Daily Evacuation Brief | February 22, 2022
Daily news about Afghanistan and the surrounding region powered by Operation Snow Leopard
Threat Analysis
LAST 24 HOURS:
Two former government officials were reportedly killed in southern Helmand province.
A rebel was reportedly killed and another arrested in northern Samangan.
As previously reported, Taliban security forces have sent plain clothed members into the major markets to attempt to identify black market gangs operating there. Primarily, they are focused on disrupting money changers and lenders.
NEXT 24 HOURS:
The Taliban will continue a sweep of “corrupt” officials operating within the passport offices. Several officials have absconded with money purportedly received for selling passports, and others have prioritized friends and family over the general population.
An informal meeting will be held in Brussels to assess the Taliban’s reform pledges made during several rounds of talks in Doha. The US envoy has already expressed dissatisfaction over a lack of any meaningful progress.
ANALYSIS SPOTLIGHT
THE PERILS OF ACTIVISM IN TIMES OF CRISIS
CONTEXT: The Taliban’s Ministry of the Interior recently sent shockwaves through the evacuation community after releasing a video showing some of the women activists who were recently rounded up. In the video, the women give statements and name several Afghan women abroad who they say encouraged them to protest against the Taliban. The revelations brought swift condemnation from organizations involved in the evacuation effort and human rights groups.
It is unclear if any of the women abroad mentioned in the video were actually involved, or if the women being held are being manipulated into giving unreliable statements. The MoI spokesman stated that “at the moment there is no threat to [the imprisoned activists’] lives” [emphasis added]. This ironically points to overhanging threats that could have affected the women’s “confessions”.
This could just be a MoI attempt to capitalize on the situation and try to silence outspoken critics abroad. Either way, the MoI manipulated the situation skillfully, providing more evidence that the Taliban 2.0 is more sophisticated than its predecessor.
Separately, also of note are the protests and demonstrations that have taken place over the last several months in temporary refugee camps outside of Afghanistan in order to try to get immigration processing sped up in final destination countries. Most demonstrations were believed to be organized by US-based groups, with the most prominent protests taking place at the Humanitarian City in UAE.
After the first round of protests, the government of UAE halted landing clearances for flights which seriously hampered the evacuation effort. Several new restrictions were then put in place which forced some groups to cancel arranged flights. The cancellations caused resources to be wasted, putting significant strain on already tight budgets.
ANALYSIS: Continued exhortations to publicly protest and oppose the Taliban or to foment dissatisfaction among Afghan populations in hosting countries could backfire. In Afghanistan itself, there is a high probability for violence against protestors, and any groups taking to the streets are exposing themselves to reprisals by the security forces. Our analysis suggests this could have a ‘ripple effect’ as the security services are likely gathering information from the detained women which could expose other Afghans in hiding. As was witnessed in Mazar recently, the logistical support systems can collapse like a house of cards and are difficult to rebuild.
Similarly, efforts intended to speed up the resettlement process for refugees who are in external hosting nations are better directed towards the governments in destination countries. The limited pathways are already difficult enough to navigate.
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 91.84 AFN (as of 22 FEB 2022)
Afghan News
Taliban aiming to create ‘grand army’ for Afghanistan
By AFP
The Taliban are creating a “grand army” for Afghanistan that will include officers and troops who…
MoI-Detained Female Protesters in Video Claim Outside Influence
By TOLO News
Ten days have passed since 29 women disappeared from a women’s safe house in Kabul, and now the…
Commission of Purifications: expelling continues from ranks of Islamic Emirate
By Bakhtar News Agency
The Commission of Purifications of Islamic Emirate says that it has completed the plan for the purifications and…
Former President Ashraf Ghani 'willing to return to Afghanistan'
By Deutsche Welle
Hashmat Ghani, brother of Ashraf Ghani, told DW that the former president wants to do his part to help…
Regional News
Afghan capital welcomes Turkish 'charity train' with over 750 tons of aid
By Sayed Khodaiberdi Sadat – Anadolu Agency
A total of 750 tons of emergency relief goods sent by "charity train" from Turkey to Afghanistan was delivered to…
Pakistan envoy in Kabul warns about presence of foreign terrorists in Afghanistan
By ANI
Expressing concern over the presence of foreign terrorist groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan envoy to Kabul has warned…
International News Relating to Afghanistan
MI5 chief Ken McCallum: British extremists are traveling to Afghanistan
By Nicky Harley – The National News
The head of Britain's domestic intelligence service said that Afghanistan is becoming a…
German Government Urged to Accelerate Processing of Visas for Afghans
By Schengenvisainfo News
Right groups in Germany have urged the country’s government to accelerate the admission and…
Attorneys Try to Gobble Up Billions From Starving Afghans
By Ryan Cooper – The American Prospect
Famine is tightening its grip on Afghanistan. As James Downie points out at The Washington Post, the country is…
The Absurdity of the Day…
Deputy of MoIC: Time is More Suitable than ever for the Growth of Tourism & Industry in the Country
By Bakhtar News Agency
Mawlavi Atiqullah Azizi, Deputy Minister of Finance and Tourism of Ministry of Information and Culture, chaired a coordination meeting today between…
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