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Afghanistan is not a terrorism staging ground: Taliban

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The Pentagon has reported that Afghanistan has become a significant coordination site for the Islamic State (IS), also known as the Daesh terrorist group as the group has plans to carry out attacks across European countries and Asia with aspiration to reach the US.

According to a leaked Pentagon assessment report seen by The Washington Post, the IS has been developing a “cost-effective” model for external operations that relies on resources from outside Afghanistan, operatives in target countries, and extensive facilitation networks.

The Post says that at least there have been at least nine specific plots coordinated by IS leaders in Afghanistan, with the FIFA World Cup in Qatar – held last December – as well as embassies, places of worship and business centers.

The number plots, the documents reveal, rose to 15 in February. The documents reveal that the IS has been persistent in its efforts to obtain expertise in creating chemical weapons and acquire and operate drones.

The report also said that IS has taken advantage of Afghanistan’s weakened security under the Taliban to expand its network and operations in the country.

Taliban denies Washington Post’s report on Daesh

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has strongly denied Washington Post’s report, saying that Daesh has no place inside Afghanistan.

Taliban’s head of Qatar-based Political Office, Suhail Shaheen said that Daesh has been suppressed in Afghanistan and the operation continues to further eliminate them.

The report Washington Post’s claimed to have obtained, is not according to the ground reality in Afghanistan and the report has content based on their “personal wish”, he added.

Shaheen said that in fact there is no physical presence of Daesh in Afghanistan compared to the past years during the invasion.

Daesh has been suppressed

A local political analyst, Ajmal Jamalzada said that Taliban are new and the age of Islamic Emirate is around 21 months. “If we see, and the Taliban rule since August 2021, we can easily get an idea that Daesh is not posing any serious threat to the regional countries,” Jamalzada told Harici.

He said that Daesh has been suppressed and it no longer poses threat to Afghanistan as well to the regional countries and behind.

The Taliban has time and again assured the neighboring countries that they will not let anyone use Afghanistan’s soil against them.

“We want to have a good relationship with everyone. We understand their concern. Terrorism is a big issue, but we are firm in the fight against them,” a Taliban official said.

Daesh is not posing a major threat internally and externally, the official told Harici. Speaking on condition of anonymity, he said that a high-level meeting had just been concluded among the top security and defense officials where they agreed to carry out a comprehensive operation nationwide to tame the Daesh rebels.

Taliban doubts Washington Post’s report impartial

The news leaked by the Washington Post is nothing but mere propaganda to show the world that the Taliban is not capable of dealing with Daesh, the official said.

“The US government under Biden rule is not happy with the Taliban despite the fact that we took practical measures in the fight against terrorism. Biden also seized our money,” he said, calling on the US to stop spreading propaganda against the Taliban.

There were tens of thousands of foreign troops before their collapse in August 2021, but yet they weren’t able to eliminate Daesh, he questioned and added that Taliban are not playing double games and will perish the Daesh.

Daesh appeared in 2014 under the very nose of US and its allied forces and the then Afghan government claimed they defeated Daesh, especially in eastern Nangarhar and Kunar provinces.

What we have come to know is that Daesh has now become a new game for the US, the official said. “I call upon our people first to report about Daesh and suspicious activities in their community if there is any. The nascent government of Taliban must stand ready to deal with Daesh before the US play any new game,” he added.

There is now doubt that Daesh is not a big threat as they are being portrayed by the Western media outlets, he said.

He said that the Taliban security officials are not turning a blind eye over the Daesh threat, but the group is not as strong as they are being painted by the media.

The region and the world must not forget that the Taliban had conducted several operations against Daesh in various parts of the country, where key Daesh members were killed and several others were wounded – many more, including foreigners were detained. Women and kids are among the Daesh detainees.

Taliban forces since August 2021 have been conducting raids on Daesh hideouts and assured to continue counter-terrorism operations.

“Unless the world leaders, we don’t discuss and talk rather we took action to perish Daesh,” the Taliban official said.

Kabul wants good ties with world

Taliban Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said that Taliban want to have a positive engagement with the world, but the International Community is making excuses to recognize their government.

We are now the government and the world as well as Afghanistan will benefit once we are recognized, Mujahid said, accusing the world of coming up with more excuses all the time to escape recognition of the Taliban government.

“We have good ties with everyone. Our relations have been improved with our neighbors, regional and world countries,” he added.

The world did not recognize the Taliban in the last two years and called on the Taliban to honor the rights of women, and girls and let them go to schools and workplaces if they want to be recognized.

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Afraid of the gun; Taliban supreme leader fears of a coup

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Hibatullah Akhundzada, the supreme leader of the Taliban, has ordered the security institutions that without his permission, “no one can distribute or use the military equipment registered by the ministries of defense and interior, the directorate of intelligence and other independent institutions.”

Experts and analysts have considered this move by Hibatullah as last resort to weaken the position of defense minister, Yaqoob Mujahid, interior minister, Sirajuddin Haqqani and the head of Taliban intelligence, Abdul Haq Wasiq in order to prevent a possible internal coup that was initiated by these three top officials.

In the first article of the order, it is mentioned that no person can distribute military equipment registered in the reserves of the ministries of defense, interior and intelligence, or issue an order to distribute it without the order of Hibatullah.

This decree titled “Regarding the distribution, protection and supervision of registered military equipment”, specifies that whenever an Emirate entity (Taliban-related entity) needs weapons, ammunition, night vision cameras, telecommunications and other military equipment” must receive the approval order from the leader of the Taliban.

Also, in the second article of this decree, it is stated that whenever one of the military departments of the Taliban needs military equipment, it must send its request to Hibatullah’s office in Kandahar.

In the third article of the decree, it is emphasized that if the military equipment was distributed or used without the permission of the Taliban leader before the issuance of this decree, they must be returned to the reserves.

Ministries of defense, interior and head of intelligence department are banned from disturbing military weapons.

According to this article, Hibatullah entrusted the ministries of defense and interior, as well as the general directorate of Taliban intelligence, with the responsibility to report the list of available military equipment to the directorate of registration, and protection of military equipment.

This order of the Taliban leader has been considered as another step in the direction of concentrating more power in the hands of Mullah Hibatullah in Kandahar. Many have seen it as a sign of Hibatullah’s increasing distrust of senior Taliban officials in Kabul. Previously, some senior Taliban officials, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, have openly disobeyed Hibatullah’s order to prohibit photography and filming and have not followed the order of their supreme leader.

(R) Defense Minister Mullah Yaqoob Mujahid and (L) Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani.

Previously, several reports have been published about the sale of military equipment left over from the US troops and Afghan security forces during the republic government. Even the US-elected president Donald Trump, repeatedly mentioned this issue during his election campaigns. Not long ago, the government of Pakistan also announced that the Pakistan security forces have discovered and confiscated a car carrying US weapons smuggled from Afghanistan.

Pakistani media reported that this equipment included M4 assault rifles, night vision cameras and thousands of rounds of ammunition, which were transported in a truck carrying vegetables. Pakistani security officials have estimated the total value of weapons smuggled from Afghanistan in this truck to be 126,354 US dollars.

The cost of US’s remaining equipment in Afghanistan estimated over 7 billion US dollars

The Pentagon has already announced that after the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, about 7 billion dollars of military equipment fell into the hands of the Taliban. This equipment reached the hands of the Taliban after the fall of Afghanistan on 15 August, 2021.

It has been reported that when the US forces left Afghanistan, there were 78 US-made aircrafts in the country, whose value reached 1 billion dollars. According to CNN, with the end of the US military presence, a total of more than 9,000 air-to-ground munitions worth more than six and a half million dollars have remained in Afghanistan.

The report also states that out of a total of 96,000 military vehicles, more than 40,000 units, including 12,000 Humvees (armored tanks), fell into the hands of the Taliban. Moreover, out of a total of more than 400,000 weapons that the US gave to the forces of the former Afghan government, about 300,000 remain in the country.

Almost all “communications equipment, including mobile base stations, portable and hand-held commercial and military radio systems, and associated transmitters and encryption devices, all remain in Afghanistan,” according to the report.

The report added that “almost all” of the equipment for night vision cameras, surveillance, biometric and positioning equipment,” a total of nearly 42 thousand pieces of specialized equipment, remained in Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Five Mi 17 helicopters of the then Afghan army, which were transferred to Ukraine for repair before the collapse of the government, have also returned to Afghanistan and now are used by the Taliban.

It should be noted that the internal rivalries in the Taliban, especially among the different factions of this group, is one of the important reasons for Mullah Hibatullah’s distrust of some Taliban officials. Some officials, including interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and defense minister Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, gained a lot of power, especially during the Taliban’s war against foreign forces, and Mullah Hibatullah may be worried that these officials are trying to expand their power, which is a clear threat to his position as the Taliban leader.

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China’s BYD prepares to launch latest SUV, the Sealion 07, in Europe despite EU tariffs

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BYD, the world’s largest electric vehicle (EV) maker, is set to launch its latest SUV, the Sealion 07, in Europe, undeterred by recent tariff increases on Chinese-made electric vehicles. This strategic move highlights BYD’s commitment to expanding overseas sales despite economic barriers.

Deliveries of the Sealion 07 are scheduled to begin in 2025, marking BYD’s seventh all-electric model in the European market, the company announced on Wednesday. Additionally, BYD plans to enter the South Korean market next year, adding to its existing presence in 95 countries worldwide.

This European expansion comes on the heels of the European Union’s decision last month to impose new tariffs—ranging from 17% to 35.3%—on Chinese electric vehicles following an anti-subsidy investigation. BYD’s EVs are subject to a 17% tariff, in addition to the standard 10% tariff applied to all pure electric cars imported from China. These tariffs, which took effect last month, will remain in place for five years. Meanwhile, U.S. tariffs on Chinese-made EVs increased from 25% to 100% as of September, citing similar concerns.

Despite the added costs, BYD’s vehicles continue to hold strong appeal in export markets. “BYD’s vehicles remain attractive even after the additional tariffs, so it’s not really a big problem for the company,” said Chen Jinzhu, CEO of Shanghai Mingliang Auto Service, a leading industry consultancy. “The Sealion 07 exemplifies how BYD’s cost advantage enables it to counteract such trade barriers in key export markets.”

Shenzhen-based BYD has yet to disclose the European pricing for the Sealion 07. On the mainland, the SUV—featuring a range of 450 kilometers—starts at 189,800 yuan (approximately US$26,272), with deliveries beginning in May.

According to a report last year from UBS analysts, BYD has a sustainable cost advantage of 25% over traditional European brands.

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Singles’ day promotions target overseas Chinese as China’s domestic demand slows

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After last year’s Singles’ Day shopping festival in China was dubbed the “quietest in history,” China’s e-commerce platforms focused on a new strategy this year.

For this year’s Singles’ Day event, major e-commerce companies such as Alibaba, JD.com, and Pinduoduo invested heavily in expanding overseas markets, targeting the estimated 100 million Chinese living abroad with offers like discounts and free or low-cost shipping.

The central question, however, is not whether these efforts will succeed in the short term, but rather if this shift can help platforms grow their user bases as online sales growth in China reaches a bottleneck.

“Domestic consumption is quite weak right now, and every company is certainly considering new ways to drive growth for Singles’ Day,” said an executive at a leading online retailer, who requested anonymity. “The overseas market is widely seen as a promising source for additional growth,” he added in an interview with Nikkei Asia.

Singles’ Day, a one-day sales event launched by Alibaba in 2009 as a celebration for singles, has since evolved into a month-long campaign with special offers and deep discounts, culminating on or around November 11.

This year, China aimed to revitalize its retail sector with the event. Total consumer goods sales rose by 3.3% year-on-year in the first three quarters of 2024, though high-end consumer spending remained stagnant. Cosmetics sales fell by 1%, while gold and silver jewelry sales declined by 3.1% year-on-year.

Last month, Alibaba’s Taobao launched a significant marketing campaign in Hong Kong and Taiwan, flooding subway stations with advertisements for “free shipping on orders over 99 yuan,” among other offers. According to the company, the campaign cost 2 billion New Taiwan dollars ($61.7 million) in Taiwan and 1 billion yuan ($138 million) in Hong Kong.

Following Alibaba’s move, JD.com announced it had invested 1.5 billion yuan to offer discounted product prices and cheaper shipping to Hong Kong shoppers. Bargain platform Pinduoduo took it a step further, offering free shipping via courier SF Express for Hong Kong shoppers, regardless of the item’s price. All products on these platforms are shipped from mainland China.

A spokesperson from Alibaba’s International Digital Commerce Group noted that since the overseas initiative launched in October, Taobao Hong Kong has achieved double-digit growth in both orders and gross merchandise value (GMV)—a metric that excludes canceled orders—on both a monthly and year-on-year basis.

The platforms are also targeting Chinese shoppers in Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore.

This year, unlike in previous years, shoppers could combine online discounts with a subsidy program introduced by the Chinese government to boost domestic consumption, primarily for home appliances and household products. Analysts suggest these incentives will likely boost sales for JD.com, which is known for selling high-quality large appliances and offering after-sales services.

While JD.com has yet to release sales or GMV figures for home appliances during the shopping festival, it is expected to share its June-September results, along with Alibaba, later this week.

Last year, data provider Syntun estimated that total GMV on major e-commerce platforms grew by only 2.1% to 1.14 trillion yuan, falling short of the 2.9% growth forecast for 2022. Similarly, consultancy Bain predicted that Singles’ Day sales would reach 1.15 trillion yuan in 2023.

On Tuesday morning, Alibaba announced “strong GMV growth” and a “record number” of active shoppers for this year’s Singles’ Day event.

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