8am: Since the Taliban’s return, all official signs that had the Persian term for university written on them have been replaced with Pashtu terms. The presence of the Farsi in Taliban circles and media has decreased, and Taliban officials usually speak Pashto in public events. Administrative communication is usually conducted in Pashto. Tribal biases have become ingrained in the Taliban’s operations. Many of their leaders and soldiers have come from the most remote and traditional areas of southern Afghanistan, and only speak Pashto, viewing other languages as hostile. The Taliban have consistently stressed that Farsi is a foreign language, and that the language spoken by some Afghans is Dari, which is not related to Farsi. They and their sympathizers seek to create a divide between Farsi speakers in Afghanistan and their neighbors. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – June 8, 2023
Faiz Hameed’s Unfulfilled Victory Dreams
Taliban leader Mullah Baradar with Pakistan’s ISI Chief Faiz Hameed
8am: In early September 2021, General Faiz Hameed, the former head of Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), made a surprise visit to Kabul in order to resolve the dispute concerning the formation of the Taliban cabinet. When asked about the future of Afghanistan, Hameed smiled and said, “Everything will be alright.” Pakistani strategists believed that the presence of the Taliban in Afghanistan would be beneficial to them, as it would reduce the challenges they faced in relation to Afghanistan. They viewed the Taliban’s presence as a victory, as it diminished India’s presence in the region and Afghanistan. Contrary to what General Hameed declared in the lobby of the Serena Hotel in Kabul, all is not well. Click here to read more (external link).
Amnesty Intl Says Taliban Guilty of a ‘War Crime’
Tolo News: The “Taliban” have committed the war crime of collective punishment against civilians in Afghanistan’s Panjshir province, Amnesty International said in a new report published on Thursday. “Civilians targeted with torture and unlawful killings; detainees subjected to extrajudicial executions, mass arbitrary arrests and detention intended to intimidate local population. Thousands of people are being swept up in the Taliban’s continued oppression,” the report reads. “In Panjshir, the Taliban’s cruel tactic of targeting civilians due to suspicion of their affiliation with the NRF is causing widespread misery and fear,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General. Click here to read more (external link).
From Amnesty International
Tajik Authorities Detain Dozens of ‘Armed’ Afghan Citizens, Sources Say
By RFE/RL’s Tajik Service
June 8, 2023
Sources in Tajikistan’s government entities told RFE/RL on June 8 that dozens of armed Afghan citizens, including former Afghan military personnel, have been apprehended by Tajik law enforcement and security troops in the Central Asian nation’s southern Khatlon region. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one of the Tajik officials said the detained Afghan nationals had been transferred to Dushanbe. The authorities of the tightly controlled former Soviet republic have yet to confirm the situation. After the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021, hundreds of Afghan citizens fled to other countries via neighboring Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
Deadly Blast Hits Afghan Mosque During Memorial Service For Taliban Official
Ayaz Gul
VOA News
June 8, 2023
ISLAMABAD — A bomb blast ripped through a mosque in Afghanistan’s northeastern Badakhshan province during a memorial ceremony Thursday for the Taliban provincial deputy governor who was assassinated in an Islamic State group attack this week.
The explosion in the provincial capital of Faizabad killed at least 11 worshipers and wounded more than 30 others, the Taliban-led Afghan interior ministry said on Twitter. Moazuddin Ahmadi, the head of the area information office, told VOA by phone that a former Taliban police chief of the nearby northern Baghlan province was also among the dead.
Witnesses reported that the powerful blast had inflicted many casualties on the worshipers inside the packed mosque, fearing a much higher death toll.
A mainstream Afghan news channel, TOLO news, reported that at least 15 bodies and about 50 wounded were brought to the main hospital in Faizabad.
On Tuesday, Badakhshan’s deputy governor, Molvi Nisar Ahmad Ahmadi, was being driven to work in Faizabad when a suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden car into his vehicle. The ensuing blast killed Ahmadi and his driver, while 10 people were injured.
The Islamic State group claimed the car bomb attack was carried out by its Afghan affiliate, Islamic State Khorasan. The mountainous Afghan province borders China, Tajikistan and Pakistan.
Several top Taliban leaders have been killed in IS Khorasan-claimed attacks since the hardline group retook control of Afghanistan nearly two years ago.
A car bombing last December, claimed by IS Khorasan, killed the Taliban police chief of Badakhshan.
In March, a suicide bomber assassinated the governor of northern Balkh province, Mohammad Dawood Muzammil. IS Khorasan took credit for killing one of the most senior Taliban leaders.
The Taliban are sworn enemies of IS Khorasan and have routinely conducted operations against its hideouts in Afghanistan, killing high-profile operatives of the terror group.
Islamic State launched its operations in the conflict-torn South Asian nation in 2015 from bases in eastern Nangarhar province, which borders Pakistan. It has since expanded the violence to other parts of Afghanistan.
Related
The Taliban Are Who We Thought They Were
The Bulwark: Once again under Taliban rule, Afghanistan has become oppressive, brutal, and dangerous to its neighbors and the world. The Taliban, of course, care nothing for the security and prosperity of Afghanistan nor the stability of their region. Oppression is their highest calling. They consistently prioritize self-preservation over critical humanitarian needs. They have seized both cash and humanitarian supplies flown into the country without accountability mechanisms. This has allowed them to influence local distribution networks, setting up shadow nongovernmental organizations to distribute aid to their loyalists. Meanwhile, Afghan children are dying from malnutrition and curable diseases. Ironically, the Taliban claim they have increased revenues and reduced corruption. Yet there’s little evidence the Taliban are spending state resources to benefit Afghanistan’s general population. Instead, government employment opportunities and salary levels have tipped in favor of Taliban members and supporters at the expense of those without ties to the Taliban and, of course, women, regardless of their work experience and education. Click here to read more (external link).
The Assassination of Taliban Officials in the North: Internal Disputes or ISIS Attacks?
Taliban fighters (file photo)
8am: Over the past two years, suicide attacks have claimed the lives of several Taliban officials. In the most recent incident, a suicide attack targeted and killed the acting governor and deputy governor of the Taliban in Badakhshan province. Similarly, Daud Muzamil, the Taliban governor of Balkh province, was previously killed by an ISIS suicide attacker inside his office. While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack in Badakhshan province, sources informed the Hasht-e Subh Daily that it was carried out by ISIS. However, some sources suggest that the assassination of the Taliban deputy governor stems from internal and local disputes. Earlier, similar incidents resulted in the deaths of the security commander and the head of the mines directorate for the Taliban in Badakhshan province. Click here to read more (external link).
Tolo News in Dari – June 7, 2023
24 people including 8 children die in Sar-e-Pul traffic accident
Ariana: At least 24 people died in a traffic accident on Wednesday in Sar-e-Pul province of Afghanistan, local officials said. Din Mohammad Nazari, the spokesman of the Sar-e-Pul Province Police Command, said eight children, 12 women and four men died in the accident. Nazari said the accident was the result of careless driving. Click here to read more (external link).