Daily Evacuation Brief | September 14, 2023
[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
- TALIBAN WELCOME NEW CHINESE AMBASSADOR – Taliban officials put on quite a show welcoming the newly appointed Ambassador, Zhao Sheng, in Kabul. Statements from the various Taliban leaders in attendance indicated they believed the Ambassador’s appointment was a sign that eventual recognition could be forthcoming. China’s Foreign Ministry appeared to downplay the event and released a statement that highlighted that its Ambassador was arriving on a normally scheduled rotation.
- MOSCOW FORMAT SUMMIT ON AFGHANISTAN SET FOR 29 SEP – Russia announced that the body intends to meet in Kazan (Russia) and that Taliban representatives will be invited. There is an unconfirmed rumor that representatives of the former regime and possibly from the Resistance may also be invited to the event.
- US ENVOY REITERATES CONDITIONS TALIBAN MUST RECTIFY BEFORE RECOGNITION COULD BE DISCUSSED – Thomas West, the US special representative for Afghanistan spoke at an event on Tuesday and spelled out the main problems barring any normalization of relations with the de facto regime. West emphasized that the US is not leading the group that will ultimately decide if the Taliban is recognized or not. The conditions have not changed and basically boil down to not providing a safe haven for terrorism, forming an inclusive government, and repealing the policies regarding women.
- EMBATTLED BRITISH MP RESIGNS COMMITTEE POSITION OVER CONTROVERSIAL AFGHANISTAN COMMENTS – MP Tobias Ellwood announced he was resigning his chairmanship of the Defence Committee in the House of Commons. Ellwood came under fire for comments he made in a video he posted in July which lauded the Taliban’s ‘transformation’ of the country. Political insiders in London say his resignation was made to preempt a plan to oust him forcibly from the position today.
- TORKHAM GATE CLOSED FOR 8TH DAY – Some locals claimed the impasse may be an economic ploy on the part of Pakistan to reduce the value of agricultural products. Whether this claim has any merit is up for debate but the financial losses for the transport and agricultural sector are mounting. Taliban officials with the Department of Information and Culture of Nangarhar said they expect the border to reopen soon.
NEXT 24 HOURS
ALL EYES ON IRAN – Protests and demonstrations are expected as the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini approaches (16 September). Tehran has been rounding up protestors, students, journalists, and professors over the last four weeks. Many observers say that anti-regime groups have spent the year planning for mass demonstrations against the regime and are anticipating fierce opposition from police, military, and paramilitary forces. Iranian forces have dispatched additional troops to guard power distribution infrastructure and other critical assets in anticipation of civil disobedience. It is not clear when potential protests could begin but international aid organizations, foreign businesses, and diplomatic posts are urging their employees to exercise caution and be prepared to stay home in the event trouble breaks out. At-risk Afghans in Iran are urged to stockpile food and water if at all possible and to charge their communications devices.
Daily Evacuation Brief September 13, 2023
[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
- TTP COMMANDER REPORTEDLY KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN – Badshah Khan, a senior Commander of the TTP and a confidant of the leader of the TTP was killed in an IED blast in Paktia Province, Afghanistan yesterday. Few details are known about the incident but Khan has long been wanted in Pakistan for several terrorist attacks targeting police and military forces. A source in Kabul said the Taliban are concerned that Pakistan may be behind the assassination and that it signals that more cross-border actions could be in the offing. In addition, the source said that some in the Ministry of the Interior are concerned that TTP loyalists in Afghanistan may read the assassination as a sign the Taliban was ‘offering up’ TTP targets to appease Islamabad. The source said that either proposition puts Kabul/Kandahar in a difficult position.
- TORKHAM SAGA DRAGS ON – The Torkham border crossing has now been closed for a week and commercial traffic is being turned back on the Pakistani side. Many trucks laden with durable goods remain backed up in the hopes the crossing will reopen. It is not clear if negotiations are continuing between Islamabad and Kabul. Nor is it clear how much longer the impasse will continue.
- WOMEN ACTIVISTS IN GERMANY END HUNGER STRIKE – Several Afghan women who had launched a 12-day hunger strike to protest the Taliban regime’s policies regarding women have announced they had concluded the strike. The group intends to continue resisting the regime through other methods. The women decided to quit the campaign after friends, family, and supporters requested they do so.
- SETTLEMENT NEAR IN CASE ABOUT AFGHAN ASYLUM SEEKERS IN THE US – A US District Judge in Northern California could approve a massive settlement that will affect approximately 20,000 asylum seekers from Afghanistan who came to the US under the auspices of the Operation Allies Welcome program. Once approved, the settlement will force the US Department of Homeland Security and the US Citizenship and Immigration Service to adjudicate applications that have been languishing over a scheduled period. More information about the deal can be found HERE.
CONFLICT TRACKER
Paktia: The senior TTP commander, Badshah Khan, was killed in an IED blast in an undisclosed location within Paktia province yesterday. No group has claimed credit for the assassination.
NEXT 24 HOURS: No Threats Reported