Daily Evacuation Brief | August 9, 2022
Daily Evacuation Brief | August 9, 2022
LAST 24 HOURS
An evacuation flight from Kabul sponsored by the German government was canceled without any explanation. The cancellation has sparked rumors that Germany’s announced plan to evacuate nearly 8,000 at-risk Afghans over the coming year is at risk. Previous reporting stated that a few earlier German evacuation flights had also been canceled, and a German-sponsored group being evacuated overland to Pakistan was turned back by the Taliban. No further information was available.
House-to-house searches continued in Mazar-i-Sharif over the last two days, although no arrests have been reported. Sources have said the searches are ongoing because ISIS-K operatives are believed to be in the city.
A source in the Ministry of the Interior claims that panic has spread among senior Taliban leaders who believe they may be targeted by further US drone strikes. The panic has caused several to flee Kabul; many are attempting to cross the border into Pakistan, while the bulk of the remainder is traveling to Kandahar. This would explain the recent convoys carrying high-level officials to Kandahar, but the reasoning is not confirmed.
Violence along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border continued over the last 24 hours. Peer organizations are advised to watch for updates about provocations and/or escalations in fighting as it could affect evacuations.
In one incident near the Patsi base in North Waziristan, 3 Pakistani soldiers were killed and 4 were wounded by a suicide bomber. The Pakistani army has sent additional troops to the area. The group who executed the attack has only been identified as a “militant group” known to be operating in the area.
A second incident took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when 4 police officers, reportedly including the Deputy Superintendent of Police, were injured in an attack by militants. Pakistani army and police units have responded to the area. No information has been provided about the nature of the attack or who was responsible.
There have been unverified reports that sporadic cross-border gunfire continues in Kunar province between Taliban and Pakistan border security forces. It is thought the clashes began nearly 48 hours ago. No casualties have been reported thus far.
NEXT 24 HOURS
Searches in Mazar-i-Sharif are expected to continue throughout the week, and Taliban checkpoints along the roads in Balkh will be reinforced while searches continue.
A source in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Taliban are seeking to host an emergency session between the TTP and Pakistani officials in order to discuss recent issues that are threatening the current ceasefire. The meeting is tentatively scheduled to take place Thursday in Kabul, but the Taliban are waiting to hear from Pakistan if they would attend. The source opined that TTP leadership in Afghanistan were concerned that Pakistan’s intelligence organization may have ordered the recent assassination of senior leaders.
SPOTLIGHT PERSPECTIVE
Afghanistan Did Not Have to Turn Out This Way
By David Patraeus – The Atlantic
A year after the chaotic scenes at Kabul airport, the outcome of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan is heartbreaking and tragic for many Afghans and devastating for their country. The Afghan government that fell, leading to the return of the Taliban, was maddeningly imperfect, full of frustrating shortcomings, and, in various respects, corrupt. Yet it was also an ally in America’s effort to combat Islamist extremists in Afghanistan and the region, it celebrated many of the freedoms we cherish, and it wanted to ensure them for the long-suffering Afghan people. It was certainly preferable to what replaced it.
AFGHAN NEWS
Pakistani militant with $3 million US bounty killed in Afghanistan
By Jibran Ahmad Saud Mahsud – Reuters
A senior Pakistani militant with $3 million U.S. bounty on his head has been killed along with three aides in neighbouring Afghanistan, three militant commanders and an intelligence…
Prospects of Employment; Taliban Supreme Leader Issues Order to Round Up Beggars in Kabul
By Saqalain Eqbal – Khaama Press
Taliban supreme leader, Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, has assigned the deputy prime minister of the Taliban, Mullah Abdul…
Is Internet Down? Users in Afghan Capital Report Internet Disruption
By Saqalain Eqbal – Khaama Press
Residents of Kabul, the Afghan capital, say that telecommunications services have been interrupted and cut off in a number of the…
Hamid Karzai stays on in Afghanistan — hoping for the best, but unable to leave
By Steve Inskeep and Rachel Treisman – NPR
When the Taliban reclaimed Kabul last August, the U.S.-backed government collapsed and hundreds of thousands of Afghans fled the country. Former president Hamid Karzai was not one of them…
REGIONAL NEWS
Taliban forces, Pakistani soldiers exchange gunfire near Kunar province
By ANI
In yet another incident of a border clash at the disputed Durand line, Taliban-led forces and Pakistani soldiers exchanged gunfire in the Dangam district in…
Kabul asks Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to return helicopters again
By AKI Press
The Ministry of Defense of Afghanistan once again asked Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to return the helicopters of the previous administration that…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
Across Muslim world, millions of Shias mark Ashura
By The Arab Weekly
Millions of Shia Muslims — from Iran to Afghanistan and Pakistan — were marking the festival of Ashura on Monday, one of the most emotional occasions in…
As Attacks Rise, UNAMA Calls for Security for Minorities
By TOLO News
On Twitter, UNAMA said that the recent explosions in Kabul resulted in more than 120 deaths and…
THE DAILY WTF
Soldier who shot dead three unarmed men treated as 'returning hero' by Taliban
By Rachel Hagan – Daily Mirror
The source said: "The person I met is a dangerous terrorist, a dangerous man. He is not repentant, not…”
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 90.43 AFN (as of 9 AUG 2022)