Daily Evacuation Brief | June 23, 2023

Jun 23, 2023

INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY LASER FOCUSED ON TERRORISM ISSUE – Big T (terrorism) continues to be the primary focus of regional and international actors when it comes to dealing with the Taliban. In the last ten days, the concerns over terror groups regrouping in Afghanistan have been communicated by at least three regional bodies, the United Nations, and several individual nation-states. It has been a constant worry for the international community since the Taliban came to power and even states who may be willing to look the other way over gender discrimination policies have not relented on their insistence to combat terror threats. The Taliban, for their part, seem to be taking the fight against ISIS seriously but the many other groups who have a confirmed foothold in the country are left alone. Most analysts view the counter-ISIS operations as more of a competition for the Taliban than a serious effort to tackle the problem. The other groups that have been in Afghanistan have their sights set elsewhere, are externally financed, and pose no threat to the IEA. Many long-time observers are counting the days until a major attack occurs in China, India, Russia, etc.
KABUL SEARCH OPERATIONS – As previously reported, the Taliban are continuing house-to-house search operations in Kabul. At this time, it is still not clear who or what the Taliban are searching for. Searches that had begun in Police District 9 a few days ago have since shifted to Police District 3 (near the University). The search teams reportedly include women and anonymous sources say the searches are significantly more thorough than those conducted over the past few months. Another source stated that Taliban security checkpoints around Kabul appear to have been reinforced as well.
PROTESTS AND PLEAS SEEM TO BE HAVING AN EFFECT ON PAKISTAN’S TREATMENT OF AFGHANS – An international outcry took place after Pakistan’s recent round of crackdowns on Afghan refugees sheltering in the country. The United Nations, NGOs, the IEA, and several domestic refugee organizations have called on the authorities in Pakistan to halt the targeted operations. In response, Pakistani authorities have stated their intent to release more Afghans being held in custody and dispatched a Minister to visit the Torkham Gate to observe the situation firsthand. There is hope that the tensions will ease.
ANGRY CROWD APPREHEND 2 TALIBAN SECURITY FORCES MEMBERS IN GHOR – Locals told Hasht-E Subh journalists that local residents in the Ghelmin neighborhood of Firozkoh intervened and halted an attempt to sexually assault two females. The 2 Taliban were handed over to the local GDI office.
REPORT FINDS SCHOOLS IN IRAN CHARGING EXORBITANT FEES FOR ADMITTING AFGHAN STUDENTS – A source from the Children’s Aid Association said that some schools were charging fees that amounted to bribery to enroll Afghan students. The report alleges the fees constitute a form of bribery and that the administrators should be investigated. The report goes on to detail other obstacles that are often placed in the path of prospective students and concludes that Afghan parents are not aware of the procedures to report the activity.

NEXT 24 HOURS

KABUL SEARCHES TO CONTINUE – As the ongoing search operations have yet to yield a result we expect the operations to continue. Based on the information received from several sources who witnessed the searches, the effort appears to be focused on recovering something (a phone, computer, hard drive, etc). In a few cases, the families were moved out of the home while the search took place and very few questions were asked of the occupants. While not definitive, it seems to suggest that the Taliban are attempting to find an item. Particular attention was paid to electronics and some of the searchers threatened residents with violence for not providing passwords to devices.

REGIONAL ROUNDUP

IRAN

Canada introduces a bill to list the IRGC as a terrorist organization. It is not clear if the measure will be adopted as law.
Reports emerged that the Supreme Leader was forced to tamp down on Iran’s intelligence agencies and held a meeting on 16 June to try and settle disputes and stop some reported infighting.
The UK is looking into whether British universities may have assisted Iran with the development of suicide drones.

PAKISTAN

India’s Prime Minister warns Pakistan to take ‘immediate action’ and halt the recent uptick of cross-border terrorism incidents.
The Pakistani billionaire and his son who were aboard the submarine that went missing near the wreck of the Titanic are now considered to have been lost in the accident.
The government began collecting DNA samples from the families of those presumed lost in the Greek human trafficking tragedy in order to assist with the identification of the remains.

SPOTLIGHT ECONOMICS

Currency Chronicles: Understanding the Pakistan Rupee’s Fall and the Afghani Rupees Rally

By Muhammad Imad Abbas - Modern Diplomacy

In December 2021, with two months passed of reoccupying Afghanistan by the Taliban following a two-decade-long and deleterious war, the value of the Afghani rupee standing against the dollar was 124.18. This was when the US and her allies had blocked more than $12 billion of the Afghan central bank reserves, fearing that the new entrants at the helm of affairs would use it for terrorist activities.

AFGHAN NEWS

Taliban welcome UN acknowledgement of progress, ignore criticism

By La Prensa Latina

The Taliban on Thursday highlighted the progress achieved by Afghanistan since their ascent to power – such as an “effective” ban on drug-trafficking and macroeconomic stability – citing the…

Balkh Ulema urges IEA to give them more input in government decisions

By Ariana News

Balkh religious scholars have called on the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to hear their collective voice and give them a more prominent role…

<p>A member of Taliban security adjust balloons with his gun during a handover ceremony of newly built houses constructed by the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) in Paktika province</p>

UN refuses Taliban’s suggestion to replace women staff with men in Afghanistan: ‘We are steadfast’

By Arpan Rai - The Independent

‘‘We will not put our national female staff in danger, and therefore we are asking them not to report to the office,’’ said…

Afghan Migrants Are Welcome to Return to their Country, Says Refugee Minister

By Nizamuddin Rezahi - Khaama Press

Taliban’s Acting Minister of Refugees and Repatriation, Khalil-ur-Rehman Haqqani called on Afghan migrants to voluntarily return to…

REGIONAL NEWS

Pakistan Won’t Hold Talks with TTP: Foreign Office

By Fidel Rahmati - Khaama Press

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the spokesperson for the Foreign Office, made the announcement days after Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid offered…

Pakistan minister urges border officials to treat Afghans with respect

By Ariana News

Pakistan’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar visited Torkham crossing point between Pakistan and Afghanistan this week and…

INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN

IOC reiterates calls for Taliban to allow women and girls full access to sports

By AMU TV

The IOC said that the organization and the Taliban-run Afghanistan National Olympic Committee and the Afghan Directorate of Physical Education and Sports have held talks over…