Daily Evacuation Brief | February 15, 2022
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LAST 24 HOURS
Reports of Taliban searches in Kabul and approximately 40 arrests were received. Who was arrested and why is not known at this time.
The passport office in Logar province announced it had reopened.
Cellular services in Nuristan province remain offline for yet another day.
Diplomatic efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis continued with few positive signs.
NEXT 24 HOURS
Currency fluctuations in the Afghani exchange rate are expected.
German Chancellor Scholz will fly to Moscow for direct talks with President Putin in another attempt to stave off an invasion of Ukraine.
THREAT ANALYSIS
REINFORCING THE NORTH
CONTEXT: The recent announcement from Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat, the current Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, regarding sending 10,000 Taliban military personnel to Afghanistan’s borders with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan is likely more about domestic security than regional threats. The Taliban appear to be worried about the fallout from arresting both senior Uzbek and Tajik Taliban leaders in mid-January.
As previously discussed, the resulting mini mutiny in Faryab province had to be put down by force, and loyal Pashtun forces were dispatched from Kabul to quell the uprising. It is believed the National Resistance Front (NRF) has held secret talks with both ethnic minority groups in an attempt to enlist support for a potential spring offensive.
Although Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have expressed concerns over the Taliban coming to power, they have not fomented any known border issues. Russia has clearly signaled both nations constitute buffer zones for the CSTO. Perhaps the Taliban see this as a threat but most analysts agree the real concern is the more immediate threats posed by dissatisfaction within the ranks and the NRF.
ANALYSIS: Dispatching such a large contingent to the region is likely to instigate issues for the Northerners. If the force arrives and employs heavy-handed tactics to deal with perceived threats to Kabul’s rule, the gap between the Taliban’s Pashtun core and the ethnic minority groups who supported the Taliban will widen. The NRF is sure to play on these fears and may instigate situations to inflame the situation to their advantage. We do not foresee any cross-border threats to either Tajikistan or Uzbekistan.
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 92.06 AFN (as of 15 FEB 2022)
Afghan News
Taliban to send 10,000 troops to Afghanistan’s common border with Tajikistan and Uzbekistan
By Asia-Plus
Interfax reports that Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat, the current Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), stated on Monday…
Ministry Of Education: Plan to Reopen Girls’ Schools in New Year Finalized
By Bakhtar News Agency
Mawlawi Aziz Ahmad Ryan, Director of publications and spokesman for the Ministry of Education, says the plan to reopen girls ‘schools has…
Afghanistan to auction US dollars
By Riyaz ul Khaliq – Anadolu Agency
Afghanistan on Monday said it was auctioning US dollars in a move that is expected to strengthen the Afghan currency…
Regional News
Wheat for Afghanistan stuck in India-Pakistan bureaucratic jam
By UkrAgroConsult
Even with millions of people in Afghanistan facing hunger during a harsh winter and deepening humanitarian crisis, a donation of 50,000 tons…
Pakistan diplomat recalls Soviet pullout from Afghanistan
By Yeni Safak
A veteran Pakistani diplomat who remained part of the landmark Geneva Accords that subsequently led to the pullout of…
International News Relating to Afghanistan
The Taliban forced Afghan TV workers into hiding. Now they’re asking Hollywood for help
By Lois Beckett – The Guardian
For nearly two decades, Afghanistan’s TV industry developed popular hits, from medical shows and family dramas to Afghan Star, a music competition…
The US can aid Afghans without boosting the Taliban
BY LISA CURTIS AND RICHARD FONTAINE, OPINION CONTRIBUTORS - The Hill
After last summer’s cataclysmic evacuation from Kabul, over 100,000 Afghans are now making the United States their new home. Americans have responded with warmth and generosity, befitting this country’s deep ties to the Afghan people…
Afghan activists in US protest against 'Pakistan-sponsored Taliban'
By ANI
On eve of Afghan Liberation Day from Russia, Afghan activists in the USA demonstrated, on Sunday, in front of the Pakistan Embassy in Washington DC and…
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