Thread by @natiqmalikzada

The UN Security Council in an annual report concerning the Taliban concludes an alarming threat to the stability and security of Afghanistan, the region, & the world. Here is a 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 🧵 on the summary of UNSC Analytical Support & Sanctions Monitoring Team's report:

1/11

The governance structures under the Taliban are largely exclusionary, heavily favoring the Pashtun ethnic group, and suppressive of opposition. Most ministers are Pashtun, with only five non-Pashtun ministers. Pashtuns also predominantly represent provincial governor positions.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

The power center of the Taliban regime has relocated from Kabul to Kandahar, with the leadership being relatively reclusive. The leader, Hibatullah, is surrounded by a group of ultra-conservative clerics and ideologues, much like in the 1990s. Meanwhile, many former military… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Hibatullah has strengthened his control and influence by appointing loyalists to key positions. Consultations with the Kabul de facto Cabinet were held to approve appointments supposedly made on merit. However, if a consensus is not reached, Hibatullah, as Amir, makes unilateral… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

There is split within the Taliban in Kandahar, primarily loyalists to Hibatullah, and Taliban in Kabul, represented by the Haqqanis. The Kandahar group is isolationist, religiously conservative, and indifferent to international opinion, whereas the Kabul faction appears more… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

After Sirajuddin Haqqani criticized Hibatullah in 16 Feb 2023, in response, Hibatullah reportedly fired Haqqani as Interior Minister and Mullah Yaqub as Defence Minister, but no resignations followed by both in order to challenge Hibatullah’s power.

After this, Hibatullah has… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

Sirajuddin Haqqani is building greater support from the religious councils to challenge Hibatullah’s leadership. He has also build a strong alliance with Mullah Yaqub who often refers as successor Hibatullah Akhundzada by most senior Taliban members.

7/11

The relationship between the Taliban and Al-Qaida is both unifying and divisive. The killing of Aiman al-Zawahiri in Kabul led to mistrust among some Taliban members, while others sensed Zawahiri had been given up and betrayed by senior Taliban in connivance with foreign… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

The Taliban is using cryptocurrency platforms like Binance and P2P for unrestricted transactions as a primary source of revenue. Additionally, they are using prepaid bank and gift cards, purchased without identification, for withdrawals and purchases in neighboring… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

#IMPORTANT
Despite a 2022 official decree banning poppy cultivation and drug trafficking, these drug trafficking remain significant sources of revenue for the Taliban. Prices of drugs have increased, with profits, mainly seen by farmers and traffickers, estimated at $1.2… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…

The Taliban apart from maintaining links to Al-Qaida, they also retain traditional ties to most regional terrorist entities, including the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement also known as the Turkistan Islamic Party, and Jamaat Ansarullah.… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…