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Daily Evacuation Brief December 27, 2022
[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS
- TALIBAN POLICE CHIEF KILLED IN ISIS-K BOMB ATTACK IN BADAKHSHAN – Abdullah Abu Omar, the regional police chief, and 2 of his bodyguards were killed when his vehicle was targeted by a roadside bomb blast on Monday. The blast occurred near the police headquarters in Faizabad. Taliban authorities claimed that 4 individuals had been arrested in connection with the bombing. Omar is considered to be the highest-ranking Taliban official to have been killed since the Taliban took power in the country. ISIS-K claimed credit for the attack while an NRF spokesman attributed the incident to inter-Taliban conflict. Sources at the Ministry of the Interior said the report had shocked several ministry leaders as reinforcements had been dispatched to Faizabad over the previous three months and several security upgrades had been made to Taliban administrative offices in the city.
- 40 TALIBAN LEADERS SEND LETTER TO SUPREME LEADER ASKING TO REVERSE BAN ON WOMEN’S EDUCATION – Several influential Taliban leaders have sent a letter to Mullah Haibatullah Ankhundzada in Kandahar, asking him to consider reversing bans on the following:
- Allow women to pursue University educations
- Allow women to work
- Allow girls to attend schools from grades 7-12
- A source close to the advisory group of the Supreme Leader claims Hibatullah dismissed the letter and reportedly claimed the Taliban leaders were being influenced by ‘foreign elements’. Several reports have been received stating that Pakistan’s intelligence service (the ISI) has been involved in mediating some sort of settlement between the Kabul and Kandahar camps and we assess that this cooperation is what Hibatullah is referring to. As the war of words continues to escalate and Hibatullah and his advisors remain entrenched in their beliefs, it seems likely the two most powerful Ministers (Yaqoub and Haqqani) will be forced to take action.
- KABUL RESIDENTS SAY POWER OUTAGES CONTINUE – While a new power importation agreement with Turkmenistan is in the works, residents of the capital continue to bemoan the daily blackouts they face. The power distribution lines from Uzbekistan continue to frustrate the national power company (Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat - DABS) and a 50% reduction has been noted since November. Both Uzbekistan and Tajikistan have stated publicly that power exports would be curbed to satisfy unanticipated domestic demand. However, it is not clear if these statements are affecting exports to Afghanistan. Currently, DABS says it is supplying 3 hours of power per day and 3 hours at night to residential customers while factories receive 10 hours. Local residents dispute these numbers though. The Turkmen power deal is not expected to impact Afghanistan until well into 2023.
CONFLICT TRACKER
Baghlan: In a continuation of Sunday’s clashes, Taliban forces attacked National Resistance Front (NRF) in the Andarab district and successfully killed prominent Resistance commander Khair Mohammad Andrabi. The attacks began late yesterday evening against three NRF positions near Taghanak, Khej, and Bagh Dara. It is believed that one of the positions was overrun, but the other two repelled the Taliban attackers. There have been reports of casualties on both sides, but an accurate figure has not yet been reported. Some reports indicated Resistance forces ran out if ammunition during the engagement, lending credence to rumours that the NRF is dealing with logistical issues.
NEXT 24 HOURS
MORE PAKISTAN AIRCRAFT/DRONES REPORTED OVER DURAND LINE – While drones have been filmed flying along the border in the vicinity of the Durand Line since the artillery exchanges earlier this month, manned aircraft have not been reported. Over the last twenty-four hours, several sorties were made by Pakistani fighter/bomber aircraft. The planes reportedly made their flights well inside Pakistan’s territory and a source in the Pakistani Army could not elaborate on if the flights were intended to elicit a response from the Taliban or the TTP.
Posted by: trailing wife 2022-12-27 |
