Daily Evacuation Brief | October 31, 2022

Oct 31, 2022

TALIBAN GUARDS WHIP AND DISPERSE FEMALE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN BADAKHSHAN – A video depicting a Taliban security guard whipping female university students for ostensibly not wearing more conservative clothing is making the rounds on social media and has caused a furor among human rights activists worldwide. Condemnation is beginning to pour in and the event will likely complicate the Taliban’s relations with the international community.
FORMER AFGHAN MILITARY OFFICIAL POURS COLD WATER ON RUSSIAN RECRUITMENT CLAIMS – Ajmal Omar Shinwari, a former spokesman for the Ghani regime (Defense and Security) has stated the claims made about Russia recruiting former Afghan Commandos is a rumor and that no recruitment effort is underway in Iran or anywhere else. His comments conflict with other senior Defense officials of the previous regime who say it is happening and the private military contractor (Wagner Group) is actively seeking recruits in Iran and in Afghanistan itself.
LARGE FIRE IN MACRORYAN – The market in the Macroryan 3 neighborhood caught fire Saturday and destroyed over ten shops. No casualties were reported but the shops burned completely and the damages are expected to be total losses. Eyewitnesses did report that firefighters arrived on the scene quickly and they managed to keep the fire from causing further damage.
RESISTANCE LEADER POSSIBLY EXECUTED IN BADAKHSHAN – A noted Resistance leader, Commander Jalal, was lured to Faizabad City to discuss a potential prisoner exchange with the Taliban. He is said to have met with the Provincial Governor and then beheaded by a Taliban security detail shortly afterward. This information has yet to be verified.

NEXT 24 HOURS

PAKISTAN LONG MARCH CONTINUES – A moment of panic ensued when the former Prime Minister left the convoy and some thought he had been arrested or had sought a secret deal with the current regime. He returned shortly and insiders said the PTI party is disappointed with the size of the march and had expected more supporters to join. The government is debating whether it will allow the marchers to enter Islamabad. An audio recording was leaked that is thought to be the PTI leader (Ali Amin Gandapur) and a man named Asak Khan referencing ‘bringing ammunition’ to the long march. The march was halted after a female journalist was crushed to death by a PTI container that had slipped off a truck. It is not clear when the convoy will reach Islamabad at this point but the massive police presence seems to have things under control. While the violence could still erupt, we assess the risk to be only moderate that it would spread beyond potential clashes with riot police. It is important to note that in instances where the police are focused on such things, crime can see an uptick in other areas. At-risk Afghans are encouraged to continue keeping a low profile for the time being.

REGIONAL ROUNDUP

PAKISTAN

2 Taliban fighters were reportedly killed in Peshawar on Saturday. One was reputedly a Commander named Ahmad Kochi. The two were said to be in Pakistan to get medical care.
Several Afghan and Tajik refugees staying in Pakistan claim the police have begun shaking down foreigners for bribes on the streets. The police were said to claim the people were being ‘fined’ and levied a 5,000 PKR penalty to let them go.
A female reporter was crushed to death when a shipping container fell on her. Details are not clear but all sides agreed it was an accident. After the incident, the former Prime Minister halted the march for the day.

IRAN

A document was leaked to anti-government factions which claimed to be the orders drawn up for Iranian security forces to suppress protests. The orders to subordinate units mandate increased armed patrols and the establishment of a rapid reaction force in the Quds operational headquarters zone.
Many in Europe now considering listing the IRGC as a terrorist group. 3 people were reportedly wounded at an anti-Iranian vigil outside of the Embassy of Iran in Berlin.

SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS

Can Central Asia Seize the Initiative?

By S. Frederick Starr - The National Interest

SINCE THEIR independence from the USSR, the five Central Asian states that emerged from the wreckage of the Soviet Union in 1991 have been the object of great power dreams. Russia, with steady persistence, has tried to lure them back into its sphere of influence, if not of direct control, through economic and security alliances. The United States and Europe have worked to develop them as market economies, and to implant civil society and democratic institutions there. Meanwhile, China assigned them key roles in its Belt and Road Initiative and loaned them billions to develop economic strengths that complement Beijing’s own. Applying Julius Caesar’s classic divide et impera maxim, all these major powers have offered rewards for cooperation and withheld them from the recalcitrant. As a result, the Central Asians risked becoming mere objects of great power maneuvers and not subjects in their own right.

AFGHAN NEWS

Money Exchanger's Union Concerned by Dollars Trafficked Out of Country

By Mujeeb Rahman Awrang Stanikzai - TOLO News

Economists believe that if the trafficking of dollars abroad is not prevented, the price of the commodities being imported will…

Shocking moment Taliban thug WHIPS female students outside Afghanistan university: Ministry of Virtue official lashes out at women in hijabs for not wearing full body-covering burkas

By Eleanor Dye & Rachel Muir - Daily Mail

Shocking footage shows female Afghan students being whipped by a Taliban official after they were barred from entering their university campus…

IEA rejects ‘rumors’ of meeting with US

By Ariana News

“Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan rejects rumors that Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Baradar Akhund would meet with US National Security Advisor…

Commission to Prevent Land Grabbing Holds First Session

By Waki Naibi - TOLO News

The officials of the commission said that many of the lands that were usurped will be returned, once the commission begins its…

REGIONAL NEWS

Afghan Refugees Say They Are in Pakistan for Girls' Education

By TOLO News

Some families in Pakistan claimed that they left Afghanistan for the neighboring country in a bid to find educational opportunities for their girls afte…