Update for Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Sorry for not posting for a while, I will resume a more regular schedule. As I’ve noted before, the situation in both Afghanistan and Iraq has been fairly static, although of course the daily drumbeat of violence and humanitarian catastrophe continues in both countries.

In Iraq, information trickling out of Mosul indicates that IS fears losing control, that there are signs of popular resistance, and that preparations for the coming assault are nevertheless continuing.

A specific act of resistance in Mosul seems to have just occurred as gunmen burn an IS publishing house.

Iraqi forces continue to tighten the vice on Mosul, moving in on the town of Shirqat in Salah-u-Din province and capturing villages in Anbar.

Iraqi parliament removes finance minister from office alleging graft. However they presented no evidence against him and the development could complicate relations with foreign funders. Zebari is a Kurd.

In Afghanistan, a peace agreement between the government and warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is expected tomorrow.

Interior minister Taj Mohammad says the security situation in Kunduz is “unsatisfactory” but that a renewed operation has been launched there against the insurgents.

Taliban attack kills a police commander and injures 3 police in Helmand.

Air strikes kill Afghan forces in Uruzgan, apparently a case of mistargeting.