Daily Brief: Dozens Dead in Kabul Attack on Shia Muslims

Council on Foreign Relations Newsletter If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view. December 28, 2017 Daily News Brief   TOP OF THE AGENDA Dozens Dead in Kabul Attack on Shia Muslims Multiple explosions at a cultural center and news agency used by Shia Muslims in the Afghan capital killed an estimated forty people on Thursday in an attack claimed by the self-proclaimed Islamic State (WaPo). Early reports suggested the blasts targeted the office of the Afghan Voice news agency, though a spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry later said the attack was aimed at the cultural center. Guests had gathered there to mark the thirty-eighth anniversary (Al Jazeera) of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. No evidence of links to the Islamic State, also known as Daesh, could immediately be confirmed, while the Taliban denied it carried out the attack (RFE/RL). ANALYSIS "The attack comes weeks after [President Ashraf] Ghani said the Islamic State, which emerged in Afghanistan in late 2014, 'was on the run' in the country following a recent series of joint offensives with U.S.-led troops," Sayed Salahuddin writes for the Washington Post. "The emergence of Daesh is widely talked about but it's a poorly understood and complex phenomena. In many areas, Daesh is comprised of ex-Taliban commanders with no discernable links to the Islamic State," Ashley Jackson said in an interview with Foreign Policy Interrupted.  "There is much more Washington can do to set conditions for a peace process—including naming and empowering senior diplomats, aligning regional powers in support of that goal, and ensuring U.S. policy does not undercut Taliban moderates—all while continuing to fight the Taliban, develop Afghan security forces, and strengthen Afghan institutions," writes CFR's Courtney Cooper. Visualizing 2018: The Essential Graphics In this roundup, CFR experts discuss the data worth tracking in the year ahead.   PACIFIC RIM Two Dozen Sentenced in Vietnam for Terrorism, Subversion Vietnamese courts sentenced fourteen people on Wednesday for involvement in an April bomb attack on Tan Son Nhat International Airport (AP) in which no one was killed. The court accused the defendants of supporting a California-based exile group (RFA) seeking to overthrow the government. Nine others were sentenced for subversion and spreading propaganda against the communist state. TIBET: Tibetan activist and filmmaker Dhondup Wangchen, jailed by Chinese authorities for nearly ten years, escaped and reached California earlier this week (VOA), where his family lives.  SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA Mass Firing at Uzbek Finance Ministry More than 560 people were dismissed from positions at Uzbekistan's Finance Ministry after President Shavkat Mirziyoyev criticized the ministry (RFE/RL) for mismanaging the state budget and accused officials of embellishing economic data.   MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Libya, UN Agency Return Migrants to Guinea The International Organization for Migration flew 142 migrants who were stranded in Libya (Reuters) back to their home country of Guinea on Wednesday. The number of migrants trapped in the North African country has surged this year as armed groups increased patrols of the waters off its coast. The International Rescue Committee's David Miliband discusses the ongoing historic displacement of millions of people this year. IRAN: Tehran's police chief said on Wednesday that authorities will no longer arrest people who fail to respect Islamic values (WSJ) and will instead "educate" infractors. Haleh Esfandiari discusses Iran's path to democracy in Foreign Affairs. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA U.S. to Sell Fighter Jets, Weapons to Nigeria The Nigerian Air Force said that the United States has agreed to sell it twelve Super Tucano fighter jets (Vanguard) and other weapons and services worth a total of $593 million. CAMEROON: A judge has ordered American author Patrice Nganang to be released from jail and deported (BBC) after he was accused of threatening Cameroonian President Paul Biya in a Facebook post.  EUROPE Break in Ukraine Fighting for Mass Prisoner Exchange The Ukrainian military and Moscow-backed separatists paused fighting on Wednesday (NYT) for the exchange of nearly three hundred prisoners in total. It was the first prisoner swap (BBC) between the two sides in fifteen months. TURKEY: The head of a Russian state conglomerate said the country is expected to begin shipments for a $2.5 billion missile deal with Turkey (RFE/RL) in 2020. CFR's Steven A. Cook writes in Salon that Washington's tangled relationship with Ankara is worsening. AMERICAS Argentine Senate Passes Macri-Backed Budget Lawmakers approved on Wednesday a new tax plan and federal budget proposal pushed by President Mauricio Macri (Reuters) in a bid to attract international investment and cut business costs. Last week, Congress approved Macri's pension plan, sparking violent protests and a day-long general strike. UNITED STATES Trump Administration Sees 34% Turnover in a Year Twenty-one of sixty-one senior officials in the Donald J. Trump administration have left their posts in a year (WSJ), according to a new report by the Brookings Institution. The turnover is the highest of any administration in the last forty years. Users of iPhones in three U.S. states and in Israel have filed class-action lawsuits against the tech giant Apple (LA Times), claiming the company did not disclose information about slowing older iPhones to push users to unnecessarily buy newer versions. GLOBAL Children Deliberately Targeted in Conflict Areas, UN Says The UN Children's Fund said Thursday that children in areas of armed conflict have suffered abuses (Al Jazeera) including rape, forced marriages, and recruitment into armed groups on a "shocking" scale in 2017.          Council on Foreign Relations — 58 East 68th Street — New York, NY 10065 CFR does not share email addresses with third parties. Forward This Email | Subscribe to CFR Newsletters | Unsubscribe - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -  

From: dailybrief@e.cfr.org

Date: December 28, 2017 at 11:03PM