Rashid Khan
Ariana: Three wickets in the last hour of play for Rashid Khan put Afghanistan on the cusp of victory in the second test against Zimbabwe at Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo, with the home team still 73 runs shy of their target at the close of day four. Zimbabwe were 205 for eight at stumps on Sunday, chasing 278 to win the series after the first test ended in a high scoring draw, Reuters reported. Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: Kandahar Province, regarded as the Taliban’s power base, is hosting a three-day exhibition showcasing domestic products from 150 Afghan manufacturers. However, as the event entered its second day on Sunday, sources reported that women had been barred from attending. Despite the prominent role women play in producing these items, they have been excluded from participating in the event. Click here to read (external link).
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Nazary
Afghanistan International: Ali Maisam Nazary, the head of foreign relations of the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF), said that Ansarullah wants to overthrow the government of Tajikistan by using the flag of ISIS and following the Taliban. Ansarullah uses the ISIS flag, but is loyal to the Taliban and al-Qaeda, Nazari said. Click here to read more (external link).
Daikundi
8am: Several former military personnel and their family members have complained about extortion, torture, and retaliation by the Taliban. Some relatives of these ex-soldiers report that in recent weeks, the Taliban have harassed former security forces and their families in various ways. In less than a month, the group has accused at least ten former military personnel of possessing military equipment and extorted money from them. Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: Afghanistan’s vast mineral wealth, which includes copper, lithium, and rare earth elements, has long been viewed as a potential driver of economic growth. However, the secrecy surrounding mining revenues under Taliban rule has raised fears of resource mismanagement. Click here to read more (external link).
Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai
Afghanistan International: Stanekzai called on Trump to reopen the US embassy in Kabul and abide by the Doha agreement. Stanekzai said on Saturday, January 4, at the graduation ceremony of 500 students of religious schools held at the Loya Jirga tent in Kabul, “The enemy does not always remain the enemy.” Click here to read more (external link).
Amu: Rahmat Shah’s masterful century kept Afghanistan in contention in the series-deciding second Test against Zimbabwe on Saturday. Shah scored a gritty 139 runs at Queens Sports Club, helping his team recover from a precarious position before rain halted play late on the third day. Click here to read more (external link).
Michael Hughes: Islamabad appears to be laying the groundwork for regional partnerships to strangle Afghanistan from all sides as tensions escalate with the Taliban over cross-border attacks resulting in decade-high deaths of Pakistani troops. However, although Pakistan has found a willing ally in Tajikistan, it will be harder to secure cooperation from other actors in the region reluctant to fuel full-fledged conflict.
Pakistan’s two-legged strategy envisions putting pressure on Afghanistan from the outside while anti-Taliban resistance works on the inside to collapse Kabul and Kandahar. Recent airstrikes by Pakistan have sent the tensions with the Taliban to all-time highs. Islamabad claimed the attacks against targets in Paktika province killed over 70 terrorists, while the Taliban said 46 people, mostly women and children, were left dead. The December 24 bombing campaign came in the wake of TTP attacks that killed 16 Pakistani security personnel on December 21.
The Conversation: The economic cost could potentially reach over a billion dollars – and this doesn’t include the wider social costs associated with lower levels of education for women. For context, Afghanistan’s entire gross domestic product was just $17 billion in 2023. Our study demonstrates how catastrophic the newest education ban could be, not just for women, but for the whole country. Click here to read more (external link).