Daily Evacuation Brief | April 30, 2023

Apr 30, 2023

TAJIKISTAN BORDER SECURITY COMMANDER KILLED IN SHOOTOUT ON BORDER – Multiple news outlets report a clash between Tajikistan’s border security forces and a well-armed gang of Afghan drug smugglers took place on Thursday night in the Shugnan District of Gorno Badakhshan. 3 of the criminals were arrested at the scene and Tajik soldiers recovered weapons, night vision devices, $10,000 dollars, and 45 kilograms of heroin. The Tajik Commander who was reputedly killed is said to be Komron Rajabzoda, who is listed as the Chief of the State Committee for National Security in Khorog (capital of Gorno Badakhshan). However, this information has not been confirmed by official sources.
TALIBAN ARRESTS PANJSHIRI RELIGIOUS FIGURE IN PANJSHIR – According to local eyewitnesses, Maulvi Yahya Annabi has been arrested by the Taliban and taken to an undisclosed location. While it was not clear what charges he faces, he has long been a critic of the Taliban regime and has advocated for greater ethnic representation in the de facto regime. Annabi was reportedly escorted from a meeting of mullahs and muftis by Taliban security personnel.
AFGHAN WOMEN PROTEST INTELLIGENTLY IN KABUL BEFORE THE UN MEETING IN DOHA – In a clear sign that Afghan women’s rights activists have adapted their protest strategies, a small group of women activists took to the streets on Sunday in Kabul to urge the international community from recognizing the Taliban regime. The march was precisely timed and was completed in approximately ten minutes. The group dispersed rapidly after performing their march and Taliban security forces did not have enough time to deploy units to break up the march. As previous marches have often turned violent and some resulted in arrests, opposition groups have recalibrated their planning to minimize the threat of beatings/arrests.
OUTRAGE OVER MURDERED WOMAN IN GHOR – A young expecting mother (Zermine) was reportedly murdered on the night of the 26th in Ghor Province (Sadsiyah Village). While initially described as a crime of passion by a local Taliban police official, many now say it was carried out by 2 Taliban security forces personnel. The young woman’s family and neighbors have pressed the Taliban to bring the 2 unidentified Talibs to justice. Ghor has witnessed a spate of gender violence over the past ten days with the murders of 2 women occurring last Sunday and Monday.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IN GHAZNI BURNED DOWN – Arsonists are said to have torched an elementary school in the Al-Biruni township on Friday night. The perpetrators were not identified but the school which serves around 600 students, was gutted in the fire and is considered a total loss.

NEXT 24 HOURS

NO KNOWN THREATS REPORTED

REGIONAL ROUNDUP

IRAN

A second Iranian cleric was attacked by a man wielding a knife in Qom on Saturday. The driver of a vehicle hit the cleric and an associate with his vehicle then attacked both of the men with a knife. Police are investigating if the incident may be linked to an earlier attack that resulted in the death of Abbas Ali Soleimani, a member of the Assembly of ‘Experts’. A late report said another cleric was hit by a vehicle in Tehran on Wednesday which has fueled speculation about a possible plot to target senior religious figures..
The US military is deploying ‘bunker-busting’ bombs to the Middle East in response to Iran’s increasingly provocative moves in the region.
A US bipartisan group is urging President Biden to reinstate a policy to seize Iranian oil tankers in response to the recent seizure of a tanker headed to Texas.

PAKISTAN

Indian border units arrested 2 Pakistani nationals who attempted to cross the LoC into near Poonch. An official says the arrests may be related to the Poonch terrorist attack.
Authorities released another 56 Afghan nationals from jails in Karachi.
Leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party agreed to continue talks with the Government on Saturday. The dialogue had been put in jeopardy by a raid on the house of the former Punjab party leader, Parvez Elahi. The leaders were split on who was responsible for the raid and some opined it may have been PTI supporters who are eager to derail talks with the current regime.

TAJIKISTAN

A shootout on the border of Afghanistan in the Gorno Badakshan region resulted in the death of a Tajik security commander and the arrest of 3 members of a reputed drug smuggling gang. The confrontation is thought to be the second clash in the region this month.
Russia announced it will increase its readiness in Central Asia to counter (according to Russia) an effort by the US to reestablish a US military presence in the region. The Russian bases in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan were mentioned by name.

SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS

Ending the United States’ Afghan agony: Put up or shut up

By Davood Maradian - The Atlantic Council

From former US president Jimmy Carter to the current president, Afghanistan has been a key foreign and domestic issue for successive US administrations. President Joseph R. Biden may wish to turn the corner on Afghanistan once and for all, but, the release of the White House’s review of the chaotic 2021 troop withdrawal showed once again that the realities of Afghanistan and US partisan politics take precedence over his desire to permanently disentangle Washington from Afghanistan. The review fails to settle the debates surrounding the the United States’ failed Afghanistan policies. One newspaper characterized it as “a schoolboy’s excuses for failing to do his homework.”

AFGHAN NEWS

Afghan women protest in Kabul demanding the Taliban aren't recognised

By Daniel Bellamy - EuroNews

“Recognition of Taliban — violation of women’s rights,” the women chanted during the march, which lasted no longer than…

Girls Can Get Forms for Kankor Test, Nangarhar Education Official Says

By Mitra Majeedy - TOLO News

The Nangarhar Department of Education's spokesman, Farhad Ahmad Stanekzai, said that the distribution of Kankor test forms to graduates of the 1401 (solar year) who passed the…