Daily Evacuation Brief | September 17, 2022
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LAST 24 HOURS
RECLAIMING RESETTLED HOMES — Residents in Takhar province have banded together to resist Taliban efforts to remove locals from their homes and resettle Pashtun nomads in their place. Residents of the Rastaq and Yengi Qala districts forcibly took back some of the houses from the nomads and forced them to leave the area.
MORE NRF PRISONER EXECUTIONS — Video evidence of an additional 3 NRF prisoners being executed in Panjshir has surfaced on social media. The content has not yet been verified, but the video seems to show prisoners being urged to divulge information. A Taliban fighter was overheard saying, “We aren’t going to kill them”, but later footage shows them being shot. The location of the incident is unknown.
Sources within the Ministry of the Interior are saying Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani is incensed over the execution of Resistance fighters and others. He has vented in several meetings about the practice of summary executions and how it negatively affects the international view of the Taliban. He claims to have issued multiple orders to halt the practice and is frustrated that he is being ignored.
SPECIAL COMMANDER’S STATUS UNCLEAR — The status of the Taliban’s Special Commander for Panjshir, Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir, remains unclear. Rumors continue to circulate about his death, although others claim he was injured and is still recovering in the hospital.
KYRG-TAJ FIGHTING RECOMMENCES — After the temporary ceasefire was violated, fighting between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan recommenced along their joint border. Both countries are blaming the other for breaching the ceasefire, and it is not clear who initiated hostilities. The situation is tense, and violence could escalate. If the situation deteriorates, Tajikistan could close its borders.
NEXT 24 HOURS
VIOLENCE EXPECTED OVER RESETTLEMENT — People in Takhar province should expect a Taliban response to the expulsion of Pashtun nomads from two districts. Apparently, other districts have adopted the same tactics and are forcing the resettled nomads out, but we do not have verification of where this is taking place. Taliban security forces are likely to respond, and the situation could turn violent.
SPOTLIGHT INVESTIGATION
Afghanistan: New investigation reveals ‘cruel pattern’ of Taliban torturing and executing Hazaras
By Amnesty International
On 26 June, the Taliban detained and unlawfully executed four men during a night raid. The body of at least one of those executed showed signs of torture. A woman and a 12-year-old girl were also killed during the raid.
The attack is part of a wider pattern of unlawful targeted killings against people who the Taliban see as adversaries. In this case the victims were both members of the Hazara community and associated with the former Afghan government.
AFGHAN NEWS
Public Education in Afghanistan Faces Collapse, for Boys and Girls
By Akmal Dawi – VOA
Caught between the Taliban's gender politics and a lack of foreign funding, the public education sector in Afghanistan faces the risk of collapse, aid agencies warn.
Veterans, Retired Govt Workers Demand Pensions
By TOLO News
Protesters said despite the promises of the government it has been one year that they have not been paid and now they are…
400 militants of ISIS deployed to north of Afghanistan – CSTO
By AKI Press
Head of the CSTO Joint Staff Colonel-General Anatoly Sidorov said that 400 militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorist organization were…
REGIONAL NEWS
Uzbek President Calls for Constructive Contact With Kabul
By Farshad Daryosh – TOLOnews
Speaking at the 22nd summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the president of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, said his country stands for peace and stability in Afghanistan.
Officials: Over 50,000 Afghans Deported from Iran in Past Month
By TOLO News
According to ministry officials, the acting Afghan minister and the Iranian ambassador, Bahadur Aminian, discussed the situation of Afghan refugees on…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
U.S. in Talks With Suriname to Take Afghans Stranded in Kosovo
By Jessica Donati – The Washington Post
American officials are in talks to send the remaining Afghans held at a U.S. base in Kosovo to the tiny South American nation of Suriname, after they failed to meet entry requirements for admission to the U.S., according to people familiar with the discussions.
IRC welcomes US decision to move Afghan assets to Swiss-based trust
By IRC
The IRC welcomes the Biden Administration’s decision to move $3.5 billion Afghan assets into a Swiss-based trust, which will allow funding to be used to stabilize…
THE DAILY WTF
Taliban Rebuke US for Afghan Assets' Transfer to Swiss-Based Trust Fund
By Ayaz Gul – VOA
Afghanistan’s Taliban Friday denounced the U.S. decision to transfer $3.5 billion in Afghan central bank reserves to a Swiss-based trust fund, declaring it an…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 88.32 AFN (as of 17 SEP 2022)