Meanwhile in Afghanistan:
*The “orderly” withdrawal President Biden had promised did not happen, and the world has watched agonizing scenes of Afghans trying to escape.
*Amazingly, over 100,000 people have been evacuated since 8/14!
*Last remaining area not controlled by the Taliban is the Panjshir Valley, where remnants of government forces and other militia groups have gathered to resist the Taliban. Al Jazeera, Reuters However, it doesn't appear that there is any international support for the Northern Alliance. CNN NYT
*The 57-member Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) pledged on Sunday to help achieve peace in Afghanistan and said its future leaders must guard against allowing the country to be used as a backyard for international Islamist militancy.
*Turkey Reinforces Border to Block any Afghan Migrant Wave. Reuters
Report: Iran Has Doubled Forces on Israeli Border since 2018 - Neta Bar (Israel Hayom) The fighters are from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Lebanon, while the command echelon is mostly comprised of Iranian Revolutionary Guards disguised as militia members or Syrian army officers.
Food for thought before the Biden-Bennet meeting - Maurice Hirsch, Adv. (PMW)
Lebanese Doctor Sentenced for Helping Palestinians Get Treatment in Israel - Phil Mercer (VOA News) Dr. Jamal Rifi, a prominent physician in Australia's Lebanese Muslim community, says he has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in absentia in Lebanon for working with members of Sydney's Jewish community to organize treatment for Palestinians in Israeli hospitals.
Nasrallah Is Turning Lebanon into Afghanistan - Baria Alamuddin (Arab News-Saudi Arabia)
Hamas-backed Palestinians in Gaza launched a new wave of incendiary balloons into Israel. Fire balloons have ignited multiple fires across Israeli communities in recent weeks. but the AP headline reads: Gazans launch incendiary balloons into Israel after strikes
Hamas: Thrown Out of Saudi Arabia into the Arms of Iran and the Taliban - Nadav Shragai (Israel Hayom)
Progressive Democrats Blast Palestinians over Crackdown on Critics - Jacob Magid (Times of Israel) Members of the "Squad" of progressive Democrats in the U.S., more commonly known for their criticism of Israel, have shifted their censure to the Palestinian Authority amid Ramallah's latest crackdown on rights activists and critics.
Washington Post Doesn’t Find Harassment of Its Own Journalists by Palestinian Authority Newsworthy -Emanuel Miller (Honest Reporting) The situation has become so severe that Palestinian journalists have resorted to asking the UN for protection.
What is ISIS-K? USA Today explains ISIS-Khorasan
