Daily Evacuation Brief | December 14, 2023

Dec 14, 2023

PAKISTAN REQUESTS US ASSISTANCE IN FIGHT AGAINST TTP – The Pakistani Military Chief, General Asim Munir, met with colleagues in Washington DC yesterday to discuss issues related to security and attempted to convince US military leaders that the TTP threat is a global one and could threaten the US and its interests. The discussions are being seen as a starting point for negotiations that could lead to greater US security assistance funding, potential intelligence sharing, and the establishment of US drone bases in Pakistan. It is unlikely that any potential deal will be reached quickly. In a possible ancillary benefit, the request could aid Afghan refugees sheltering in Pakistan as it is generally understood that the US would prefer the deportation operations to halt.
HEKMATYAR LETTER CIRCULATED ON SOCIAL MEDIA DEEMED A ‘FAKE’ – TAD reported on controversial remarks attributed to Gulbuddin Hekmatyar on 9 DEC and subsequent reports began to surface on social media that mentioned a ‘letter’ from the Taliban’s Ministry of the Interior. The letter suggested that Hekmatyar had been disarmed by the Taliban and was now considered an enemy of the IEA. While Gulbuddin’s remarks were critical of the IEA and the Taliban’s response amounted to a public scolding of the venerable leader, both parties have stated that the letter was fake and that no animosity exists between his political party and the Taliban.
SANCTIONED FORMER AFGHAN MP SAYS CHARGES ARE BASELESS – A former speaker of Afghanistan’s Parliament has called the US sanctions levied on himself and his son for charges of corruption, pure fantasy. In a press release, he and his son denied any wrongdoing and said he needed to assure the people of Afghanistan that he had not stolen funds meant for the Afghan military. Unsurprisingly, his words appear to have fallen on deaf ears in Afghanistan and the US.
TALIBAN AGREES TO LAUNCH INVESTIGATION INTO DERA ISMAIL KHAN BOMBING – Yesterday, Kabul said it would launch a probe into the terror attack that killed over twenty Pakistani security personnel and wounded over thirty more. However, Kabul has categorically rejected claims that it had anything to do with the attack and cautioned Pakistan again about blaming its internal security issues on Afghanistan. Several questions about the attack remain outstanding and there seems to be strong evidence that at least 1 Afghan citizen may have been involved in the terror plot. In addition, bomb experts say that over 250lbs of explosives had been used in the attack and the quantity has raised suspicions in Pakistan that it may have come from Afghanistan.

NEXT 24 HOURS

NO THREATS REPORTED

REGIONAL ROUNDUP

IRAN

In a rare moment of candor, the Minister for the Economy admits that inflation in the country has caused difficulties for many Iranians and that food prices were fueling hunger.
A forty-five-year-old mother of two was sentenced to 13 years in prison on Monday for allegedly joining the MEK group and ‘destroying public property’ for taking part in the 2009 uprising.
The Parliament rejected President Raisi’s budget proposal yesterday after previously approving the bill in a budget committee on Monday. Some observers believe that Raisi’s star is falling and that many senior leaders and some clerics are pushing for a change.

PAKISTAN

The spokesman for the PTI party said the membership was critical of yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling that will pave the way for military courts to try civilians for actions in the 9 May riots.
After decades of dealing with the unauthorized ‘tapping’ of powerlines, Pakistan has added a law to the penal code that criminalizes the conduct.
A court in Islamabad dismissed former PM Khan’s plea for ‘pre-arrest bail’ yesterday. The ruling will likely mean that Khan will be remanded today in the Tshakhana case.

SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS

Militant Attack Rocks Pakistan: Unraveling The Chaos

By Khalid Iqbal - EurAsia Review

In the early hours of Tuesday, a police compound in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan, became the epicenter of terror as militants orchestrated a devastating attack. The repercussions of this assault, which left at least 23 soldiers dead and dozens injured, echo through the troubled border regions. This article delves into the details of the attack, its aftermath, and the broader context of rising militant activities.

AFGHAN NEWS

7 Journalists Detained in Current Solar Year in South: Watchdog Group

By TOLO News

The head of the office of the Afghanistan Journalists Safety Committee, Ahmad Lodin, said despite a reduction in cases of violations against journalists, some…

Attack in Pakistan Not Related to Afghanistan: Mujahid

By Nazir Shinwari - TOLO News

Mujahid said that if information is shared with the Islamic Emirate by Pakistan, it will investigate the incident, but he…

Taliban’s sentencing of Daikundi journalist condemned by media advocacy groups as ‘unlawful’

By Zabihullah Doorandish - AMU TV

Several organizations supporting journalists have decried the Taliban’s one-year sentence for Sultan Ali Jawadi, the editor-in-chief of Radio Nasim in Daikundi province, as a violation of…

REGIONAL NEWS

Pakistan asks Afghanistan to probe links to attack that killed 23 soldiers

Pakistan asks Kabul to probe links to attack that killed 23 soldiers

By Asif Shahzad & Mohammad Unus Yawar - Reuters

Pakistan has protested to Afghanistan's Taliban government over the killing of 23 soldiers in an attack on a military base, demanding action against the perpetrators, Islamabad said…

Qatar-Funded International Union Of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) Delegation Meets With Taliban Ministers In Kabul

By Tufail Ahmad - MEMRI

A delegation of Islamic religious scholars from the Qatar-funded International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) visited Kabul in early December 2023, conveying messages from…