[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
- BOMBINGS IN KABUL – 2 additional blasts were reported on Sunday in North and West Kabul neighborhoods which are heavily populated by Tajik and Hazara people respectively. The blasts were reputedly small and are thought to have been magnetic mines that were attached to vehicles. No information has been received about casualties and/or the intended targets. Again, no group has claimed credit for these attacks and the silence seems to indicate a shift in strategy for terror groups operating in Afghanistan to avoid attribution. Whether the shift is significant or not remains to be seen.
- NEW PASSPORT DIRECTOR APPOINTED – Sources indicate that as a result of a large-scale investigation into the illegal sale of passports, visas, and national ID cards, the former Director of the Passports Division was dismissed and may be under investigation and a new Director, Maulvi Abdul Karim Hasib was appointed in his place. The passport system has proven to be a lucrative black market business in Afghanistan and several European and international law enforcement agencies are reputedly delving into the processes. Afghans living in other countries and/or traveling on their Afghan passports may experience additional scrutiny at screening checkpoints.
- EARTHQUAKE STRIKES PAKTIKA PROVINCE - An earthquake has been reported in Paktika on Sunday and initial reports suggest it was near the epicenter of the June earthquake that caused significant damage and loss of life. There are scattered reports of casualties but no definitive information was available at this time. Curiously, the earthquake has not been plotted on international monitoring sites as of publication.
- TALIBAN TO INVESTIGATE DETENTIONS IN PANJSHIR – The Taliban released a statement through their affiliated news channel, Bakhtar News, that they had formed a 6 person panel to investigate the reported arrests and detentions that have been reported in Panjshir since the Spring. Few Afghanistan observers believe the panel will investigate in an unbiased manner. Multiple reports have suggested that as many as 6,000 non-combatants in Panjshir are currently being held in different locations.
CONFLICT TRACKER
Badakhshan: The Taliban launched an operation after a failed attempt to arrest a suspected NRF fighter in the Kafardara area off Kohistan district. Fighting escalated during the day, continuing into early evening. There are reports of casualties, but the exact numbers are not currently known.
NEXT 24 HOURS
BADAKHSHAN FIGHTING TO SPREAD – Sources from both the NRF and Taliban have opined the fighting seen there in the last twenty-four hours has the potential to spread to other Districts over the coming week. One source close to the Resistance shared photos of new rifles being unpacked from shipping crates and claimed the Resistance had received several shipments of new weapons over the past three weeks. The origin of the weapons has not been confirmed but the source said they likely came through the Pamir region. |