IS-K) have joined the group due to dissatisfaction with their previous affiliations, and given the extent of this dissatisfaction, the increase in the number of Pak fighters for ISIS is probable.

JUNDALLAH UZBEK JIHADISTS AND THEIR INVOLVEMENT WITH IS-K
The findings indicate that members of the Uzbek group Jundallah have also joined IS-Khorasan (IS-K) in the northern regions of Afghanistan. According to the information, currently, except for a small fraction of the group, most of the Uzbek commanders and fighters have become part of IS-Khorasan (IS-K). ISIS has incorporated a segment of the Jundallah group, consisting of Uzbek fighters in northern Afghanistan, into its ranks. Consequently, Mullah Saad, an Uzbek national, has assumed leadership of this group within IS-Khorasan (IS-K), and Uzbek holy warrior Osama Ghazi serves as his deputy. In addition to these two leaders from the Jundallah group, around two thousand fighters from this group and thousands of their supporters in Takhar, Kunduz, Badakhshan, and Faryab provinces have also become part of IS-Khorasan (IS-K).

This significant shift occurred as Uzbek fighters in Jundallah grew disillusioned with the Taliban regime. According to the Hasht-e Subh Daily’s findings, the Uzbek holy warriors played a major role in the Taliban’s takeover in the north of Afghanistan. However,
some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them...
following the Taliban’s return, Jundallah’s leadership and members faced hostility from them. The Taliban resorted to assassinations of some Jundallah leaders to control the group. Notably, Uzbek migrant Osman Ghazi, who entered Afghanistan with five thousand of his Uzbek followers during Baranuddin Rabbani’s rule, later joined Jundallah at the request of Abdul Malik Rigi, a Jundallah member. Rigi, who operated in Iran, was executed after being arrested by the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran.

After the first fall of the Taliban regime, Ghazi went to Pakistain to lead his group’s terrorist attacks alongside the Afghan Taliban against the previous government. Following orders from Mullah Mohammed Omar, the founder of the Taliban, Ghazi returned with hundreds of his followers to the province of Zabul and, in 2016, made an informal allegiance to ISIS during a consultation with some Taliban leaders. This move seemingly served as part of the plan to eliminate him, as shortly after, Ghazi became the target of an ambush by Taliban commanders and was killed in Zabul province along with his wife and several children.

Based on the findings of the Hasht-e Subh Daily, this action led Osama Ghazi, his son, and 150 other Jundallah members from Zabul province, where his father was present, to go to the provinces of Kandahar and Badakhshan and then leave those areas too. However,
some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them...
he waited for Dire Revenge from the Taliban until, following the Taliban’s resurgence, he and all members of his group joined ISIS. It should be noted that ISIS has utilized Jundallah members in expanding its activities in Central Asia. For instance, a member of this group, who previously operated under Salahuddin Ayubi’s command in Faryab province, launched a rocket attack on the soil of Uzbekistan.

On the other hand, IS-K’s efforts to gain the allegiance of Salahuddin Ayubi, a commander of Uzbek origin and dissatisfied with the Taliban, have intensified. He has close relations with the northern hard boyz and appears to be able to establish connections with other gangs in Tajikistan and other northern regions of the country. Moreover, ISIS, pursuing its plans for expanding activities in Central Asia, seeks to establish further communication with Uzbekistan fighters. This endeavor highlights the group’s intention to engage with some commanders and fighters of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

Meanwhile,
...back at the shootout, Butch clutched at his other shoulder......
based on available information, ISIS has previously designated a commander for Tajikistan as well. It is worth recalling that, in addition to Khorasan, the group is also seriously focused on the Indian subcontinent. According to the findings, in mid-2022, the leadership of ISIS instructed its members in the "Province of Hind" to intensify their activities in India and Pakistain. Abu al-Hasan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi, the then-leader of ISIS in Iraq and Syria, had urged Sheikh Zubair Ahmed, the ISIS governor in India, to bring about positive changes in that geography. Subsequently, Sheikh Zubair Ahmed decided to activate his media unit and conduct activities through Telegram, following the same directive.

The 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....
of Iraq and Syria, known as ISIS, was originally formed in the late 20th century under the name "Jamāʿat al-Tawḥīd wal-Jihād." It merged with al-Qaeda in 2004 but adopted the name "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" in 2013. In 2014, ISIS declared a caliphate, with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as its first recognized leader. Currently, besides Iraq and some Arab countries, ISIS also operates extensively in Afghanistan. These activities have intensified after the return of the Taliban to power, and they encompass attacks on diplomatic sites and rocket attacks on countries in Central Asia. With recent changes in ISIS and the joining of imported muscle to its Khorasan branch, it appears that the group has significant plans for further infiltration into the "Wilayah of Khorasan." Previously, information indicated that IS-K was seeking to seize control of Kunar Province
...one of the four N2KL provinces (Nangarhar, Nuristan, Kunar and Laghman). N2KL is the designation used by US and Coalition Forces for the rugged and very violent region opposite Pakistain's Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Northwest Frontier Province. Kunar is the center of the N2KL region. Its population is 95% Pashtun. It is adjacent to Bajaur Agency..
, a move that has been delayed after the assessment by its Lajna Council.

Link

Afghanistan

Mass Detention: Taliban Hold 40 Ghazni Residents Amid Allegations of Intelligence Officer’s Killing

2023-08-11

[8am] Local sources in Ghazni report that in the aftermath of the liquidation of the head of Taliban
Taliban

...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
’s intelligence management in Khaja Omari district, the Taliban have detained and allegedly tortured at least 40 civilians.

Sources confirmed to Hasht-e Subh on Thursday, August 10th, that over the course of this week, the Taliban have incarcerated this number of civilians who reside in Qal-e Naw village within this district.

According to sources, the detained individuals face daily brutal beatings at the hands of prison guards affiliated with the Taliban.

Reports suggest that despite efforts by local elders to secure the release of these individuals from Taliban custody, no progress has been made.

Local Taliban officials in Ghazni have refrained from commenting on this matter so far.

These events unfold after the head of Taliban’s intelligence management in Khaja Omari district was killed on the night of Friday, August 4th, due to gunfire by unidentified armed individuals within the district. A family member of the dear departed also sustained injuries.

As of now, no individual or group has grabbed credit for the liquidation of this Taliban member.

Link

Afghanistan

Hand grenade attack kills 2, injures 3 in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar

2023-08-09

[KhaamaPress] Two children were killed, and three others were maimed when unidentified individuals tossed grenades into a house in the eastern province of 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..
, Afghanistan, officials said on Tuesday.

The incident occurred late on Monday night in the Shiekh Mursi community of Surkhrod district when two faceless myrmidons threw two grenades into a house, killing two children and injuring three others, including a woman, according to provincial police spokesperson Abdul Basir Zabuli.

The injured people were taken to the local hospital for medical treatment. Meanwhile,
...back at the Council of Boskone, Kinnison began his slow infiltration of the sewer system...
officials said that further investigations had been started into the incident.

Nine people were killed, and five others were maimed after two families clashed in Nangarhar province.

The clash occurred in the Khogyani district of the province.

The motive behind such violence is reported mainly due to personal enmity, which has become common in some parts of the country.

8a.m. adds:

Notably, Taliban officials in Nangarhar have refrained from commenting on this matter, adding to the uncertainty surrounding the incident.

Since the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, there has been a noticeable surge in targeted killings, explosions, and criminal activities within the province.

Link

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