[AghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS- MOD CONFIRMS THAT ALL TALIBAN MILITARY FORCES HAVE BEEN ISSUED UNIFORMS, FAILURE TO WEAR THEM WILL BE PUNISHED – A chief complaint by citizens, since the Taliban took the reigns of power, has been the difficulty in recognizing legitimate military and police personnel. Since the coalition forces left, criminal networks seized on the confusion and chaos to set up scams by impersonating Taliban personnel and coercing citizens to extort money and bribes. Fake checkpoints on roadways and illegitimate home searches were common ploys used in these schemes and few dared to question the people carrying them out. Some Resistance forces and ISIS-K were thought to have taken advantage of the situation to collect intelligence and/or launch operations. The Ministry of Defense stated yesterday that all Taliban personnel under its purview had now been issued uniforms and those who fail to wear them will be punished.
- NEW NATO REPORT APPEARS TO CONFIRM RUMORS ABOUT WEAPONS/EQUIPMENT TRANSFERS TO ISIS-K – India, Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan have long been raising the alarm about US and NATO weapons showing up in their jurisdictions. The recent (17th) report of the UN Secretary-General on the threat posed by ISIL (Daesh) quoted several reports from regional member states that confirmed ISIS was receiving weapons from groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda, the TTP, and the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement (aka Turkistan Islamic Party). The report went on to detail efforts by ISIS-K to develop more robust weapons and bomb-making/delivery systems. The report also contradicted Taliban statements concerning the strength of ISIS-K in Afghanistan and estimates suggest that currently there are 4,000-6,000 ISIS-K affiliates operating in the country. It is important to note that these figures include family members of the terrorists.
- 6 AFGHAN MEN AMONG THOSE DROWNED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO CROSS FROM FRANCE TO THE UK – Yesterday morning, a boat carrying mainly Afghan and Sudanese refugees capsized near the French port of Calais. British and French maritime units responded to the emergency and rescued 49 people. Currently, 2 people are still reported missing. All 6 Afghan men who drowned were believed to be in their 30s and their identities were not known at the time of publication.
- MAKING GOOD ON THREATS OF PUNISHMENT FOR ‘SORCERERS AND WITCHES’, MAN IS SENTENCED TO EIGHT YEARS IN PRISON IN JAWZJAN – A spokesman for the Ministry of Vice and Virtue said that a Jadugar (sorcerer/witch) had been found guilty of violating Shari’ah law and will serve eight years in prison. The Ministry had issued a statement earlier in the week to Provincial and District administrators to prosecute those who practice animist beliefs.
CONFLICT TRACKER
Baghlan: AFF forces attacked the Taliban garrison in Pul Madan Shahr late last night. They claimed to have killed 2 Taliban fighters while wounding an additional4. The group posted a video purported to have been taken during the raid on their social media channel.
NEXT 24 HOURS No Threats Reported