Commentary from the South Asia Center on the most relevant news from the region, and suggested “must-read” analyses from the week.

Afghanistan
There were two high-profile attacks in Afghanistan this week – a suicide bomb blast in a market place and an attack on Kabul airport. At least 42 people died when the attacker carrying explosives drove his car into the busy market in Orgun, Paktika province, on Tuesday. No group has claimed responsibility but the Haqqani militant network is suspected of carrying it out. This would make sense since Paktika province shares a border with Pakistani tribal areas, where the Haqqani network is mainly based. A Taliban spokesman denied carrying out this attack. However the Taliban did claim responsibility for the attack on Kabul International Airport on Wednesday. The heavily armed militants used grenades and automatic weapons but were repelled by the Afghan police. These attacks come at a sensitive time for the country as the two presidential candidates, Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, agreed earlier this week to resolve their dispute by accepting the results of an official audit of last month’s elections. Under an agreement brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry, the audit of eight million votes will take up to four weeks and should pave the way for Afghanistan’s first democratic transfer power.

Relevant News Stories
Afghanistan market car bomb kills 42 in Paktika province (BBC)
Terror Group Back on the Offensive in Afghanistan (New York Times)
Afghan unrest: Taliban attack on Kabul airport over (BBC)

Iran
Talks in Vienna on Iran’s nuclear program could be extended beyond the July 20^th deadline. The Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif said, “I see an inclination on the part of my negotiating partners that they believe more time may be useful and necessary, but we haven’t made that determination yet.” The extension would be a welcome move since there are reports of progress being made in Vienna and more time might prove to be useful. These talks are led by the P5+1 group comprising of the US, UK, France, China, Russia, and Germany to negotiate a comprehensive nuclear agreement text with the Iranian delegation.

Relevant News Stories
Iran-USA continue consultations to extend negotiations (IRNA)
Iran minister floats nuclear talks extension (BBC)

Pakistan
Security forces carried out a 10-hour long targeted operation in a militant hideout in Raiwind on Thursday, killing two militants and one elite force member. The raid was jointly conducted by members of the Punjab police elite force and army personnel at a compound located a few kilometers away from Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s family home in Punjab. The fighting involved the use of guns and grenades and material recovered from the compound includes Kalashnikovs, suicide jackets, and hand grenades. The police were informed about the presence of militants through a tip-off. It is suspected that the Prime Minister could have been a possible target of the militants, since they were hiding near his Raiwind residence. This raid comes at a difficult time as the civilian government and top officials receive threats in response to the ongoing military operation in North Waziristan. In addition to the rising number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) moving to Punjab, there are rising concerns about the movement of militants from North Waziristan to settled areas in Punjab and other provinces. This will create more security threats as terrorists disperse and create more hideouts to plan attacks.