Daily Evacuation Brief | September 2, 2022
Discover more from The Afghan Digest
LAST 24 HOURS
TALIBAN-PAKISTAN CLASH — Unconfirmed reports of cross-border fighting between Taliban and Pakistan have been received from Zabul province. There has been no official confirmation of the clashes, but several local eyewitnesses have shared video and photos of the skirmishes. One source claimed a Pakistani military vehicle strayed across the border and caused the Taliban border security element to open fire. Some deaths and injuries have been reported.
ELAHA ARRESTED — Elaha Dilawarzai, the young woman who posted on social media about being forcibly married to ex-Taliban official Qari Saeed Khosty, was arrested and charged with defamation of her former husband. #justiceforelaha has erupted on social media in response to the Taliban’s arrest
DRONE RUMORS IN PANJSHIR — An offensive in Panjshir was reportedly canceled at the last minute when local Taliban leaders were notified that a drone (thought to belong to the US) was seen conducting patrols over the area. Sources stated the Taliban’s special military commander for Panjshir feared the drone would support the NRF defenders. No confirmation of a drone operating in the area has been received, and Resistance sources claim there was no drone observed in Panjshir.
RAID IN HERAT (CORRECTED) — In previous reporting, the Afghan Digest shared information about a possible terrorist threat in Mazar-i-Sharif that caused the Ministry of the Interior to send an intelligence team to the city. It appears that the information was incorrect, and the threat was actually an ISIS-K terrorist cell in Herat. The General Directorate of Intelligence carried out a raid on a suspected safe house in Police District 4 of Herat City and is said to have killed 3 suspected ISIS-K operatives. We do not have any information about a specific threat in Mazar-i-Sharif at this time.
NEXT 24 HOURS
ESCALATION AT THE BORDER — If the reports of Afghan-Pakistan fighting in Zabul province are true, there could be an upcoming escalation. At-risk Afghans located along the border should be wary of potential shelling or other retaliatory measures.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
The Historical Evolution of al-Qaeda’s Positions on China
By Riccardo Valle & Lucas Webber – The Hudson Institute
Over al-Qaeda’s more than 30 years of existence, the organization’s public stance on China has changed quite dramatically. Al-Qaeda has moved from trying not to agitate Beijing, to fleetingly listing “East Turkestan” (i.e., Uyghur-dominated lands, primarily China’s Xinjiang province) amongst a host of other locations where Muslims are oppressed, to directly criticizing, and at times even threatening, China for its domestic security measures in Xinjiang as well as its foreign policy actions in the Islamic world. Furthermore, al-Qaeda’s grievances against China have become markedly more numerous and nuanced and purveyed by a wider range of individuals, branches, and publications in recent years.
AFGHAN NEWS
Taliban showcases tactical ballistic missiles at military parade
By Dylan Malyasov – Defence Blog
The massive military parade, held in what was once the largest American military base in Afghanistan, showcased captured U.S., NATO military equipment and the…
The Taliban now guard Afghanistan's National Museum, where they once smashed objects
By Arezou Revzani – NPR
The last time the Taliban were in power, at the direction of then-leader Mullah Muhammad Omar, they smashed ancient statues and other objects in this museum that they deemed…
Afghanistan next in Abraham Accords? Taliban refuses to rule it out
By Tzvi Joffre — The Jerusalem Post
"What problem do we have with Israel?" questioned a spokesman for the Taliban. "Our policy is to resolve problems through dialogue and mutual understanding with everybody. Whoever has a…”
REGIONAL NEWS
China's economic footprint steadily expanding across Afghanistan
By ANI
China is focusing firmly on business and cultural diplomacy to expand its economic footprint across…
Recognition Should Be Via Intl Consensus: Outgoing Pakistan Ambassador
By Farshad Daryosh – TOLO News
“Recognition of Afghan government needs to take place through a consensus, involving Afghanistan’s neighbors, involving Afghanistan’s region, involving the…”
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
By Camilo Montoya-Galvez – CBS News
The Biden administration next month will discontinue the use of a humanitarian process known as parole to…
US bypasses Taliban with relief funds; regime demands control over frozen money
By Peter Aitken – Fox News
The U.S. continues to deny "direct" aid to the Taliban, and the group is demanding the return of all frozen funds and additional money as Afghanistan continues to…
THE DAILY WTF
Taliban arrest woman who accused former official of forced marriage and rape
By The New Arab
A woman, identified as Elaha, who says she was forced to marry a Taliban leader and then repeatedly raped has been arrested by the hard…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 88.23 AFN (as of 2 SEP 2022)