A Taliban Commander Killed in Kabul Blast

·

8am: The blast occurred on Thursday morning in the Karta-e Naw hill area, located on the outskirts of the 8th police district in Kabul city, according to sources in Kabul. The blast occurred due to the detonation of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) that were planted at a Taliban security checkpost. No group has immediately claimed responsibility for this blast. In the second PD of Kabul, a Hilux vehicle owned by the Taliban was hit by an IED explosion two days ago. Click here to read more (external link).

Other Security News

Top IS-Khorasan Commander Killed in Southern Afghanistan

·

Khaama: The senior commander Ejaz Amin Ahangar, known as Abu Osman Al-Kashmiri, is a senior member of the Islamic State of Khorasan in the southern province of Afghanistan. According to intelligence authorities and members of his family, Abu Osman is thought to have been slain in southern Afghanistan. He is accused of being the leader of an Islamic State cell responsible for a string of suicide attacks by Indian nationals in Kabul and Jalalabad. Abu Osman has reportedly been slain by the Taliban and was discovered dead in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province. Click here to read more (external link).

Earthquake of 6.8 magnitude hits Afghanistan, Tajikistan, felt in China

·

Ariana: An earthquake of 6.8 magnitude on the Richter scale hit Afghanistan and Tajikistan on Thursday and was felt near China’s border. The earthquake struck at 06:07 in the morning, with the epicenter located 265 km away from Faizabad in Afghanistan’s northern Badakhshan province. This follows the recent devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. Thursday’s quake in Afghanistan was followed by a 5.0-magnitude aftershock among others. No casualties have been reported. Click here to read more (external link).

Torkham Crossing Closed Again on Pakistan Side After Reopening for One Hour

·

Torkham border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan

Tolo News: Torkham crossing was closed for passengers and commercial transit on Thursday by Pakistan, an hour after its reopening, said Qureshi Badlon, an official of the department of information and culture in Nangarhar. According to local officials in Nangarhar, the reason for the closing of this crossing is not clear, although attempts are being made to find a solution. Click here to read more (external link).

Related

Taliban Arrest 50 Civilians in Panjshir’s Dara District

·

8am: According to information from sources in the area, the Taliban detained approximately 50 individuals who were civilians from Pamir village in Dara district on Wednesday. As reported by sources, the individuals who were arrested consisted of minors, adolescents, and elderly men. Following every armed confrontation in Panjshir, it is common for members of the Taliban to detain, inflict physical pain upon, and intimidate individuals. Click here to read more (external link).

AFPL: Sadaqat FC 10-1 Zaitoon FC; Perozi Panjshir 5-2 Shams FC

·

Ariana: Sadaqat FC defeated Zaitoon FC in the first match of the day on Thursday in this year’s edition of the Afghanistan Futsal Premier League (AFPL) which is being held in Kabul. Sadaqat FC scored 10 goals in this amazing match, while their opponents Zaitoon FC were only able to drive home one goal. The second match of the day was between Perozi Panjshir and Shams FC which ended in 5-2 to Perozi Panjshir. The tournament started on February 15 and will run through to March 9. Click here to read more (external link).

Pakistan’s Defense Minister In Kabul For Talks With Taliban Amid Tensions

·

Khawaja Muhammad Asif

By RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal
February 22, 2023

A high-level delegation led by Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif is holding talks with Taliban rulers in Kabul amid tensions prompted by Islamabad’s accusations that Afghanistan is harboring Pakistani militants and the recent closing of a key border crossing between the two neighbors.

Asif is being accompanied by Islamabad’s special representative to Afghanistan, Sadiq Khan, and General Nadeem Anjum, the chief of the powerful Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency.

A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad said on Twitter that the delegation was to “discuss security-related matters including counter-terrorism measures.”

The visit comes as thousands of trucks remained stranded at the Torkham border crossing following the Taliban’s closing of the key gateway on February 19. Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also has warned that the use of Afghan soil by militants from the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), is posing a threat to Islamabad.

The Taliban closed Torkham for what they said was Pakistan’s failure to fulfill a pledge that it will allow movement for Afghans without valid travel documents for medical purposes.

Pakistan has recently tightened security measures and controls at the border crossings with Afghanistan since the TTP ended a cease-fire with the government in November.

TTP militants are known to have been sheltering in Afghanistan since the Taliban’s re-emergence following the withdrawal of the U.S.-led forces in August 2021. However, Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers deny that they are offering safe haven to TTP militants.

The office of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the acting deputy prime minister of the Taliban-led government, said in a statement on February 22 that he and the Pakistani delegation held talks about economic relations, trade, and the situation at border crossings.

Both the Torkham and Chaman border crossings, which are critical for landlocked Afghanistan, have been temporarily closed in the past.

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.

Afghan Central Bank Hails US Judge for Barring 9/11 Victims from Seizing Frozen Funds

·

Ayaz Gul
VOA News
February 22, 2023

ISLAMABAD — Afghanistan’s central bank Wednesday welcomed a U.S. federal judge’s decision against turning over $3.5 billion in frozen Afghan funds to victims of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks to settle court judgments against the Taliban.

“The currency reserves are owned by Afghans, which are lawfully used for monetary stability, strengthening the financial system and facilitating trade with the world,” said what is known as Da Afghanistan Bank, or DAB in a statement.

It renewed a call for the United States and other Western nations to unfreeze all Afghan central bank reserves to help “the beleaguered nation overcome their economic problems.” The statement added that DAB was ready to fully cooperate with countries of the world and related institutions to address any international concerns.

Tuesday, District Judge George Daniels in New York ruled that the plaintiffs were not entitled the Afghan assets because U.S. courts lacked legal jurisdiction to authorize the seizure.

Daniels noted he was “constitutionally restrained” from letting victims seize the funds, saying it would amount to ruling that the Taliban are Afghanistan’s legitimate government.

“The judgment creditors are entitled to collect on their default judgments and be made whole for the worst terrorist attack in our nation’s history, but they cannot do so with the funds of the central bank of Afghanistan,” Daniels wrote.

He added “the Taliban – not the former Islamic Republic of Afghanistan nor the Afghan people – must pay for the Taliban’s liability in the 9/11 attacks.”

The fundamentalist Taliban waged a deadly insurgency against the internationally supported Afghan government in Kabul before storming back to power in August 2021 as U.S.-led NATO troops withdrew from the country after almost two decades of war.

The United States and its allies invaded Afghanistan in late 2001 to oust the then-Taliban government for harboring the al-Qaida planners of the September 11 terror attacks on the U.S. that killed nearly 3,000 people.

No country has recognized the new Taliban government, citing human rights and terrorism concerns. Some Taliban cabinet members are under U.S. sanctions for their alleged involvement in terrorist activities.

Tuesday’s court ruling dealt a blow to several groups of creditors that had claims against some of the $7 billion of DAB funds frozen at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York since the Taliban takeover 18 months ago.

Other Western nations also have frozen about $2 billion of DAB reserves in their banks.

U.S. President Joe Biden in February 2022 ordered $3.5 billion of the DAB funds set aside to help ease the suffering of the Afghan people.

That money has recently been transferred to a special Swiss-based Afghan Fund to help stabilize the Afghan economy and ease an already bad humanitarian crisis in the war-ravaged South Asian nation. Biden diverted the remaining $3.5 billion to potentially pay families of 9/11 victims pending court judgments against the Taliban.

“The decision deprives over 10,000 members of the 9/11 community of their right to collect compensation from the Taliban,” said Lee Wolosky, a lawyer for one credit group known as the Havlish plaintiffs. “We believe it is wrongly decided and will appeal.”

The other creditor groups were reportedly also planning an appeal.

Some information for this report came from Reuters.

EU Considers New Sanctions on Taliban Authorities for Violating Human Rights: German FM

·

Khaama: Annalena Baerbock German Foreign Minister has announced that after consultations with the European foreign ministers in Brussels, the EU is considering imposing a new set of sanctions on the Taliban authorities for repressing women in Afghanistan. German Foreign Minister has said that Afghan women and girls are currently faced with “systematic and gender-based restrictions” in the war-torn country. Germany, France, and the Netherlands in particular have proposed the introduction of sanctions on Afghanistan’s de facto authorities. Click here to read more (external link).