[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS- SUICIDE BOMBER KILLS AT LEAST 6 NON-COMBATANTS IN BLAST NEAR THE FOREIGN MINISTRY – Taliban security forces personnel reportedly attempted to kill a suspected suicide bomber at a checkpoint near the Foreign Ministry building in Kabul. It was not immediately clear if the bomber detonated the device he was wearing or if the Taliban caused the blast when they fired on the individual. The blast occurred as Ministry personnel were leaving their offices for the day. At least 6 non-combatants were killed and 12 were injured (3 Taliban guards were among the injured). Police initially speculated the Foreign Ministry was the intended target, but this may be inaccurate. The bombing is considered the first terrorist incident of the Remadan fasting period. ISIS-K claimed responsibility for the attack on its Telegram attack.
- FLOODING KILLS 9, INJURES 74 MORE – Flooding reported across over twenty provinces has resulted in at least 9 deaths so far and scores more are injured. At least a portion of the deaths occurred when houses collapsed as their foundations were swept away. An engineer in Herat speculated that the recent earthquake had likely destabilized many homes across the country and added to the risk posed by flooding. Estimates from the Ministry of Natural Disasters say that 1,800 houses have been destroyed and over 20,000 acres of cropland have been damaged. However, it is not clear if these figures include flooding from the Fall of 2022. The death toll is expected to rise as more reports come in.
- TALIBAN CLAIMS IT HAS KILLED KEY ISIS-K LEADERS IN MAZAR-I-SHARIF OPERATIONS – In several statements released online and on social media, the Taliban claims to have eliminated Abu Omar Afridi (council member), Ustad Salman Tajikistani (bomb production chief), and Mawlawi Ziauddin (ISIS-K leader in Balkh Province). The men were reputedly killed in recent security operations in Mazar-i-Sharif. Several longtime Afghanistan analysts were quick to point out that Ziauddin was not a leader in the group. It is possible the Taliban have misidentified the individual or, may be holding him up as a leader to show the international community they are taking the fight against ISIS-K seriously. A new source reported to journalists that ISIS-K had suffered a schism among its leadership over the strategic direction the group should take in Afghanistan. While the low-level conflict has been a norm in the terrorist group, major factions have not been previously reported.
- CENTRAL BANK DECERTIFIES ALL INDIVIDUAL CURRENCY EXCHANGE LICENSES – Considered to be the first major policy change since taking the reigns of the Central Bank, the move affects nearly 900 small currency exchanges. The bank announced it had undertaken the measure for transparency purposes. Some observers claim the move is probably a means of bringing the currency market under tighter Taliban control and is also a way to prohibit the exchange of Pakistan’s currency (long a goal of the Taliban). A disruption to small businesses is expected as currency exchanges were a popular method of ‘banking’ at local markets.
CONFLICT TRACKER
Kabul: A suicide bomber triggered a device at a security checkpoint near the foreign ministry on Monday as workers were leaving their offices. Six non-combatants were killed and 12 people were treated fir injuries sustained in the attack, ISIS-K claimed credit for the attack.
NEXT 24 HOURS
FLOODING WILL CONTINUE ACROSS MUCH OF AFGHANISTAN – Additional rainfall, much of it in the mountains, continued on Monday and emergency planners continue to warn Afghans to delay travel and to conduct periodic ‘walk arounds’ of their homes and buildings to search for signs of potential weak points. Several roads have washed out and a few reports say vehicles have been carried away when attempting to ford swollen streams and rivers. Travel at this time is considered extremely hazardous and the rain/snow is expected to continue in parts of Afghanistan through a portion of Tuesday.