Daily Evacuation Brief | June 26, 2022
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LAST 24 HOURS
Sources in Panjshir province provided video footage of large convoys of Taliban fighters leaving the province. Most sources agreed the reinforcements were heading to Sar-e-Pol province to join the fight against Mullah Mehdi Mujahid’s barricaded enclave in Balkhab. A source in the Palace stated the NRF is ‘pinned down’ and lacks the mobility to link up with Mehdi’s besieged forces. However, there is also a concern that the Taliban commanders and troops surrounding Balkhab are unseasoned and lack the tactical ability to take the town and either kill or arrest Mehdi. A bizarre report was released by the Ministry of Defense late in the day stating the military operation in Balkhab had concluded. However, a spokesman for Mehdi claimed they had executed a tactical withdrawal and had encircled hundreds of Taliban. Three local sources said as many as 9 non-combatants had been killed in the fighting and 4 children were wounded. We expect more details soon.
A Loya Jirga is reportedly set to take place on Thursday. A few social media rumors are circulating that the former president has returned to Kabul to take part, but we have yet to verify anything. Most analysts think this will be a dog and pony show, more for the benefit of the international community than for finding solutions in the country. Few believe the forum will result in concrete steps for settling disputes.
The Taliban, anticipating ethnic strife in both Maidan-Wardak and Bamyan provinces between Hazaras and the recently recognized Kuchi nomads, is planning to deploy units to create buffer zones between the groups. Some violence had already been reported earlier in the year between both ethnic groups and the recent land redistribution decrees are expected to foment more divisiveness. It is possible the deployment of forces is being done in anticipation of further redistribution efforts, which the Hazara community sees as a tactic to dispossess them of their property. Historically, land reform efforts have resulted in violence around the world.
The Ministry of the Interior announced plans to absorb Afghan military cadets who had been sent abroad to train with foreign militaries through exchange programs into the Taliban's internal security infrastructure. Many countries that had received Afghan students through exchange programs have signaled their intentions to repatriate the students; some will do so forcibly. Considering the internationally recognized treatment of former Afghan military personnel, this practice will almost certainly result in the deaths of some of the students and will force the remainder to serve under a regime they never signed up to defend. To our knowledge, the international community has no plans to deal with the situation.
In the aftermath of the earthquake, several high-profile aid agencies are accusing the Taliban of allowing local units to extort resources intended for their work. Supplies and money are the primary demands made by the local commanders. The racket is said to extend all the way up the chain to provincial governors and select ministers. However, the Taliban leadership claims it does not condone any interference with the implementation programs. Hearings are being scheduled in Geneva to address the issue and stricter controls will likely be put in place. Regardless, there is a growing lack of trust among international states and organizations with Kabul/Kandahar.
NEXT 24 HOURS
The UN Human Rights Council is expected to hold a meeting on the current state of women’s rights in Afghanistan. The talks are thought to be tied directly to potential aid for Afghanistan and will be used by critics of the Taliban regime as support for a continued hard-line approach with Kabul/Kandahar.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
The U.S. deal with the Taliban destroyed Afghans' military morale, a new report says
By Bill Chappell – NPR
Morale across Afghanistan's military ranks was "destroyed" when then-President Trump reached a deal with the Taliban in 2020 and President Biden affirmed the U.S. withdrawal in 2021, according to a new report on the calamitous fall of the Afghan government. That dynamic is the single most important reason behind the Taliban's rapid takeover last August — but "there's a lot of blame to go around," John Sopko, the special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction, told NPR's Morning Edition.
Read the SIGAR report HERE
AFGHAN NEWS
Earthquake Victims Dying in Transit on Slow, Bad Roads: Residents
By TOLO News
Residents of Giyan district of Paktika province said that several people who were injured from the country's recent devastating earthquake died due to delays…
Herat: Lack of transparency alleged in aid distribution
By Benyamin Bariz – Pajhwok Afghan News
A number of poverty-stricken residents of western Herat province, who have not received aid for months, complain of transparency in the…
Taliban appeal for more humanitarian aid after deadly Afghanistan earthquake
By The New Arab
The disaster is a major test for Afghanistan's hardline Taliban rulers, who have been shunned by many foreign…
REGIONAL NEWS
In major security shakeup, Iran replaces IRGC intelligence chief
By Ariana News
The major shakeup in the IRGC’s intelligence apparatus comes after a series of recent incidents inside Iran, including sabotage and cyberattacks, assassinations, and…
Turkey Deports 136 Undocumented Afghan Migrants to the Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan
By Saqalain Eqbal – Khaama Press
A deportation center in the city of Kocaeli in Turkey’s northwest received 272 illegal migrants from Afghanistan on the same day, of whom 136 were sent back…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
US urged to return Afghan foreign funds as quake survivors wait for aid
By TRT World
On Friday, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Hua Chunying joined calls urging Washington to release the frozen assets of Afghanistan, which saw…
UNSC Discusses Afghanistan Ongoing Humanitarian, Political Crisis
By Arif Ahmadi – Khaama Press
The UN Security Council held a session to discuss ongoing situation in Afghanistan, calling attention to the devastating…
THE DAILY WTF
Special Security Guards Formed for Protection Deputy PM Beradar
By Bakhtar News
According to the statement the special security guards for the protection of deputy Prime Minister Baradar, have received special military vocational training, standard…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 89.20 AFN (as of 26 JUN 2022)