Daily Evacuation Brief | June 2, 2023
LAST 24 HOURS
AFGHANS WHO WORKED DIRECTLY FOR THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT GIVEN UNTIL 30 NOVEMBER TO APPLY FOR VISAS – The program is scheduled to be completed in March of 2024. This deadline only applies to those Afghans who were classified as ‘Locally Engaged Employees’. Prior to November, Australia plans to expand the Humanitarian Visa program to security guards and former Afghan government and military personnel who worked for Australia. A recent external review found several shortcomings in the previous government’s plan to resettle Afghans.
TALIBAN CLAIM TO HAVE KILLED THE LEADER OF ISIS-K IN NANGARHAR RAID ON WEDNESDAY – In a release that was provided only to official Taliban news outlets, a statement announced that Taliban security forces had killed the leader of ISIS-K and a second terrorist during a night raid in the Shawa District of the Province. The statement did not provide any further details about the raid and the identity of the ISIS-K leader was not given. There have been two previous instances where the Taliban had claimed to have killed ISIS-K leaders in Afghanistan and the information was subsequently dismissed by terrorism experts as false or incorrect. Additional information is needed to substantiate this claim.
SOME REMAIN SKEPTICAL THAT THE RECENT QATARI PM’S VISIT WITH THE SUPREME LEADER WILL BEAR FRUIT – Few details have emerged about the ‘secret’ talks that were held on 12 May in Kandahar but most surmised the discussions focused on prodding Hibatullah Akhundzada to repeal the gender discrimination policies. Presumably, an offer to recognize the Taliban was dangled if Akhundzada allowed women to go back to school and work. Skeptics do not see much hope that the policies will be reversed and feel the Taliban are simply leading the international community on with the promises of developing curriculums and drafting work guidelines for women.
TALIBAN PROPOSES TALKS OVER HELMAND RIVER WATER RIGHTS WITH IRAN – The Minister of Energy and Water said in an interview that dialogue is urgently needed with Iran to defuse the situation along the border and address Iranian concerns over water from the Helmand River. While clearly stating that the Taliban intend to hold to the 1973 treaty provisions, the repeated calls for dialogue seem to indicate the Taliban intends to bargain with Iran and the Iranians have not yet taken the bait. Recent polling in Afghanistan shows incredibly strong support for taking a hard line with Iran over the issue.
CENTRAL BANK TO RECALL WORN OUT 10 AND 20 AFGHANI NOTES – The Da Afghanistan Bank said it would soon begin recalling Afghani notes in the 10 and 20 denominations at no cost and would replace them with new notes. Citizens and business leaders have criticized the Taliban over the poor condition of the currency in circulation. Most shopkeepers have stopped accepting the old notes and this has placed a heavy burden on the citizenry.
NEXT 24 HOURS
NO THREATS REPORTED
REGIONAL ROUNDUP
IRAN
The Foreign Minister announced Iran would be admitted into the Shanghai Cooperation Organization in July.
The US sanctioned several IRGC operatives for their perceived involvement in international espionage operations.
The US criticized the appointment of Iran as the Rapporteur for the United Nations General Assembly’s First Committee.
PAKISTAN
2 Army soldiers were killed when militants attacked a security outpost in Balochistan’s Kech District near the Iranian border.
PTI's social media accounts were buzzing with news that Pervez Khattak and Asad Qaiser (PTI leaders) had been called to a meeting with the government and were subsequently arrested.
A recent report found that terrorist attacks in Pakistan had increased by over 70% since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan. The majority of the attacks were in the provinces adjacent to the Afghan border.
SPOTLIGHT OPINION
The TTP’s Downfall: Pakistan’s Success Story In Counter-Terrorism – OpEd
By Talha Imran
Pakistan has been facing a major insurgency challenge from the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a banned terrorist group that has killed thousands of civilians and security personnel in the past decade. The TTP has also targeted Chinese interests in Pakistan, posing a threat to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. However, in the year 2022, Pakistan has achieved significant success in eliminating some of the most wanted TTP terrorists, both inside Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan.
AFGHAN NEWS
Taliban laud World Bank’s ‘factual assessment’ of Afghanistan’s economic development
By Islamuddin Sajid - Anadolu Agency
On Tuesday, the World Bank in its report "Afghanistan Economic Monitor" said that inflation in the landlocked country was 18.3% in July 2022 and since then, has been…
Taliban to establish 27 new districts across Afghanistan
By AMU TV
The Taliban leadership has ordered the establishment of 27 new districts across Afghanistan in order to implement development plans and address the…
Muttaqi Meets UN’s Otunbayeva to Discuss Country, Region
By Fatema Adeeb - TOLO News
The head of UNAMA, Roza Otunbayeva, in a meeting with the Islamic Emirate's acting foreign minister, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi, discussed a…
REGIONAL NEWS
Taliban moving captured US military vehicles and Soviet tanks to Iranian border
By Jeff Schogol - Task & Purpose
Video shared on social media shows the Taliban sending U.S. military vehicles captured from the former Afghan National Defense and Security Forces along with…
No infiltration of Taliban fighters into Kashmir after fall of Kabul, says GOC Chinar Corps
By Deccan Herald
The apprehensions about the influx of Taliban fighters into Kashmir after the fall of Kabul in 2021 did not materialise and no Afghani Taliban has infiltrated into the valley, a senior…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
By The New Arab Staff
After suing three Australian newspapers for defamation over articles accusing him of involvement in six murders in Afghanistan, a federal judge has ruled that he was provably guilty of…
The Taliban Is Fighting Iran With American Weapons
By Matthew Gault - Vice
The Taliban clashed with Iranian border guards over the weekend, and it used American equipment to…
THE DAILY WTF
By Holly Bancroft - The Independent
Eviction notices have been sent to thousands of Afghans brought to the UK during the Kabul evacuation, warning that they will become “trespassers” if they fail…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 87.16 AFN (as of 2 JUN 2023)