Daily Evacuation Brief | August 12, 2023
LAST 24 HOURS
EXPLOSION REPORTED IN WEST KABUL – An unverified report of a large explosion was reported in hte Pule Surkh neighborhood of Kabul yesterday. No details or confirmation of the blast has yet been made. Taliban security personnel were filmed converging on the area but it is not clear what transpired.
EVICTIONS OF FORMER ANSF FAMILIES REPORTED IN HERAT – A protest took place in Herat (Ghand 11 neighborhood) on Wednesday after several families were removed from their homes. The protestors say they were evicted because their relations served in the Afghan military under the former regime. A local eyewitness told reporters that the families were replaced by people deemed loyal to the Taliban.
PAKISTANI SECURITY FORCES NEUTRALIZE 2 TERRORISTS IN BALOCHISTAN – Government officials announced the successful conclusion of a two-day counter-terrorism operation in the Kech District of Balochistan. The raid took place in the Mazaband Range and was carried out on 10-11 August. 2 terror suspects were killed in a shootout and 1 was wounded. Security personnel recovered a substantial cache of arms and ammunition that was reportedly being assembled for a major terror attack. All the men involved in the incident were thought to have participated in the attack that killed 12 Pakistani soldiers in July. As of publication, it was not yet known to which terror group the men belonged.
POLITICIZATION OF THE AFGHANISTAN ISSUE HAS ‘JUMPED THE POND’ – The US is not the only nation to have targeted the Afghanistan issue for political messaging. Europe is also beginning to see political groups and individuals incorporate Afghanistan into its messaging. Although, the US seems to be focused on the past while Europe is looking at the future.
AFGHAN REFUGEES IN THE UK FACE A TOUGH DILLEMA – Thousands of Afghan refugees in the United Kingdom are facing major hurdles to secure housing as they are being forced out of the hotels they have been residing in. British Veteran groups and NGOs are struggling to assist Afghans with finding places to live. The official government deadline for the refugees to leave their hotels is 31 August and many Afghans are having very little luck with even scheduling a viewing for an apartment or home. Some of the refugees have already been evicted from their hotels (roughly 1 in 5 families) and have been forced to seek public assistance through homeless programs in different councils around the country. Some attribute the issues to a lack of housing even before the resettlement program began with a lack of understanding on the part of landlords and letting agencies that the Afghans have been granted indefinite leave to remain. For its part, the British government established a 285 million GBP fund for councils willing to provide housing for Afghan refugees.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NO THREATS REPORTED
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
Israel announced it had deported a Jewish Iranian citizen who had been caught at the airport with a tissue box that could hide surveillance equipment. The man also had cell phones, power banks, and a sum of money.
US administration officials sought to quell outrage over the proposed $6 billion ‘ransom’ that would be paid to extricate 5 Americans from Iranian prisons. A spokesman for the White House said the US would have full visibility of any funds that would be released.
After reaching historic highs in May and June, Iran’s oil exports fell sharply and are at the lowest level over the past nine months.
PAKISTAN
The Islamabad High Court rejected an appeal from former Prime Minister Imran Khan to suspend his conviction on corruption charges. The appeal also contained a request to move Khan from his current facility to a different jail. The court did order prison officials to allow Khan’s legal team better access to their client.
Security preparations are underway for the upcoming Independence Day celebrations (14 August) and a source in Rawalpindi said that security will be tightened in light of the continuing terror situation.
The caretaker Prime Minister is expected to be named today.
SPOTLIGHT OPINION
The World Has No Choice But to Work With the Taliban
By Graeme Smith & Ibraheem Bahiss - Foreign Affairs
It has been two years since the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan. But earlier this summer, in a government office in Kabul overlooking a well-tended garden, a mid-level Taliban official lamented that the country remains locked in a political standoff. Regional and Western actors cannot agree about how to deal with the Taliban, he complained; even after the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan, the West is still fighting a culture war. The United States and its allies want the Taliban to lift their restrictions on women’s rights, but the Taliban will not accept what they see as a feminist agenda.
AFGHAN NEWS
Four journalists detained by Taliban in various provinces, confirm sources
By AMU TV
Sources reveal that on Thursday, the Taliban detained two journalists in Nangarhar province and another journalist in Paktia…
One child killed, 45 others injured as mini-bus overturns in Kunduz
By ANI
One child was killed and 45 others were injured after a mini-bus overturned in Afghanistan’s Kunduz province…
Afghani Value Has Risen But Price of Goods Has Not Changed: Residents
By Habib Rahman Qooyash - TOLO News
Residents of Kabul expressed concerns about the high prices, saying that despite a drop in US dollar prices against Afghani currency, the price of goods have…
REGIONAL NEWS
Signs of Chinese business life return to Afghanistan 2 years after the Taliban’s takeover
By Zhao Ziwen - South China Morning Post
Duan Yi, a Chinese gemstone trader who moved to Afghanistan about 18 months ago, has noticed clear changes on the streets of…
Taliban, Pakistan Continue To Wrangle Over Militants
By Abubakar Siddique - RFE
Erstwhile allies Pakistan and Afghanistan's hard-line Islamist rulers continue to spar over the Taliban's alleged support to militants fighting…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
US Congress called on FIFA to recognize the exiled Afghan women's soccer team
By Diego Lasarte - Quartz
Bipartisan US lawmakers called on the International Football Federation (FIFA) to recognize Afghanistan’s exiled women’s soccer…
Under a Labour government, Afghan women and girls will advise on their country’s future
By Preet Gill
Last month, I met Fawzia Koofi. Fawzia was the first female deputy speaker of the Afghan parliament and one of only a few women…
THE DAILY WTF
Nikki Haley calls for termination of taxpayer aid to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan
By AMU TV
In the escalating backdrop of the 2024 presidential race, a spotlight has been cast on the Biden administration’s $2.35 billion financial commitment to…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 84.12 AFN (as of 12 AUG 2023)