Daily Evacuation Brief | November 17, 2023

Nov 17, 2023

PAKISTAN KILLS 4 MILITANTS IN ACTION NEAR PESHAWAR, SENIOR TTP COMMANDER AMONG THE DEAD – Samiullah (aka Shenay), a senior TTP Commander and 3 other TTP militants were reportedly killed in an engagement with Pakistani troops near Peshawar. A moderate stockpile of weapons, ammunition, and explosives was recovered at the site of the clash.
CONGO FEVER OUTBREAK CONTINUES ACROSS AFGHANISTAN – The outbreak that was reported earlier this year has continued to infect citizens in Afghanistan and medical personnel have not been able to reign in the disease. The Taliban’s Ministry of Public Health announced this week that 1,200 infections had been recorded in the previous eight months and that over 110 people had died from the disease. International health NGOs suspect the number of infected and mortality rates are significantly higher. Especially among rural communities where testing and treatment options are not available.
TALIBAN TEAM IN BADAKHSHAN REPORTS ‘SIGNIFICANT DISAGREEMENTS’ BETWEEN FORCES STATIONED IN PROVINCE – A team of Taliban personnel who had recently been dispatched to the Province after a Uyghur militant was murdered south of Fayzabad has sent several reports back to Kabul that, sources claimed, paint a bleak picture of unity in the Province. Apparently, the Commanders of local Taliban units have squared off against Pashtun Taliban Commanders sent from Kabul and Kandahar to keep an eye on things. It is not clear to the sensing team what is the root cause of the disagreements but they report that units have continued to open fire on one another and that local militants from other terror-related networks known to be in the area have been asked to ally with one side or the other. A source in Kabul said that the disagreements may be stemming from who is receiving bribes from ‘tolls’ levied on vehicular traffic in the Province. The source could not discount a deeper division though and went on to say that the Chinese Embassy in Kabul continues to ask for updates about the situation.
PAKISTAN ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROL AT DEPORTATION SITES UNDER EXTREME DURESS – Yesterday, the Department in charge of the deportation operation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa requested ‘emergency powers’ to deal with growing pressures caused by the inordinate number of Afghan refugees it is facing. Resources, manpower, and funds set aside for the repatriation operation have been exhausted in the Khyber, Peshawar, and Nowshera Districts. District leaders have been cautioned to account for all expenditures after reports that some officials in Sindh Province had absconded with roughly 30% of the budgeted funding for the operation. A source in Rawalpindi said that local infrastructure was not prepared to handle actual detention and processing duties and had been requesting additional support virtually from the start of the massive operation.

NEXT 24 HOURS

NO THREATS REPORTED

REGIONAL ROUNDUP

IRAN

Tehran dismissed the recent UN resolution condemning it over its human rights record as a hypocritical stance in light of Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Iran denied accusations that it had ordered a recent drone attack that originated in Yemen that may have been targeting a US warship in the Red Sea.
Human rights watchdogs say that Iran has executed 107 anti-regime activists since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict. Many have posited that Tehran is using the conflict to cover the executions.

PAKISTAN

The Pakistani Rupee finally began to regain ground against the US dollar after the announcement of a successful review by the IMF review team indicating the release of $700 million dollars in an upcoming tranche loan.
Pakistan’s passport system continues to enrage citizens, some of whom paid excessive fees for expedited service but are still waiting several months for delivery. While the official explanation of a lack of laminate paper continues to be put forth, some say the investigation that is focusing on the thousands of Pakistani passports in Afghan’s hands that turned up in Saudi Arabia is to blame.
Pakistan again announced that it had not sold weapons to either side of the Russo-Ukraine conflict. Islamabad has been forced to clarify its stance after a BBC report suggested that 2 US companies purchased Pakistani ammunition last year on behalf of Ukraine.

SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS

In a Major Rift, Pakistan Ramps Up Pressure on the Taliban

By Asfandyar Mir, Ph.D. - USIP

On November 8, in an unprecedented press conference, Pakistan’s caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul-Haq Kakar offered a blistering critique of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. He announced that the Taliban leadership was supporting the anti-Pakistan insurgency of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and that had contributed to a major increase in violence in Pakistan — leading to 2,867 Pakistani fatalities since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021.

AFGHAN NEWS

Taliban arrests activist Parisa Azada amid growing concerns for detained advocates

By Siyar Sirat - AMU TV

Parisa Azada, a member of the Afghanistan Women’s Movement for Justice and Freedom, has been arrested by the Taliban in Kabul, her colleagues confirmed on…

‘In tents again’: Life comes full circle for Afghans expelled from Pakistan

By Khudai Noor Nasar - Al Jazeera

Gul Khan Kaka was in his early 20s when he had to abandon his home and flee to neighbouring Pakistan after the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, a war that…

Students criticize Taliban for closure of girls’ education centers in Herat

By AMU TV

A number of female students in Herat on Thursday criticized a recent move by the Taliban to close girls’ education centers in the province, saying such institutions were the last hope…

REGIONAL NEWS

FILE - Taliban flags fly at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 9, 2021.

Regional Countries Mulling Simultaneous Taliban Recognition, Pakistani Envoy Says

By Ayaz Gul

Afghanistan’s neighbors, along with Russia, are sustaining ties with its Taliban government under an “understanding” that they will grant it formal recognition…

Taliban agrees to release Iran’s Helmand water rights: Iranian official

By Fidel Rahmati - Khaama Press

During the economic delegation’s visit of the Taliban to Iran, for the first time, the Taliban agreed to release Iran’s water rights from the Helmand River, according to the head of…