[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
- TALIBAN MAKE NEW PLEAS FOR SANCTION RELIEF AND RECOGNITION – In what appears to be a coordinated effort, the Taliban Minister for Justice and the Taliban spokesman (Zabiullah Mujahid) called on international leaders to both recognize the IEA as the legitimate government of Afghanistan and to lift travel sanctions that have been imposed on Taliban leaders. It is unlikely that either request will be seriously considered after the backward bans on women’s education/work and the inhumane punishments imposed by the Ministry of Justice for low-level offenses.
- $40 MILLION IN AID ARRIVED IN KABUL – Da Afghanistan Bank officials said the cash package arrived on Wednesday and was deposited into a commercial bank. Several international news organizations and other humanitarian aid groups have called into question the economic aid program in Afghanistan and have suggested it is being diverted to Taliban leaders and officials. The United Nations has pushed back against any criticism and continue to state the Taliban have no access to the funds. Two ongoing investigative reports by anonymous journalists claim to have secured proof that the Taliban are enriching themselves off the economic aid and plan to release their reports in March or April.
- SELECT NEWS WEBSITES BEING CENSORED IN AFGHANISTAN – Reporting from various Provinces suggest that several websites have been blocked by privately owned carriers who provide cellular service in the country. The websites affected include Voice of America and Radio Free Europe (Dari and Pashto sites). The BBC and Voice of America’s English language sites continue to work. The companies which have reputedly implemented censorship bans for the Taliban are Afghan Wireless, Roshan, and Etisalat Afghanistan. The websites continue to work through the internet and have always been accessible by using a virtual private network (VPN).
NEXT 24 HOURS
DUTCH SEISMOLOGIST WHO PREDICTED EARTHQUAKE IN TURKEY AND SYRIA SAYS AFGHANISTAN IS NEXT – Frank Hoogerbeets accurately predicted the deadly earthquake that struck Southern Turkey and Northern Syria, days before it happened. He now says seismic activity suggests an earthquake with a potential magnitude of 7.8 will strike Afghanistan and will run through Pakistan to the Indian Ocean. No date was specified in his latest prediction but international agencies are taking precautions and issuing alerts to field staff in both countries. THIS WEBSITE OFFERS SOME UNIVERSAL PREPAREDNESS TIPS FOR SURVIVING AN EARTHQUAKE we are searching for a Pashto and/or Dari document on the subject and will publish it when available. |