Afghanistan: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2023

On January 1, a blast killed 10 people and left several injured, which took place at 8 am near the gate of the Military Airport in Kabul, reports Tolo News. Read less...

On January 1, Hasht-e Subh reported that Taliban sold the remaining tools and equipment of the Third Police District to the Kuchis (Pashtun Nomads) in Ghazni the capital city of Ghazni Province. The equipments includes three military ranger vehicles, one Humvee tank vehicle, three containers and the debris of the destroyed mosque building, which the Taliban sold for scrap instead of repairing them. Read less...

On January 1, Taliban forces arrested a man, identified as Majid Ahmadi for posting critical content on Facebook from Firozkuh city in Shahrak District of Ghor Province, reports Hasht-e Subh. Read less...

Islamic State (IS) on January 2, claimed responsibility for series of terror attacks that occurred lately in Afghanistan, reports voanews.com. It’s Afghanistan-based affiliate- Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) was behind January 1, suicide bomb attack outside the military airport in the country’s capital, Kabul. ISKP also claimed that the attacker had participated and survived December 12, raid on a downtown Kabul hotel where Chinese nationals were staying, among other guests. ISKP further claimed a December 2, assassination attempt on Ubaid ur Rehman Nizamani, head of Pakistan’s Embassy in the Afghan capital. Nizamani escaped unharmed in the shooting incident, but his Pakistani security guard was injured. In late December, a car bomb in Badakhshan Province killed the Taliban regional Police Chief and his two guards, ISKP took responsibility for plotting that attack in the provincial capital of Fayzabad. Read less...

Local sources in Sar-e-Pul Province in North Afghanistan informed that the Taliban’s commission for restitution of undocumented lands, by the order of Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund, granted more than 80 acres of agricultural land to the tribes native in Maidan Wardak province, Hahst-e Subh reports on January 3. Sources detailed that these lands have been distributed to the tribes living in Maidan Wardak in Qala-e-Sukhta vicinity in the capital city of Sar-e-Pul province. Sources added that the Taliban governor in Sar-e-Pul, as the head of the commission for restitution of undocumented lands, has ordered that the undocumented lands be handed over to the relatives native in Maidan Wardak. Sources expressed that the assignment of lands by the commission continues and the residents of Sar-e-Pul will be harshly dealt with if they protest. Read less...

On January 3, Abdul Haq Hammad, the Taliban’s head of publications of the Information and Culture Ministry in a series of threads on Twitter said that after receiving complaints related to the activities of some media outlets against national interests, he summoned media outlets’ publishers to the Media Violations Commission to share his concerns in this regard, reports Hasht-e-Subh. The Taliban official at the Information and Culture Ministry stated that due to the absence of publishers, their cases were sent to the court to decide on the cancellation of the activity licenses of these media outlets. Read less...

On January 3, four Taliban fighters, identified as Abdul Majeed (an employee of the General Directorate of Combating Serious Crimes of the Taliban’s Ministry of Internal Affairs), Mawlawi Najibullah Hanifi (Director of planning and operation of Mirbacha Kot District, Kabul), Abdul Basit Atal (a soldier of the Taliban’s Border Protection Battalion), and Ehsan Ahmad (an employee of the Department of Combating Administrative Corruption of the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior) involved in Kidnapping of a businessman were killed in a gunfight in Kabul Province, reports Hast-e Subh. Read less...

On January 3, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid stated that "Afghanistan seeks good diplomatic relations with all neighbours, including Pakistan", he added that good diplomatic ties were crucial to development, reports tribune.com.pk. He further stated "Islamabad's statements over Afghanistan are undesirable, the Islamic Emirate would not allow its land to be used to spread militancy and disability against a neighbouring country. We demand that Islamabad take measures to control unrest, militancy and the law and order situation". Read less...

A foreign terrorist from Tajikistan, identified as Abu Omar in the ranks of the Taliban was killed in Kawk village of Baharak District in Badakhshan Province was killed by unknown individuals, reports Hasht-e Subh on January 5. He disappeared three days ago from same District. Read less...

On January 4, Afghanistan’s Journalists Center (AFJC) announced that Taliban released a journalist, identified as Faizullah Faizbakhsh from prison, who was earlier arrested while filming the site where the leader of the Al-Qaeda network was killed in Kabul, reports Hasht-e Subh. Read less...

On January 4, multiple blasts occurred in 8th District of Kabul city, reports Khaama Press. Hitherto, no killing and injury are reported. Read less...

On January 4, Taliban fighters detained a former member of Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), identified as Khodadad in Panjshir Province, reports Hasht-e Subh. Taliban also detained two civilians in Dara District of Panjshir Province on the same day. An unidentified source confirmed that these two people were arrested on accusation of cooperation with the National Resistance Front (NRF). Read less...

Taliban killed a former member of Afghanistan’s National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), identified as Mohammad Hashem after torturing and hanged his body in public, reports Hasht-e Subh on January 5. He was detained by Taliban on January 4, from his house in Baghlan District of Baghlan Province. Read less...

The Ministry of Counter-Narcotics Department officers arrested two persons from an illegal narco factory and seized 12 kilograms of heroin, 123 kilograms of chemical raw materials in Argo District of Badakhshan Province, reports bakhtarnews.af on January 5. Read less...

An operation in Nimroz Province resulted in two arrests of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants, Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid said on January 5, reports Al Jazeera. Mujahid said light weapons, hand grenades, mines, vests and explosives were confiscated by the Taliban during the raids in Shahdai Saleh in neighbourhood of Kabul. Read less...

On January 5, a Vice and Virtue Department official came and asked women that we have one week to take away our shops and sit at home, a woman shopkeeper said, reports TOLO News on January 9. An official of the Provincial Department, Sayed Zahir, told TOLO News that the shops were closed due to co-working with men and lack of observing hijab by women. This comes after women were banned from working in Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Afghanistan, a decision that triggered global reactions. Read less...

On January 5, Pakistani forces launched an air strike on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) strongholds in Salala neighborhood in the vicinity of Goshta District of Nangarhar Province, reports Hasht-e Subh. Pakistan’s National Security Council (NSC) decided three days ago that the country’s forces should adopt a zero-tolerance policy against terrorists. Read less...

On January 5, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) raised concerns over the impacts of Taliban’s ban on women working in Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), which noted that the restriction "comes at a dangerous moment as winter conditions set in on a population already devastated by decades of conflict and an unprecedented economic collapse”, reports Tolo News. According to the IRC, 82 per cent of female-headed households in Afghanistan are food insecure, which is 32 per cent points more than male-headed households. The World Food Program (WFP) of the UN in Afghanistan has likewise announced a three-week suspension of activities in the country. This suspension comes at a critical time when “28.3 million of the population in Afghanistan will need humanitarian assistance in 2023”, a spokesperson of the WFP said. Read less...

Pakistani soldiers shot dead an Afghan civilian at the Torkham border crossing in Nangarhar Province on January 5, reports Hasht-e Subh. Also, a Pakistani official was wounded by Taliban fighters. Clashes erupted between Pakistani forces and Taliban fighters at the Torkham border crossing. Local sources in Torkham pass said that the clash between Pakistani soldiers and Taliban fighters took place at 11:00 am. Taliban fighters and Pakistani soldiers have had clashes several times before in Torkham and Spin Boldak crossings. Read less...

Taliban killed eight Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants, including foreign nationals and arrested seven others in a series of raids targeting key figures in a spate of attacks in Kabul, Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid said on January 5, reports Al Jazeera. Read less...

Displaying and hanging images of living creatures are prohibited by the Taliban in Zabul Province on January 6, reports Hasht-e Subh. Taliban’s Vice and Virtue Agents in Zabul warned shopkeepers in Qalat city, the capital city of Zabul province, to avoid displaying any kind of photos in their shops, in a virtue promotion campaign. Based on the order, it is forbidden to even hang photos of Taliban leaders on shop walls and cars. The Taliban in Zabul have warned that the violators of this order will be strictly punished. Read less...

On January 6, the Ministry of Vice and Virtue officials banned displaying and hanging images of living creatures in Qalat the capital city of Zabul Province, reports Hasht-e Subh. Based on the new order, it is forbidden to even hang photos of Taliban leaders on shop walls and cars. Previously, women were prohibited from rejoicing in wedding ceremonies. Read less...

On January 7, Taliban rescued a man from the grip of kidnappers in Angorbagh area of Chahar Bolak District in Balkh Province, reports Bakhtarnews.af. He was abducted few days back. Read less...

The troop of the 205th Army Corps of the Ministry of National Defence discovered a depot of various types of weapons in the area of Spin Boldak District of Kandahar Province and confiscated its ammunition, Bakhtarnews.af reported on January 8. The discovered ammunition includes 1 Pika rifle, 2 Kalashnikov, 1 mine pal, 28 fire rocket shells, 1500 Pika rounds, 1200 Kalashnikov rounds, 2300 M16 rounds, and a large number of equipment and supplies. MoD forces arrested several smugglers. Read less...

On January 8, Taliban Provincial Economy Directorate in Nimroz Province ordered aid groups to take guidance from the Taliban in hiring new employees, reports Hasht-e Subh. In this letter, it is stated that relief groups operating in Nimroz are obliged to follow the orders of the [Taliban’s] Provincial leadership in the process of hiring new employees. The Taliban’s letter warned national and international Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Nimroz that if they ignore this order, they will be held accountable. The Taliban have already imposed extensive restrictions on the work of domestic and foreign NGOs. This includes banning female NGO staff to work in Afghanistan. Read less...

On January 9, the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), Jan Egeland pointed to the devastating consequences of the ban on women’s work on Twitter, reports Hasht-e Subh. “I tell the responsible ministers in Afghanistan that NRC is ready to restart our aid operations tomorrow. But we can only do so when we gain unimpeded access for both our female and male staff members to reach all the affected population in need,” Jan Egeland tweeted. He said the devastating consequences of a continued Taliban ban on female Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) staff in Afghanistan would make 6 million people vulnerable to famine, adding that 600,000 children will be deprived of access to education. The NRC Secretary General further said that 13.5 million people will be cut off from access to clean water and 14.1 million people will be deprived of protective services if women continue to be deprived of working for NGOs. Read less...

Sheikh Mohammad Khalid, Minister of Taliban Vice and Virtue, met with Markus Potzel, United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) envoy for Afghanistan, reports bakhtarnews.af on January 10. Markus Potzel said that there should be a working environment for women in the organizations, so that the lives of those people who are at risk can be saved and said that current situations concerned those organizations. Minister Sheikh Mohammad Khalid responded, “despite the fact that the past system was recognized by all the countries of the world, but there is no commitment to the cultures aspects of the countries, he reminded saying that now there are many positive aspects based on cultural values, and with the creation of the environment, everything will be better.” Read less...

The Emir (supreme leader) of Taliban Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada said that our relations with the world are only in the light of Sharia rules and Islam, reports bakhtarnews.af on January 10. According to the Ministry of Defence’s statement, while visiting Al-Badr Military orps, the Supreme Leader of Taliban met some commanders, officials and Mujahidin, where he said, “Our relations with the world are based on the Sharia rules and no other factor is acceptable to us. You should prepare yourselves, discipline your training, and follow the Sharia rules in your bases.” Read less...

On January 10, Hasht-e Subh reported that the Taliban Ministry of Vice and Virtue agents warned land owners and dealers to refrain from issuing rent premises to women’s hairdressing salons in Baghlan Province. Taliban’s supporters in Baghlan Province called the existence of women’s hair salons seditious and against Sharia principles. Taliban have already closed women’s hair salons in Kunduz, Takhar and Badakhshan Provinces. Read less...

On January 10, Taliban fighters beheaded and then shot at a civilian, identified as Ali Ahmad, in Darabad area of Farah Province, reports Hasht-e Subh. The assailants took away seven sheeps that the victim had raised for sale. Read less...

On January 11, five people died in a suicide blast, which occurred outside the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Kabul, the capital city of Kabul Province, reports Hasht-e Subh. Amaq News Agency, a news outlet linked to the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-KP), issued a newsletter on January 11, claiming responsibility for this attack. By publishing a picture of a masked person, IS-KP claimed that this attack was carried out by a member of this group, named Khaibar al-Kunduzi. Some other reports claimed that more than 20 people were killed in the attack. Later on January 16, a Taliban official confirmed that 20 people were killed and a nearby hospital confirmed that they received over 40 injured civilians following the attack, reports Actions On Armed Violence. Read less...

On January 11, Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that religious scholar’s councils have been established in 13 Provinces based on the order of the Amir (supreme leader) Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhundzada, reports tolonews.com. He added that the councils will work for addressing the rights and needs of the people as well as the voice of people. Based on the decree, the councils will provide consultations to public officials and this process will continue. “The issue is that if they really perform their obligations, there will be no problem, but if it is the same as it was over the past 20 years when there was corruption in government organizations, the (council) will be an extra weight on the government,” said Mohammad Edris, who is an university instructor. Read less...

Two civilians, identified as Pahlwan Yasin and Farid were shot dead by Taliban in Khost District of Baghlan Province, Bakhtar News Agency reported on January 12. An unidentified source confirmed that Taliban raided their houses on January 11, and detained them on the suspicion of collaborating with the National Resistance Front (NRF). Read less...

On January 12, United States Department of State Spokesman Ned Price said that that "the Taliban’s actions are inconsistent with what they have pledged” to the international community and the people of Afghanistan, reports Tolo News. Read less...

Eleven members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) at a meeting held on January 13, urged the Taliban to end its repressive treatment of women in Afghanistan, as the group continued to impose restrictive policies on their education and work, reports Al Jazeera. Ever since the Taliban took over power in Afghanistan in August 2021 after the US troop withdrawal squeezed women out of almost all areas of public life, banning them from secondary and higher education, public sector work and visiting parks. Japanese Ambassador Ishikane Kimihiro, speaking on behalf of 11 members of the UNSC stated, “We urge the Taliban to immediately reverse all oppressive measures against women and girls.” The 11 members – Albania, Brazil, Ecuador, France, Gabon, Japan, Malta, Switzerland, the UAE, the United Kingdom and the United States – called on the Taliban to “respect the rights of women and girls, and their full, equal and meaningful participation and inclusion across all aspects of society in Afghanistan, from political and economic, to education and public space”. They also called on the authorities in Afghanistan to reverse bans on women working for aid groups or attending universities and high school. Read less...

Officials of the Ministry of Counter Narcotics discovered and destroyed 62 drug factories across Ghor Province, Bakhtar News Agency reported on January 15. Abdul Rahman Badri, the police spokesman of Ghor said that 69 people have been arrested in this connection. Read less...

On January 14, Mursal Nabizada, a member National Assembly during the former republic regime, was killed by unidentified gunmen in her own house at Arzan Qimat in the 12th Police District of Kabul, the capital city, reports Hasht-e Sub. Mursal Nabizada’s brother was also injured in the attack. Read less...

The union of private universities said that more than 40 private universities will be closed if the ban on female students will continue, Tolo News reported on January 15. Based on the statistics of the union of private universities, 140 private universities are active in 24 provinces of the country. More than 25,000 people, including academic figures, are employed in the centers. And, now more than 5,000 employees of private universities have lost their jobs after the ban on female students that happened in December 2022. “More than 40 owners of universities have told us that they will not have the financial capacity to continue their activities if the temporary decision of banning female students from attending universities continues for a long time. In this case they said they will be forced to close the doors of their universities,” said Mohammad Karim Nasiri, who is a press director of the union. Read less...

Officials of the Ministry of Counter Narcotics eradicated poppy lands in the Panj wayi District of the Kandahar Province, Bakhtar News Agency reported on January 16. Spokesman of the Kandahar Police, Hafiz Sabeer said that the Ministry of Counter Narcotics is seriously fighting against the cultivation, smuggling, and dealing of drugs in Kandahar Province. Read less...

On January 17, Hasht-e Subh reported that one Khal Mohammad, who had been arrested by the Taliban in Omarz village of Panjsher Province, about 15 days ago, died of his injuries on January 16. Taliban arrested and tortured him on the suspicion of assisting the National Resistance Front (NRF). Read less...

Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence officials discovered and seized a large number of arms and ammunition during an operation in Deh Salah District of Baghlan Province, Bakhtar News Agency reported on January 17. Read less...

Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence officials of Kunar Province conducted operations across the province and discovered a large number of arms and ammunition, Bakhtar News Agency reported on January 17. Read less...

Acting Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi in a conversation with the Foreign Minister of Indonesia, Ritno Marsudi, stressed on the strengthen of ties between the two countries, Bakhtar News Agency reported on January 18. Afghan Foreign Ministry added that both FMs discussed on other related mutual interest issues. Read less...

Deputy Prime Minister (PM) of Afghanistan, Abdul Salam Hanafi in a meeting with Medlien, Deputy Director of International Rescue Committee (IRC), said that political affairs and humanitarian issues should be separated, Bakhtar News Agency reported on January 18. He also called the issues of drug addicts challenging problems and asked the IRC to cooperate with Taliban in the field of collecting and treating drug addicts in the country. Medlien said that IRC has been active in the sector of humanitarian aid in many countries, including Afghanistan, for many years, adding that the organization, after the regime changed on August 15, 2021, according to the needs of the people of Afghanistan, this country did not leave and continued to help the people. Currently eight thousand and seven hundred people, including men and women, are working in this organization. In a situation where people are in need of cooperation, it is necessary to continue providing aid to the deserving and for this we want the cooperation of Taliban regime, she added. Read less...

On January 17, Hasht-e Subh reported that Taliban arrested 15 people in the last two days from the Aab Dara village of Anawa district in Panjsher Province for possessing weapon Read less...

On January 17, Leader of People's Islamic Unity Party of Afghanistan, Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq, tweeted that Taliban and the government that surrendered Afghanistan to a group that does not care about peoples’ lives are responsible for crimes being committed in Afghanistan, reports Hasht-e Subh. Head of Afghanistan Permanent Mission to the United Nations, Naseer Ahmad Faiq, also expressed grievances in a thread on Twitter that no one is safe and accountable in our Afghanistan. Hannah Neumann, representing Germany at the European Parliament, also expressed her anger on Twitter, and said she was sad and angry to hear about the assassination of Mursal Nabizada. She further added that Taliban are building their system of Gender Apartheid in full daylight. In this regard, Amnesty International said the horrific assassination of Mursal Nabizada and her security guard, highlights the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan and the plight of women who have been stripped of their rights by the Taliban. Earlier, SATP reported that Mursal Nabizada, a member National Assembly during the former republic regime, was killed by unidentified gunmen in her own house at Arzan Qimat in the 12th Police District of Kabul, the capital city, on January 14. Mursal Nabizada’s brother was also injured in the attack. Read less...

On January 17, Taliban cut off hands of four thieves and flogged five others in a football stadium of Kandahar Province, reports Hasht-e Subh. Taliban cut off the hands of four people who were accused of robbery and five others were flogged on accusation of having premarital relations and committing criminal offenses. Read less...

On January 17, Taliban flogged two civilians, including a female, in Shuhada District of Badakhshan Province on the accusation of having premarital affair, reports Hasht-e Subh. Taliban gave 38 lashes each. Read less...

10 cadres of Hizb ut-Tahrir (HuT) were arrested by the Taliban from Nawabad village in Mahmud-i-Raqi District of Kapisa Province on January 18, reports Hasht-e Subh Daily on January 27. The HuT cadres were arrested and imprisoned when they gathered to attend a party meeting. Read less...

On January 18, a member of the erstwhile Afghanistan’s National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), identified as Mehrullah, was arrested by the Taliban in Shahr-e Naw neighborhood of Kabul, reports Hasht-E Subh Daily. Since then, no details are available on his condition and whereabouts. He was an inhabitant of Koklami valley’s Deh Yak village of Salang District. Read less...

On January 19, a blast occurred outside the Governor’s office in Taloqan, the capital city of Takhar Province, reports Hasht-e Subh. The explosion was caused by a magnetic Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted in a civilian Corolla Toyota vehicle. No casualty was reported Read less...

The Freedom House says that at least 90 percent of human rights activists said they have experienced violence and mistreatment, reported Tolo News on January 21. “Afghan human rights activists live in fear and face grave challenges, whether they remain in the country or have fled abroad,” said Michael Abramowitz, President of Freedom House. “The international community must redouble its support for these activists’ tireless efforts to create a freer and more just Afghanistan”, he added. The survey of 663 Afghan human rights activists was conducted between May and June 2022. Report says that before Taliban retook control of Afghanistan, the country was home to all Afghans, including women, religious minorities, and marginalised communities. Read less...

The United Nations (UN) delegation, after its end of the four-day field visit to Afghanistan, called on the Taliban “to end confinement, deprivation, and abuse of women’s rights and to put the good of the country first, reports Tolo News on 21 January. “Afghanistan is isolating itself, in the midst of a terrible humanitarian crisis and one of the most vulnerable nations on earth to climate change,” stated Amina Mohammad, Deputy Chief of the UN. “These restrictions present Afghan women and girls with a future that confines them in their own homes, violating their rights and depriving the communities of their services”, she added. Sima Bahous, the head of the UN Women, stressed that the ‘organization stands with all Afghan women and girls and will continue to amplify their voices to regain all their rights’. Read less...

Amir Khan Muttaqi, Taliban’s Acting Foreign Minister in a telephonic discussion with Qin Gang, Foreign Minister of China, on January 21 committed to the security of Chinese citizens and companies in Afghanistan, reports Bakhtar News Agency. He also assured the Chinese side that the Afghan government is working for the security and stability of the region and will not allow any group or individual to use Afghan soil against other countries. Read less...

On January 22, a former member of Afghanistan’s National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), identified as Allah Doost was found dead after a week of being disappeared in Tawheed Abad neighborhood in 4th Police District of Ghazni, the capital city of Ghazni Province, reports Hasht-e Subh. Read less...

On January 22, a Salafi cleric was shot dead by unidentified gunmen at Kish Katan village in second District of Kohistan in Kapisa Province of Afghanistan, reports Hast-e Subh. So far, no group or individual has claimed responsibility for this murder. Read less...

Police Personnel of Pashtun Zarghun discovered and seized weapons in Pashtun Zarghun District of Herat Province, reports Bakhtar News Agency. These seized items include 140 single rifle, 40 shajors, two rifles, one cannon and 40 shells. Read less...

On January 23, Abdul Rahman Habib, a spokesperson for the Taliban Ministry of Economy said that efforts are underway to allow women to work in non-governmental organizations (NGOs), reports Tolo News. He further said, “Women’s working in NGOs has stopped for a while and efforts are underway to find a fair solution and allow women to work where their presence is required.” Read less...

On January 23, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in a report said that Afghanistan is facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis with “a very real risk of systemic collapse and human catastrophe”, reports Tolo News. According to OCHA, in addition to unimaginable human costs, this humanitarian crisis is reversing many of the gains of the last 20 years, including women’s rights. The report further says that 17 million people will face acute hunger in 2023, including six million people at emergency levels of food insecurity. Extreme cold amidst harsh winter has created many concerns about the challenging conditions of people of Afghanistan. This report said that the collapse of the previous government resulted in the suspension of direct international development assistance, which previously accounted for 75 percent of public expenditure, including the maintenance of the public health system. Read less...

On January 24, Afghanistan Journalists Center (AFJC) called for the immediate and unconditional release of a freelance journalist, Khairullah Parhar, who was arrested by the Taliban in Jalalabad (capital city) of Nangarhar Province on January 9, 2023, reports Hasht-e Subh. Earlier, on December 14, 2022, Parhar’s cell phone was confiscated by the General Directorate of Intelligence(GDI) members at Jalalabad cricket stadium and he was summoned by the authorities to collect his phone in Kabul. The report added that AFJC has called for the unconditional release of Qadratullah Tarar, one of the local journalists, who is Taliban custody for several months now (date of arrest not known). Read less...

The National Resistance Front (NRF) on January 24 killed three Taliban members and injured two others in an attack on a Taliban camp in Khwajaha Bridge area of Kohistan District in Kapisa Province, reports Hasht-E-Subh. No NRF forces were harmed in the clash. The Taliban have not commented about the clash yet. Read less...

The Taliban arrested Musa Shaheen, a local singer from Panjshir Province, for the second time in Kabul, Hasht-E-Subh reports on January 25. The singer was earlier arrested and tortured by the Taliban while travelling to Iran. Read less...

A civilian, identified as Raheb, was killed by a Taliban fighter, Sayed Abdul, in the first District of Yakawlang in Bamyan Province, Hasht-e Subh reported on January 26. Raheb was driving on the District Bamyan highway when being shot by the Taliban fighter. Read less...

Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations (UN), Amina J. Mohammed, said that the Taliban needs to be moved from the ’13th century to the 21st’ following her visit to Afghanistan on January 25, reports Hasht-e Subh. She said she used every possible asset during her meetings with Taliban ministers to try to reverse their crackdown on Afghan women and girls, urging Muslim countries to help the Taliban move from the “13th century to the 21st.” She further said that four Taliban ministers, including the foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi and a Deputy prime minister, Abdul Ghani Baradar, spoke “off one script” during meetings with her delegation last week. Read less...

Taliban members started conducting house-to-house search operations in Makrorian neighborhood of Kabul on January 25, reports Hasht-E-Subh. The Taliban dispatched their special forces armed with heavy weaponry to different vicinities of Makrorian to search residential complexes one by one. It is not immediately known for what purpose these search operations were initiated. Two weeks ago, door-to-door searches were launched in Dehmzang, Karta-e 4 and Central Silo neighbourhoods in Kabul city. Read less...

United Nations (UN) Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Martin Griffiths said that the UN agencies will not be able to operate in a needed way if female employees cannot go back to work, Tolo News reported on January 26. He further said, “If we cannot get female employees back to work--which they are working in those two sectors and we are going to expand it, but if they weren’t--we would not be able to operate because we would not be able to deliver the kind of quality of programing we need. It is a practical matter.” He added, "We don’t have time to go back. We only have an insistence on going forward. Going forward is getting women allowed -- they are entitled to--but we need them anyway to deliver. So, the humanitarian priority that Afghanistan represents is probably the highest in the world. That is why you have seen these visits.” Read less...

In an official letter issued on January 28, the Taliban-led Higher Education Ministry have asked universities and private educational institutions to refrain from taking entrance exams for girls and not to enroll women, reports Hasht-e Subh on January 28. Read less...

On January 28, Former US ambassador to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad said on Twitter, “If they are sincere and want to stop their country’s slide back into a pariah state they must consider more effective measures. Leading Muslim scholars globally, such as Mawlavi Abdul Hamid, have stated unequivocally that this ban is Non-Islamic and lacks religious legitimacy,” reports Hasht-e Subh. “It is now clear that contrary to their assurances there is no intention for this ban to be temporary. This unconscionable decision also indicates that the efforts of Taliban leaders who oppose the ban have been rejected,” he said in a thread on Twitter. Read less...

On January 28, Taliban arrested three people on the suspicion of possessing firearms in Tankhawi village of Dara District in Panjsher Province, reports Hasht-E Subh Daily. Read less...

Taliban Ministry of Counter Narcotics officials arrested 24 people in charges of dealing drugs in separate operations from across Kabul Province, reports Bakhtar News Agency on January 29. Officials recovered a large amount of weed, drugs tablets, cash, two car accessories and a rifle. Read less...

Afghanistan Future Thought Forum (AFTF) said in a statement the group has examined the key challenges and opportunities that the people of Afghanistan face and has offered its plan to the Taliban Government and the international community, Tolo News reported on January 30. AFTF has 30 members which include former Government employees, Taliban officials, representatives of civil society, and academics. This forum, which convened its fifth session on the situation in Afghanistan at the Hamad Bin Khalifa University's College of Public Policy in Doha on January 23-25, 2023, asked that the Taliban to lift its restrictions on women's employment and education from across Afghanistan. Read less...

Hasht-E Subh Daily reported on January 29, that Taliban arrested five people, including a teacher and an athlete in the Pajnjsher Province last week (date not available). Though no details are available on the detainees’ conditions and whereabouts the report added that the arrested civilians in Taliban custody are being tortured. Read less...

On January 29, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Foreign Minister of Iran, said at a meeting with Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, the Foreign Minister of Qatar, that the banning of women from education in Afghanistan is wrong and is against Islamic principles, reports Tolo News. He further said that Tehran is ready to work with the current Afghan administration to provide educational facilities for women and girls in Afghanistan. "We consider denying Afghan women and girls an education a wrong action in conflict with the teachings of the merciful religion of Islam," he added. Read less...

On January 29, Taliban Ministry of Vice and Virtue officials in Kandahar ordered female employees of local clinics and health centers to refrain from going to work without being accompanied by Mahram (male guardians), reports Hasht-e Subh. Taliban has allowed only female health workers to work with non-Governmental organizations (NGOs). Read less...

Sayed Wali, a poet and civil activist, was found dead on January 29 in Jaji Maydan (Zazai) District of Khost Province, reports Hahst-e Subh. According to sources, he disappeared near his home on January 28, possibly taken hostage. Read less...

Taliban Ministry of Counter Narcotics officials arrested two people during separate operations in Sar-e-Pul, two others from Laghman Province and another person was arrested in Jowzjan Province on charges of dealing drugs, reported Bakhtar News Agency on January 30. In the meantime, officials collected 26 drug addicts from the provinces and took them to the rehabilitation center. Read less...

Police of Samangan Province burned 13,750 kilograms of chemical substances that were used in narcotics production, bakhtarnews.af reports on January 31. The provincial head of Counter-Narcotics Police of Samangan told that the Police had recovered and seized these substances in several Police inspections from different sites of the province. Read less...

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, CARE International Secretary-General Sofía Sprechmann Sineiro, and officials of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) emphasized the need to remove the restrictions imposed on women's education and work, Tolo News reports on January 31. Griffiths said if the Taliban does not reconsider its decision on women's employment and education, it will be "catastrophic." It is a potential deathblow to many very important humanitarian programs and what we have described as one of the most difficult and priority areas for humanitarian assistance protections. If we don’t get those exceptions and if they are not reinforced… locally, then those activities won’t happen and this would be catastrophic,” Griffiths added. Read less...

180 women and their children were being kept in prisons without heating systems in Samangan, Balkh, Jawzjan, Sar-e-Pul and Faryab provinces in north Afghanistan, Hahst-e Subh reports on February 1. 61 women were imprisoned in Balkh women’s prison, 34 women were being kept in Samangan prison, 48 women in Faryab prison, 25 women in Jawzjan prison and 12 women in Sar-e-Pul women’s prison. Sources familiar with the situation of women in these prisons explained that they suffer from extreme cold in cells without heating facilities. These women have been imprisoned for being in premarital relations, narco trafficking, murder and robbery. Some of these prisoners reportedly do not accept the charges against them. Read less...

Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said that Pakistan shouldn't put the blame for the explosion on a mosque in Peshawar (January 30), on Afghanistan, Tolo News reports on February 1. Muttaqi added that there is no terrorist base in Afghanistan and the county’s soil will not be used against other countries. "We ask Pakistan's ministers to not throw the snow of their own roofs onto the roofs of others. They should consider their problems in their own country. We advise them to look into the Peshawar explosion in great detail," he stated. Read less...

On January 31, Taliban vandalized a gate decorated with painted image of former Hazara leader, Abdul Ali Mazari Abdul Ali Mazari, in Pul-e-Sukhta area in Kota-e-Sangi of District 5 in Kabul, reports Hasht-e Subh. Abdul Ali Mazari, the former leader of Afghanistan’s Islamic Unity Party, was captured and killed by the Taliban in the 1990s. He was given the title ‘Martyr of National Unity’ in 2016 by Ashraf Ghani government. Read less...

Taliban banned the opium trade in Kandahar Province, as local sources said that the Taliban on January 31, informed all shopkeepers and drug dealers in Kandahar’s Maywand District market of this decision two days ago, reports Hasht-e Subh. The Taliban stressed that opium dealers cannot do their business openly from now on. Maiwand District market in Kandahar traditionally served as one of the main opium markets for residents of Helmand and Kandahar provinces. The Taliban have said that this restriction was imposed by the order of Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader. Read less...

Zakaria Osuli, a university lecturer, researcher and author, was arrested by the Taliban from Police District 11 of Kabul on January 31, reports Hasht-e Subh. No specifics were immediately available on the situation and whereabouts of Osuli. He recently published a book on Ahmad Shah Massoud, a prominent anti-Taliban commander of the Northern Alliance who was assassinated by two al-Qaeda operatives in north Afghanistan on September 9, 2001. Read less...