Daily Evacuation Brief | January 18, 2022
Daily news about Afghanistan and the surrounding region, powered by Operation Snow Leopard
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Threat Analysis
LAST 24 HOURS:
An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale struck the Badghis province and has accounted for 26 deaths so far. The beleaguered province has already been dealing with severe drought.
The Taliban has deployed approximately 2,500 troops to Northern Afghanistan.
NEXT 24 HOURS:
Relief efforts to aid victims of the earthquake are expected to take place. However, with an existing shortage of supplies, personnel, and material the Taliban will be limited in what they can provide.
Additional Taliban troop movements reinforcing units already in Northern Afghanistan are expected to take place.
THREAT ANALYSIS:
Despite the measured tones of Taliban spokesmen in Kabul, the security situation in Faryab is clearly a concern and the troop buildup there will almost certainly invite further clashes between ethnic Uzbek Taliban forces and the newly arrived Pashtun contingents. All unnecessary travel in and around these provinces should be avoided.
For those living in Faryab, a possible signal that wider conflict could be imminent may be the removal of the Taliban flag from government buildings in Maimana. If this occurs, civilians are advised to take shelter.
Afghani to the Dollar: .0095 – 1 (as of 18 JAN 2022)
Afghan News
Afghan earthquake kills at least 26 in drought-devastated area | France 24 | News Wires
At least 26 people were killed after an earthquake hit western Afghanistan on Monday, an official said. The victims died when roofs of their houses collapsed in Qadis district in the western province of Badghis, spokesman for the province Baz Mohammad Sarwary told AFP…
Islamic Emirate Deploys Around 2,500 Troops to Sar-e-Pul | TOLO News
The Islamic Emirate deployed more than 2,500 troops to the northern province of Sar-e-Pul to provide security there. “Over 1,500 Mujahedeen are settled in Squadron-3 and over 1,000 others stationed in Squadron-4. Now, also 200 Mujahedeen have graduated after taking six weeks of training,” said Mufti Mohammad Muqtasid, a senior commander of the Islamic Emirate in the province…
UN: Taliban attempting to exclude women, girls from public life | Al Jazeera
Taliban leaders in Afghanistan are institutionalising large-scale and systematic gender-based discrimination and violence against women and girls, a group of 36 UN human rights experts have said…
Regional Taliban Officials Ban Beard Trimming, Impose Turban For Male Employees | Gandhara
Taliban officials in Afghanistan's southern Uruzgan Province have ordered male employees to stop trimming their beards and wear a turban at work…
Regional News
Is The TAPI Pipeline Finally Ready To Go? | OilPrice.com | by James Durso
The 1100-mile, $10 billion project has seen numerous delays since the pipeline consortium was announced in late 2014, though the project was first mooted in 1991…
Pakistani NSA to Visit Kabul Tuesday | TOLO News | by Shirshah Rasooli
A high-level delegation of Pakistan, led by the country’s National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf, is due to visit Afghanistan on Tuesday, Pakistani media reported. The visit comes amid rising tension between Kabul and Islamabad over the fencing of the Durand Line…
International News Relating to Afghanistan
The Taliban And The Italian Archeologists’ Dilemma | Italics Magazine | Camilla Valerio
On December 2021, the Taliban mullah Abibullah Mujahid — the Head of the Department of Information and Culture for the Afghan province of Ghazni — declared that the Taliban regime needed the help of Italy to safeguard the war-torn country’s architectural heritage…
87 Afghan refugees rescued by IsraAid finally meet their rescuers | Jersusalem Post | by Ben Zion Gad
The 87 Afghan refugees rescued by Israel-based humanitarian organization “IsraAid” last August finally got the opportunity to meet the humanitarian workers who arranged their rescue on Monday as they prepare to begin the process of applying for resettlement in Canada…
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Postscript.
We believe in sharing many opinions and looking from many different perspectives. This means we do not necessarily agree with everything shared in the news or contributor articles, but we believe it’s important to treat other perspectives with respect and to consider their point of view.