Reports

On 20 July, a pro-Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) Telegram channel posted a video showing a skyscraper on fire. The post stated that the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) bombed the National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) tower in Sudan’s capital city Khartoum. However, the SAF’s claim that the RSF was responsible for the damage has been contested. Sudan Witness verified the footage (figure 1), which showed an active fire and smoke plumes coming from the tower and was filmed from a moving vehicle on Manshiya Bridge. Analysis of Planet and Sentinel satellite imagery shows a smoke plume coming from the NTC Tower on 20 July.

The Taliban's decision to delay Eid-ul-Adha in 2024 sparked widespread defiance and criticism from Afghan communities and leaders.

Calls for armed resistance against the Taliban at a conference of Shia Afghans in Germany were largely met with reticence from Shias both in Afghanistan and abroad.

The harrowing video of a young Afghan man being tortured by a Taliban commander sparked global outrage.

In September 2023, the Taliban announced that they had signed more than $6.5 billion in new mining deals. Afghan Witness delves into the sector dubbed the Taliban’s “cash cow”.

At the St Petersburg International Economic Forum, Moscow and the Taliban signalled closer ties, while Russian involvement in a railroad project in Herat underscores strengthening relations.

The recent usage of AI-generated videos to claim ISKP attacks has stirred controversy within pro-IS communities over the religious permissibility of AI technology. Despite increased accessibility to AI tools for propaganda, the isolated efforts and mixed reception suggest AI use in extremist content may remain limited.

ISKP has stepped up its attacks on Taliban officials, recently killing Mullah Hassan in Ghor province and expanding its operations across Afghanistan. The group's increasing activity from Kabul to Herat and Kandahar highlights a growing challenge for the Taliban's efforts to control them.

On May 17, 2024, reports of a drone strike targeting the Taliban in Logar province surfaced on social media, leading to widespread speculation and conflicting accounts about the incident. Despite official denials of an attack by Taliban authorities, the claim continued to be spread, both by legitimate accounts and by bots.

In a rare and unannounced visit to Kabul, Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada addressed officials, underscoring unity and anti-corruption measures, while insurgent groups seized the opportunity to launch attacks in the capital.

A surge in verified Taliban accounts on X, formerly Twitter, highlights the group's strategic use of the platform's features to spread propaganda and legitimise their presence. This trend raises questions about the implications of the verification feature and the moderation of extremist content on social media.

CIR, together with Detector Media, reveal the network of actors behind the “media occupation” of Ukraine’s temporarily occupied territories.