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Afghanistan

Daily Evacuation Brief April 8 - 10, 2023

2023-04-10

[AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS MORE FIGHTING ERUPTS IN NIMRUZ – A home that purportedly housed an ISIS-K cell operating in Zaranj was targeted on Sunday morning by Taliban security forces. The clash lasted between 30-60 minutes and both heavy and light weapons were employed. 2 suspected ISIS-K fighters were killed and 1 was taken prisoner by the Taliban. Unlike earlier clashes, local sources indicated those targeted were indeed members of ISIS-K. PASSPORT DIRECTORATE SAYS IT IS WORKING TO MAKE DISTRIBUTION EASIER – Noorullah Patman, a spokesman for the new Directorate, says the goal is to increase the daily quota of passports being issued to 15,000. Currently, the Directorate says it is issuing 8-10,000 passports per day. The Directorate also says it has assisted in the arrests of over 200 people who were fraudulently issuing passports in a corrupt scheme (these arrests have been verified by sources familiar with the situation). One of the main concerns voiced by those applying for passports is the limited number of banks authorized to accept payment for travel documents. The lines are extremely long for the process and the Directorate spokesman said they are working to authorize select private banks to process the payments. HERAT BANS FOREIGN FILMS AND MUSIC FROM BEING SOLD – The Ministry of Vice and Virtue announced that non-Islamic materials can no longer be sold in shops across the Province. Aziz Rahman Mahajar, the head of the Ministry in the Province claimed that much of the banned material violated the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Islam and was no longer allowed to be sold. The ban has been in effect for 11 days and shopkeepers have reported heavy financial losses as a result of the ban. MASS ENROLLMENT OF TALIBAN APPROVED – The Minister for Education and Prime Minister has approved a plan that allows Taliban fighters who have fought as mujahadeen over the last two decades to be enrolled in the 12th grade of local schools. First, they must pass an exam and once they pass, they will be admitted to the 12th-grade classes at local high schools and can complete their studies. Upon graduation, they will receive the 12th-grade certificate required to continue their education or apply for government positions. GALLUP POLL OF MUSLIM COUNTRIES SHOWS MOST ARE SKEPTICAL OF US INTENTIONS – A survey implemented by Gallup was distributed in 13 Muslim countries. The poll sought to ascertain people’s perception of US intentions to encourage democracies in countries around the world. Majorities of those surveyed in 11 of the 13 countries expressed skepticism. Only 14% of those surveyed in Afghanistan believe the US truly supported democracy in the country. CONFLICT TRACKER Nimruz: Taliban security forces besieged a suspected ISIS hideout in Zaranj on Sunday morning. The fighting lasted for approximately an hour. 2 ISIS-K terrorists were killed and 1 was captured. No additional casualties were reported. NEXT 24 HOURS PAKISTAN’S COUNTER-TERRORISM OPERATIONS APPEAR TO BE REAL – Major counter-terror operations were launched across many of the Provinces in the country since the announcement of the new ‘all-agency’ approach. A source in Rawalpindi says the Army and Police have been given more latitude to conduct operations without approval from the intelligence service (ISI). The source said the week ahead is likely to see several operations in North/South Waziristan and Baluchistan. A source in Islamabad says that private polling of citizens in areas most affected by terror groups is overwhelmingly supportive of the new initiative. At-risk Afghans residing in Pakistan do not seem to be the focal point for these operations but should continue to remain situationally aware and follow social media groups made up of the diaspora and expatriate communities. These groups often have accurate and timely reporting on potential threats and have been helpful in alerting at-risk Afghans to potential threats. Daily Evacuation Brief | April 9, 2023 [AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS CRACKS APPEAR IN THE NRF – Unconfirmed rumors began circulating last week about possible dissatisfaction in the ranks with Ahmad Massoud’s leadership of the largest Resistance group. Some say he is subjected to constant criticism by many senior leaders from the previous regime who are living in exile over his youth and relative inexperience with strategy and tactics. Apparently, this criticism may have seeped into the NRF rank and file. It is not clear if these sentiments are widely shared or only held by those who may have loyalties to the exiled leaders. Regardless, several online news sources claim the group’s spokesperson, Sibghatullah Ahmadi, was asked to resign on Saturday and that he no longer represents the organization. We assess that the rumors concerning a potential loss of confidence in the leadership do not express the sentiment of the majority of the NRF fighters. However, based on the numerous posts of support that have emerged online, we do believe there are factions who do question the current status quo. UNIFORM RULES RELEASED BY MINISTRY OF EDUCATION FEED HOPES FOR FEMALE STUDENTS – The recently released draft that outlines the uniform requirements for students attending schools included dress codes for both boys and girls. Local news outlets say that sources familiar with the situation are confident that girls will be allowed to go to school eventually and that is why the codes were included. The report has been circulated widely on social media and is fueling hopes that a reversal of the bans could be in the works. AFGHAN MAN BREAKS INTO THE PAKISTANI PM’S HOME, IS ARRESTED – Reputedly, an Afghan citizen has been arrested and turned over to the Counter Terrorism Directorate after being apprehended in Prime Minister Sharif’s residence on Saturday. Security officials responsible for protecting the Prime Minister were attempting to determine how the man gained entry to the premises. It is not clear what the man’s intentions were and he is currently being questioned in an undisclosed location. 2 PAKISTANI SOLDIERS KILLED IN IED BLAST IN KP – The incident occurred in the Bara Tehsil District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday. The IED was triggered as the patrol vehicle passed its location. A response team arrived shortly after the blast but no arrests were made and no group claimed credit for the attack. NEXT 24 HOURS COUNTER-TERRORISM OPERATIONS PLANNED FOR 2 PROVINCES IN PAKISTAN TODAY – Pakistan’s Security Forces are prepared to launch counter-terrorism operations in both North Waziristan and Baluchistan in the next twenty-four hours. Surveillance and intelligence sources have reputedly identified two houses in each Province that are suspected of housing militants of TTP (Waziristan) and BLM (Baluchistan). We assess the threat to at-risk Afghans in Pakistan from these templated operations to be low. Daily Evacuation Brief | April 8, 2023 [AfghanDigest] LAST 24 HOURS BOMB BLAST REPORTED BY IRANIAN MEDIA DEEMED ‘FAKE NEWS’ – The Mehr News Agency referenced a report, purportedly made by The Kabul Times on its Telegram channel, about a massive blast at the Grand Mosque in Kandahar. The report went on to say that several senior Taliban figures were in the Mosque when the blast struck. The reports have since been discredited and eyewitnesses in Kandahar say no such event took place. PAKISTAN’S NEW ANTI-TERROR OFFENSIVE HAS BEGUN – Pakistan’s National Security Committee announced it had launched a comprehensive counter-terror operation that involves nearly every sector of the federal government. The goal is to rid the country of terror groups. Many in the government have blamed a soft-touch approach with TTP that was reputedly spearheaded by the intelligence services for the chaos that has crippled the country. Based on the press release, it appears that security forces have been ordered to adopt a much more aggressive approach to dealing with militant groups. A primary focus of the new strategy will be to break the bond that has formed between Baluchistan separatists and the TTP. THE ORGANIZATION OF ISLAMIC COOPERATION WEIGHS IN ON FEMALE WORKERS BAN – Leaders of the OIC called on the Taliban to take a fresh look at the ban on female aid workers. The OIC said the ban is counterproductive and will have negative effects on the citizens of Afghanistan. WASHINGTON ‘BLAME GAME’ IN FULL SWING – First the Republican-led House launched an inquiry into the US’s involvement in Afghanistan. Now, the Biden administration has released a report that claims to have determined what led up to the disastrous departure of US and partner forces. Both of these efforts are heavily influenced by politics and both are attempting to simultaneously deflect/assign blame. While other nations have announced similar efforts to try and understand what mistakes were made, they lack the back-alley switchblade panache of the US political circus the world is currently witnessing. Ultimately, the accusations and counter-accusations are likely to be unproductive and certainly won’t help those at-risk Afghans who are struggling to survive. One would hope that these US ‘leaders’ could put the knives away and focus on ameliorating the problems for those they called allies for nearly 20 years. CONFLICT TRACKER Parwan: Taliban security forces from Police District 1 conducted a raid on a suspected ISIS-K building near Shhrak-e Mu’alimin in Charikar City. 1 ISIS-K terrorist was reportedly killed in the operation. 3 women and 7 children were reportedly detained. NEXT 24 HOURS PAKISTAN’S NEW STRATEGY AGAINST TERROR TO BEGIN – While we have no specific details about potential counter-terrorism operations in Pakistan, we assume the government would not have made the announcement without having an operation or two prepared to launch. We do not assess any direct threat to at-risk Afghans sheltering in Pakistan but feel obliged to mention that operations are likely.

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India-Pakistan

Explosion kills two FC personnel

2013-07-20

BARA: Two Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were killed on Friday in a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) blast in Akakhel area of Bara Tehsil of Khyber Agency. According to FC officials, the patrolling party was hit by a roadside IED in the area, killing two FC personnel on the spot. Security officers cordoned off the area and started investigation into the incident. Nobody claimed responsibility but terrorists militants have carried out several attacks in the area.

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India-Pakistan

Six terrorists killed in Bara operation

2013-07-20

KHYBER AGENCY: At least six militants were killed and five others injured in security forces’ operation in Akkakhel area of Bara Tehsil, Khyber Agency on Friday. As per media reports, the security forces conducted operation against terrorists by gunship helicopters. Helicopters pounded their hideouts and destroyed number of hideouts in the strikes. It is pertinent to mention here that the area also has a network of caves, training camps, ammunition dumps and private jails.

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India-Pakistan

At least ten suspected militants killed as Pakistan air force strikes hideouts

2013-07-15

[Dawn] At least ten suspected snuffies were killed and 12 others injured as Pak jet fighters targeted nine snuffies hideouts in Khyber tribal region and Darra Adam Khel. Official sources say that the jet fighters struck the snuffies hideous in Akakhel area of Bara Tehsil in Khyber tribal region destroying at least three of their secret bases while five alleged snuffies were killed and six others injured. Separately in other strikes carried out by the military jets in Kharmatong, Mansoor Sangar, Zawao Adda and Khawngai area of Dara Adam Khel region, six snuffies hideouts were destroyed. The corpse count could not be independently verified as access of media is restricted in the region. Pak military officials believe mountains linking the Orakzai, Khyber and Kurram tribal areas are one of the main strongholds for the Taliban-linked snuffies in Pakistain. Another senior military official in the northwestern frontier city of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. confirmed that air strikes had taken place "somewhere between Orakzai and Khyber". Many Taliban and their al Qaeda allies fled Afghanistan to Pakistain's tribal areas after the US invasion in 2001. They retreated even deeper into the mountains following a Pakistain army offensive in 2009, launching attacks from places where ground forces cannot reach them. In another unrelated incident a FC vehicle met with an accident in Charsadda area of Khyber Pahktunkhwa killing one FC person and injuring 24 others. The victims were rushed to a nearby hospital.

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India-Pakistan

FC commandant Bara Tehsil replaced over tribesmen killings

2013-01-19

[Dawn] Commandant Frontier Corps Bara, Col Jawad Zia has reportedly been removed from his position and a new commandant for the force has been deployed in Bara Tehsil of Khyber Agency, official sources said. The development comes after continuing pressure and protests from the Bara rustics, elders and parliamentarians over the killings of 18 rustics in Alamgudar area. "Col Naeem Sarwar has taken over charge as the new commandant of the force in Bara in place of Col Jawad Zia who has been relieved of his duties," official sources said. The Frontier Corps sources, however said that postings and transfers are routine affairs and Col Jawad Zia has been reposted as per routine. "It has nothing to do with the killings of the rustics, security forces do not kill innocent people, but the bully boyz might have been behind the incident," sources said. "Col Jawad is still in Bara and has not been posted anywhere else, but yes he has been relieved of his present posting as Commandant FC Bara," the FC sources said. Speaking to Dawn.Com, Member National Assembly from Bara, Hamidullah Jan Afridi, said that the Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... should order an impartial inquiry into the killing of innocent people and punish security personnel responsible for it. "We are not saying it's an institutional blunder, but it's a personal folly which needs to be rectified. Those responsible should be punished to restore the confidence of rustics in Khyber Agency," said Hamidullah Jan. "The mishap, if it happened, needs to be put right instead of being put underneath the carpet," he said. "The security forces are sons of the soil and the rustics hold them in high esteem, but they are human and faults need to be rectified," said Jan. Security officials say Lashkhar-e-Islam bully boyz fire mortars and rockets at security personnel and civilian populations which results in civilian casualties. Earlier in the day, the funeral prayers in absentia, of the 18 people killed was offered at Bagh-e-Naran. Tribal elders, people from different walks of life and the former Fata parliamentarians attended. Protests against the killings and demand for an independent inquiry continued for a third day as the JUI-F and JI staged rallies and demos across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... and Fata. The KP assembly on Friday demanded the federal government hold an inquiry into the killing of the rustics. The issue was raised in the house by MPA Saqibullah Khan Chamkani of ANP who strongly condemned the baton charging of protesting rustics outside Governor House. He demanded that a judicial inquiry be conducted into the killings so that the culprits be exposed. All roads entering Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. from Khyber Agency were blocked since Friday morning to stop tribal protestors from entering the city. The Governor House was completely sealed and traffic on the main Sher Shah Suri Road remained suspended till evening. The road had been blocked with barbed wires and containers.

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India-Pakistan

Three policemen injured in Swabi grenade attack

2013-01-09

[Dawn] Three coppers were maimed in a grenade attack on their van while patrolling the area on Swabi-Mardan road near Al-Falah link road on Tuesday. All injured were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital Swabi. The unknown attackers fled from the scene after the attack taking advantage of the low visibility conditions in the area. In an unrelated incident the slaughtered body of a Sikh man was found in Chora area of Jamrud Tehsil in Khyber tribal region. The killers left a chit on the body claiming that the victim was killed due to his involvement in spying activities for the banned religious outfit, Lashkar-e-Islam. The dear departed was a resident of Bara and a practitioner of herbal medicine, who was kidnapped a few days earlier from Tirah valley in Khyber tribal region's Bara Tehsil. Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. , the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... , situated between Khyber and Orakzai Agency ... crawling with holy men, home to Darra Adam Khel, the world's largest illegal arms bazaar. 14 distinct tribes of beturbanned primitives inhabit Orakzai agency's 1500 or so square kilometers... is home to the largest Sikh population in the country.

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India-Pakistan

Ten militants killed as jets pound Tirah Valley

2012-11-02

[Dawn] Ten gunnies were killed and six injured Thursday as gunship helicopters and jet fighters pounded bad boy hideouts in the remote Tirah Valley in Khyber Agency’s Bara Tehsil, security officials said. The officials said that security forces had also destroyed the house of a bad boy commander while a mortar shell hitting a house injured eight civilians also in Bara. Sources added that gunship helicopters struck myrmidons in Sairi village of Tirah, destroying four of their bases and killing ten bad boys. Six were also said to be injured. The security forces claims, however, could not be verified form an independent source, the area being inaccessible to news hounds because of a lack of telecommunication links Meanwhile, ...back at the pool hall, Peoria Slim had found another sucker... security forces also blew up the house of a bad boy commander known as Javed belonging to the outlawed Lashkar-e-Islam in the Nala Kajori area of Bara. In another incident a mortar shell hit a house in Malakdin Khel area of Bara, injuring eight members of a family. It was unclear whether the shell was fired by gunnies or security forces. Khyber is one of Pakistain’s seven tribal districts near the Afghan border which are rife with homegrown forces of Evil and are alleged to be strongholds of Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives.

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India-Pakistan

Helicopters pound militant hideouts in Khyber; 10 killed

2012-10-30

[Dawn] At least ten suspected cut-throats were killed and six others injured Monday when Pak gunship helicopters pounded suspected bully boy hideouts in Bara Tehsil of Pakistain’s restive Khyber tribal region, officials said. The assault followed an earlier clash in the Akakhel area of Bara Tehsil which had left one soldier dead and three injured, the officials added. According to the officials, armed cut-throats ambushed a security convoy leading to a deadly clash between the cut-throats and security forces. The clash resulted in the death of a soldier while thee others were maimed. Following the clash, security forces assisted by gunship helicopters targeted bully boy hideouts in Akakhel area, killing ten cut-throats and injuring six others, the official sources said. Officials said security forces also destroyed four bully boy bases and claimed to have cooled for a few years Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! 15 suspects as the offensive continued. Meanwhile, ...back at the alley, Slats Chumbaloni was staring into a hole that was just .45 inch in diameter and was less than three feet from his face ... another soldier was also killed in a road side bomb kaboom in Tehsil Bara’s Shalobar area during a search operation, the officials added. The reports could not be independently verified as journalists have limited access to Pakistain’s remote tribal areas. Khyber is among Pakistain’s seven tribal districts near the Afghan border which are rife with homegrown Orcs and similar vermin and are alleged to be strongholds of Taliban and Al Qaeda operatives.

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India-Pakistan

Ten injured in Landikotal shelling

2012-08-23

LANDIKOTAL: At least 10 people, including children and women, got injured in mortar shelling in Shalobar area of Bara Tehsil. According to details, a mortar shell, fired from unidentified location, landed in a house at Shalobar, which seriously wounded 10 people, including children and women, local sources said. It could not be ascertained who fired and where the mortar shell came from, sources added. Shah Jehan Afridi, a spokesman of FATA Jamaat-e-Islami, strongly condemned the mortar shelling. He asked the government to take notice of the blind shelling of the mortars in Bara that has recently forced most of the people to flee Bara.

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India-Pakistan

Two Amn Lashkar members killed in Khyber

2012-08-12

KHYBER AGENCY: Terrorists of a banned outfit shot dead two activists of Amn Lashkar (peace militia) in Bara Tehsil of Khyber Agency, officials said on Saturday. According to sources, an armed clash occurred between a banned terrorist outfit and Amn Lashkar when the terrorist outfit attacked the Amn Lashkar’s compound. Resultantly, two members died on the spot, sources said. A terrorist was also shot dead in the crossfire, sources added.

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India-Pakistan

Taliban regrouping in Peshawar, Fata, says Iftikhar

2012-03-15

Wonderful things are happening in Pakistan, or so we are here told. [Dawn] Pak Taliban were regrouping in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar and tribal areas to counter the impact of the security forces' crackdown on them, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain said here on Tuesday. During the Khyber Union of Journalists and Peshawar Press Club oath-taking ceremony at the Chief Minister's House here, the minister said the talks between US and Afghan Taliban had led to a deep split within the Pak Taliban. "The growing desire among Pak Taliban for holding talks with the government has created serious differences among the terror outfit. Due to these differences, the Taliban leadership recently sacked their front man, Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, for openly supporting the idea of dialogue with the government," he said. Mr Iftikhar urged Pakistain, Afghanistan and the US to form a joint team for meaningful dialogue with Taliban leaders to achieve desired goals of peace in the region. "The experience of holding talks with Taliban separately by Pakistain, Afghanistan and the US miserably failed in the past. Even the recent US efforts to gain positive outcome from the Qatar moot is not going to deliver the goods," he said. The minister said the only way out to restore peace in the region lied in holding joint dialogue by Pakistain, Afghanistan and the US with the Taliban and that if it failed, then effective action had to be taken to eliminate them completely. "We have faced them and rooted them out and will continue doing so," he said. Mr Iftikhar said the recent Peshawar kaboom was a reaction of operations in Orakzai Agency ... crawling with holy men, home to Darra Adam Khel, the world's largest illegal arms bazaar. 14 distinct tribes of beturbanned primitives inhabit Orakzai agency's 1500 or so square kilometers... and Darra Adamkhel and Bara Tehsil of Khyber Agency, where security forces cleared many strategic areas. He said sectarianism was another reason of terrorist acts in the thriving provincial capital. He said Orcs and similar vermin wouldn't be unable to continue with acts of terrorism due to the government's effective plan to crack down on them. The minister said there should be no good and bad Taliban and they all should be eliminated without discrimination to save the country. He said no segment of the society had beat feet from the Taliban's actions and therefore, the society should take them head on. He said the government had planned to take action against Death Eaters in tribal and settled areas simultaneously by giving powers of supervision to the relevant commissioners. Mr Iftikhar said in the past whenever political administrations of tribal areas initiated action, Orcs and similar vermin fled to settled areas of the province but they won't be able to escape anymore. He said the government had hit anti-state elements hard and the war against them would continue until their complete elimination. He said the issue needed to be resolved on permanent basis. Meanwhile, ...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter awoke groggily, his hand still stuck in the Ming vase... the information minister told news hounds here that Awami National Party was a coalition partner of Pakistain People's Party and would continue supporting its leader President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... He said ANP would always remember the way in which President Zardari supported ANP over the last four years, especially during difficult times. The minister said his party had supported PPP and Zardari 'honestly and unconditionally' and would continue doing so. He said the ANP-PPP coalition government would complete its five years term in office. He, however, said the next general elections would be held at an appropriate time. Mr Iftikhar said the provincial government always wanted to hold local government elections but security situation didn't let it do it. He said since the law and order situation had improved, local government elections would be held ahead of general elections.

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India-Pakistan

Four security men injured in Bara blast

2011-03-19

[Pak Daily Times] Four security personnel were maimed when their convoy was targeted with a remote-controlled bomb in the Bara Tehsil on Friday. The official sources said that the security forces' convoy, which was moving from Jansi area to Bara Hayatabad was targeted at the Qambar Khel area with a roadside kaboom. Four security officials were maimed in the blast. The injured were taken to a nearby hospital. After the incident, the security forces cordoned off the area and started a search operation to arrest the culprits involved in the blast.

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