[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
- RESISTANCE IN BADAKHSHAN ABANDONS DISTRICT – Possibly facing a significant force imbalance, NRF forces in the Shikai District of the province conducted a tactical withdrawal into the mountains and reputedly took several Taliban leaders as prisoners of war with them. All ammunition, weapons, communications equipment, and other supplies were commandeered and taken up into the mountains as well. The Ministry of the Interior has strenuously denied that the District fell to the Resistance but recent troop movements and the undeniable proof have circulated widely on social media. A source with the Resistance claimed the NRF never intended to liberate the District and was only interested in capturing some Taliban leadership to draw Taliban forces away from Panjshir. Some sniping has been reported across the Province by Taliban units and there is a fear the Resistance may have left multiple booby-traps in the towns and villages under their brief occupation. It is unclear what the Taliban’s response will be but Kabul believes the Resistance enjoys significant support among locals in the Province which could foretell of possible retaliation against non-combatants as the Taliban moves back into populated areas.
- A FOURTH EXPLOSION IN KABUL – An explosion attributed to a roadside bomb was triggered in Police District 2 early on Tuesday morning. No casualties were reported from the blast and a Taliban police official remarked the bomb was in a place that would not have caused much destruction had people been present. He called the perpetrators ‘amateurs’. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but non-combatants in Kabul remain on edge over the sustained bombing campaign. Fewer people have been noticed taking public transit and some additional security has been observed at schools and Mosques.
- FAMILY OF MISSING AFGHAN-AMERICAN CITIZEN CLAIMS HE IS IN TALIBAN CUSTODY – Mahmood Shah Habibi, a Chief of Aviation under the former regime has been missing for over two months. He had traveled back to Afghanistan under the amnesty program and had been working in the communications sector. He was reputedly taken from his home on 10 August and eyewitnesses claim that Taliban security forces had picked him up. His family has asked repeatedly about his whereabouts and is convinced the Taliban are holding him. A source within the Ministry of the Interior claims he is being held under suspicion of planting listening devices for Western intelligence agencies.
CONFLICT TRACKER
No confirmed reports of conflict in the past 24 hours.
NEXT 24 HOURS
TALIBAN SECURITY IN KABUL INCREASED – Perhaps in response to the deteriorating situation, several sources across two ministries have reported that security has been increased in most Police Districts across the city. The Shiite neighborhoods in Western Kabul and Tajik neighborhoods in Northern Kabul seem to be the exceptions. A source with the Ministry of the Interior claimed they are having difficulty manning these sectors as the security forces believe they will be killed or injured if they stay at their posts. The source went on to say that intelligence agents will infiltrate Mosque worshippers over the next month for Friday prayers in an attempt to interdict potential suicide bombers. This activity is scheduled to begin this coming Friday. |