Ariana: In the 31st match of the fifth season of the Afghanistan Champions League, Arman FC delivered a dominant performance, defeating Istiqlal Kabul with a convincing 3–0 victory. In Wednesday’s 32nd fixture, Sarsabz Yashlar also impressed, overcoming Ettifaq Khanzadah with a solid 4–1 win and securing another valuable three points. The competition continues tomorrow (Thursday) with two more clashes. Click here to read more (external link).
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Amu: Two explosions struck a Taliban base in Afghanistan’s central Panjshir province on Monday night, killing at least eight Taliban members, multiple local sources told Amu, in one of the deadliest reported attacks in the area in recent months. The blasts occurred around 7:40 p.m. in the Manjinsto area of Abdullah Khil valley, where the Taliban maintain a central outpost, the sources said. Independent confirmation of the casualty toll was not immediately available, and Taliban authorities have not commented. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghanistan International: Abdullah Qarluq, spokesperson for the National Resistance Council for Salvation of Afghanistan, says three major political movements opposing the Taliban have reached an agreement and are speaking with a unified voice to address the current crisis. According to him, the National Resistance Council for Salvation of Afghanistan, the National Assembly for Salvation and the Afghanistan National Movement for Peace and Justice will issue a joint statement. Click here to read more (external link).
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8am: The Taliban started replacing their Tajik-origin fighters with Pashtun-origin ones after militants from the group killed five Chinese citizens in Tajikistan. Sources reveal that the group decided to transfer and disarm some Tajik-origin fighters. At the same time, they stripped local Taliban members of duties like collecting mine revenues and distributing land for extraction. Instead, they assigned these tasks to outsiders, especially those tied to the Kandahari Taliban. Sources explain that two days ago, a Taliban delegation and 120 members of Unit 01 headed to Badakhshan’s Darwaz district. They aimed to arrest Juma Fateh, a local Taliban official there. But he skipped the meeting and fled the area. Sources spotted some of these fighters in Sheghnan, heading back to Fayzabad. Still, no one knows exactly how many non-local Taliban fighters linger in the Darwaz region. These sources predict that leaders will soon oust Fasihuddin Fetrat, the Taliban army chief of staff. They point out rising anxiety among the Badakhshan Taliban. The disarmament of locals and the shift in mine revenue control fuel the deepest worries about these changes. Click here to read more (external link).
Khaama: Arrests of Afghans living in the United States have sharply increased in recent days, according to immigration lawyers and advocacy groups, following the shooting of two National Guard members by an Afghan national in late November. ABC News reported today that the uptick has created widespread fear among Afghan communities across several states. The Associated Press earlier noted that roughly two dozen Afghans have been detained in the past week, with most arrests taking place in Northern California, home to one of the country’s largest Afghan populations. Many detainees were called into U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) offices for routine check-ins before being taken into custody. Click here to read more (external link).
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Ariana: In the twenty-ninth match of the fifth season of the Afghanistan Champions League, Aino Mina edged past Jawanan Perozi 1–0. In Tuesday’s thirtieth fixture, Abu Muslim Farah claimed a 2–1 victory over Khurasan Faryab. Looking ahead to tomorrow’s thirty-first match, Arman FC will take on Istiqlal Kabul at 10:00 a.m. Meanwhile, in the thirty-second encounter, Sarsabz Yashlar will face Ettifaq Khanzadah at 1:30 p.m. Click here to read more (external link).
A ship at Chabahar Port (file photo, Press TV)
Afghanistan International: Gul Hassan, the Taliban’s ambassador in Moscow, said Iran’s Chabahar port is becoming a key route for Afghanistan’s foreign trade, with daily commercial flows through the port increasing. Speaking at the Third International North–South Transport Corridor Forum in Russia, he said the Taliban is “working actively” with Iran and India on the Chabahar route. Click here to read more (external link).
8am: Residents across Ghazni province speak with deep worry about the industrial factories operating inside their neighborhoods. They say the rapid spread and constant work of these factories have filled the air with poison and pushed many families into serious health problems. Those who live closest to the factories suffer the most and pay the highest price with their health. Residents of Ghazni told the Hasht-e Subh Daily that factory owners burn poor-quality fuel and face no monitoring at all. They say these factories should be forced to install systems that clean the smoke, yet the Taliban issue no warnings and take no action. The people believe that the Taliban have failed to control the causes of air pollution in the province. Because of this failure, the environment grows worse with each passing day. Click here to read more (external link).
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
Afghanistan International: Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of Hezb-e Islami, has travelled to Malaysia for medical treatment, sources told Afghanistan International. The trip marks his first known foreign travel since the Taliban allegedly imposed restrictions on his movements last year. According to the sources, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim personally invited Hekmatyar. They said Ibrahim has admired Hekmatyar since the years of the anti-Soviet jihad and had extended invitations to him several times in the past, with this visit now finally taking place. Click here to read more (external link).