A recent report.

1. Afghanistan
NOW, WITH NO AMERICAN ‘OCCUPATION’
Taliban chief Akhundzada dead? Baradar held hostage by
Pak-backed Haqqanis? Report sparks rumours -21-9-21. One man who
is missing from the scene is supreme leader Mullah Hibatullah
Akhundzada. There are even rumours of his death. The Haqqani group
occupies a strong position in the new Afghanistan government.

2. BRIEF HISTORY OF GANDAAR: SOVIET & AMERICAN ‘OCCUPATION’ AND
INSURGENT MINDSET
“Taliban are now in charge in Kabul. They are responsible towards the
Afghan people for stability, to deliver a government that can provide the
necessary security for the people of Afghanistan, also the necessary economic,
social and other structures. And the only way that can be achieved, I believe, is
through inclusiveness and through including all sectors of their society.
“Beyond that, they have made commitments to the international community as
regards security and as regards not allowing any transnational terrorist groups to
take root. And, of course, we need to find a way to hold them accountable to those
commitments. And that will take a coordinated approach among the international
community.”_ Prince Faisal bin Farhan al Saud

3. AFGHANISTAN STORY IN THE TWENTIFIRST CENTURY:
2001-2004: 9 / 11 and ‘War on Terror:
President George W. Bush launched his “war on terror” in response to the
September 11 attacks, with air strikes on Afghanistan on October 7, 2001.
The Taliban government had sheltered Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda
movement, which masterminded 9/11. In power since 1996, the Taliban were soon
defeated and fled the Afghan capital Kabul on December 6.
Hamid Karzai was appointed to lead an interim government and NATO began to
deploy its International Security Assistance Force. Afghanistan’s first election under a
new system was held on October 9, 2004 with an enthusiastic turnout of 70 percent.
Karzai won 55 percent of the vote.

4. The Taliban regrouped in the south and east, as well as across the border
in Pakistan, and would launch an insurgency.
2008-2011: US reinforcements:
As attacks multiply, the US command in 2008 asked for more troops and the first
reinforcements were sent. In 2009, it was doubled and the number of US troops
eventually raised to 68,000. In 2010, it reached around 100,000. Osama bin Laden
was killed on May 2, 2011 in a US special forces operation in Pakistan. On June 22,
the beginning of a troop withdrawal was made, with the departure by mid-2012 of
33,000 soldiers.
2014: NATO exit: In December, NATO ended its 13-year combat mission but a
number of troops remained to train the Afghan military.

5. In June 2014, Ashraf Ghani was elected president . The following year,
the Taliban made their greatest military advances since being
ousted. The Islamic State jihadist group also became active in the region. Attacks
multiplied, notably in Kabul.
2020: US-Taliban deal, disputed election: Ghani is declared victorious for a
second term on February 18, 2020, an announcement rejected by his rival and
former minister Abdullah Abdullah, who vows to form his own parallel
government. On February 29, the United States and the Taliban sign a historic
deal in Doha under which all foreign forces would leave Afghanistan by May
2021, provided the insurgents start talks with Kabul and adhere to other security
guarantees.

6. A power-sharing deal ends the bitter Ghani-Abdullah feud in May.
Abdullah takes the role of leading the peace negotiations. Talks begin in
September but violence surges and the Taliban are blamed for a wave of targeted
killings.
May 2021: Foreign troops withdrawal: On May 1, 2021 the United States and
NATO start withdrawing their 9,500 soldiers, of which 2,500 were American. In May,
the Americans withdrew from the Kandahar air base. On July 2, Bagram air base —
Afghanistan’s biggest, and the nerve centre of the US-led coalition’s operations —
was handed over to Afghan forces. The US troop withdrawal was agreed to be
completed by August 31, before the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

7. May-August 2021: Taliban blitz:
The insurgents launched lightning attacks across Afghanistan, capturing vast
stretches of the hinterland as the final foreign troops began their withdrawal.
The Taliban captured their first provincial capital, Zaranj in the southwest, on
August 6.Other major cities fell within days, including Kandahar and Herat —
Afghanistan’s second- and third-biggest cities respectively. Most of the north,
west and south was under Taliban control by August 13. The insurgents fully
encircled the capital on August 15 with the capture of Jalalabad in the east. It
left Kabul as the only city under government control. Finally, Kabul was won.

8. AFGHANISTAN UNDER TALIBAN
2021

9. The Taliban swept across Afghanistan last month [15 August], seizing
control of almost all key towns and cities in the backdrop of withdrawal
of the US forces that began on May 1. On August 15, the capital city
Kabul also fell to the Taliban, even as a large number of Afghans
attempted in vain to flee the war-torn nation.
The world community must engage constructively and provide
humanitarian support to bring lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Constructive engagement and sustained humanitarian support for
Afghanistan by the world community are imperative for enduring peace
and stability.

10. Government in Afghanistan:
Mullah Mohammad Hasan Akhund, the chief of the Taliban’s decision-
making body ‘Rehbari Shura’ appointed Afghanistan’s new head of
state [apparently] by the top leader Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada.
Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Chairman of Taliban’s Political Office in
Doha, and Mullah Abdus Salam will work as deputies of Mullah Hasan
in the new government. Hasan is heading the decision-making body
– Rehbari Shura or leadership council – which serves much like a
government Cabinet.

11. Mullah Hassan belongs to Kandahar and was among the
founders of the armed movement. He worked for 20 years as head of
Rehbari Shura and remained close to Mullah Hebatullah. He had
served as foreign minister and deputy prime minister during the
Taliban’s previous government in Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001. Likely
born in the village of Pashmul, in Kandahar province’s Argandab,
Hassan is believed to have been educated at a seminary in Pakistan,
before joining the Hizb-e-Islami’s Khalees faction during the war against
the Soviet Union.

12. Mulla Yaqoob, son of Mullah Mohammad Omar, will be
the new defense minister. Yaqoob was a student of Mullah
Hebatullah. Sirajuddin Haqqani, of the Haqqani network and
son of the anti-Soviet warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani, will be
interior minister. Mullah Ameer Khan Muttaqi is the new foreign
minister. Mullah Zabiullah Mujahid is the spokesperson for the
new head of state. Taliban now has to form an inclusive
government acceptable to the international community.

13. In Afghanistan, the supreme leader will be the highest political and
religious authority of the country. He ranks above the president and
appoints the heads of the military, the government, and the judiciary.
The supreme leader will have the final say in the political, religious and
military affairs of the country. Mullah Hebatullah Akhundzada has
become the supreme authority of Afghanistan.
Mohammad Hasan Akhund, believed to be one of the original 30
members of the Taliban was the man who sanctioned the destruction of
the Bamiyan Buddha. He is respected within the Taliban because of his
long association with Mullah Omar.

14. It is expected that Akhund would serve as a titular head,
probably based in Kandahar, while leaving many of the day-to-day
affairs of governance to Baradar, who emerged as the public face of
the Taliban during negotiations with the US.
The Taliban was at a crossroads, having to choose regarding
concessions that were beyond their internal dynamics, and making
compromises for the sake of international legitimacy and the
continuation of humanitarian aid. On the other hand, there were the
military commanders who won the war and wanted the reinstatement
of the emirate, which they had fought for 20 years.

15. Besides having many faces from the old guard of the Taliban
movement, all but three of the new 33-member setup are Pashtuns,
while 15 are drawn from Kandahar, the traditional stronghold of the
group that has provided most of the leadership in the past.
The setup includes two Tajiks, a nod to the large Tajik population in
northern Afghanistan, while one Uzbek leader – Abdul Salam Hanafi –
was accommodated in the important position of second deputy prime
minister, one rung below Baradar.
Maulvi Amir Khan Mutaqqi, a former education minister was the pick for
foreign minister. Stanekzai was named the deputy foreign minister

16. There is convergence in long term strategic concerns of India and
Russia over Taliban-ruled Afghanistan as it will not only destabilise
Central Asia but also become a source of terror, opiate drugs, and a
major proliferator of conventional weapons.
The political situation in Afghanistan has taken a turn for the worse with
Sirajuddin Haqqani in charge of interior ministry and intelligence, while
Mullah Yaqoob, son of Mullah Omar, the defense minister. There is no
space for women or minority in the Afghan Taliban cabinet with rabid
hardliners ruling the roost. “The best of shaped IED makers are in the
Afghan cabinet,” said a Kabul watcher referring to Haqqani, Yaqoob
and Baradar.

17. It is quite evident now that even though Taliban projects itself as a flag-
bearer of Sunni Pashtun nationalism, it is considered as a medieval
force based on 1000 year old Islamic theocracy and has an agenda of
global jihad with massive stockpile of US arms at its disposal. Already,
the top cadres of Taliban’s ideological brother Jaish-e-Mohammed are
carrying US made M-4 assault rifles and night vision devices.
After the group has refused to severe ties with Al Qaeda and other jihadi
group present in Pakistan, there is clear and present danger of
increased Islamic radicalization in the region. Russia is now worried
about it, soon will be China.

18. America’s Central Intelligence Agency’s (CIA) chief William Burns met
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in New Delhi, with a focus on
meaningful security relationship with India, post Taliban takeover. The
officials held consultations with Ajit Doval on Tuesday [7 Sept.] to discuss
a number of issues arising from the Afghanistan evacuation effort and
Taliban government formation.
Burns, who reportedly met Doval on Tuesday [7/9], wanted India to play
major role in sharing intelligence in the region, especially after US troops
left Afghanistan. A source said that America wants India to share
“maximum possible ground intelligence”, and “give shelter to some
Afghans”. American intelligence and security officials are visiting India.

19. Situation in Afghanistan 'very fragile': India's UNSC envoy TS Tirumurti,
calls for 'inclusive dispensation’
India's envoy to United Nations T.S. Tirumurti on Thursday (Sept. 9, 2021) called
for an "inclusive dispensation" in Afghanistan. Taliban government, is being led
by Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund and two deputies, Maulavi Abdul
Salam Hanafi and Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar. Tirumurti said, "inclusive
dispensation" should "represent all sections of Afghan society", highlighting that a
"broad-based, inclusive and representative formation" attained through an
"inclusive negotiated political settlement would gain greater international
acceptability and legitimacy.“ [Seventeen of the names which have been
announced in governance, are on the United Nation's terror list.]

20. The joint statement
was issued a day after
the Foreign Ministers of
Pakistan, China, Iran,
Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and
Uzbekistan met virtually on
Wednesday [8/9] at the
invitation of Pakistan. They
urged the UN to take
responsibility for peace and
reconstruction of Afghanistan.

21. Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday urged the
international community to adopt a "new positive approach" towards
Afghanistan, warning that isolating the country will have "serious consequences" for
the Afghan people, the region and the world at large. Qureshi made the comments
during a joint press conference along with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel
Albares, who arrived in Islamabad on Friday to discuss the latest Afghan situation.
"Isolating Afghanistan will have serious consequences and will not be helpful for the
Afghan people, the region and the world at large," said Qureshi, adding that the
policy of intimidation, pressure and coercion did not work.
"We have to adopt a new positive approach regarding Afghanistan," he said.

22. The United Nations has raised concern over the violent crackdown on
Afghan protesters and journalists by the Taliban, calling on the militant
group to cease the use of force and arbitrary detention of those exercising their right
to peaceful assembly.
In a statement on Friday, spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights Ravina Shamdasani said, "Peaceful protesters across various provinces in
Afghanistan over the past four weeks have faced an increasingly violent response by
the Taliban, including the use of live
ammunition, batons and whips."

23. Mandate of UN mission in Afghanistan extended for 6 months
United Nations, Sep 18 (IANS) The Security Council has adopted a resolution
extending the mandate of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for six
months until March 17, 2022. Resolution 2596, which won the unanimous support of
the 15-member Council on Friday, stressed the critical importance of a continued
presence of UNAMA and other agencies, funds and programs across the war-torn
country, reports Xinhua news agency. It also called on all Afghan and international
parties to coordinate with UNAMA in the implementation of its mandate and to ensure
the safety, security and freedom of movement of UN and associated personnel
throughout the nation.

24. The S C resolution requested the UN Secretary-General
Antonio Guterres submit a written report to the Security
Council by January 31, 2022 on strategic and operational
recommendations for the UNAMA mandate in light of the:
recent political,
security and
social developments
following the country's takeover by the Taliban.

25. Guterres was further asked to brief the Security Council
on the situation in Afghanistan and the work of UNAMA every
other month before the current resolution expires.
The UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution
Friday saying that Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers need to
establish an inclusive government that has the full, equal and
meaningful participation of women and upholds human
rights.

26. The Taliban have prohibited
girls from secondary school in
Afghanistan. In solidarity, many
boys have been refusing to go
to school themselves. “We don’t
go to school without our sisters”,
reads this sign.
Showing solidarity with girls who have not been called back to school since the Taliban
took over Afghanistan, the boys have also not gone to school.

27. India has invested around $3 billion in different welfare and infrastructure
projects in Afghanistan.
On Friday, Modi said the global community should decide "collectively" and
"thoughtfully" on recognising the new setup in Afghanistan in view of questions
over its acceptability as the change of power was not "inclusive".
“India has built a dam (Salma dam)... and has worked in areas of water resources
in Afghanistan. While many infrastructure projects in that country have been
completed by India, some are yet to be completed. We had discussions with
Afghanistan government officials for building some roads also.
Now, India would be monitoring the treatment of women and minorities and the
question of an inclusive government.

28. Referring to the situation in Afghanistan, Biden said, “No matter how
challenging or how complex the problems we’re going to face, government by
and for the people is still the best way to deliver for all of our people.”