Daily Evacuation Brief | March 5, 2023

Mar 5

LAST 24 HOURS

NATIONWIDE CRACKDOWN ON PAKISTANI CURRENCY – Multiple currency exchanges have been closed around Afghanistan for violating rules forbidding the exchange of Pakistani rupees. While the law has been selectively enforced from time to time under the Taliban, it now seems like it will be enforced universally.
NEW TALIBAN EMBASSY IN TEHRAN HALTS PASSPORT RENEWALS – The consulate in Tehran has suspended issuing passport renewals and has not provided any information on when it might resume these functions in the future. Hundreds of thousands of Afghans are in Iran and it is estimated that a large percentage require passport renewals.
PAKISTAN DEPLOYS 1,500 POLICE TO PROTECT CHINESE NATIONALS IN KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA – In what is thought to be linked to a massive loan by a large Chinese bank, the Pakistani government has deployed approximately 1,500 district, elite, and frontier police to the Province to protect and safeguard Chinese nationals who were working on several projects. Pakistan has seen a wave of anti-Chinese protests and sentiments over the past year and both ISIS-K and the TTP have stated intentions to target Chinese-led initiatives in both Afghanistan and Pakistan.
THE AFGHAN EMBASSY IN ROME IDENTIFIED 32 AFGHANS WHO WERE AMONG THE DEAD IN THE TRAGIC SHIPWRECK LAST WEEK – Discussions with the Italian Ministry of the Interior were focused on what to do with the bodies. 5 Afghans who survived but were suffering from exposure had been transferred to local hospitals. Other survivors are thought to be Afghan citizens as well and are currently being lodged in an immigration center in the center of Croton. It is not clear what will happen next.

NEXT 24 HOURS

POSSIBLE DEMONSTRATIONS AT TORKHAM – Travelers crossing through Torkham Gate on Saturday said crowds had formed on the Pakistan side of the border and were protesting electricity cuts. They attempted to block the road to Peshawar with makeshift barricades. Police dispersed the crowds but they vowed to return Sunday for further protests. At-risk Afghans attempting the crossing should be wary of the crowds and avoid intermingling with them if at all possible. Police are expected to deal harshly with any protestors.

REGIONAL ROUNDUP

IRAN

In a surprise move, Iran agreed to significantly increased access for nuclear inspections by the IAEA.
Renewed protests have continued without any signs of slowing after several hundred school girls have been hospitalized from chemical exposure.
Iran denied claims that UK and US naval forces had seized weapons parts bound for Yemen.

PAKISTAN

The central bank raised interest rates by 20% in an attempt to reign in rampant inflation.
Several police officers were suspended from duty after a video was posted showing them seizing citizen’s property on Karachi’s Super Highway.
Rumors are circulating that the former head of the ISI, Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed will be arrested on charges of corruption and for promoting terror due to his patronage of the TTP.

SPOTLIGHT INSIGHT

Refuge After War: Vietnamese and Afghan refugees take similar paths

By Thanh Tan - Crosscut

When Taliban fighters entered Kabul on Aug. 15, 2021, taking over the Afghanistan capital in advance of a planned withdrawal of the American military, I had an unexpected and visceral reaction. I was enraged by the images I was seeing in the media, and I felt panicked for those Afghans desperate to flee the country. Almost immediately, I started working with friends to launch a mutual aid project we called Viets for Afghans.

AFGHAN NEWS

Six Daesh Affiliates Killed in Herat City

By Nasir Ahmad Salehi - TOLO News

Six people affiliated with Daesh group, including a woman, were killed during a security forces' operation on a hideout in…

US's West Not Optimistic Afghan Women Will Return to Classes This Month

By Mohammad Farshad Daryosh - TOLO News

The US special envoy for Afghanistan, Thomas West, said that the Islamic Emirate's promise to reopen schools and universities for…

One-day expo held for female entrepreneurs in Kabul

By Ariana News

According to AWCCI officials, almost 200 female entrepreneurs, businesswomen, owners of small businesses and handicrafts enterprises from all over…

REGIONAL NEWS

Iran discovers large lithium deposit

By Ariana News

Iran has announced the discovery of a large deposit of lithium, a key component of batteries for electric vehicles and electronic devices, Iran’s state…

Pakistan's TTP trouble spells the failure of its Afghanistan policy

By ANI

Frustrated with non-cooperation from Afghanistan’s rulers in fighting the rampaging Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Pakistan plans to attack…

INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN

Lavrov wonders why Afghanistan never dominated G20 discussions

By Ariana News

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday hit out at western nations, accusing them of raking up the Ukraine issue during…

Blake Shelton releases rendition of 'I Won’t Back Down' with Afghanistan’s Miraculous Love Kids

By Emma Ogao - ABC News

Miraculous Love Kids -- a non-profit organization that was Afghanistan’s only school of music that taught guitar to young women and girls -- have teamed up…