Daily Evacuation Brief | April 18, 2023

Apr 18, 2023

FRESH OUTRAGE AFTER MORE SCHOOLS CLOSED IN SOUTHERN PROVINCES – Taliban authorities ordered all NGO-supported schools in both Helmand and Kandahar Provinces to close while their curriculums are reviewed. The majority of the programs that have been shuttered provided education to females although some boys attended the classes as well. A spokesman for the Kandahar education department blamed the closure on complaints received by citizens. Few believe this to be the case and see it as simply another means of implementing backward Deobandist principles across society. The closure is expected to affect tens of thousands across both Provinces.
SOME IN TALIBAN LEADERSHIP CONCERNED OVER STOPPAGE OF CASH AID SHIPMENTS – While the Taliban are supposedly cut out of the economic aid program, there are suspicions that the aid has made its way into Taliban accounts virtually from the inception of the program. While the United Nations has strenuously objected to accusations asserting the aid has been mishandled, many question the organizations’ ability to account for the funds accurately. Regardless, the shipments have reputedly been stopped since March 14th and sources in both Kabul and Kandahar claim that some Taliban leaders have lodged complaints with Ministers. If these reports are correct, it may indicate that the aid was indeed being misdirected.
FARYAB INCIDENT, 6 WOUNDED IN SCUFFLE WITH TALIBAN – At least 6 people were wounded after Taliban security forces in the Dawlat Abad District attempted to halt herders and farmers from grazing their animals and working their fields. The people injured are rumored to be of Turkmeni ethnicity and at least 2 were said to have received ‘life threatening’ injuries.
CHILD MURDERED WITH SCYTHE IN LOGAR PROVINCE – Taliban officials confirmed that an 11-year-old child was killed by a man wielding a scythe near Pol-e Alam on Monday. Local eyewitnesses say that an altercation led to the murder and the man has been arrested by the Taliban. It is not known what started the altercation.
ASSOCIATES OF GULBUDDIN HEKMATYAR SAY REPORTS OF HOUSE ARREST ARE FALSE – Several friends and family members of the controversial political figure say the rumors that began circulating on 17 April stating Hekmatyar was under house arrest and barred from political activity are completely false.

NEXT 24 HOURS

MODERATE FLOODING REPORTED IN SOME PROVINCES – Four Provinces have reported floodwaters that have closed several roads and others are expected to announce road closures in the next 12 hrs. No deaths have yet been reported but there are reports of several vehicles that had been washed away in Badakhshan Province. Travel conditions will remain perilous in Central, Eastern, and Northeastern Afghanistan for the next few days.

REGIONAL ROUNDUP

IRAN

The regime criticized the son of the deposed Shah for meeting with the Prime Minister of Israel.
So far, no arrests have been reported after the regime instituted a new video surveillance policy to enforce the hijab dress code. Social media was awash with defiant women and girls who flaunted the new law by posting videos and photos in public places without headgear.
Parents of school-aged females are urging the Ministry of Education to authorize remote learning while the threat to their children remains.

PAKISTAN

A Chinese engineer was arrested late on Sunday after reportedly making blasphemous remarks in a worksite dispute with local laborers. The man is thought to be a director from the Gezhouba Group that is working on a hydroelectric project.
A strike is continuing in the Tharparker region over a controversial program to force Hindu women who have married a Muslim man to convert. Businesses have been closed and the protest has significant popular support.
8 police officers have been fired and face charges after being implicated in a motorcycle theft ring.

SPOTLIGHT GENDER

Afghanistan: “If you educate a woman, you educate the nation.”

By OCHA

“When a nation improves access to education for its people, including boys, girls, men and women, they can develop themselves, their country, and the whole nation will prosper. And that’s why I love my job as an Education Extender,” says Aisha,* a female humanitarian aid worker from Afghanistan.

AFGHAN NEWS

Afghanistan: Six Faryab residents ‘wounded by Taliban’: Sources

By AMU TV

At least six residents of Faryab province in northern Afghanistan were wounded in a clash with Taliban in Dawlat Abad district, said local sources on…

Classes Stopped at Private Education Centers in Kandahar, Helmand

By Banafsha Binesh - TOLO News

Wakil Ahmad Moutawakel, a spokesman for the Kandahar education department, said their office received a letter from the Ministry of Education ordering classes at all…

Women protesters in Afghanistan call for aid groups to serve Taliban an ultimatum

By Zahra Joya - The Fuller Project

For Sabra, a 26-year-old Afghan who asked to be identified by a pseudonym, the Taliban’s ban on female employees working for the…

REGIONAL NEWS

Iran Reiterates Claim on Shared Water Resources With Afghanistan

By Fidel Rahmati - Khaama Press

On Monday, Iran Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian tweeted that he discussed the disputed water resources with his Afghan counterpart…

China, Russia, Pakistan, others push Afghan Taliban on terrorism

By Zia Ur Rehman - Nikkei Asia

Frustrated over the Taliban's reluctance to take action against an array of militants, including a strengthening Islamic State group, Afghanistan's neighbors have resolved to…