Azadi Briefing

Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, a new RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Mustafa Sarwar, a senior news editor at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.

The Key Issue

The Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant group claimed responsibility for the killing of an official and officer of Pakistan's powerful Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency. Police said the two men were shot dead on January 3 outside a hotel in Punjab, Pakistan's most populous and prosperous province.

The TTP, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, said in a statement that a "secret squad of TTP killed ISI Deputy Director Multan Naveed Sadiq along with his colleague Inspector Nasir Butt." Islamabad confirmed the killings but not the TTP's involvement.

It was the latest high-profile TTP attack in Pakistan since the militant group ended a cease-fire with Islamabad in late November. The Afghan Taliban, which seized power in Kabul in 2021, has been accused of sheltering the TTP, a close ideological and organizational ally.

Why it's important: The TTP's intensifying attacks inside Pakistan have inflamed tensions between Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban, who are longtime allies. In a reference to the Afghan Taliban, Pakistan's political and military leadership on January 2 said no country would be allowed to harbor militants who carry out attacks against the South Asian nation.

A day later, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistan's accusations were "baseless" and "provocative." He added that the Taliban was trying its best to prevent any groups from using "the territory of Afghanistan against Pakistan or any other country." This was a pledge the Taliban made under the 2020 U.S.-Taliban deal that paved the way for the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan in August 2021. But the Taliban's alleged sheltering of the TTP suggests it is unwilling to fulfil its promise.

The locations of the TTP's recent attacks are also significant. Previously, the extremist group had concentrated its assaults on Pakistan's northwestern tribal areas, its former stronghold. But it is now expanding the scope of its attacks, including a bombing in the capital, Islamabad, on December 20.

What's next: The TTP is likely to continue its attacks inside Pakistan, which in turn could prompt Pakistan to put more pressure on the Afghan Taliban. In April 2022, Pakistan carried out unprecedented air strikes in eastern Afghanistan, killing dozens of people. Pakistan said it was targeting the TTP. The air strikes provoked unusually harsh exchanges, with the Taliban issuing threats against Islamabad. Similar action in the future is likely to further worsen tensions between Islamabad and the Afghan Taliban.

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During 2022, the Taliban imposed sweeping restrictions on women's appearances, freedom of movement, and their right to work and receive an education. Afghan women said the militant group has effectively erased them from society. Activists have warned that the Taliban is likely to further erode women's rights in 2023 as the group reestablishes its brutal regime of the 1990s.

Women across Afghanistan continue to protest recent bans by the Taliban on education and employment opportunities for females. Some have burned pictures of Taliban leaders. Male professors and university students have also protested against the increased restrictions on women in higher education. Despite international condemnation, the Taliban has said it is unwilling to reverse the bans.

What To Keep An Eye On

Iran announced on January 3 that it is planning to offer more scholarships to female Afghan university students. Last month, the Taliban banned women from attending universities in Afghanistan, a decision that was widely criticized, including by Tehran.

Iran's official IRNA news agency said Tehran University has increased its budget fivefold for scholarships to Afghan students. Some 470 Afghan students, around a quarter of them women, currently study at Tehran University, according to IRNA.

Iran's clerical regime has long been criticized for violating women's rights. But women in the Islamic republic are allowed to attend universities, where they make up the majority of students.

Why it's important: Iran's plan to offer scholarships to female Afghan students is part of a wider rebuke of the Taliban's ban on women's education by Islamic countries. Taliban-ruled Afghanistan is the only country in the world that has banned women's education.

Many Islamic countries and institutions have condemned the Taliban's ban, saying the decision has nothing to do with Islam. Qatar and Indonesia are also reportedly planning to offer university scholarships to Afghan women. But these efforts could be futile if the Taliban, as expected, prevents women from traveling abroad to receive an education.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you may have.

Until next time,

Mustafa Sarwar

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.

Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, a new RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.

The Key Issue

The Taliban on December 24 banned all local and foreign nongovernmental organizations from employing Afghan women.

The order came from the Taliban’s economy minister, who said any NGO not complying with the edict will have its license revoked. The official said the ministry had received “serious complaints” about Afghan women working for NGOs not wearing the mandatory hijab, or Islamic head scarf, “correctly.”

The widely condemned order led major international aid agencies to halt their humanitarian operations in Afghanistan, including in the fields of health and education.

Why It's Important: The Taliban’s ban is the latest draconian restriction against women in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban seized power last year, it has severely curtailed women’s right to work and receive an education.

The order will rob tens of thousands of Afghan women employed by local and foreign organizations of their livelihoods at a time when many Afghans are struggling for survival. Many of the women are the sole breadwinners for their families. The Taliban’s ban will aggravate the economic crisis in Afghanistan, which is already reeling from mass unemployment and soaring inflation.

Foreign NGOs suspending their operations will also exacerbate the devastating humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, one of the biggest in the world. Humanitarian assistance, including the distribution of food aid, can only be run with the help of Afghan women. Many initiatives are also specifically aimed at helping women, the most vulnerable group in the country of around 40 million. The move could put millions of Afghan women and their children at greater risk of hunger and disease.

What's Next: UN officials said they have held "constructive" talks with the Taliban over resuming their operations. More discussions are planned in the weeks ahead. But it unclear if the Taliban will reverse its ban. The militant group has hardened its policies in recent months as the prospect of international recognition has dimmed. Many observers have said the hard-line Islamists are reestablishing their brutal regime of the 1990s, which was an international pariah.

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Hundreds of Afghan men -- professors, fellow students, husbands, and fathers -- are publicly voicing their opposition to the Taliban's decision to ban women from universities. The rare show of support from men in the deeply patriarchal society speaks volumes about public discontent with the Taliban's draconian steps against women and girls.

Thousands of Afghan soldiers are living a desperate existence in Iran, where they sought refuge after the Taliban returned to power in Kabul. Many describe having to resort to manual labor and even rifling through garbage to make ends meet, while others say they have no choice but to put their fighting skills to work for a private Russian mercenary group that has sought to recruit them to join the Kremlin's war in Ukraine.

What To Keep An Eye On

The Taliban’s police chief in the northeastern province of Badakhshan was killed in a car bombing on December 26. At least two of his bodyguards were also slain in the attack.

The bombing was claimed by the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) extremist group, a rival of the Taliban. IS-K released a video showing the moment the car bomb killed Abdulhaq Abu Omar.

Why It's Important: Omar is considered to be one of the most senior Taliban security officials to be killed since the militants returned to power.

IS-K militants killed Hamdullah Mukhlis, the head of the Kabul military corps, in November 2021. In August of this year, IS-K militants carried out a bomb attack on a religious seminary headed by Rahimullah Haqqani, a key Taliban ideologue. The cleric was killed along with his brother, son, and several close associates.

Omar’s killing underscores the continued threat posed by IS-K, despite efforts by the Taliban to eliminate the group. In a bid to undermine the Taliban’s rule, IS-K militants have carried out high-profile attacks in major cities, including against the country’s religious minorities. More recently, IS-K has staged attacks in Afghanistan against the interests of countries allied with the Taliban.

That's all from me for now. Don't forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you have.

Until next time,

Abubakar Siddique

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.