U.S. Soldier Says Army Demands Cash for Gear Ordered Left Behind in Afghanistan ☞ PJ Media
“It has seemed fairly obvious, especially since the disastrous withdrawal that left thousands of Americans and allies stranded in the hellhole of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, that the Biden administration hates our military.”
Afghanistan: Opium supply drops 95% after Taliban drug ban – Deutsche Welle – Germany
“The report by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) found that poppy cultivation had dropped by an estimated 95% over the past year, from 233,000 hectares (575,755 acres) at the end of 2022 to 10,800 hectares in 2023.
Opium production also dropped from 6,200 tons to 333 tons in 2023.”
House GOP Wants Answers About US Weapons in Hamas’ Hands ☞ Newsmax.com
“The Committee has seen reports that U.S.-manufactured weapons are being redistributed and resold in secondary markets to terrorist organizations, including Hamas.”
Afghanistan earthquake death toll rises to 2,000: Taliban officials ☞ Al Jazeera – Qatar
“The death toll from powerful earthquakes in western Afghanistan has crossed 2,000, a senior Taliban leader said, adding the number might rise further in one of the deadliest quakes to hit the country in two decades.”
Afghanistan closes embassy in India citing lack of diplomatic support ☞ Al Jazeera – Qatar
“The closure follows reports that the ambassador and other senior diplomats had left India in recent months, with infighting among those remaining in New Delhi. But the embassy rejected speculations regarding internal infighting among its staff, stressing that these were ‘unfounded’ rumours.
India will take control of the embassy in a caretaker capacity, it said.”
Taliban Weighs Using U.S. Mass Surveillance Plan, Met With China’s Huawei ☞ US News & World Report
“KABUL (Reuters) -The Taliban are creating a large-scale camera surveillance network for Afghan cities that could involve repurposing a plan crafted by the Americans before their 2021 pullout, an interior ministry spokesman told Reuters, as authorities seek to supplement thousands of cameras already across the capital, Kabul.”
Report: Taliban Arrests American, 17 Others in Afghanistan ☞ Breitbart
“According to local Afghan spokesman Abdul Wahid Hamas, the workers were taken into custody on charges of ‘propagating and promoting Christianity.’
‘We stand by the principle that aid will not be used to further a particular political or religious standpoint.’ the nonprofit stated. ‘All IAM staff agree to abide by the laws of Afghanistan’
The 18 staff members are currently in an unknown location in Kabul.”
Afghanistan Is Fastest-Growing Maker of Methamphetamine, UN Says ☞ VOA
“A spokesperson for the Interior Ministry, Abdul Mateen Qani, told the AP that the Taliban-run government has prohibited the cultivation, production, sale and use of all intoxicants and narcotics in Afghanistan…”
“A U.N. report published in November said that opium cultivation since the Taliban takeover increased by 32% over the previous year, and that opium prices rose following authorities’ announcement of a cultivation ban in April 2022. Farmers’ income from opium sales tripled from $425 million in 2021 to $1.4 billion in 2022.”
The Azadi Briefing: Is The Taliban Creating A Surveillance State In Afghanistan? ☞ Radio Free Europe
“The Taliban said it has installed around 62,000 security cameras in the Afghan capital, Kabul, a city of some 5 million people. The Taliban’s Interior Ministry said on August 30 that it planned to expand the surveillance network to the rest of the country in the next four years.”
The Taliban say security forces will stop women from visiting Afghan national park ☞ ABC News
“This comes a week after the minister, Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, visited the province and told officials and religious clerics that women haven’t been adhering to the correct way of wearing the hijab, asking security personnel to stop women from visiting the tourist hotspot.“
“Going sightseeing is not a must for women.”