Afghanistan International: Three anti-Taliban fronts carried out at least 50 attacks across Afghanistan over the past month. The Freedom Front, United Front and National Resistance Front claim the attacks left dozens dead and wounded. Attacks by anti-Taliban fronts increased sharply in August, ahead of the fifth anniversary of the fall of Afghanistan. Their military strategy also shifted significantly during the month from guerrilla attacks towards more conventional front-line fighting. Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: Three sources told Amu TV that Taliban forces detained two young men in the mountains between Khost district in Baghlan and Worsaj district in Takhar and then shot and killed them. A resident of Khost district told Amu that the two had been passing through the area when they were detained. “They were passing through that area. The Taliban killed them on accusations of being part of the resistance, poured acid on their faces and hung their bodies in the square,” the resident said. A witness said Taliban forces accused the two men of links to the National Resistance Front, or NRF, and displayed their bodies in a public square as alleged resistance members. 
Bitcoin Foundation: Afghanistan looked set to be an unlikely success story for Bitcoin, but the arrival of the Taliban put an end to that. The Taliban labeled digital currency trading as fraudulent and damaging to ordinary users; it claimed that it led to losses and encouraged fraud and scams. This rhetoric formed the backdrop to the Taliban cryptocurrency ban and the crackdown on Bitcoin, other tokens, and trading platforms. 
Afghanistan International: The Taliban police command in Baghlan says its forces killed two National Resistance Front commanders during an operation in Nahrin district. The Taliban identified the commanders as Shams and Baba. The Taliban police command in Baghlan said on Friday, 28 August, that the two senior NRF members were killed during an operation the previous night in the Char Sai area of Nahrin district. According to the Taliban, Shams, also known as “Kharabat”, was the NRF’s military commander for Nahrin, Burka and Jalgah districts, while Babah was the group’s military commander in Nahrin. 
Afghanistan International: Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman says the Afghan Taliban could be considered an Indian proxy if it does not act in its own interests and instead serves what Islamabad describes as India’s efforts to destabilise Pakistan. Tahir Andrabi, spokesman for Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, said at a press briefing on Thursday, 27 August, that if Taliban activities were carried out at the direction of a neighbouring country to promote terrorism in Pakistan, Islamabad would be compelled to describe the Taliban administration as a proxy. 