Afghanistan International: The Afghanistan Security Watch said there were at least 39 security incidents in Afghanistan in December. It said on Thursday that 25 of the incidents had been confirmed by independent sources. According to the Afghanistan Security Watch, the Afghanistan Freedom Front has organised 12 attacks against the Taliban, while the National Resistance Front has carried out six attacks on the Taliban during this period. The Afghanistan Security Watch said in a statement on Thursday, January 16, that one security incident during this period was carried out by ISIS-K and six other incidents were carried out by unknown factors. The attacks took place in Kabul, Badghis, Herat, Parwan and Nangarhar provinces, the organisation said. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – January 16, 2025
Pakistan Continues To Be A Victim Of Terrorism From Afghanistan, Says US
Afghanistan International: John Kirby, the White House National Security Spokesperson, said that the people of Pakistan continue to be victims of terrorist attacks from the Afghan border. Kirby said that the United States will continue to work with Pakistan on counterterrorism. Kirby said at a news conference on Wednesday that Islamabad has never been a “technical ally” of the United States and that no formal treaty has been signed between the two countries. He added that the United States has cooperated with Islamabad over the past two decades in countering terrorist threats on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Click here to read more (external link).
Related
UN warns of rising child malnutrition in Afghanistan
Khaama: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Afghanistan has warned of a potential rise in child malnutrition cases this year, adding that climate change in 2025 will affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of children in Afghanistan. In a report published on Wednesday, January 15, OCHA stated that over half a million children in Afghanistan will face the risk of malnutrition this year. Click here to read more (external link).
India steps up engagement with Taliban
By Anjana Pasricha
VOA News
January 15, 2025
New Delhi — The first high level diplomatic meeting held between India and the Taliban leadership marked a significant step in rebuilding New Delhi’s influence in Afghanistan, according to analysts. They say New Delhi’s growing engagement with the Taliban is prompted by strategic considerations in the Central Asian country that has important implications for its security and is likely to deepen amid growing tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan.
In the meeting between Indian foreign secretary Vikram Misri and acting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, held in Dubai last week, India agreed to consider engaging in development projects in Afghanistan “in the near future” and provide more support to the health sector and refugee rehabilitation. Both sides also discussed boosting trade ties.
Calling India a “significant regional and economic partner,” the Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement that “we want to strengthen political and economic relations with India.”
The engagement marked a major shift since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, which was seen as a huge diplomatic setback for India’s two-decade long efforts to build deeper ties with Kabul.
“New Delhi’s approach is a pragmatic one, grounded in the view that isolating the Taliban will make it tougher to achieve its goals in Afghanistan,” Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, told VOA in emailed comments.
The Taliban’s return had raised fears in New Delhi that Afghanistan will become a haven for militants from Pakistan who have been at the forefront of a three-decade violent separatist insurgency in Indian Kashmir.
But analysts point out that the Taliban leadership has built confidence in New Delhi by not doing anything that goes against India’s security interests.
“They have observed their commitments to not allow anti-India terror activity on their soil quite scrupulously. So the level of engagement has been upgraded steadily,” said Sushant Sareen, senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation. “Afghanistan is seen as the epicenter of the arc of instability in this region and it is critical for India’s interests to be present there.”
India’s détente with the Taliban began in 2022 when it started dispatching food and medicine as part of humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. In the same year, it reopened its mission in Kabul with a small “technical team.”
The engagement between the two countries likely will gain momentum amid tensions between Kabul and Islamabad over Pakistan’s allegations that the Taliban support militants linked to the outlawed Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, in carrying out attacks against Pakistani civilians and security forces.
“India’s outreach to the Taliban is certainly easier given Pakistan’s messy ties with the Taliban,” Kugelman said. “And given the reality of India-Pakistan rivalry, New Delhi likely sees an opportunity to exploit Pakistan’s tensions with the Taliban and pursue closer ties with the Taliban, to gain an upper hand in a longstanding competition between India and Pakistan for influence in Afghanistan.”
During last week’s meeting between Misri and Muttaqi, India underlined “its readiness to respond to the urgent developmental needs of the Afghan people.”
Before the Taliban takeover in 2021, India was the largest regional provider of development aid to Kabul and had invested about $3 billion in projects that included schools, roads, dams and hospitals. Many of those projects had stalled after the Taliban takeover. Some could restart, analysts say.
“The Indian goal is to protect the good things India has done over the decades, and renew its developmental activities,” said Chintamani Mahapatra, founder of the Kalinga Institute of Indo Pacific Studies in New Delhi. “Afghanistan is a very important country for us, so India is interested in engaging the Taliban rather than isolating it, no matter who is in the seat of power. And to achieve stability, there needs to be a modicum of economic development.”
Both sides also agreed to promote the use of Iran’s Chabahar port for supporting trade and commercial activities – the port, which India is helping develop, is seen as crucial for both sides. India wants to strengthen connectivity via Afghanistan and Iran to Central Asia which it cannot access directly by land due to Pakistan’s refusal of transit rights. For landlocked Afghanistan, which has to rely heavily on Pakistani land routes and seaports to conduct trade, the Chabahar port provides an alternate route.
The Taliban also has urged New Delhi to issue visas to Afghan businessmen, patients and students — a process that virtually halted after its takeover because of the closure of Indian consulates, security concerns and because India, like most countries, does not officially recognize the Taliban. But New Delhi will take a calibrated approach toward potential visitors from Afghanistan, according to analyst Sareen.
“India is not ready to open the floodgates for Afghans coming into India. New Delhi will remain cautious, but it will continue to deepen the engagement. Because while India has reservations on some aspects of the Taliban’s policies towards women and its ideology, realism is guiding Indian policy. After all, it cannot pretend that Afghanistan does not exist anymore. We are virtually their next door neighbors,” Sareen said.
India’s decision to build ties with the Taliban at a time when countries like Russia and China are strengthening relations with Kabul, is likely to find support in countries like the United States.
“As the U.S. contemplates how to approach the Taliban when it comes to sensitive but pressing issues, from Americans still being held captive in Afghanistan to concerns about Islamic State terrorism, it will likely find it useful that a key US partner has decided to opt for the path of engagement,” Kugelman said.
Tolo News in Dari – January 15, 2025
Trump’s Defense Nominee calls US Afghanistan exit ‘Painful Failure’
Khaama: Trump’s Defense Secretary Nominee Calls U.S. Exit from Afghanistan ‘Disastrous’ Amid Biden’s Defense of Withdrawal. Pete Hegseth, Trump’s nominee for U.S. Secretary of Defense, described the manner of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as “disastrous” just one day after President Joe Biden strongly defended his decision to end America’s involvement in the country. Hegseth, who has firsthand experience with the Afghanistan war, stated on Tuesday January 14 that the withdrawal was a “total failure,” citing the destruction of the military’s legacy, abandonment of allies, the deaths of U.S. soldiers, and the damage to America’s reputation. His harsh criticism of the “disastrous” exit came just a day after Biden highlighted the achievements of his administration, including the withdrawal from Afghanistan, as a major accomplishment. Click here to read more (external link).
Retirees struggle as pension payments remain unpaid
Amu: Retirees voiced growing concerns over the Taliban’s failure to pay pensions, leaving many unable to afford basic necessities such as food or heating during a harsh winter. Rabia, a former teacher from Farah province, is among thousands of pensioners who have gone unpaid for more than three years. After dedicating nearly 35 years to the education sector, Rabia was forced to retire due to illness under the previous government. Now, she faces mounting financial hardship as the Taliban has not issued pension payments since taking control in 2021. Click here to read more (external link).
Explosion reported in Kabul’s Shahr-e-Naw neighborhood
Amu: KABUL, Afghanistan — An explosion occurred near the Hanzala Mosque in Kabul’s Shahr-e-Naw neighborhood moments ago, according to local sources. The National Resistance Front has claimed responsibility for the explosion in Kabul’s Shahr-e-Naw neighborhood, alleging that the attack killed two Taliban members, including a commander. In a statement, the group described the attack as “targeted and well-planned,” stating it was carried out near the entrance of the Taliban’s Military Prosecutor’s Office in the city’s 10th district. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban leader rejects Haqqanis’ push for key ministry appointment, sources say
Amu: Internal divisions within the Taliban have resurfaced, as sources report that the Haqqani faction sought to appoint Ahmad Haqqani, the eldest son of Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani, as the new minister of refugees. However, the Taliban’s leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, rejected the request by naming Abdul Kabir, the former deputy chief minister for political affairs, to lead the ministry. Six days after Akhundzada’s decision, there has been no official announcement of Abdul Kabir assuming his new role or any update regarding the now-vacant deputy prime minister position. Click here to read more (external link).