Daily Evacuation Brief | August 31, 2022
Discover more from The Afghan Digest
LAST 24 HOURS
POSSIBLE SIV DATA BREACH — Two offices in Kabul may have been raided by the Taliban, leading to a possible data breach of SIV applicants’ data. The offices believed to be raided were organizational offices that housed volunteers who were assisting Afghans with pending SIV cases. A source visited the offices and encountered a stamped decree on the door stating the volunteers had been detained by the Taliban. The Afghan Digest is attempting to find out more information about this potential security breach.
ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS — Celebrations have been reported across the country marking the date of the last American forces departing Afghanistan. Fireworks were set off in Kabul and select other locations, and Taliban forces were told to treat people congenially while the celebrations were ongoing.
NRF MESSAGING WINS — The NRF’s attempts to raise public awareness of their resistance campaign appear to have been largely successful. Over the last few weeks, the NRF has been acknowledged on several large media platforms as the largest resistance organization and spokespersons have accepted several major interviews. While many of the outlets sound skeptical about the NRF’s ability to seriously challenge the Taliban, their political message has been skillfully crafted and seems to have garnered additional interest from the public and policymakers.
NEXT 24 HOURS
PANJSHIR OPERATIONS — The Taliban are expected to recommence actions in Panjshir, and a source not affiliated with the Taliban claims the target is a single unidentified base. Taliban trucks have been reportedly moving to the Khenj district and are consolidating near the village of Pawat.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
The Taliban’s Battle Against Islamic State Khorasan
By Abdul Sayed – Ink Stick Media
The Islamic State Khorasan’s (ISK) assassination of Shaikh Rahimullah Haqqani, a senior Afghan Taliban ideologue, in Kabul on Aug. 11, 2022, is a significant blow to the group and its war against ISK. Haqqani, who was not related to Afghanistan’s Haqqani Network, was a fierce critic of ISK and had survived multiple attacks in the past.
Bonus Content: Taliban Budget Realities
AFGHAN NEWS
Afghanistan $1.4B in Debt to Foreign Countries, Organizations
By Tamim Shahir – TOLOnews
A senior official of the Ministry of Finance said that Kabul has paid more than $6 million in debts to the World Bank and International…
Opinion: Does the anti-Taliban resistance stand a chance?
By Peter Bergen – CNN
The Taliban today control more of Afghanistan than they did the last time they were in power before the…
Afghanistan gets another $40M in humanitarian cash aid
By Islamuddin Sajid – Anadolu Agency
According to the Da Afghanistan Bank, the amount arrived from donor countries to help the people of Afghanistan on…
Female Street Vendors Increase in Kabul
By TOLOnews
The number of women vendors in Kabul has increased in recent months as a result of poverty and economic difficulties. They said that they have to perform difficult labor…
REGIONAL NEWS
Iran to secure border with Afghanistan due to surge in terrorism
By ANI
In the wake of rising terrorism across the border, Iran’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Hassan Kazimi Qomi said…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
UN Aid Chief Pushes for Restart of Afghanistan Development Aid
By Michelle Nichols — Reuters
Countries should restart some development aid for impoverished Afghanistan that was halted a year ago when the Taliban seized power, the U.N. aid chief said…
How Jewish communities across the US helped resettle 1,900 Afghan evacuees this year
By Renee Ghert-Zand - The Times of Israel
On September 1, 2021, Hadiya (last name withheld for security reasons) fled her home in Kabul with her parents Mirwais and Zarmina, and her…
THE DAILY WTF
Taliban Requests Recognition Based on Its Territorial Control Says Markus Potzel
By Saqalain Eqbal – Khaama Press
Markus Potzel, the Acting Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Afghanistan, stated that the Taliban seek legitimacy and…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 88.51 AFN (as of 31 AUG 2022)