The leader of an outlawed militant alliance waging terrorism in Pakistan praised his fighters Tuesday for taking several security officials hostage inside a provincial police counterterrorism interrogation center and urged them not to surrender, come what may. Noor Wali Mehsud, the chief of the Pakistani Taliban or TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan), issued the statement from his shelter in Afghanistan, raising renewed […]

The Taliban on Tuesday released two Americans who had been detained in Afghanistan, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said. The releases were announced as the United Nations Security Council was meeting about Afghanistan. The move was a goodwill gesture — not part of a prisoner swap, he said. “We are providing these two U.S. nationals with all appropriate assistance,” Price […]

On December 12, 2022, supporters of the Islamic State (ISIS) published posts on social media celebrating a reported attack on a hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan and speculating that it was planned and carried out by ISIS operatives in Afghanistan. As of this reporting, no statement has been issued by ISIS official media about the attack. ISIS Supporters Celebrate Attack “Allah […]

Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) on Tuesday released two American nationals in what appeared to be a goodwill gesture, said State Department spokesperson Ned Price, who indicated that the IEA were holding other US citizens. Price declined to identify the freed Americans, and he said they were not released as “part of any swap of prisoners or detainees. There was […]

Sheikh Mohammad Khalid Hanafi, minister of vice and virtue, visited Panjshir province on Wednesday where he called for unity and brotherhood. Addressing a gathering of provincial officials, religious scholars and influential people, including the provincial governor, the chief of intelligence and the head of the army corps, Hanafi said that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada […]

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) decision to suspend university education for women and girls has drawn strong condemnation from international organizations and foreign governments. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said that preventing half of the population from contributing meaningfully to society and the economy will have a “devastating impact” on the whole country. “It will expose […]

SUMMARY  For the last quarter century, Asia has been seeking greater autonomy within the existing international monetary system. While the region has had the resources to go its own way, intraregional rivalries and a reluctance to damage ties to the US and the International Monetary Fund have put a damper on regional initiatives. Now the ascendency of China offers a […]

In a statement released on Umar Media, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s (TTP’s) official web site on November 28, 2022, Mufti Muzahim, the TTP’s ‘Minister of Defence’ announced an end to the seven months-long ceasefire. Muzahim “ordered” TTP forces throughout Pakistan “to launch attacks anywhere in the country” in response to Pakistani military operations. The outfit claimed that it chose to end the […]

In a sharp turn towards authoritarianism and archaic religiosity, Indonesia’s parliament is expected to pass, within a few days, a new Criminal Code that will extend the ambit of blasphemy, ban criticism of State Institutions and criminalize cohabitation and sexual relations outside wedlock.   Justifying the harsh new code, Deputy Justice Minister, Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej told Reuters: “We’re proud to […]

On November 21, the Communist Party of China (CPC)’s China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) launched its first-ever Indian Ocean Region Forum. The meeting was attended by representatives and former leaders from over 19 Indian Ocean Region (IOR) countries – from Australia to southern and eastern Africa. There was no representation from India during this meeting, or perhaps, as several […]