[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
- NEW US REFUGEE POLICY RESPONSE — The US government’s shift in Afghan resettlement priorities has caused significant consternation among at-risk Afghans and their sponsoring organizations who had applied for Humanitarian Parole cases. Lawmakers in Washington, DC are questioning the new priorities and are criticizing the administration for closing the door on Humanitarian Parolees. However, it remains unlikely that the policy will be reversed.
- 18 KILLED IN MOSQUE BLAST — A suicide bomber detonated a device at Guzargah Mosque in Herat during Friday prayers, According to local officials, 18 were killed and 21 more were injured. Among the dead was prominent pro-Taliban cleric Mawlawi Mujib Rahman Ansari. No group has claimed the attack yet.
A massive security presence has been reported in Herat following the horrific suicide attack. Clearly, the Taliban’s anti-terrorist operation in the city did not succeed in neutralizing the ISIS-K threat, despite their recent success in neutralizing 3 purported ISIS-K members. Residents should expect a protracted investigation that will likely involve house-to-house searches and restrictions on pedestrian and vehicular travel.
- CALM AT BORDER — No further reports of violence have been received on the Pakistan—Afghanistan border. The lack of fighting has soothed fears of a potential escalation of the conflict.
- EVICTIONS IN PANJSHIR — Evictions continue to be reported in select villages in Panjshir after a deadline came and went for locals to identify NRF collaborators. At least twelve families are known to have been forcibly removed from their homes by the Taliban with the number expected to climb over the weekend.
CONFLICT TRACKER
Takhar: A drone strike was reported Friday in Khwaja Bahauddin district near the villages of Katakjar and Kohna Shakh. Multiple outlets on social media have videos and photos of the purported event. It is not known who was controlling the drones.
Kabul: Unconfirmed reports of several explosions in the Karte Chahar area of Kabul late Friday, characterized by local eyewitnesses as rocket strikes. Unknown number of casualties and no claim of responsibility.
NEXT 24 HOURS
Residents in Herat and Kabul should expect police and intelligence searches in select areas of the cities as a result of terror-related attacks. |