[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
- TALIBAN’S USE OF ‘UNIDENTIFIED GUNMEN’ MONNIKER QUESTIONED – Various Taliban press attaches have used the term ‘unidentifed gunmen’ or ‘masked gunmen’ to explain away many of the murders that have become commonplace since the takeover. A good many of the attacks that have targeted former Afghan Army and NDS personnel are often attributed to groups of unidentified killers who seemingly strike at will and in full view of the Taliban security forces. Through a cursory review of 37 assassinations of former ANA/NDS dating back to July 2022, not a single report of an arrest has been made and several of the surviving family members say the cases are clearly not being followed up by the Taliban police. While Taliban-sponsored killings have long been considered to be responsible for these murders (accepted even), there is now an active effort to identify which Ministry is responsible for planning and implementing the attacks. The goal is to identify who is responsible for the killings, who orders them, and to collect evidence to present to the ICC. There are a great many ‘open secrets’ in Kabul and Kandahar. An operative working on this effort is hopeful that it will be successful in pulling back the curtain on the Taliban and finally exposing the amnesty program as a charade.
- PAKISTAN’S FOREIGN MINISTER DOING DAMAGE CONTROL – Minister Bilawal Zardari was forced to intervene in Pak-Afghan relations after a threat from Pakistan’s Defense Minister to conduct strikes against TTP targets in Afghanistan was issued in an interview with the Voice of America. Zardari held a call with the Taliban Foreign Minister and voiced support for his government’s commitment to good relations with their neighbor. Some observers in Islamabad are convinced the political theater was planned by Pakistan while others say there is dysfunction between the ministries in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. As of publication, we have not assessed any change to the forces of either country stationed along the shared border and there are no indications that resources are being marshaled for potential strategic strikes across the border.
- SOME CONCERNS THAT VIOLENCE WILL ENSUE AFTER THE END OF RAMADAN – While no solid information has been received to substantiate growing rumors about potential increased combat operations by the Taliban, the Resistance, and/or ISIS-K once Ramadan has concluded, there is word that Ministry of Defense orders have been issued to select Taliban units to prepare for deployment to Panjshir, Takhar, and Badakhshan as early as next weekend. Whether these orders are offensively minded or, in response to a possible Resistance campaign is currently not known. A source in Kabul stated that the maintenance activity reported over air assets and ground vehicles this Spring has been made in anticipation of a ‘final campaign’ to eradicate the Resistance.
- TAJIKISTAN TROOPS HOLD BORDER SENSITIZATION MEETINGS WITH COMMUNITIES ALONG AFGHAN BORDER – The meetings took place in Gorno-Badakhshan from 3-8 April and were part of a European security program intended to raise awareness among locals about the activities and responsibilities of the border security forces with respect to threats that may emanate from Afghanistan. Citizens were encouraged to report suspicious activity and literature was provided with ‘hotline’ numbers the citizens could call should they witness a threat or border violation in their remote communities. Nearly 1000 community leaders from 7 border enclaves attended the training and the program is an ongoing effort to support community policing policies in the volatile region.
CONFLICT TRACKER
Nangarhar: A former member of the Afghan police was assassinated near his home in Jalalabad. Riaz Ahmadzai was killed (execution style) on Friday night by unidentified gunmen.
NEXT 24 HOURS
AT-RISK AFGHANS SHELTERING IN PESHAWAR STAY ALERT – An unconfirmed report stated that a Pakistani college student was stabbed to death by an Afghan refugee in the city after a verbal altercation on Friday night. It is not clear if the purported assailant has been apprehended but local sources say the college student was popular and his death has caused xenophobic tensions in the city to rise. At-risk Afghans who reside in the city or, who plan on traveling through, should be aware of the situation and be prepared to shelter in their residences should a mob form or xenophobic protests take place. Again, this report has yet to be confirmed but we made the editorial decision to release it as tensions have been high in the city for some time now. |