‘Daily we receive reports of more atrocities, higher death tolls, repeated attacks on NGOs  and guest-houses with foreigners as victims. Pray that this spring offensive may soon come to an end and that the whole Taliban movement will be crushed. Signs of an alliance of the Taliban with IS come from the North and East. Pray against the demonic powers that drive those people. UN statistics show civilian casualties rose by 16% this year. We believe our prayer is the decisive weapon in a war that cannot be won in the natural by all the world’s superpowers. Many foreigners have left the country, so pray for the local believers not to be discouraged, but to share their beliefs with others and remain faithful in the midst of adversity. There have been months of political infighting over the appointment of the crucial post of defence minister. Pray for Masum Stanakzai, appointed to this position on 24 May.’