8am: Following increased pressure from the Taliban on women and girls in Afghanistan, numerous cases of detention and torture have been reported in Kabul, particularly on charges related to “improper veiling.” Reliable sources in Kabul have confirmed that armed Taliban fighters, including women, forcibly apprehended and relocated many girls from areas like Pul-e Surkh to the Qala-e-Naw area in Dasht-e Barchi and several northern districts of Kabul over the past two days. Women and girls in Kabul emphasize that these detentions go beyond non-compliance with the Taliban-prescribed hijab; rather, women are being arrested for protesting and challenging the group’s authorities. In contrast, insider information indicates the initiation of a settlement program against women not conforming to the “Taliban-style hijab” across Kabul. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – January 3, 2024
Rocket Attack Targets Taliban Governor’s Office in Badakhshan: Two Fighters Injured
8am: In a late-night incident on Tuesday, January 2, the Taliban governor’s office in Badakhshan province was targeted in a rocket attack, as reported by local sources. The attack unfolded at approximately 11:30 pm in the heart of Badakhshan, with the projectile striking the entrance gate of the “Badakhshan Provincial Authority,” as per corroborated reports from the Hasht-e Subh Daily. After the assault, sources from the Badakhshan Provincial Hospital revealed that two Taliban fighters sustained injuries and were promptly admitted for medical treatment. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban Estimates Daesh Numbers in Afghanistan Around 80
Zabihullah Mujahid
Tolo News: The Islamic Emirate’s [Taliban] spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said that the Daesh has been suppressed in Afghanistan and that between 70 to 80 Daesh members are estimated to be based in Afghanistan, and they are being hunted. He said that the sanctuaries of the Daesh group have been eliminated in Afghanistan. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan Cricket Team wins UAE once again
Khaama: In a series of T20 cricket matches, the Afghanistan national cricket team defeated the United Arab Emirates national team by a margin of four wickets. The match took place on Tuesday in the city of Sharjah, and the players from Afghanistan managed to overcome the United Arab Emirates team. Following this series, the Afghanistan national team is scheduled to travel to India to commence a series of T20 matches on January 11. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban Employ Deceptive Tactics to Enlist Former Soldiers into Ranks of Opposition Forces, Leading to Their Arrest
8am: Former military personnel, under the rule of the Taliban regime, find themselves caught between the vengeful acts of this group and severe poverty. Some former security forces members state that the looming threat of death, extrajudicial courts, detainment, and torture by the Taliban shadows them, exacerbating hunger and Unemployment, further complicating their livelihoods. Many of these forces are now pursued and detained by the Taliban on charges of affiliations with anti-Taliban fronts. Click here to read more (external link).
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Tolo News in Dari – January 2, 2024
Why Afghanistan Fell
Ashraf Ghani
The American Conservative: The official report on Biden’s Afghanistan disaster places the blame squarely on the U.S. government. The final report of the Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction (SIGAR) confirms what most of us already knew: The collapse of the Afghan army and government was mostly our fault… SIGAR found that the single most important factor in the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces’ (ANDSF) collapse in August 2021 was the decision by two U.S. presidents to withdraw U.S. military and contractors from Afghanistan, while Afghan forces remained unable to sustain themselves. One former U.S. commander in Afghanistan told SIGAR, “We built that army to run on contractor support. Without it, it can’t function. When the contractors pulled out, it was like we pulled all the sticks out of the Jenga pile and expected it to stay up.”… The other factor that contributed to the demise of the Afghan army was the last-minute wholesale restructuring of Afghanistan’s security institutions. In 2021, amid rapidly deteriorating security, President Ghani reshuffled most of his security officials, often replacing them with fellow ethnic Pashtuns. These leadership changes were part of a broader pattern of politicization and ethnicization (in favor of hometown Pashtuns) of the security sector. Click here to read more (external link).
Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s BBL season cut short by Afghanistan Cricket Board
Mujeeb Rahman Zadran
ESPN: Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s season with Melbourne Renegades is over after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) revoked his No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for the remainder of the Big Bash League. The ACB announced on December 25 that Mujeeb, along with seamers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq, would be sanctioned after telling the board they did not intend to sign central contracts for 2024. The three players were told they would be considered “non-eligible” for NOCs for the next two years, and that any current NOCs would be revoked. Click here to read more (external link).
Taliban’s Dual Policies: Foreign Women Tourists Freely Roaming in Ghazni Province
8am: In Ghazni, some women, and girls strongly criticize the Taliban for their dual standards towards local women, and foreign women visiting the province. They assert that the Taliban consistently tightened their strict restrictions on women in Ghazni province, while foreign women freely move around different parts of the province without any prohibitions, enjoying full freedom. According to them, the Taliban employ a double standard policy to whitewash and gain global legitimacy, while, in their view, all women within the “Islamic system territory” should have equal rights. Click here to read more (external link).