[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
- There have been multiple reports of the Taliban arresting large groups of male non-combatants in Panjshir because the Taliban claims that they are suspected of supporting the Resistance. Currently, there are several hundred Panjshiri males who are thought to be detained. Their fate is unknown. Several assassinations of former government officials have also been reported, although official confirmation has not been given.
- Taliban forces in Panjshir under newly appointed Special Commander Zakir have withdrawn from their assault positions near two NRF bases and are consolidating in an unidentified valley to confer with leaders. Sources within the Ministry of Defense said the previous attacks were meant to probe the NRF positions in an attempt to determine which directions their heavy weapons were oriented.
- ISIS-K launched several recruiting calls on social media urging Uzbek men to come to Afghanistan and join their jihad. The videos have been dubbed in Uzbek and are captioned in Uzbek (both Latin and Cyrillic) leaving little doubt as to their target demographic. The posts are being distributed by Xuroson Ovozi (Voice of Khorasan), which recently announced it had partnered with ISIS-K’s propaganda wing. Most of the messages are circulating on the popular app Telegram.
CONFLICT TRACKER
Panjshir: A roadside bomb claimed by the NRF reportedly killed 6 Talib turbans in the Dara district as a Taliban passed Sunday night.
NEXT 24 HOURS
A second offensive in Panjshir will be likely once ongoing military consultations among Taliban commanders conclude. A local source claimed some senior Taliban commanders expressed consternation with the new special commander after yesterday’s probing attacks. The source stated that the senior commanders were not informed that the attacks were merely probes and they would not have committed so many of their men if they had known. |