Daily Evacuation Brief | August 20, 2022
Discover more from The Afghan Digest
LAST 24 HOURS
The Taliban’s Director of Culture in Helmand province issued a warning about posting on social media using Afghanistan’s tri-color flag. He claimed the government would take screenshots of offenders and that action will be taken. The warning was prompted by the celebration of Afghan Independence Day.
Taliban reprisals against non-combatants in Panjshir are being widely reported across multiple Resistance-affiliated organizations. Many arrests have been made, and the charges given are typically related to providing support to the NRF. Residents of some villages have been told to vacate their homes and leave their districts. Violence has also been reported, but there is not enough information available yet to speculate.
Persistent reports continue to arrive about the Taliban possibly having arrested an American filmmaker in Kabul. According to the rumors, American independent filmmaker Ivor Shearer and Afghan producer Faizullah Faizbakhsh were arrested on Wednesday while filming near the location where the former al-Qaeda leader was killed in a drone strike. They were accused of being American spies by Taliban standing guard, then detained and blindfolded by about 50 armed Taliban intelligence operatives. No further information was available.
Reports from the impromptu conference in Kandahar suggest that Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada was recorded declaring war against the United States and its allies. We are awaiting verification of the video/audio recordings.
Taliban reinforcements began arriving in several locations across Panjshir. A source stated that the size of the force is approximately 400 fighters. Additionally, security elements dispatched from Kabul to Kandahar arrived and were deployed around the city.
NEXT 24 HOURS
With the arrival of fresh Taliban fighters, some type of offensive action is expected to take place in Panjshir and possibly Baghlan province. Recent Resistance successes have prodded the Ministry of Defense to mount a response, which could involve the targeting of non-combatants in the provinces.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
By Ali Maisam Nazary – Foreign Affairs
A year has passed since the fall of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the return of the Taliban to power in Kabul. Despite its troubles, Afghanistan before August 2021 was a free, democratic country; now it is in a state of turmoil and anarchy. It is on the brink of the worst humanitarian crisis in modern times, with its economy in tatters and its people facing acute food insecurity. Human trafficking and drug trafficking are on the rise. The killing of the al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul points to the persisting ties between the Taliban and transnational terrorist groups. Disarray in the country will only fuel further terrorism and violence, but the international community has merely looked on as Afghanistan has unraveled. Regional and global powers seem willing to accept the de facto rule of the Taliban, even though they lack legitimacy and the support of the population.
AFGHAN NEWS
IEA marks Afghanistan’s Independence Day
By Ariana News
Marking 103 years of independence from Britain, Mullah Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, acting defense minister of the Islamic Emirate of…
The all-female mobile health team working against the odds in Afghanistan
By Rescue.org
Despite countless hurdles, all-women teams of medical doctors are braving long distances and treacherous terrain to bring health care to the…
Is Ahmad Massoud is a real leader or his courage is limited only by the media space?
By Asia-Plus
The leader of the National Resistance Front (NRF) of Afghanistan Ahmad Massoud recently has given a series of interviews in which he has made…
REGIONAL NEWS
Turkish Red Crescent starts business for those voluntarily returning to Afghanistan
By Bilal Guler & Sayed Sadat – Anadolu Agency
The Turkish Red Crescent helps Afghans who voluntarily returned to their countries from Türkiye find employment, thereby reducing the…
CASA-1000: Western-backed Asian power line project stalled over Afghanistan turmoil
By The New Arab
A $1.2 billion Western-backed project to build a power line between Central Asia and South Asia has been stalled by turmoil in Afghanistan, a project official told…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Afghan Envoy in UN: UNSC Will Decide on Travel Bans on Saturday
By TOLOnews
The United Nations Security Council will make a final decision on Saturday about the extension of the travel exemption for some officials of the Islamic Emirate, according to Afghanistan's Permanent Representative to the UN.
Setting the Right Conditions for Aid to Afghanistan – and Other Nations As Well
By Anthony Cordesman – CSIS
A year of Taliban rule over Afghanistan has shown all too clearly that there are good reasons to debate the future level of aid to…
THE DAILY WTF
The US Has Approved Only 123 Afghan Humanitarian Parole Applications in the Last Year
By Najib Aminy & Dhruz Mehrotra – Reveal News
More than a year since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, the U.S. government has approved less than 2% of Afghan applications it…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 88.24 AFN (as of 20 AUG 2022)