Daily Evacuation Brief | May 15, 2022
Discover more from The Afghan Digest
LAST 24 HOURS:
The Taliban are utilizing a biometric database in Panjshir province (Dalasang area of the Shatel district) to screen men who transit the checkpoint and identify former government officials, especially former ANDSF soldiers or DNS employees. Sources indicated that approximately 15 men have been detained at the checkpoint so far. Our analysis indicates the Taliban have limited capability to use biometric screening due to frequent breakdowns in internet and cellular coverage, forcing them to exclusively rely on systems that have the biometric data saved on them instead of searching the online database at the Ministry of the Interior.
Former Afghan National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib’s recent speech at the Oxford Union has elicited furious responses from Afghans around the world, especially former Afghan Army personnel. Mohib shirked responsibility for his involvement in the fall of Kabul and said that the Afghan Army was falling apart very early in the crisis due to media disinformation. Several high-profile Afghan Army officers have vehemently denied the claim and flatly stated that they were ordered not to engage the Taliban. The Oxford Union’s invitation for him to speak drew heavy criticism from many in the Afghan diaspora, and protests were ongoing during his speech.
While a few engagements occurred over the previous 24 hours, sources indicated the bulk of the Resistance forces sought safety in mountain strongholds to further plan for the coming week.
NEXT 24 HOURS:
Heavy fighting is expected to resume on Monday in the North. Resistance forces have reputedly taken the weekend to conduct resupply operations and plan coordinated actions for the coming week. We do not anticipate any major engagements for the next 24 hours.
ANALYSIS SPOTLIGHT:
Afghanistan’s Forgotten War: The Clash Between the Taliban and ISKP
By Saman Ayesha Kidwai – Modern Diplomacy
Amid the Ukrainian war, the Afghan crisis accurately represents a forgotten conflict. Notably, the rivalry between the Taliban and the Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP), personified by violence and instability, has, much to the detriment of analysts, continued to bleed the country dry. Additionally, food and health insecurity fuelled by climate change and COVID-19, suppression of women’s rights and freedoms due to distorted beliefs of de facto rulers, and intensifying border tensions with Pakistan have compounded uncertainty facing the Afghans. While these factors have added to the growing, multi-dimensional gordian knot mirroring the deteriorating conditions in Afghanistan, the security concerns shaped by the Taliban-ISKP rivalry are central to the Afghan quagmire.
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 87.85 AFN (as of 15 MAY 2022)
AFGHAN NEWS
Politicians Call for Probe into Alleged Torture of Civilians
By TOLO News
Afghan politicians called for an investigation into the alleged reports of torture and mistreatment of civilians in the provinces of Panjshir, Baghlan and Takhar.
Civilians flee fighting in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley
By The New Arab
The Panjshir Valley is famed for being a site of resistance by Afghans against Soviet forces in the 1980s and as a base for…
‘I will not wear the burqa’: Some Afghan women defy Taliban edict
By France 24
A day after the Taliban issued a decree on May 7 ordering women to fully cover their faces in public – ideally with the burqa – a group of women took to the streets of…
REGIONAL NEWS
Islamabad Hands Over Two Pakistani Taliban Commanders to Afghan Taliban
By Saqalain Eqbal – Khaama Press
According to reliable sources in Islamabad, the country has entrusted two senior Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (Pakistani Taliban) commanders…
Tajik president discusses situation in Afghanistan with Putin
By Ariana News
“The presidents exchanged views on developments in Afghanistan, primarily in terms of the recently increased activity of terrorist groups on…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Afghan UN Mission Announces It Will Host Gathering
By Banafsha Binesh – TOLO News
The Afghanistan Permanent Mission is working on an initiative to “convene Afghans from all walks of life inside and outside Afghanistan to find a practical solution for…”
UN Security Council Holds Closed Consultations on Taliban’s Crackdown on Afghan Women
By Saqalain Eqbal – Khaama Press
The United Nations Security Council convened a special meeting to discuss the humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, including the Taliban’s restrictions on women…
THE DAILY WTF
Taliban's first annual Afghan budget foresees $501 million deficit
By Mohammad Yunus Yawar – Reuters
Afghanistan faces a budget deficit of 44 billion Afghanis ($501 million) this financial year, the country's Taliban authorities said on…