Daily Evacuation Brief | February 16, 2023

Feb 16, 2023

BLAST REPORTED IN TAKHAR – A bomb blast was reported in Taloqan City. Several different reports arrived claiming it may have targeted the Police Headquarters or a house nearby. There were no reports of casualties as of publication. An earlier attack in Takhar was said to have been carried out by the NRF.
GUNFIRE REPORTED NEAR RUSSIAN EMBASSY – Several reports indicated that the shooting had taken place near the Russian Embassy in Kabul. The incident was over quickly but an eyewitness said it looked as if the Taliban had fired at the Embassy Guards. No reports about casualties have been received. Some observers believe the incident was prompted by the anniversary of the Soviet withdrawal.
PAKISTAN CRACKS DOWN ON FORGED TRAVEL DOCUMENTS – 5 Afghans were detained at the Peshawar Airport when their passports turned out to be forged. Agents of the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) announced they had stopped the men after their passport numbers were registered under another name. The incident is the second such incident at the airport in Peshawar this month.
CHINESE EMBASSY CLOSES PORTION OF EMBASSY IN PAKISTAN – Chinese diplomats announced the closure of the Chinese consular office in Islamabad. While the official reason claimed the closure was due to ‘technical reasons’, most analysts believe the recent tide of anti-China sentiment was responsible.

NEXT 24 HOURS

SECURITY OPERATION PLANNED FOR 2 UNNAMED DISTRICTS IN KABUL – GDI agents have received information from ISIS-affiliated militants arrested on Monday about two additional safe houses in unspecified locations in Kabul. A source close to the situation said that raids were being planned and surveillance of the houses (1 may be an apartment) has been ongoing for nearly 36 hours. Attempts to determine the locations of the imminent raids have been unsuccessful.

REGIONAL ROUNDUP

IRAN

Regime security forces have arrested several female journalists over the past two days in what appears to be an attempt at silencing criticism of the regime.
The United States said Iran is harboring the new al-Qaeda chief.
The US and Iran may be brokering a deal to secure the release of several prisoners in exchange for unfreezing some of the country’s frozen assets.

PAKISTAN

Fuel prices were raised sharply drawing almost instant criticism from citizens.
The Rupee made a modest recovery after a record low and the stock exchange gained 176 points after news the government planned to present a stop-gap budget.
NADRA launched an online verification system to identify citizens living overseas. Several additional upgrades to both the passport and visa systems are expected this year.

SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS

Why Did Saudi Diplomats Leave Kabul?

By Lynne O’Donnell - Foreign Policy

When Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to Afghanistan, Jassim bin Mohammed al-Khalidi, arrived in Pakistan in early February, he checked into the five-star Marriott Hotel in downtown Islamabad with the entire staff of his embassy and a mountain of luggage. A source described their departure from Kabul as an “evacuation,” sparking a rush for explanations why one of the main backers of the Taliban, and one of the few countries with a diplomatic presence in Kabul, would suddenly pull out its diplomats.

AFGHAN NEWS

CSTO Chief Claims Daesh Fighters Up to About 6,500 in Afghanistan

By TOLO News

While the Islamic Emirate has always denied a Daesh presence in Afghanistan, Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov, Chief of the Joint Staff of the…

Taliban raids office of Tamadon TV, assaults staff in Afghanistan

By CJP

On Tuesday, February 14, about 10 armed Taliban members raided the headquarters of the privately owned broadcaster in Kabul, beat several staff members, and…