Daily Evacuation Brief | July 23, 2022
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LAST 24 HOURS
House-to-house searches continue in Samangan Province, and more arrests of men and boys have been reported in Aybak. There has been no explanation of what the searches are focused on or what crimes those who have been arrested are accused of.
Significant changes are coming to the Pakistan visa issuing process. The Pakistani government has reached an accord with the Taliban to establish a joint commission to try and streamline the process and reduce citizens’ use of unreliable black market operators who inflate prices and frequently fail to deliver valid travel documents. An international official claimed that several international law enforcement agencies were considering launching investigations into crisis travel document schemes. The source also suggested complicity among diplomatic officials in Kabul and elsewhere who had enriched themselves and their staffs by preying on Afghans desperate to flee.
Scattered reports claimed that several of the Taliban checkpoints that had been hastily deployed along the mountain trails west of Panjshir and Baghlan have stopped reporting in to Taliban leadership. The checkpoints were put in place to try and block habitual resupply routes for the Resistance. Apparently, some in the Ministry of Defense fear the checkpoints have been eradicated by the Resistance.
As the one-year anniversary of the Taliban takeover approaches, financial ruin edges continuously closer. Many Afghans who worked under the previous regime have exhausted or will soon exhaust their savings, as the crisis has all but eradicated individual wealth in the country. Furthermore, the Taliban’s financial commitments to regional providers of power and electricity, many of whom extended credit to the fledgling government, are expected to come due. While many development projects have been announced and some have even begun work, the returns on these development projects are not expected for several years. The economic situation has the potential to spiral downward, and the coming winter looks to be an extremely challenging period.
NEXT 24 HOURS
Fighting between the Resistance and the Taliban in Panjshir and Baghlan provinces is expected to continue. There are reports that Resistance elements shifted nearly 500 of their fighters to Takhar province in an attempt to alleviate some of the pressure on their bases in the two main contested provinces. At least four engagements have been reported over the last ten days and more are expected.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Understanding the Taliban’s War on Women
By Ezzatullah Mehrdad – The Diplomat
Before the Taliban’s August 2021 return, Fatima Wojohat, 19, grew up learning of her mother’s dark life under the Taliban in the 1990s. After their return to Kabul, Wojohat began living that same life in 2022. Wojohat was raised in a Kabul without the Taliban in power. She painted blast walls that stood between Afghan government facilities and Taliban suicide bombers in Kabul. Once Taliban fighters rode their motorbikes into Kabul in August 2021 and officials emptied the facilities behind the walls, Wojahat faced the Taliban on her own.
AFGHAN NEWS
Kabul, Islamabad to Form Visa-Facilitating Commission
By Tamim Shahir – TOLO News
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry said that to facilitate visas for Pakistan, a joint commission will be formed, which will include the representatives of the…
Islamic Emirate Leader Bans 'Unproven Allegations' Against Members
By Farshad Daryush – TOLO News
The decree of the Supreme Leader also called on the Islamic Emirate forces to respect the general…
69% Of Afghans Believe India 'Best Friend' To Kabul: Survey
By NDTV
Sixty-nine per cent of Afghan people chose India as Afghanistan's "best friend" country, according to a recent survey…
REGIONAL NEWS
Pakistan needs to engage Kabul directly to neutralise TTP: report
By Iftikhar A. Khan – Dawn
Pakistan will have to engage the Taliban government in Kabul directly to neutralise the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as the group continues…
Taliban activates checkpoints in border with Iran
By MEHR News Agency
According to the reports, after the reconstruction of these border checkpoints, Taliban forces will be deployed there to protect…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
EU Envoy: 'Tremendous Consensus' on 'Non-Recognition'
By Madina Morwat – TOLOnews
Andreas von Brandt, Ambassador of the European Union for Afghanistan, said that the broad consensus of the international community is that the Islamic Emirate…
US 'Urgently Working' to Address Concerns About Frozen Funds: Price
By Madina Morwat – TOLOnews
A spokesman for the US Department of State, Ned Price, said that the US is “urgently working to address concerns about the use of the licensed $3.5 billion…”
THE DAILY WTF
Woman Whipped 20 Times by Taliban for Not Having Male Companion in Takhar Province
By Hasht-e Subh
Local sources told Hasht-e Subh that Taliban members whipped a woman 20 times in Darqad district, Takhar province.
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 90.03 AFN (as of 23 JUL 2022)