Long War Journal: Al Qaeda is operating training camps in the Afghan provinces of Kandahar and Takhar, the United Nations Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team reported. These facilities are in addition to those located in 10 other provinces that the Monitoring Team identified over the past year. Additionally, the Monitoring Team notes that Al Qaeda “still uses Afghanistan as a permissive haven under the Taliban.” Click here to read more (external link).
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Afghanistan International: Reliable sources have informed Afghanistan International that ahead of Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s visit to Kabul, the Taliban administration plans to relocate Pakistani Taliban members to a camp in Ghazni. Restraining Pakistani militants is Islamabad’s primary demand from the Afghan Taliban. Sources from both the Afghan Taliban and Pakistani Taliban have confirmed to Afghanistan International that TTP members are being moved to a camp in Ghazni. According to the sources, this camp “consists of houses that were originally built for refugees expelled from Pakistan”. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Security News
Photo: Akmal Dawi/IRIN
8am: Under Taliban rule, the control over environmental destruction and climate change impacts, where the latter exacerbates the former, remains unaddressed. The current regime not only downplays these issues but also lacks representation in important international climate change forums. Instead, they contribute to environmental degradation. With the Taliban’s interference or neglect, forest fires are ignited and the process of deforestation continues. Droughts have worsened desertification trends. Qatari sheiks and other business partners of the Taliban freely travel to Afghanistan and engage in hunting endangered and rare bird species. Click here to read more (external link).
An Iranian writing-directing duo has filmed the story of millions of Afghans living for decades in Iran without fundamental rights. Alireza Ghasemi and Raha Amirfazli cast real Afghan refugees as their characters, secretly shooting in locations where their cast cannot legally go. In the Land Of Brothers screened at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in July, shedding light on a population of permanent refugees that began streaming into Iran in the 1980s during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Many are still eking out a living, taking on unofficial manual labor jobs while facing constant discrimination.
Khaama: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan has stated that reports suggesting the suspension of deportations of undocumented Afghan migrants from the country are incorrect, and the process of expelling these migrants continues as before. Zahra Baloch, spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Interior, announced the continuation of deportations of undocumented Afghan migrants from the country in a message to Radio Mashal, the Pashto-language service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, on Wednesday, July 10th. She emphasized that Filippo Grandi, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, did not reach an agreement with Pakistani authorities regarding the migrants during his visit. Meanwhile, the Pakistani government has announced the extension of residency permits for 1.45 million Afghan migrants holding Proof of Registration (PoR) cards for one year in the country. Click here to read more (external link).
Ayaz Gul
VOA News
July 10, 2024
ISLAMABAD — Pakistan announced Wednesday it had extended the stay of more than 1.4 million lawful Afghan refugees for another year.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office said the decision was made during a cabinet meeting he chaired in Islamabad.
The statement noted that the meeting approved extending the validity of proof of registration cards, or PoR, for Afghan refugees legally residing in the country to June 30, 2025. It added that the cards had expired last month on June 30.
The document enables refugee families in Pakistan to access health, educational, and banking facilities and protects them from forced deportations to Afghanistan.
The cabinet meeting occurred a day after the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, wrapped up a visit to Islamabad, where his discussions with Sharif and other senior officials focused on the problems facing the Afghan refugee community.
A post-visit UNHCR statement issued on Tuesday noted that its chief “called for the timely extension” of the PoR cards, describing them as a “critical identity document” held by Afghan refugees in Pakistan.
Refugee controversy
“Grandi expressed appreciation that the ‘Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan [IFRP]’ had been suspended and sought assurances that it would remain on hold,” the UNHCR said.
Pakistan implemented the plan last October and began expelling foreigners, primarily Afghans, who do not possess legal documents or have their visas expired. The crackdown stemmed from rising terror attacks against Pakistani security forces and civilians. More than 600,000 Afghans have since been forced to return to their home country.
A senior Pakistani official privy to Grandi’s meetings in Islamabad on Tuesday confirmed to VOA that his government had halted expulsions of undocumented Afghans under the IFRP. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.
However, on Wednesday, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson disputed the UNHCR’s assertions about Islamabad suspending the IFRP.
“This is not true,” Mumtaz Baloch told VOA in a written statement.
“It may be noted that no such understanding has been given by Pakistan to the UNHCR, including in recent meetings with the High Commissioner for Refugees,” Baloch emphasized.
She noted the “IFRP remains in place and is being implemented in an orderly and phased manner.”
Afghanistan’s Taliban government, as well as human rights groups, have condemned Islamabad’s plan to forcefully send Afghans back, saying it is in violation of refugee and international laws.
Rights activists also cited sweeping restrictions the fundamentalist Taliban have placed on women, barring them from most jobs and public places and prohibiting girls’ education beyond the sixth grade.
The Taliban have denied allegations Afghan refugees are responsible for security issues facing Pakistan. Islamabad says the Taliban have allowed anti-Pakistan militants to take refuge on Afghan soil and stage cross-border terrorist attacks, charges Kabul rejects.
Meanwhile, Pakistani officials announced Wednesday they had launched a new phase of scholarships for Afghan students, including girls.
Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s special representative on Afghanistan, revealed the information through his X social media platform.
“Glad to launch the third phase of Allama Iqbal scholarships for Afghan students. In the coming five years, 4,500 Afghan students will pursue studies in social and natural sciences in various universities of Pakistan,” Durrani wrote.
The Guardian (UK): The stop-start– or start-stop – story of the Afghanistan women’s cricket team has been sitting in the ICC’s to-do tray since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. It isn’t a straightforward issue, but no one can say that it has been at the top of the pile, with the governing body largely relying on procedure to explain its sloth-like movement. A brief history: the Taliban’s takeover violently, and instantly, scrubbed out the development of the nascent women’s team – players had only been given contracts in November 2020 and were yet to play a competitive match. The players and their families faced immediate intimidation – with many going home and burning and hiding their equipment for fear of being discovered. They fled over the border to Pakistan and 22 of the 25 were given emergency Australian visas (with two others going to Canada and another to the UK). Click here to read more (external link).
More Sports Reports
8am: The Institute for Conflict Management has published a shocking report on the condition of healthcare workers under the Taliban regime. The report documents 109 incidents of violence against healthcare workers in 2023, with 80 percent of these incidents perpetrated by Taliban fighters. According to the report, 65 healthcare workers were detained and interrogated by Taliban forces in 38 incidents in 2023. The report also states that 16 healthcare workers and doctors were killed in 10 incidents by June this year. The institute noted the death of a doctor due to brutal Taliban torture in Badakhshan province, highlighting that Afghanistan’s healthcare system is on the brink of collapse as the Taliban prioritize spending on their intelligence and security sectors. Click here to read more (external link).