Daily Evacuation Brief | June 30, 2022
Discover more from The Afghan Digest
LAST 24 HOURS
A senior source reported the commencement of the much anticipated Loya Jirga has been delayed one day due to an unspecified threat tied to ISIS-K. A sustained vehicle chase was reported near the Kabul airport, and security forces claimed the occupants were ISIS-K operatives. The vehicle successfully evaded the security forces and was lost in an unidentified neighborhood. A second source dismissed these claims and said the delay was caused by the late arrivals of several VIPs who had been invited to the gathering. No further information was available.
Taliban checkpoints in Khair Khana have focused on interdicting young men over the last week. Security personnel have been observed stopping males of fighting age and asking for their documents. If the individual does not have the proper identification, they are placed on trucks and moved to an undisclosed location.
Searches were reported in Panjshir over the last 24 hours with the biggest concentration of activity in the Dara district. Arrests have been made, but it is not known what prompted the searches.
A 4.8 magnitude earthquake struck the Hindu-Kush region of Afghanistan on Wednesday. The epicenter was deep, and there are currently no reports of casualties or damage.
Pakistani militia have been photographed in the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar riding openly on trucks and carrying weapons around town. A source claimed they are security elements that arrived with members of the Pakistani delegation to negotiate terms between the TTP and Pakistan. However, they have remained despite the delegation’s departure and appear to have integrated into the Taliban security forces. It is currently unknown in what capacity they serve and to whom they report.
NEXT 24 HOURS
The Taliban sent a delegation to Iran to discuss the border issues that continue to flare up between the two countries. The talks come on the heels of an incident involving an Iranian border guard who was shot and killed by Taliban security forces. A previous meeting between senior border officials took place in Iranian border town Taybad to try and resolve some of the local issues.
Rumors continue to circulate that ISIS-K has successfully infiltrated a suicide team into Kabul with the intention of disrupting the Loya Jirga/ulema council. The Ministry of the Interior has activated the bulk of their local personnel to attempt to find and neutralize the team, and security will remain heightened until and throughout the jirga. Unusual activity has been reported near the airport. A large contingent of security vehicles have been stationed at select locations, and local sources say that some of the vehicles are left running.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
Earthquake Exposes Afghanistan’s Political Fault Lines
By Fazelminallah Qazizai – New Lines Magazine
In the hours before an earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan last week, a light rain fell over Kabul and there was thunder in the air. My 4-year-old daughter had just drifted off to sleep after I managed to convince her that the storm was nothing to be scared of when my phone rang. It was 1:46 a.m. On the other end of the line I could hear panic in my sister’s voice. She lived nearby and told me that a few minutes earlier she had felt the earth violently shake. While I had been too exhausted to notice, she was clearly upset. She told me the tremors had been far worse than the ones that often hit Kabul and thanked God that we were all OK. I thought nothing more of it until I woke again later that morning and checked my phone.
AFGHAN NEWS
Clerics' Gathering to Be Held on Thursday: Hanafi
By Tamim Shahir – TOLO News
The second deputy of the Prime Minister, Mullah Abdul Salam Hanafi, said the major gathering of the clerics will be held on…
Former Military Official in Parwan Detained: Family
By TOLO News
Ahmad Khan Ahmadzai, the former police commander of Bagram district of Parwan province, and two of his family members have been detained…
Transactions in foreign currencies banned: MoI
By Sarwari – Pajhwok Afghan News
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) on Wednesday said the Cabinet had banned all types of domestic business transactions in foreign…
REGIONAL NEWS
Moscow Trying to 'Build Relations' With Kabul: Putin
By Zabi Aqeel – TOLO News
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow is attempting to build relations with the Islamic Emirate and…
Iranian border guard said killed in incident near Afghan crossing
By AFP – The Times of Israel
An Iranian border guard was killed in an “incident” in the country’s southeast at a border crossing with…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
12,000 Afghans still waiting for evacuation to Germany
By Charlotte Hauswedell – Info Migrants
The German government has said that nearly 12,000 Afghans are still waiting for their evacuation to…
Taliban-US Huddle in Doha on Afghan Frozen Funds, Economic Issues
By Ayaz Gul – Voice of America
The United States and the Taliban are scheduled to hold talks in Qatar later this week that are expected to focus on economic…
THE DAILY WTF
Men to Represent Women in the Taliban’s Grand Assembly: Taliban Leader
By Saqalain Eqbal – Khaama Press
“The women are our mothers, sisters, we greatly respect them, when their sons are in the gathering it signifies that they are also involved, in a way, in the gathering,”
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 88.30 AFN (as of 30 JUN 2022)