Islamic Republic Of Iran Considers Construction Of Herat’s Pashdan Dam A Threat

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Afghanistan International: Issa Bozorgzadeh, the spokesman for the Islamic Republic’s water industry, said that Afghanistan’s “unilateral” exploitation of the Harirud River is a violation of Iran’s customary rights. Bozorgzadeh said that the construction of the Pashdan Dam will affect the supply of drinking water to several million people. Click here to read more (external link).

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Taliban Appeal to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham for Presence in Syria

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HTS leader, Jolani

8am: Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Taliban’s Foreign Minister, recently held a telephone conversation with Asaad Hassan al-Shaybani, the Foreign Minister of Syria, congratulating the victory of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and expressing a desire for representatives from both sides to meet and establish prompt diplomatic relations between Kabul and Damascus. Surprisingly, Muttaqi praised the new Syrian government for implementing “general amnesty,” something the Taliban regime itself has not adhered to. When Bashar al-Assad, the previous ruler of Syria, fled, Taliban supporters in some provinces celebrated in the streets, distributing sweets and flowers to passersby, welcoming the rise to power of Ahmad Al-Sharaa, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). However, Al-Sharaa has indicated that his government does not align with the Taliban’s Emirate model in Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).

Taliban’s halt of door-to-door polio vaccination campaign leaves children vulnerable

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Child getting polio drops (file photo)

Amu: The suspension of house-to-house polio vaccination campaigns by the Taliban has left many children unvaccinated, raising fears of a resurgence of the crippling disease, residents say. While a three-day polio vaccination campaign concluded last week in Kabul and 10 other provinces, some Kabul residents reported that their children did not receive the vaccine. Many expressed frustration over the lack of information about the campaign and criticized the Taliban’s decision to halt door-to-door vaccinations in September. Click here to read more (external link).

Cricket: Afghanistan’s Rahmat Shah hits record 231 runs in Test comeback

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Amu:  BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe — Rahmat Shah smashed Afghanistan’s highest-ever Test score with an unbeaten 231 on Saturday, leading a remarkable fightback against Zimbabwe on the third day of the first Test at Queens Sports Club. Click here to read more (external link).

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Taliban warns of suspension for NGOs failing to stop women from working

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Ariana: The Ministry of Economy in a new letter has warned that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) failing to stop women from working will be suspended and their licenses revoked. Two years ago, the ministry had issued a similar letter ordering that women’s work in NGOs be stopped. Experts say that this restriction could have widespread negative effects on the provision of essential services in Afghanistan, especially as the country faces a severe economic crisis. Click here to read more (external link).

Afghan Taliban Says Its Forces Struck Targets In Pakistan As Cross-Border Clashes Erupt

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By RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi and RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal

December 28, 2024

Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government said Taliban forces targeted what it claimed were “centers and hideouts for malicious elements” it said were involved in a recent attack in Afghanistan, as an upsurge of cross-border fighting continues.

The statement from the Taliban’s Defense Ministry followed reports of deadly early morning clashes on December 28 between Taliban forces and Pakistani border guards. It came days after the government said Pakistani aircraft bombed targets in Afghanistan in an attack it said killed dozens of civilians.

The ministry gave few details about the strikes, which it said were launched against targets in several districts behind the “hypothetical line” — a reference to a portion of the border with Pakistan that Afghan authorities have long disputed.

Local sources told RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi that three people in Paktia Province were killed and two wounded by gunfire from Pakistani border guards, and that clashes also took place in the Khost province. The reports could not be independently verified.

There was no immediate comment from the Pakistani government. But the head of a community in the Kurram district told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal that Taliban forces fired rockets at two security posts near the border at about 6 a.m., setting off fighting that continued for several hours.

The Taliban’s Defense Ministry suggested the strikes on Pakistan were retaliation for what the Taliban-led government said were Pakistani air strikes that killed 46 civilians in Paktika Province, which also borders Pakistan, on December 24.

Pakistan says that militants from the Islamist group Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) are hiding across the border in Afghanistan, and Islamabad has repeatedly asked the Afghan Taliban to take action against them. The Afghan Taliban say the TTP is in Pakistan.

There has been a steady increase in TTP attacks in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021 following the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces from Afghanistan.

With reporting by Reuters

Copyright (c) 2024. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.

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NRF Claims Responsibility For Attack On Taliban’s Interior Ministry

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Afghanistan International: The National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) announced that it had killed 10 Taliban fighters and wounded five other Taliban members in a targeted operation on the headquarters of the Ministry of Interior. Khalid Zadran, a spokesman for the Taliban’s police command in Kabul, said that four people were wounded in the incident. The NRF, led by Ahmad Massoud, announced on Saturday, December 28, that its forces attacked the Taliban’s Interior Ministry headquarters on the airport road at 9:30 am. The front claimed that a Taliban commander was also killed in the attack. Click here to read more (external link).