[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
- TTP ABANDONS THE CEASEFIRE WITH THE PAKISTANI GOVT – The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) announced they were abandoning the ceasefire agreement with the Pakistani government on Monday and ordered their members to launch attacks across the country. A source in the Ministry of the Interior said the move was in response to the killings of two TTP Commanders in Afghanistan in the last two weeks. The TTP believes the deaths were ordered by the Pakistani intelligence services and may have been carried out by agents operating in Afghanistan. The ceasefire has been tenuous at best and both sides have conducted military operations against one another since it was put in place in June. An incident in mid-November resulted in the deaths of 6 Pakistani police officers and the TTP claimed the clash was an attempt to thwart a raid on one of their cells in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province. It is not clear if the Afghanistan Taliban will support the TTP, but it seems likely they will continue to operate across the border and probably retain tacit support from local Taliban leaders in the border regions. The situation merits close attention.
- IRAN DEPORTATIONS CONTINUE – Iranian authorities continue to deport Afghan nationals at an astonishing rate. Pajhwok News reported that 3,000 had been recently deported in a twenty-four-hour period. Some analysts claim the regime is using the internal crisis it is facing as a convenient excuse to expel Afghans and provide its core supporters with proof the regime is taking its concerns to heart. Regardless of the reason, those who find themselves deported face a difficult situation in Afghanistan as winter weather bears down on the country and a desperate economic situation provides little to no opportunity for those returnees to earn a living.
- TALIBAN TELLS CHINA IT’S TIME TO PUT WORDS INTO ACTION – In what amounted to a ‘soft rebuke’, the Minister of Industry and Commerce called on China to begin construction on projects related to its ‘Belt and Road’ initiative. The Ministry released a video of Nooruddin Azizi, current Minister of Industry and Commerce, urging China to begin work on the Wakhan Trade route.
NEXT 24 HOURS
TTP THREATS IN PAKISTAN — At-risk Afghans in Pakistan and residing in those Provinces along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border should be aware that attacks may begin soon, and the situation could escalate into a wider border crisis with possible Pakistani drone/air strikes and artillery shelling. The TTP may want to inflict significant damage over the next fourteen days to underline the seriousness of their intentions. Mosques, government buildings, military camps, and other high-visibility facilities are logical choices for targets and should be avoided if at all possible. If an escalation occurs, the border could be sealed for a time.
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