JezK

Edit File: 1660132156.M210057P192239.mocha3025.mochahost.com,S=17314,W=17641:2,S

Envelope-to: rohullah.azimi@jack.ngo
Delivery-date: Wed, 10 Aug 2022 07:49:16 -0400
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii
Date: Wed, 10 Aug 2022 11:48:35 +0000 (UTC)
From: INSO_AFG_CENTRAL_SA <sa.central@afg.ngosafety.org>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Message-ID: <ryKhm7wXR5mUQ4fZDMuC7A@geopod-ismtpd-5-0>
Subject: INSO REPORT =?UTF-8?B?4oCTIEFGRyDigJM=?= KABUL: Shutdown Of
 Telecommunications Network Poses Operational Risk To NGOs
To: Rohullah Azimi <rohullah.azimi@jack.ngo>

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC '-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Strict//EN' 'http://www.w3.org=
/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-strict.dtd'><html><body><head><meta name=3D'viewport'=
 content=3D'initial-scale=3D1.0'><title>Alert Update</title></head><body><c=
enter><table width=3D"580" style=3D" width: 580px;  border:1px solid #C1C2C=
4; margin: 0 auto; background: #fff; text-align: center; border-collapse: c=
ollapse;" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0">
=09
		<tr>
			<td style=3D"width: 100%; height: 27px; background-color: #5376b6; font-=
size: 7.5pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; color: white; vertical-align=
: middle; text-align: center;">
				This report is for the exclusive use of INSO partners and must not be s=
hared outside your organisation			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style=3D"text-align: left;">
				<table style=3D"width: 100%;" cellpadding=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0">
				=09
						<tr>
							<td style=3D"width: 38%;">
								<img src=3D"https://partners.ngosafety.org/assets/img/report.png"/>
							</td>
							<td style=3D"width: 62%">
								<div>
									<div><span style=3D"font-size:24.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0=
; padding: 0; font-family:'Arial', sans-serif; color:#5376b6">&nbsp;&nbsp;R=
EPORT</span></div>
									<div><span style=3D"font-size:10.0pt; font-weight: bold; margin: 0=
; padding: 0; font-family:'Arial', sans-serif; color:#182748">&nbsp;&nbsp;&=
nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;ATTENTION RECOMMENDED</span></div>
								</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
				=09
				</table>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style=3D"text-align: justify;">
				<table style=3D"width: 100%; border-top: 1px solid #C1C2C4;" cellpaddin=
g=3D"0" cellspacing=3D"0">
				=09
												<tr>
							<td width=3D"23%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"font-weight: bold; width:2=
3.52%; border:none; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; co=
lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">LOCATION=
</div>
							</td>
							<td width=3D"63%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"width:63.58%; font-size: 1=
2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 0 12.5px 0; border-bo=
ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">Afghanistan, Kabul Province, Ka=
bul City, Bagrami, Paghman, Dehsabz, Musayi Districts, Districtwide</div>		=
						</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
												<tr>
							<td width=3D"23%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"font-weight: bold; width:2=
3.52%; border:none; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; co=
lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">INCIDENT=
 TYPE</div>
							</td>
							<td width=3D"63%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"width:63.58%; font-size: 1=
2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 0 12.5px 0; border-bo=
ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								Shutdown Of Telecommunications Network								</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
												<tr>
							<td width=3D"23%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"font-weight: bold; width:2=
3.52%; border:none; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; co=
lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">DATE & T=
IME</div>
							</td>
							<td width=3D"63%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"width:63.58%; font-size: 1=
2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 0 12.5px 0; border-bo=
ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								08/08/2022 09:30								</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
												<tr>
							<td width=3D"23%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"font-weight: bold; width:2=
3.52%; border:none; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; co=
lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">INFORMAT=
ION</div>
							</td>
							<td width=3D"63%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"width:63.58%; font-size: 1=
2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 0 12.5px 0; border-bo=
ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">
<p>On 08 August, from approximately 0930 hrs onward, all telecommunications=
 networks across most parts of Kabul City shut down, preventing the use of =
mobile internet as well as placing of phone calls and sending SMS. Telecomm=
unication outages were also reported in the adjacent districts of Paghman, =
Dehsabz, Bagrami, and Musayi.<br /><br />The outage lasted for approximatel=
y 12 hours, with mobile services resuming in affected areas around 2100 hrs=
 on the same day. Fixed line connections, such as Wi-Fi internet, remained =
unaffected by the outage.<br /><br />In the aftermath of the outage, IEA of=
ficials confirmed that they had deliberately shut down mobile networks in o=
rder to improve public safety during Ashura Day commemoration events that t=
ook place on 08 August.</p>
</div>								</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
												<tr>
							<td width=3D"23%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"font-weight: bold; width:2=
3.52%; border:none; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; co=
lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">ANALYSIS=
</div>
							</td>
							<td width=3D"63%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"width:63.58%; font-size: 1=
2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 0 12.5px 0; border-bo=
ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">
<p>With no additional high-impact OAG attacks recorded on 08 August itself,=
 the deliberate shutdown of communications networks on 08 August may have c=
ontributed to disrupting existing attack plans. This is particularly the ca=
se for attacks against members of Hazara and Shia communities that OAGs may=
 have planned in advance, as the religious significance of Ashura Day would=
 have presented especially IS-KP affiliates with an opportunity for a widel=
y-publicised attack (see also AFGHANISTAN/CENTRAL/R/03082022/#001).<br /><b=
r />Specifically, the shutting down of mobile telecommunications may have p=
revented individual OAG members from communicating with each other to coord=
inate movements, emplacements of explosive devices, and other key elements =
of a larger-scale attack. In addition, RCIEDs that OAG members commonly use=
 tend to rely on cell phone signals for their remote detonation, which a te=
lecommunications shutdown would have prevented. At the same time, measuring=
 the impact of the IEA measure is highly challenging, as it remains unclear=
 whether OAG members actually had any specific attack plans for Ashura Day =
itself.<br /><br />Beyond its actual impact, the communications shutdown al=
so suggests security forces continue to have a limited ability to curb OAG =
operations through conventional mitigation measures. In the run-up to Ashur=
a, authorities had strengthened passive security measures&mdash;such as inc=
reasing the number of checkpoints and patrols&mdash;and intensified active =
security measures by conducting targeted operations against suspected OAG h=
ideouts based on prior intelligence reports, such as in the <a href=3D"http=
s://goo.gl/maps/WLMQMrU3piQxyGnTA">Kart-e Sakhi</a> area of PD 3 on 03 Augu=
st (see AFGHANISTAN/CENTRAL/A/03082022/#001-U2). However, despite increasin=
g their physical security posture, authorities appear to have deemed it nec=
essary to implement a communications blackout throughout the capital in ord=
er to prevent further attacks around Ashura Day, which represents a highly =
disruptive and indiscriminate measure.<br /><br />In the context of the OAG=
 attacks recorded in the run-up to Ashura, blocking out communications woul=
d also have significantly limited the amount of information available to th=
e general public on any ongoing security incident, thereby suppressing pote=
ntial criticism of the IEA response. At the same time, limiting residents&r=
squo; ability to collect and verify details of suspected incidents taking p=
lace in their immediate vicinity can easily lead to localised panics that c=
an pose additional risks to NGO staff members&rsquo; physical and mental he=
alth. Such restrictions also highly exacerbate any collaboration between tr=
usted NGO partners, potentially forcing them to make individual organisatio=
nal decisions based on unreliable information.<br /><br />In addition to al=
so affecting communications between IEA members themselves, who are known t=
o rely heavily on conventional GSM networks, the deliberate outage also dir=
ectly impacted operating conditions for NGOs as well as other civilian acto=
rs. The majority of NGO staff members are unlikely to have access to fixed =
line communications systems, such as land lines or Wi-Fi routers, in their =
respective private residences. As such, shutting down mobile telecommunicat=
ion networks effectively cuts off the majority of NGO staff members within =
an area from any access to their line management or safety focal points. Th=
is, in turn, greatly raises the likelihood of staff members not receiving v=
ital safety-related information in a timely fashion and being personally im=
pacted by ongoing incidents as a result. Similarly, from the side of senior=
 management, a communications blackout effectively prevents any attempts at=
 conducting headcounts in the aftermath of relevant incidents, such as mass=
-casualty or IDF attacks. This can further increase internal communications=
 and compound response times.<br /><br />Despite these inherent risks to ci=
vilian residents, IEA authorities are expected to repeat similar blackout t=
actics in Kabul City during other high-profile public events, including the=
 upcoming one-year anniversary of the IEA takeover on 15 August. However, a=
uthorities are unlikely to announce any further planned shutdowns to the ge=
neral public in advance, which can further exacerbate the operational chall=
enges and risks outlined above.</p>
</div>								</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
												<tr>
							<td width=3D"23%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"font-weight: bold; width:2=
3.52%; border:none; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; co=
lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">ADVICE</=
div>
							</td>
							<td width=3D"63%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"width:63.58%; font-size: 1=
2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 0 12.5px 0; border-bo=
ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">
<p style=3D"text-align: justify;">NGOs are advised to review their internal=
 communications with regards to available emergency redundancies and standa=
rd operating procedures in case of widespread telecommunications outages. W=
here additional communications equipment (e.g. satellite/thuraya phones, VH=
F radios) is available, NGOs should ensure it is fit for purpose, that they=
 possess all necessary licenses, and that all key personnel are trained in =
its use.<br /><br />Once a widespread communications outage on a district o=
r province level is noted, NGOs should seek to reduce movements and limit o=
perations in affected areas until communications are restored or available =
redundancy means are confirmed to be operational.<br /><br />NGOs should an=
ticipate similar widespread blackouts for additional large-scale public eve=
nts, such as the upcoming 15 August celebrations, and plan their operations=
 accordingly.</p>
</div>								</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
												<tr>
							<td width=3D"23%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"font-weight: bold; width:2=
3.52%; border:none; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; co=
lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">ISSUED B=
Y</div>
							</td>
							<td width=3D"63%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"width:63.58%; font-size: 1=
2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 0 12.5px 0; border-bo=
ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								<div style=3D"text-align: justify;">SA Central, Dennis Ikas<br /><b=
r /></div>
<div style=3D"text-align: justify;"><a href=3D"mailto:sa.central@afg.ngosaf=
ety.org">sa.central@afg.ngosafety.org</a></div>								</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
												<tr>
							<td width=3D"23%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"font-weight: bold; width:2=
3.52%; border:none; font-size: 12.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; co=
lor:#15274B;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 12.5px 0 0;">INSO SER=
IAL #</div>
							</td>
							<td width=3D"63%" valign=3D"top" style=3D"width:63.58%; font-size: 1=
2.0pt; font-family: 'Arial', sans-serif; line-height:115%;  ">
								<div style=3D"margin: 12.5px 25px; padding: 0 0 12.5px 0; border-bo=
ttom:1px solid #C1C2C4;">
								AFGHANISTAN/CENTRAL/R/10082022/#001								</div>
							</td>
						</tr>
										=09
				</table>
			</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td style=3D"width: 100%; border:1px solid #C1C2C4; background-color:#53=
76b6; padding:0cm 0cm 0cm 0cm; height:63px; font-size:7.5pt; font-family:'A=
rial', sans-serif; color:white; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;=
">
				INSO exists to provide dedicated security services to the NGO community=
. As a free service, INSO and its donors or partners, accept no liability w=
hatsoever for claims as may result from the provision or utilisation of the=
se free services. Whilst every effort is made to the verify data, INSO cann=
ot guarantee the accuracy of information provided. Reproduction of INSO inf=
ormation is prohibited.									<br>
<!-=
-</a>-->
							</td>
		</tr>
=09
</table></center><img src=3D"http://url2410.afg.ngosafety.org/wf/open?upn=
=3DpmkurXIANe3-2BGQqikUsB-2BG89-2B0i-2FKexTHocwUktMOSjyPzbpXjRZh45xMk-2FWRT=
NLRZWIx3BzbZv1wlqMsIOKtA8tDXdHFWhebzXtNPx6snCdnrwtJGp4o29F6IaOuagOEIUB5KD0K=
4qgSTe2T5nvqYSqxWbSrA6-2F3cyUg-2FlvoLaYmngDABIoIUv0qshSv4DwupDRZ5JwB-2F7Db0=
V4CSMCHWGXWr9hjTAhlfOyv-2FCpKxM-3D" alt=3D"" width=3D"1" height=3D"1" borde=
r=3D"0" style=3D"height:1px !important;width:1px !important;border-width:0 =
!important;margin-top:0 !important;margin-bottom:0 !important;margin-right:=
0 !important;margin-left:0 !important;padding-top:0 !important;padding-bott=
om:0 !important;padding-right:0 !important;padding-left:0 !important;"/></b=
ody></html>