Daily Evacuation Brief | June 14, 2022
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LAST 24 HOURS
The Taliban reportedly conducted house-to-house searches in Kapisa province in order to look for NRF sympathizers. Several reports said youth have been rounded up and taken to holding areas outside of towns. Most searches took place in the Qasab area of the Hesa Awal district.
Several families in Kabul have recently experienced acute stomach pain, watery diarrhea, nausea, and in some cases vomiting. The symptoms are similar to cholera, but other issues such as parasites and other bacteria can cause similar symptoms. Regardless, dehydration can occur rapidly, and if left untreated the illness could become life-threatening, especially for those already experiencing malnutrition. We recommend that families in Kabul are especially careful with water usage until the source of the illness is determined and addressed. Any drinking water, cooking water, water used for brushing teeth or cleaning food, etc. should be boiled at a hard boil for at least a minute. If you or a family member develop symptoms, promptly seek medical care if possible. Medications like hydration fluid (such as oral rehydration solution/electrolyte powders or Sterifluid RL by IV), Metodine DF, and Bucospan Plus are reliable prescriptions to treat the illness and symptoms.
More defections by ethnic minority Taliban groups are surfacing. In addition to Hazara Taliban commander Mahdi Mujahid’s takeover in Balkhab, Uzbek Taliban commanders in Faryab and Jowzjan and Tajik commanders in Takhar and Badakhshan have reputedly disavowed allegiance to the Taliban over what they say is a program of ethnic marginalization. It is not known how many effective fighters these commanders’ control and whether they intend to join forces with the Resistance. Even for the uninitiated Afghanistan observer, these rifts are undeniably widening.
Reportedly negotiations between Taliban leadership and Mullah Mahdi Mujahid, the former Taliban commander who took over Balkhab with Hazara fighters, have failed, and the Taliban are sending hundreds of troops to the area, Meanwhile, several reports have emerged that Mullah Mahdi has reportedly made contact with elements of the Resistance, including some reports that Mullah Mahdi is actively collaborating with the NRF. However, the reality remains unclear. Notably, NRF leader Amrullah Saleh has called for Mullah Mahdi to support the NRF and released quotes from an alleged audio tape of the inter-Taliban meeting. Meanwhile, the Unknown Soldiers of Hazaristan, a Hazara militia group that claims to have thousands of fighters (but has provided no evidence), has proclaimed support for Mullah Mahdi’s stand on behalf of Hazaras. Reports on the number of fighters Mullah Mahdi has remain highly varied, ranging between 400–3,000. The true number is likely on the lower end of this range.
Furthermore, Taliban Deputy Defense Minister Mullah Fazel is said to have traveled to Faryab with the intention of arresting Uzbek Taliban Commander Qari Salahuddin Ayoubi who is also rebelling against the Taliban. Local sources say Ayoubi was informed by a friend in Kabul and escaped to his home village of Qaisar. He is said to have taken the bulk of his forces who remain loyal to him and reportedly is battle-ready if attacked by Pashtun Taliban forces. We do not have an appraisal of forces he controls.
Taliban officials are reporting that a counter-terrorism operation in the Bagrami district in Kabul resulted in the death of an ISIS-K Commander named Yusof and the arrest of another operative, Mohammad Agha. The Taliban claimed the men were involved in planning many of the recent disruptions of the power grid and bomb attacks on mosques. It is believed that both men are members of the Khawari Group.
The Defense Ministry has received reports that some of the vehicles returned to Afghanistan from Iran have been “sabotaged” and are no longer operational. A primary complaint involves seals that appear to have been removed, which caused lubricants to leak and destroy the engines. At this time, it is unclear how many of the vehicles have been affected.
Several international journalism NGOs are pressuring the Taliban to explain what happened to Abdul Hanan Mohammadi, a prominent Pajhwok journalist who went missing in the last 24 hours. Reportedly, Mohammadi went missing from the Hessa Awal area of Kapisa, and his whereabouts are currently unknown. No further information was available, and the Taliban have yet to respond.
NEXT 24 HOURS
An emergency session for Taliban military leadership has been called in either Kabul or Kandahar to discuss the problems of defecting units. We believe a report of an Uzbek Taliban unit who had reputedly beaten and disarmed a Pashtun Taliban unit in an undisclosed location on Monday may have provoked the session, in addition to the ongoing larger-scale defections. A growing chorus of Pashtun Taliban leaders have been calling for complete disarmament of Tajik and Uzbek units. A proposal to send ethnic minority units to the Durand Line was rejected when local leaders in those areas said they did not want them there. Hazaras have been mentioned in discussions, but a source indicated the Taliban are reluctant to single out Hazaras and may have been warned off by Iran.
SPOTLIGHT REPORT
Lessons from Afghanistan for Western state-building in a multipolar world
By Abdul Waheed Ahmad & Gabriella Lloyd
The emergent multipolar world has created new challenges for Western liberal democratic diplomats and leaders. Among these challenges is how to continue to support developing allies in a political landscape where these allies are facing growing, existential threats from powerful, authoritarian anti-liberal states.
AFGHAN NEWS
The Taliban Claims Killing a Prominent ISIL Commander
By Saqalain Eqbal – Khaama Press
In an operation by the Taliban security forces in Kabul province’s Bagrami district, a key ISIL commander was killed and another was…
Ulema Council established over Takhar provincial government
By Ariana News
According to the order of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), the Ulema Council in Takhar…
REGIONAL NEWS
Pakistan PM approves on arrival transit visas for Afghans
By Ariana News
Salman Sufi, head of the Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms Initiatives, said that under the new policy a transit visa of 30 days would be issued within…
Water treaty: Afghan delegation to visit Iran
By Ahmad Shah Erfanyar – Pajhwok Afghan News
A delegation of the Ministry of Water and Power will travel to Iran tomorrow (Tuesday) for talks on implementation of the…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
By UK Government
Explains how eligible people can submit an Expression of Interest to be considered for resettlement to the UK under Pathway 3 of the Afghan Citizens…
Afghans go hungry as U.S. and Taliban officials blame each other
By Susannah George – The Washington Post
Ahmed Shah Jamshidi and his family go to bed hungry every night, but not because food is in short…
THE DAILY WTF
Senior officials from previous govt ‘fled to luxury homes abroad’
By Ariana News
In a review of public documents and interviews, the Wall Street Journal on Monday stated that some officials who held top jobs during Ghani’s tenure, are now living in mansions along…
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
Evacuating the “Easy” Cases: The Deadly Consequences of Bureaucratic Hell
from Anatomy of a Crisis
After the Taliban took over in August 2021, NGOs quickly learned that too often Afghans who had the right documentation, resettlement support, and funding still cannot be evacuated. Being an underage orphan with an SIV American citizen brother is not enough. Trying to save the life of a baby who needs urgent kidney surgery is not enough. Risking your life to provide essential support to Allied forces for two decades is not enough. So what is enough to successfully evacuate a person?
Read more here.
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 88.83 AFN (as of 14 JUN 2022)