[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS- THE INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM) REOPENS IN KABUL – The organization has moved into new offices at the Kabul airport after its old offices were destroyed in the wake of the Taliban takeover in 2021. IOM appears to have the support of the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, who said the chief role it would play involved the repatriation of Afghans to the IEA. The reopening is seen as a positive step for those interested in immigrating abroad but it is too early to tell how much latitude IOM will be granted to carry out its traditional functions. There are also concerns that the Taliban’s Ministry of the Interior has either direct or indirect access to the office and may be monitoring screening operations.
- US POLITICAL CIRCUS DRAGS ON OVER AFGHANISTAN WITHDRAWAL – Both major political parties in the US are engaged in a ‘thrust and parry’ over the Afghanistan situation. Clearly, Republican leaders feel they will gain an advantage in upcoming elections by keeping the issue on voter’s plates while Democrats are eager to ‘put the issue behind them’. The latest salvo launched by the Republican House Foreign Affairs Chairman, Representative Michael McCaul sent a strongly worded note to the Department of State which basically accused the Department of obstructing oversight efforts. Many US political analysts have opined that the Afghanistan issue will play a central role in Republican efforts to oust President Biden. The politicization of the Afghanistan withdrawal is not unique to American politics. It is being used as a political football in other countries around the world as well. The American circus is just the loudest.
- TALIBAN CENSORS ACTIVE ON TWITTER – The Zan Times has conducted an impressive investigation into how the Taliban are attempting to silence critics on Twitter. They zeroed in on an anonymous Twitter account (Fake News @Newsf2197Fake) and went back through hundreds of tweets to figure out how the account was being used to cast doubt on legitimate news reports that were critical of the regime. The account often uses a large red X to highlight those stories that are detrimental to the Taliban’s political messaging. Several of the senior Taliban leaders were discovered to have retweeted/amplified @Newsf2197Fake’s tweets. Zan Times went back to check the validity of some of the articles that had received the red X treatment and found them to be factual.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NEW PROPOSED IRANIAN HIJAB LAW BEING TESTED IN SELECT AREAS – The Iranian regime has been scrambling to enforce the newest Hijab laws that levy significantly heavier fines and could result in bans on attending universities or applying for work. The program has been half-heartedly enforced since the news laws were passed. Now, the regime may make it compulsory for businesses to enforce the code by passing a new law that would extend the fines to the businesses that women frequent. Sources in Tehran said that pilot programs are being tested in two unidentified neighborhoods in Tehran as well as two other cities. It was not clear if the trial program would involve fines or, is simply being tested for its functionality. At-risk Afghans residing in Iran should be aware these tests are being carried out. The source said the new law would likely take effect prior to the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death (16 September). The source said that few in the regime believed it would have much of an effect on Iranian women who have chosen to ignore the law.