Daily Evacuation Brief | January 24, 2022
Daily news about Afghanistan and the surrounding region, powered by Operation Snow Leopard
Welcome to the Daily Evacuation Brief. For more in-depth intelligence analysis and crisis research, please subscribe to our members-only journal, which comes out twice a week: Whispers & Anatomy of a Crisis.
Threat Analysis
LAST 24 HOURS:
ISIS claimed responsibility for the recent bomb attack in Herat.
The Taliban issued a generic statement concerning the first day of talks in Norway.
NEXT 24 HOURS:
The Taliban have begun searching houses in Mazar and Herat in select districts. They are reportedly searching for NRF and ISIS terrorists in both locations. At-risk Afghans should take note of the increased security measures.
US diplomatic family members are expected to begin departing Ukraine as concerns over tensions rise. Meanwhile, talks in Geneva between the US and Russia are expected to continue.
THREAT ANALYSIS:
The increased security measures in Mazar interfered with air operations at the airport and several groups were arrested for a time. This resulted in the cancellation of an evacuation flight. Taliban security forces initiated searches of homes and were questioning residents about their reason for being in Mazar and if they had heard of non-residents present in the city? It is unclear if any of those who had been detained remain in Taliban custody? At-risk Afghans in Mazar are encouraged to maintain low profiles throughout the duration of this increased activity.
Analysis of the Taliban’s official press release made after the first day of talks in Norway suggest the International Community had begun the session with several demands to respect human rights in the country and to respect the rights of ALL citizens. The consensus among analysts is – delegates of the International Community adopted a harsh tone at the outset of the talks to establish a baseline for the remainder of the negotiations. The statement can be read on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website.
Afghani to the Dollar: .0095 – 1 (as of 24 JAN 2022)
Afghan News
Islamic State claims responsibility for attack in Herat, Afghanistan | Reuters
CAIRO, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Islamic State claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on Saturday in the western Afghan city of Herat, it said in a post on Telegram on Sunday…
Afghanistan: Taliban's crackdown against women exposed - but some are rebelling | Sky News | By Alex Crawford
The drive through snowy streets in the Afghan capital takes us through winding, narrow alleyways. It's necessary to avoid the attention of the Taliban soldiers who man multiple checkpoints in Kabul…
Regional News
Islamic Emirate Calls for Diplomacy Over Durand Line | By TOLO News
The Islamic Emirate reacted to the Pakistan Interior Minister’s remarks on fencing the Durand Line, saying that the issue should be solved via negotiations…
International News Relating to Afghanistan
Taliban talks in Norway raise new debate about recognition | Associated Press | By David Keyton
A Taliban delegation led by acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Sunday started three days of talks in Oslo with Western officials and Afghan civil society representatives amid a deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan…
USAID Contractors Denounce Agency’s Betrayal of Thousands of Afghans Who Carried Out Its Mission | The Intercept | By Alice Speri
Last October, the top official at the United States Agency for International Development, Samantha Power, got on a call with the agency’s contractors in Afghanistan. Weeks earlier, the Afghan government that the U.S. had spent 20 years and $145 billion to build had capitulated to the Taliban in spectacular fashion…
Australia must heed urgent calls for increased visa places for Afghans | Western Australia Today | By Sajjad Askary and Sitarah Mohammadi
n Friday, Immigration Minister Alex Hawke announced that the Australian government will be allocating 15,000 visas to Afghan nationals – 10,000 humanitarian visas, and 5000 for family visas under the migration program. While this was welcome news, what was missing from the headline was the fact that the allocation would be made over the next four years, and the humanitarian visas would come out of an already existing annual humanitarian program of 13,750…
Before you go:
To support our work, become a monthly subscriber or donate here.
All our funds go toward caseworkers supporting evacuations, the evacuations themselves, and/or operational costs to keep this mission going.
Check out our other content:
Whispers: The best open source intelligence and analysis on Afghanistan. (weekly- members only)
Anatomy of a Crisis: Pragmatic thought leadership on disaster resilience and crisis management from a variety of experts. (weekly- members only)
Afghan Voices: Powerful Afghan voices making a difference in Afghanistan and around the world. (biweekly- all subscribers)
Changemakers: Changemakers committed to evacuation and resettlement efforts. (biweekly- all subscribers)
We won’t forget our allies.
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.