Daily Evacuation Brief | December 8, 2022
Discover more from The Afghan Digest
LAST 24 HOURS
PUBLIC EXECUTION IN FARAH – In what is being billed as the first public execution approved by the Taliban, a man was put to death in Farah. Most expected capital punishment (executions) to be reinstated immediately in the aftermath of the Taliban takeover. Many observers have opined the Taliban wanted to gain surer footing before bringing them back. Our analysis indicates that this first execution will likely cause a rash of public executions across the country to be carried out. Taliban zealots among the judiciary in other provinces will want to show public support for the new measure and send signals to Kabul and Kandahar of their fealty and support. More executions are likely over the coming month. International legal bodies have quickly condemned the executions and are concerned that prisoners will not receive due process from Taliban courts.
IRANIAN SECURITY FORCES OPEN FIRE ON A TRUCK CARRYING AFGHAN REFUGEES IN WESTERN IRAN – 17 People were reportedly killed and/or wounded when Iranian Army soldiers opened fire on a vehicle that was transporting Afghan refugees in the Sistan-Baluchistan Province. The vehicle failed to stop for a security inspection and there are rumors the owner of the vehicle has long been involved in smuggling people. The Afghan refugees were not thought to have been specifically targeted. No further information was available.
CLEARING OPERATION IN KABUL – Taliban security forces were witnessed carrying out an operation in Police District 10 of Kabul yesterday. Approximately 30 Taliban vehicles and about 100 police and fighters descended on the Shar-e-Naw neighborhood. The streets were blocked and house-to-house searches were observed. An unconfirmed report said that three people with hoods over their heads were led away by agents of the GDI. It is not currently known what the target of the operation was and no further information was available.
RESISTANCE FORCES AND TALIBAN CLASH - After weeks of limited activity, two separate operations were reported in Northern Afghanistan. See the Conflict Tracker below for details.
NEXT 24 HOURS
SECURITY OPERATION SCHEDULED FOR POLICE DISTRICT 4 OR 5 – A source in the Police said that a ‘clearing operation’ focused on finding 4 ISIS-K members will be carried out in one of these districts today. The group is thought to be managing communications for the different ISIS-K cells in Kabul and possibly Kandahar. At-risk Afghan should not face any risk from this operation but are advised to depart any area of Taliban troop/police concentrations and be watchful of high-speed traffic around the city if the suspects are located.
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
Multiple media outlets have reported the regime has reached out to several high-profile reformists in the country to schedule a discussion about changes to the political situation.
The third and final day of the strike coincided with National Student Day. International observers in Iran claimed that fully half of all businesses were closed. IRGC and Police reportedly interrogated some of the merchants who shuttered their businesses but the effort was called off due to so many shops being closed. Tear gas was used to try and break up the protests but had little effect.
PAKISTAN
A massive fire burned almost 300 shops in Islamabad. There are reports of casualties but no definitive count as of yet.
A report from a team of Pakistani investigators who went to Kenya to investigate the killing of noted journalist, Arshad Sharif, claims the killing involved significant planning. Many have stated that Pakistan’s intelligence service was involved in his death but Kenyan officials claim it was a criminal act.
SPOTLIGHT JUSTICE
Afghanistan dispatch: Taliban execution order carried out without due process
By JURIST
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid has declared in a statement that a retribution order (Qesas) has been carried out against a person in Farah province today following a court order. The spokesperson declined to explain how that order was carried out or, more crucially, whether the accused was accorded the right to a fair and impartial trial, a defense attorney, or an investigation by a prosecutor.
AFGHAN NEWS
First Public Execution Conducted in Western Afghanistan
By Mizamuddin Rezahi - Khaama Press
The de facto government of Afghanistan publicly executed a man named Tajmir convicted of a murder at a crowded football stadium in South-Western Farah province…
Nearly 900,000 children in Afghanistan suffer from excessive weight loss
By Ariana News
On Wednesday, UNICEF announced that about 875,000 children in Afghanistan suffer from excessive weight…
Quality of WFP-distributed food aid sparks complaints
By Abdul Rahman Rosta & Hijratullah Kakar - Pajhwok Afghan News
Residents of central Bamyan province claim the World Food Program has distributed low-quality food to them and they…
REGIONAL NEWS
By Zahid Hassain - DAWN
THE attack on the Pakistan embassy in Kabul last week raises questions about the Taliban administration’s capacity and resolve to fight terrorist groups…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
A New Resource for Reunification of Afghan Families
By VOA
n November 14, the United States Government rolled out a new webpage: a guide for Afghan refugees in the United States who are…
Asian-American societies call on Congress to pass Afghan Adjustment Act
By Khaama Press
“We, the Asian-American Society of Central Virginia (AASoCV), a 25-year-old Non-Profit Organization that consists of 19 Asian communities, are writing to you in…
THE DAILY WTF
Interior Ministry Denies Presence of Terrorist Groups in Afghanistan
By Fatema Adeeb - TOLO News
The ministry's spokesperson, Abdul Nafi Takoor, stressed that there is no group in Afghanistan that can pose a threat to…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 87.62 AFN (as of 8 DEC 2022)