[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS- COUNTER ISIS-K SECURITY OPERATIONS IN KABUL – Taliban security forces appear to have conducted two counter-terrorism operations in Kabul on Saturday. Both operations reportedly targeted ISIS-K cells. The first operation was conducted in Police District 12 and an ISIS-K leader, Asad Laghmani, was reportedly killed in a raid on a suspected safe house. Laghmani is thought to have planned the attack on the Ministry of the Interior Mosque several months ago. The second operation appears to have targeted a safe house in Police District 5 and began when Taliban forces used a ‘barrel mine’ to breach the building. The only reported casualty so far has been Laghmani but sources say several other ISIS-K personnel were killed and the body count is expected to rise as more information is made available. A source present for the first operation claims a satellite phone (Iridium 9575 model) was found in the house and the call logs were intact. Such information could shed light on the potential external support ISIS-K has been receiving.
- TALIBAN REPAIR APPROXIMATELY 300 MILITARY VEHICLES – The Taliban Ministry of Defense reported that 300 vehicles that had been sabotaged by US forces prior to the retreat from Afghanistan had been repaired and were being sent to select military districts. The repairs were conducted by the 205th Al Badar Corps. Attrition among the vehicles used by the Taliban has been high and a source in the Ministry of Defense said that leaders are concerned by a lack of bench stock parts (alternators/generators and electrical components in particular). The source went on to say that efforts to procure replacement parts had not been successful and a plan to manufacture the parts in Afghanistan had been on the table for nearly a year but had not been acted upon.
- ISLAMIC SCHOLAR BEHEADED IN JAWZJAN PROVINCE – Reportedly, the incident took place on Friday in the village of Qarqin. The man’s name was said to be Abdul Wadood and is said to have been the son of a senior Commander under Marshal Dostum. This information has not been confirmed yet but is being reported on several news and social media sites.
- AFGHAN CHILDREN SENT TO GERMANY FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT RETURN OVER WEEKEND – 50 children who had been sent to Germany for medical treatment last year returned to Afghanistan this weekend. The children required treatment for a variety of conditions and a second return flight is scheduled for next month. The children had been medically evacuated by the German Peace Village Foundation.
- FORMER PRESIDENT KARZAI MEETS WITH MEMBERS OF FORMER REGIME IN LONDON – The BBC has reported on a meeting in London between the former President and several elected and cabinet officials from the former regime in London to discuss engagement strategies for the Taliban.
CONFLICT TRACKER
Kabul: Taliban security forces raided a reputed ISIS-K safe house in Police District 12. The Taliban released updates on the operation in a series of tweets, claiming to have killed Asad Laghmani (codename QAIS) in the operation. Laghmani is suspected of planning the attack on the Ministry of the Inferior Mosque some months ago.
Kabul: Taliban security forces employed a ‘barrel mine’ to breach a suspected ISIS-K home in Police District 5 on Saturday evening (1730hrs local). Automatic weapons fire was reported for nearly 1.5hrs from the beginning of the clash. No reports of casualties have been received.
NEXT 24 HOURS
- MORE SECURITY OPERATIONS POSSIBLE – The Taliban is enjoying a string of successes against ISIS-K over the past few months and it is possible that another operation(s) could be launched soon. Based on the precise nature of the counter-terrorism operations in 2023, the Taliban appear to have gotten much better at intelligence gathering. In many instances, the locations of the operations has been exact and the Taliban typically come away from the operations with computers, phones, and/or prisoners. They have learned to conduct effective surveillance operations and many analysts believe the Taliban may have penetrated ISIS-K and have used a network to target the group across the country. At-risk Afghans should be watchful of occupied vehicles that appear to loiter in areas they frequent. Concentrations of Taliban security vehicles with large troop contingents could also mean an operation is about to take place.
- PAKISTAN: PTI RALLY AT MINAR-I-PAKISTAN A POTENTIAL FLASHPOINT – Police have been busy in Lahore as they station shipping containers and commandeer trucks to block routes to the Minar-i-Pakistan location. Truck drivers have been ordered to park their trucks along thoroughfares and have been told to remain until noon today. Internet services have been down across much of the city in a presumed attempt to disrupt the rally. The former PM claimed several times on Saturday that the rally would be the largest in the history of the country and has promised to divulge his plan to retake the country. Police in Punjab issued a threat stating that ‘Hostile Intelligence Agencies” were planning to take action against the rally in order to destabilize the country. They say that intercepted messages to the terrorist group, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar asked Commander Mukarram Khurasani to “Cause instability in the country by whatever means.” The threat alert also mentioned that terrorists might wear police uniforms. At-risk Afghans in Lahore are advised to shelter at home until the rally concludes and is dispersed as any incident could provoke general mayhem under such tense conditions.
Daily Evacuation Brief | March 25, 2023
[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
- TALIBAN FOREIGN MINISTER DELIVERS IMPASSIONED PLEA FOR RECOGNITION – Amir Khan Muttaqi, the acting Foreign Minister for the Taliban published an article in Al Jazeera calling on the world to recognize the Taliban as the rightful government and to give Afghanistan a seat at the table. The Foreign Minister used a remarkably persuasive tone in his message and sought to assure the region/international community of the regime’s intentions. He laid the blame for the economic crisis on the US-imposed sanctions and urged leaders to release the frozen funds so they could be used to ameliorate problems for the citizenry. However, he employed misdirection when discussing the issues facing minorities and women in the country. While the article illustrates the Foreign Minister is evolving as a statesman, it is unlikely to move many to shift their positions in regard to dealing with the Taliban. Certainly not while half the population has been muzzled and disenfranchised (women) and the minority ethnic groups have no voice in governing the country.
- US/IRAN PROXY WAR IN SYRIA FLARES UP – 1 US citizen was killed and 6 military members were injured when Iranian-backed militias launched a drone attack on a coalition military base in Northern Syria on Thursday. The US responded with air strikes against 2 militia (rumored to be IRGC) facilities in Eastern Syria. Yesterday, US sources confirmed that 10 rockets were fired at the coalition ‘Green Village’ compound in Northeastern Syria. The rockets were far off target and at least one was said to have landed in an area where non-combatants were living and caused some injuries. Nearly 80 attacks against US installations in Syria have been recorded since 2021 but some observers are concerned that Iran is being prodded by Russia to ‘play tougher’ against the US. It is not clear if the latest attack will provoke another US response.
- PAKISTAN SECURITY FORCES CONTINUE ROUNDUP OF PTI ACTIVISTS – Punjab has been the most active Province during the crackdown and several senior party officials had their homes raided across the Province on Friday. While the leaders themselves were presumably ‘tipped off’ about the raids and were not home, some family members and other PTI loyalists were arrested in their stead. A spokesman for the PTI party announced that over 300 party members were currently being held by police. For its part, the Government adopted a reconciliatory tone and has called for a dialogue with party leaders to resolve differences and lower tensions across the country.
NEXT 24 HOURS
THREAT TO MOSQUES CONTINUES – While the reported threat of an ISIS-K action against a Shia Mosque did not materialize on Friday, a social media account affiliated with ISIS-K reiterated a similar threat in Balkh Province on Friday afternoon. The general threat warned worshipers they would be targeted if they chose to worship in Mosques deemed ‘friendly’ to the Taliban. No specifics were mentioned but our assessment is that Mosques will continue to be a priority target for ISIS-K throughout Ramadan.