The Durand Dispatch

🚨📊 October/November Issue 2025: Worsening Afghan-Pak relations + a rapidly deteriorating security landscape. For context read our October/November issue which breaks down key indicators, trends, and turning points: duranddispatch.com

Why do locally focused insurgents target Americans? New Durand Dispatch analysis of ‘Killing Americans’ (Linebarger, Jadoon, Levy, Asal) finds attacks can boost group lethality/survival—while soft power can reduce risk. 📊 🔗 Read here: duranddispatch.com/p/why-insurgen…

New analysis from The Durand Dispatch: Ameera Moinuddin’s “Ruling by Decree” examines the Taliban’s Jan 2026 consolidation—class-based criminal code, expanded detention, criminalized dissent, and the Kabul–Kandahar rift—just before open war at the Durand Line. 📌 🔗 Read here: duranddispatch.com/p/ruling-by-de…

New analysis from The Durand Dispatch: “Operation Herof 2.0: Women on the Front Lines of the Baloch Insurgency.” It tracks BLA’s shift to urban, tech-enabled, multi-district operations—and the expanding use of women in front-line and suicide roles. 📌 🔗 Read here: duranddispatch.com/p/operation-he…

New on Durand Dispatch: “Understanding Pakistan’s Security Crisis: The Research Behind the Headlines (2017–2026)” by Amira Jadoon. A concise research timeline linking TTP evolution, bargaining failure, and today’s Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict. 🔎 🔗 Read here: duranddispatch.com/p/understandin…

Our condolences to the families of the victims. Civilians must never be targeted. We urgently call for a ceasefire, full respect of International humanitarian law, and a return to dialogue. Read the full statement here: ec.europa.eu/commission/pre…

ALERT: Amir Khan Muttaqi, Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, said on Tuesday that Pakistan shows no intention of resolving its disputes with Afghanistan. “Kabul Has Lost Trust in Pakistan’s Commitment to Diplomacy” he concluded. Muttaqi was speaking to to diplomats in Kabul, where he told them that Afghanistan no longer trusts Pakistan’s intentions regarding diplomatic solutions. He stated that Pakistan’s military establishment has shown a lack of respect for diplomacy, underscoring growing frustration in Kabul over the absence of meaningful engagement. Speaking representatives of international organizations, he stated that Islamabad is not willing to pursue a constructive path toward addressing ongoing tensions between the two countries.He l stated that the latest strikes hit some of the most vulnerable members of society. He said the incident demonstrates that Pakistan “does not adhere to any Islamic or humanitarian principles of warfare.” Muttaqi condemned the attacks as part of what he described as a pattern of actions against civilian targets, calling on the international community to take note of the situation: TKD Correspondent

🚨 BIG The Grand Mufti of the Supreme Court of Afghanistan, Sheikh Mawlawi Abdul Rauf, has issued a fatwa of jihad against the Pakistani military regime. He stated that it is obligatory upon all Muslims to go to or join the battlefield against the Pakistani military regime.

Al-Qaeda in the Subcontinent (AQIS) has released a statement criticizing Pakistan’s recent bombing in Kabul, Afghanistan.

My new piece at @WarOnTheRocks "Open War at the Durand Line: Can Pakistan’s Escalation Compel a Taliban Recalculation? " This is the first real test of whether the Taliban can make strategic concessions based on regime survival or whether an insurgent-era mindset continues to dictate their choices. As I argue in the piece: “The Taliban cannot outlast a neighbor that has nowhere to go — and this is the structural asymmetry their strategic confidence fails to account for.” @Durand_Dispatch warontherocks.com/2026/03/open-w…

The Tehrik-i-Taliban just released a poster commemorating 500 videos spanning 2006–2025, alongside additional details. Some preliminary insights from The Durand Dispatch's Saif Tahir based on the descriptions:

Amid uncertainty following the reported killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, understanding how groups like #alQaeda maintain their media networks remains critical. This Perspectives on Terrorism article maps al-Qaeda’s decentralised surface-web ecosystem. 👉 buff.ly/i23F3dD

The banned Shia militia, Zainbayun Brigade announced pledging its allegiance to the new leader of Iran, as the commander-in-chief of the Liwa Zainabyun. The statement for the pledge of allegiance vows to continue “Jihad under the banner of Martyrdom”. The statement has been published in both Urdu and Farsi.

We are proud to announce the Global Extremism Papers Inaugural Issue. New studies examine how ISIS networks and far-right groups adapt through emerging tech, AI, and decentralized structures - and the implications for policy responses. extremism.gwu.edu/global-extremi…

NEWS ALERT: Clashes are ongoing between Pakistani security forces and Afghan Taliban at the Torkham border, with both sides using small and heavy weaponry.

Images obtained by The Durand Dispatch appear to show claims of aid distributed in Gaza under the name of TTP leader Noor Wali Mehsud — reinforcing a growing trend in TTP propaganda linking its insurgency to global conflicts like Gaza. duranddispatch.com/p/durand-dispa…

🧠WEBINAR RSVP | Nihilistic Violent Extremism: New Research Across the Atlantic 📆 Tuesday, March 17 | 10 a.m. CST/8 a.m. PST/1600 GMT 🔗 REGISTER: tinyurl.com/2a6dpb7h

Balochistan has long been shaped by the interaction of governance gaps, security operations, and civil mobilization, which together have produced recurrent patterns of unrest. Over time, longstanding grievances around security practices, civic freedoms, and accountability have become tightly intertwined, creating a conflict environment driven as much by governance tensions as by security dynamics. Developments between October 2025 and January 2026 highlight how deeply it is embedded in the province’s political landscape, even as civil mobilization expands and public scrutiny of state institutions intensifies. duranddispatch.com/p/balochistan-…