Daily Evacuation Brief | July 1, 2023

Jul 01, 2023

US STATE DEPARTMENT REPORT CRITICAL OF THE US WITHDRAWAL CAUSES A FUROR IN WASHINGTON DC – The unclassified and heavily redacted version of the report was released on Friday and immediately caused an uproar among the two main political parties. The report blames a lack of planning and communication from both administrations and then went on to list its own failures, some of which have yet to be rectified, before making 11 recommendations to avoid future problems. The report was based on interviews with over 150 State Department personnel which will lead many to question the document. Unsurprisingly, the recommendations call for increased budgetary allocations to remedy the shortcomings illustrated so painfully in late 2021. Congress is scheduled to see the classified version of the report soon.
THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME IN AFGHANISTAN WARNS IT WILL RUN OUT OF FUNDING BY THE END OF OCTOBER – The Director for the WFP in Afghanistan said that her agency had already trimmed food and cash assistance from 8 million needy Afghans to 5 million ‘most at risk’ Afghans. Much of the problem has to do with donor states withholding promised contributions. It is believed that many nations are unwilling to support humanitarian efforts with the gender bans in place. The agency says it needs $1 billion dollars to continue operations until March 2024.
RECENT LOCUST INVASION CALLED A ‘TICKING TIME BOMB’ FOR 2024 GROWING SEASON – The arrival of the Moroccan locusts in Afghanistan last March (the first in 20 years) has left a lingering problem that could further decimate domestic food production into 2024. Entomologists say the locusts left billions of eggs which will hatch next Spring and wreak more havoc on an agricultural sector suffering from drought and a sputtering economy. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says the invasion in 2023 was mitigated by the fact the swarms were mating. That concerns farmers for 2024 as historically, a mating swarm produces roughly 10 times the number in the following year. The last major invasion (1981) resulted in the loss of approximately one-quarter of the harvest. There is talk of a pesticide ‘spraying campaign’ but current rules of the FAO do not allow it to fund such projects. Only government agencies can conduct programs like the one being contemplated now. Eventually, it looks as though the funding will need to be given to the Taliban directly in order to limit the problem next year.
THE TALIBAN FIRE BACK AT THE RECENT GLOBAL PEACE INDEX REPORT, CALLS THE REPORT ‘UNJUST’ – The Institute for Economics and Peace report placed Afghanistan dead last in its recent index for 2022. Afghanistan has held this position for the past five years. Unsurprisingly, the Taliban took umbrage with the report and claimed the data used in the report was incorrect. The report actually showed some improvements over the previous year but the Taliban have flatly rejected the report and a spokesman threw out wildly inaccurate numbers to try and blunt the criticisms.

NEXT 24 HOURS

NO THREATS REPORTED

REGIONAL ROUNDUP

IRAN

The regime summoned the Swedish Ambassador over the recent burning of a Quran in Sweden.
The head of the IAEA says the speed of compliance and cooperation with Iran is too slow.
A Paris court has reversed a controversial ban by French authorities to cancel an Iranian opposition rally.

PAKISTAN

2 separate counter-terrorism operations in Tank and North Waziristan resulted in the deaths of 6 presumed terrorists.
Pakistan successfully secured a much-needed $3 billion dollar loan from the IMF after months of furious negotiations.
Heavy rains have paralyzed transportation in several Districts. Efforts to clear the debris floodwaters deposited on the roads were underway.

SPOTLIGHT GENDER

Tracking the Taliban's (Mis)Treatment of Women

By US Institute of Peace

When Afghan women step out of their homes, everywhere they look they see a range of Taliban restrictions affecting all aspects of society and their lives — from education and employment to public services and access to justice. This interactive graphic depicts what they see through their burqas — the breadth of the Taliban’s gender apartheid — and serves as a portal to learning more about Taliban restrictions on women’s social and political life. Along with a description of the types of restrictions the Taliban have imposed, clicking on an “X” links to USIP’s documentation of the relevant decrees, orders and edicts issued by the Taliban since they took power in August 2021.

AFGHAN NEWS

Afghanistan Battles Alarming Outbreak Of Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever

By Outlook

In the past two months, Afghanistan has witnessed a significant rise in Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever cases, with Herat province bearing the…

The Azadi Briefing: Violence 'Widespread' In Afghanistan, Despite Conflict Subsiding

By Frud Bezhan - RFE

Since regaining power, the Taliban has repeatedly claimed that it has eliminated IS-K in Afghanistan and boasted about restoring law and…

Kabul Residents Complain of Delayed Passport Distribution

By TOLO News

The residents of capital Kabul expressed concerns over the slowness in the process of passport distribution, calling on the interim government to…

REGIONAL NEWS

Afghan migrants complain of harassment by Turkish border forces

By ANI

Afghan migrants who were deported by Turkey have voiced grievances about mistreatment at the hands of Turkish border forces, alleging that they were…

Rise in meetings between Chinese diplomats, investors with Taliban

By Sharif Amiry - AMU TV

The number of meetings and visits between Chinese diplomats and investors with the Taliban has increased. According to Amu’s findings, the Chinese envoy in…