Daily Evacuation Brief | December 28, 2022
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LAST 24 HOURS
TALIBAN ISSUES CALL TO AFGHANS TO BE READY TO ‘DEFEND THE NATION’ ON TUESDAY – Possibly in an attempt to rally a sense of nationalism on the anniversary of the Soviet Invasion, Taliban leaders called on citizens to remain ready to defend the country over the course of the coming year. The comments come on the heels of a similar exhortation by the Minister of Foreign Affairs a few days ago. It is possible the Taliban see a threat on the horizon and are making efforts to stimulate the populace.
NRF MOURNS THE LOSS OF 2 COMMANDERS AND TROOPS IN ANDARAB – The leader of the NRF issued a statement on Monday promising to avenge the deaths of Khair Mohammad Khairkhah, Ghazi Muradi, and another 15 Resistance fighters who had been killed in a fight with the Taliban. Several NRF sources have since claimed that 30 Taliban were killed and an additional 30 were wounded in the action.
MINISTER OF FINANCE REPORTEDLY CONSIDERING HALTING MONEY TRANSFERS INTO AFGHANISTAN – Sources in the Ministry have said a decree is being prepared which would halt all external transfers of funds coming into Afghanistan. This information is unverified but we felt compelled to publish it as it could have an adverse effect on support operations within the country for many organizations, family members, and/or individuals.
KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA PROVINCE, PAKISTAN AT RISK OF SLIDING INTO CHAOS – A report from Al Arabiya was published recently which claims the volatile Province in Pakistan is steadily slipping into the grasp of the TTP. The Al Arabiya report cited an internal Pakistan government study which stated the Province had witnessed 704 terror-related incidents over the past year. In comparison, Punjab reported 5 terror incidents over the same period.
NEXT 24 HOURS
HEAVY SECURITY PRESENCE CONTINUES – The Taliban security forces continue to maintain a heavy presence in areas near Universities in anticipation of potential protests to the many decrees barring women from education, work, and distributing humanitarian aid.
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
The Foreign Minister chided Western powers for supporting the protests and claimed they “...bet on a losing horse.”
Elon Musk announced that 100 Starlink satellites are now operating over Iran.
Iran’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, leveled threats against protestors that they would be shown ‘no mercy’ if they continue the uprisings. Yesterday marked the 100th day since the protests began.
PAKISTAN
Heightened security procedures continue in Islamabad as Pakistani Police continue searching for some of the reported 400 TTP fighters who crossed the border back into Pakistan over the last 7 days.
Local news outlets reported that more than 20 arrests were made at an anti-China demonstration held at the all-important Gwadar Port facility.
TAJIKISTAN
Chiefs of the border forces for both Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan met in Batken to discuss the situation on the border.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Gender apartheid in Afghanistan: Lessons from Taliban's women ban - analysis
By Seth J. Frantzman - The Jerusalem Post
The Taliban banned women from universities last week, and this week, they banned women from working at foreign and local NGOs. This is part of a creeping gender apartheid in Afghanistan, which was accelerated after the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
AFGHAN NEWS
Delawar Expects Decision on Women, Girls' Education Next Year
By Fatema Adeeb - TOLO News
He said the decision will be made in the first month of the next solar year (April 2023) based on the values of Islam and Afghan…
MoD confirms 20 Resistance Front fighters killed in Baghlan
By Abdul Raqeeb Sail - Pajhwok Afghan News
The Ministry of Defense on Tuesday confirmed the killing of 20 “Resistance Front” fighters including two commanders during…
By Oneindia
"[I take] full responsibility for the corruption and bribes in the delivery of services ... But the big contracts, big corruption, in hundreds of millions of…
35 Private Universities at Risk of Collapse: Union
By Nazir Shinwari - TOLO News
“The economic challenges have surged widely. Now that we are interviewing you, 30 to 35 universities are facing major economic problems,” said…
REGIONAL NEWS
Indian projects in Afghanistan suffered setbacks: Govt to Parliamentary panel
By Mint
"In the given political scenario in Afghanistan, the majority of countries, including India, have halted their projects…
Flight of US dollars from Pakistan to Afghanistan continues unabated
By ANI
The flight of US dollars from Pakistan to Afghanistan continues unabated resulting in the erosion of Islamabad’s foreign exchange reserves…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
U.S.-Trained Afghan Soldiers Angry Over Their Plight Are Ready To Join Russia's War Against Ukraine
By RFE
Lost status and a desperate existence in Iran are driving thousands of former Afghan troops -- many of them elite commandos trained by the United States…
Germany may stop Afghan aid over Taliban rules on women
By Tim Stickings - The National News
Development Minister Svenja Schulze backed a freeze after what she called an “irresponsible attack on aid to…
THE DAILY WTF
Military device with biometric database of 2K people sold on eBay for $68
By Ashley Belanger - ARS Technica
When a German security researcher, Matthias Marx, found a United States military device for sale on eBay—an instrument previously used to identify wanted individuals and known terrorists…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 88.52 AFN (as of 28 DEC 2022)