
Dostum
Amu: Former vice president Marshal Abdul Rashid Dostum has said that the Taliban are “taking their last breaths” and only understand force, as criticism intensified over the killing of a former police chief in Iran. Speaking during an online memorial gathering for Gen. Ikramuddin Saree on Sunday, Dostum said the Taliban do not understand diplomacy or dialogue and respond only to pressure, describing the group as a “terrorist regime” whose rule he said would not endure. Click here to read more (external link).


8am: Sources from the Afghanistan Analysts Network say that important subjects such as human rights, democracy, electoral systems, constitutional law, sociology, and ethics philosophy are no longer being taught, and many books written by women or Iranian authors are also on the banned list. Additionally, books about Afghanistan’s contemporary history, the Taliban, Afghanistan-Pakistan relations, and anti-Taliban figures such as Ahmad Shah Massoud have been removed from access. 
Amu: Taliban collected and burned dozens of musical instruments in the eastern province of Nangarhar, saying the move was aimed at enforcing Islamic principles and reforming society. Since returning to power in August 2021, the Taliban have imposed sweeping restrictions on music, banning it from public events, weddings, radio and television broadcasts, and many public spaces. Musical instruments have been confiscated and destroyed in several provinces. 

Afghanistan International: Eyewitnesses told Afghanistan International that Mawlawi Noman, an aide to Taliban intelligence chief, was killed in a targeted drone or rocket attack in Kabul. Sources close to the Taliban had initially said Mawlawi Noman died when a gas cylinder exploded at his home. However, an eyewitness living near the residence said a second-floor room of the house where Noman and a guest were present at the time was completely destroyed. The eyewitness described the incident as “highly targeted and calculated,” adding that the force of the blast was inconsistent with a domestic accident.