Daily Evacuation Brief | September 14, 2022
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LAST 24 HOURS
PROTESTS FOR GIRLS’ EDUCATION — Several hundred elders in Kandahar held a rally demanding that girls be allowed to return to school. Rallies such as these are taking place in other parts of the country and seem to be inspired by the recent reopenings of girls’ schools in Paktia province in defiance of the Taliban’s ban on education for girls above 6th grade.
NEW TALIBAN RECRUITS IN PANJSHIR — Responding to Taliban calls, hundreds of new Pashtun Taliban fighters have arrived in Panjshir in order to reinforce Taliban forces battling the Resistance. The Taliban have been desperate to recruit more fighters for the operation in Panjshir, but Uzbek and Tajik Taliban units (the primary ethnic united in the area) have rejected the call. Instead, the Taliban have been forced to draw more Pashtuns from Helmand and Kandahar. Sources estimate the latest contingent to arrive in Panjshir totaled approximately 350 new recruits with unknown combat experience. The Taliban claim to have killed 40 Resistance forces fighters over the previous 5 days of combat in Panjshir and say they have taken over 100 prisoners since offensive actions commenced. These numbers are being disputed by the NRF.
TALIBAN NOT INVITED TO KEY REGIONAL CONFERENCE — The Taliban are reportedly upset that they have yet to receive an invitation to the annual summit of the SCO Heads of State Council, which will be held in Uzbekistan on September 15-16. Apparently, SCO member states objected to the Taliban’s participation in the meetings due to a lack of international recognition, despite Afghanistan being an official observer. However, the economic, political, and security situation of Afghanistan will almost certainly be discussed among the 15 countries in attendance.
MORE RUMORS OF FUND RELEASE — The Intercept reaffirmed TRT World’s recent report that the US government will soon be announcing its intention to release the bulk of frozen Afghan assets to a Swiss bank. Reputedly, a source within the negotiations confirmed the news to the publication. The article claims that “The funds will be transferred to the Bank of International Settlements in Basel, Switzerland, and the U.S. will set up a trusteeship to oversee the disbursement of the money for the purposes of both monetary policy and humanitarian aid.” There has been no official confirmation yet.
INCREASED BORDER SECURITY — The Taliban established several new border security checkpoints along the Durand Line in Paktia, Paktika, Khost, and Logar provinces. The 203 Mansouri Corps is responsible for securing the border with Pakistan in the southeast of Afghanistan and has sent newly graduated Taliban fighters to man the outposts. The Taliban stressed that no new security threats are anticipated, and the moves are simply to reassure Afghans in the area.
PAKISTAN BORDER CLASH — Pakistan confirmed a cross-border clash had taken place along the border with Afghanistan (near the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Kurram district) that resulted in the deaths of 3 Pakistani military members. Pakistan says the incident involved a militant group who fired across the border into Pakistan. In a potentially related diplomatic move, Pakistan officially requested the Taliban arrest Maulana Masood Azhar, the reputed leader of the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JEM) organization. Pakistan has moved more troops to the border in the wake of the clashes, and the situation remains tense.
HIGH-RANKED TALIBAN KILLED IN PANJSHIR —
Several online outlets aligned with the Resistance are claiming the Panjshir special military commander’s deputy was killed during fighting around the Dara district on Monday evening.
The commander of the Taliban unit accused of executing 8 captured NRF prisoners on Sunday was reportedly killed by Resistance forces in Panjshir on Monday.
NEXT 24 HOURS
MORE FIGHTING IN PANJSHIR — Fighting is expected to continue in Panjshir over the next 24 hours, and the special military commander is expected to rush the newly arrived reinforcements into the battle line. Fighting will be heaviest in Dara. At-risk Afghans in the area or who are planning to travel in the area should proceed with extreme caution.
BORDER CLOSURE FEARS — The recent clashes on the border with Pakistan may cause the border to be closed in the coming days. At-risk Afghans planning to cross the border should remain situationally aware and check on the status of the crossings for the immediate future. Pakistani military reprisals in the form of air strikes on suspected militant hideouts may be in the offing.
SPOTLIGHT ANALYSIS
By Salman Rafi Sheikh – Himal Magazine
After fighting for over a decade, Pakistan and the banned militant organisation Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) reached an agreement on 2 June to hold an “indefinite” ceasefire. The agreement has been brokered by the Afghan Taliban, with Taliban interim Deputy Information Minister Zabihullah Mujahid saying that there are “bright chances” for these talks to ultimately succeed in ways that would end the war and integrate the TTP with Pakistan. Many similar agreements were penned with different militant factions in the past – including in 2004, 2006 and 2008, with peace talks being held in 2011, 2013 and 2014 – but none led to an end to the war.
AFGHAN NEWS
Is Afghanistan’s Long Civil War Really Over?
By Carter Malkasian – Foreign Affairs
And an even more pressing question looms over the country: Is the Afghan civil war that started in 1978 finally…
Taliban disagree with accusations of harassment of UN female staffers
By News AM
Taliban spokesman Bilal Karimi disagreed with U.N. accusations that Afghan female staffers are being harassed by the…
By ANI
Amid the ongoing crackdown on journalists in Afghanistan, another incident has come to light as a local journalist in the central province of Kapisa…
REGIONAL NEWS
Pakistan asks Afghanistan to arrest Maulana Masood Azhar
By Azaz Syed – The News
In an unusual development between Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Foreign Office has formally written a letter to Kabul asking them to locate, report, and arrest…
Three soldiers martyred as Pakistan asks Afghanistan to rein in terrorists
By Kamran Yousaf – The Express Tribune
Terrorists from across the border continue to pose security threat to Pakistan despite Afghan Taliban takeover and…
INTERNATIONAL NEWS RELATING TO AFGHANISTAN
EU envoy slams Taliban for human rights violations in Afghanistan, says it failed to uphold promises
By ANI
Special Envoy of the European Union for Afghanistan, Tomas Niklasson, on Monday raised his concerns over the surge in violations of human rights…
UNESCO to launch literacy program in 20 Afghan provinces
By Ariana News
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) plans to start a literacy program in 20 Afghan provinces, which will…
THE DAILY WTF
By Gabriel Debenedetti – Vanity Fair
Joe Biden bristled sometimes when he heard people talking about him like he was serving Barack Obama’s third…
Afghani to the Dollar: $1 – 88.21 AFN (as of 14 SEP 2022)