[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
- BLAST REPORTED IN KABUL – An explosion occurred in the Kote Sangi neighborhood (Police District 5) yesterday. Some accounts suggest a magnetic mine was detonated after being attached to a vehicle. There are no reports of casualties but the Taliban reportedly cut off electricity in the area adjacent to the blast and access has been tightly controlled. No further information was available.
- RUMORS OF PAYOFFS TO FORMER REGIME MEMBERS – An Italian news source has published several documents purporting to show payoffs from Qatar to select members of the previous regime. The Italian source claims the funds were paid to allow the Taliban to take over the country. At this point, no corroboration of the documents or the payouts has been made.
- SIZABLE HOUSE SEARCHES CONTINUE IN KABUL – Taliban searches that had been taking place throughout the week shifted to Police Districts 11 and 15 yesterday. Previously, searches had been reported in Police Districts 4 and 10 on Sunday thru Tuesday. The areas currently being searched are largely occupied by Tajiks and Panjshiris. No reports of arrests have been made as of yet.
- NEW HUMANITARIAN AID DELIVERIES FROM UN USING MEN ONLY, AID AGENCIES RAISE ALARMS – Locals in several cities across Afghanistan have reported the resumption of food deliveries by UN agencies. The World Food Programme said that an ‘operational adjustment’ had been made to continue its work. The announcement has worried some donor states and aid organizations who say the approach represents acquiescence to Taliban demands and may have set a precedent that could harm female involvement in future aid projects. Others say the move is a temporary measure that will be rolled back if the Taliban ban is reversed.
- AFGHAN RAILROAD AUTHORITY SAYS SERVICE WITH UZBEKISTAN WILL RESTART SOON, TRADERS ARE SKEPTICAL – The statement has left several former engineers who had worked on the transit route between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan scratching their heads as the technical modifications the Uzbeks had demanded were considered to be major projects and not quickly implemented. If the route is not reopened soon, several trade groups have warned that commodity prices (already high) will spike. The Taliban responded to these concerns by telling traders to use road transport in the meantime. Apparently, the route was closed when the Taliban regime refused to allow 65 Uzbek rail technicians into the country to supervise modernization efforts. A source in the Ministry of Defense stated that the majority of the best rail engineers had departed Afghanistan after the takeover and that many in the Authority were put in their positions based on their time spent fighting NATO forces and the former regime. The source estimated the literacy rate among these appointed officials is less than 1 in 4 and did not believe any had engineering experience.
- UN SAYS KABUL HAS INFORMED THEM OF EFFORTS TO SET GUIDELINES FOR FEMALE WORK – Apparently, new guidelines are being prepared by the Taliban that will outline those activities female aid workers will be allowed to participate in. The UN head of Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief, Martin Griffiths made the announcement at a meeting on Tuesday. The new guidelines are tentatively scheduled to be released in March.
NEXT 24 HOURS
- SEARCHES IN KABUL MAY PAUSE FOR FRIDAY, PLAN TO RESUME SATURDAY – The systematic searches that have been undertaken by the Taliban in select neighborhoods across Kabul are expected to pause on Friday. Apparently, the decision was made to allow people to attend prayers. Multiple sources have said the searches are far from complete though and may be tied to an effort to seize weapons caches and disrupt Resistance plans for the Spring campaign season. No further information was available.
- BAD WEATHER IN WESTERN AND NORTHER PROVINCES EXPECTED TO DISRUPT TRAVEL – Rain and snow is forecasted for the next 36 hours and will add to moisture accumulations. Some roads have already been closed in remote areas and there are concerns over potential heavy flooding. At-risk Afghans are advised to plan travel accordingly.
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