[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS- MORE TALIBAN DEFECTIONS – Another Taliban Commander, Bahr al-Din is reported to have joined the Resistance in Badakhshan Province with approximately 50 of his fighters. The news follows on the heels of Commander Bahruddin and District Governor Mukhlis's reputed defections since last Thursday. While not definitive, the pace of defections in the North seems to be increasing.
- EDUCATION OFFICIALS UNDER FIRE – While the Taliban leadership and the Taliban Ministry of Education are being blasted by the international community for their stance against girls’ education, local education officials in Afghanistan are increasingly being targeted for questioning the policy and taking part in activism. The Taliban arrested an education center leader in Daikundi on Saturday and a former Faizabad District head of education was reportedly assassinated with his son in Jawzjan yesterday. Both had taken an active role in denouncing the draconian policies put in place by the Taliban.
- FORMER AFGHAN POLICE OFFICIAL MURDERED IN PAKISTAN – Abdul Samad Achakzai was the former Commander of local police in Uruzgan and had also served as the Chief of Police for the Panjwayi District of Kandahar. He was killed by unknown gunmen in Quetta, Pakistan where he had fled when the Taliban came to power. He had recently denounced the terrorist attacks on the Kaaj education center in a video message. No group has claimed responsibility for the killing.
- OFFICIAL RAID ON MEDICAL FACILITY – The Taliban’s National Food and Drug Authority conducted a raid on the Ariana Medical facility under the guise of seizing expired medicines the center is accused of using. However, sources in the Police claimed that a burgeoning black market for medications has turned such activities into moneymaking schemes for some officials. The source went on to say that some of the medication and supplies are routinely sent to the Taliban forces fighting in the North.
- BLAST REPORTED IN LAGHMAN PROVINCE – An explosion was said to have occurred in the city of Mehtarlam (Esmat Chawk). Early reports suggest 3 may have been killed and approximately 15 non-combatants and traffic police were wounded. The target of the attack may have been a vehicle driven by an unspecified Taliban official. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
- TALIBAN SENDS ANOTHER SENIOR LEADER TO BADAKHSHAN – In another sign, the Taliban is worried about the developing situation in Badakhshan, the Chief of Staff, Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat was dispatched to the Province to meet with local Commanders and assure the security forces personnel of Kabul’s support. It is believed he met with Provincial leadership at the 219 Omar Sales base.
CONFLICT TRACKER
Laghman: A roadside bomb that may have targetted an unidentified Taliban official may have killed 3 and wounded 15 more in Mehtariam on Monday. No group has claimed credit for the attack.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NO KNOWN SECURITY THREATS REPORTED
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
...Arabic for 
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
...Arabic for .jpg "Kashmir")
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it 
[Jpost] Fellow Iraqis say that the country "lost a treasure today."