Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Editors Choice

  1. The Enteqal Seven (2): Around Mehtarlam, an ‘insurgency corridor’ in the making Fabrizio Foschini • • War and Peace • 10 May 2011
  2. A Threat at Kabul’s Southern Gate: A security overview of Logar province Thomas Ruttig • Ali Mohammad Sabawoon • • War and Peace • 18 Jul 2020
  3. New Taleban Attacks in Kunduz: Less coordinated, still well-placed to threaten the city Obaid Ali • • War and Peace • 9 Jul 2017
  4. Baghlan on the Brink: ANSF weaknesses and Taleban resilience AAN Team • • War and Peace • 31 May 2013

Spotlight

Reports

War and Peace Political Landscape Rights and Freedoms Migration Economy, Development, Environment Regional Relations Context and Culture International Engagement

  • Martine van Bijlert • 17 Aug 2021

    Afghanistan Has a New Government: The country wonders what the new normal will look like

    Afghanistan has a new government. Its exact shape is not yet clear, but its contours can be discerned from a combination of messaging, how the Taleban entered and then took control of Kabul and reports from areas that had come under their control over the last few weeks, months and years. So far, the public […]

  • Martine van Bijlert • 15 Aug 2021

    Is This How It Ends? With the Taleban closing in on Kabul, President Ghani faces tough decisions

    Things have been moving at breakneck speed since the first provincial capital – Zaranj in Nimruz – fell to the Taleban on 6 August. Six of the seven zonal army corps have either surrendered or dissolved, with only the Shaheen Corps in Jalalabad left, which has not been attacked yet. Over 20 provincial capitals are […]

  • Thomas Ruttig • Sayed Asadullah Sadat • 14 Aug 2021

    The Domino Effect in Paktia and the Fall of Zurmat: A case study of the Taleban surrounding Afghan cities

    After a siege of almost two months, the centre of the strategic district of Zurmat in Paktia province fell into the hands of the Taleban on 2 July 2021. This followed the successive collapse of 11 of the 14 districts of Paktia to the Taleban within six days in late June/early July. AAN’s Thomas Ruttig […]

  • Fabrizio Foschini • 9 Aug 2021

    The Fall of Nimruz: A symbolic or economic game-changer?

    With the fall of five provincial capitals in three days – Zaranj in Nimruz, Sheberghan in Jowzjan, Sarepul, Kunduz and Taloqan in Takhar –, the Taleban switched pace. After an unexpected and highly successful sweep of rural districts in many parts of Afghanistan yielded particularly astounding results in areas considered ‘difficult’ for them, such as […]

  • Ali Mohammad Sabawoon • 4 Aug 2021

    Taleban Victory or Government Failure? A security update on Laghman province 

    Laghman province saw four of its six districts fall to the Taleban between late May and mid-July, part of the countrywide territorial advance by the Taleban that coincided with the final phase of the United States withdrawal from 1 May onwards. Laghman has long been contested, with a strong Taleban presence in some rural areas, […]

  • Kate Clark • 26 Jul 2021

    New UNAMA Civilian Casualties report: The human cost of the Taleban push to take territory

    Any notion that the Taleban capture of territory since 1 May has been virtually bloodless has been demolished by UNAMA’s mid-year report on civilian casualties, published today. The numbers of civilians killed and injured in the first six months of 2021 are back up to the record highs of 2014 to 2018. Moreover, nearly half […]

  • AAN Team • 19 Jul 2021

    AAN wishes calm for Afghanistan at Eid al-Adha

    This Eid al-Adha comes at a very troubling time for Afghanistan. War has continued and intensified across the country, leaving a trail of deaths, injuries, displacement and damage on all sides. Equally worrying is the widespread uncertainty and fear about what is coming next. At AAN, we sincerely hope this Eid will help to usher […]

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AAN Afghanistan
AANafghAAN Afghanistan@AANafgh·
1h

AAN’s new report by Martine van Bijlert looks at the takeover of Kabul, and Afghanistan, by the Taleban. The coming days and weeks will bring more clarity on what the future holds —for the world, the Afghan people but also for the Taleban themselves. https://aan.af/3jX4arv

Twitter 1428156343949664259
AANafghAAN Afghanistan@AANafgh·
1h

As former officials try to carve out a role for themselves, Taleban leaders arrive in Afghanistan to take control of the Presidential Palace and the country. And thousands of Afghans gather at the Kabul airport to flee Afghanistan. https://aan.af/3jX4arv

Twitter 1428155713529032709
AANafghAAN Afghanistan@AANafgh·
1h

As former officials try to carve out a role for themselves , Taleban leaders arrive in Afghanistan to take control of the Presidential Palace and the country. And thousands of Afghans gather at the Kabul airport to flee Afghanistan, https://aan.af/3jX4arv

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AANafghAAN Afghanistan@AANafgh·
10h

just to confirm: after some technical problems @AANafgh/@AANdaripashto's website is back at its usual place - you can reach it via:
https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/ or https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/dari-pashto/
even if you type https://www.afghan-analysts.org..., you'll be redirected there.
please keep following us

Twitter 1428020958556733440
AANafghAAN Afghanistan@AANafgh·
17 Aug

AAN’s new report by Martine van Bijlert looks at the takeover of Kabul, and Afghanistan, by the Taleban. The coming days and weeks will bring more clarity on what the future holds —for the world, the Afghan people but also for the Taleban themselves. https://aan.af/3jX4arv

Twitter 1427722130578448393
AANafghAAN Afghanistan@AANafgh·
17 Aug

As thousands of Afghan’s fearful of living under Taleban rule clamber to leave the country, AAN’s new report by Martine van Bijlert contemplates the emergence of the Taleban as Afghanistan’s new leaders. https://aan.af/3jX4arv

Twitter 1427662080233062400
AANafghAAN Afghanistan@AANafgh·
17 Aug

As thousands of Afghans gather at the Kabul airport to flee Afghanistan, former officials try to carve out a role for themselves. and Taleban leaders arrive in Afghanistan to take control of the Presidential Palace and the country. https://aan.af/3jX4arv

Twitter 1427594821791895560
a_a_jacksonAshley Jackson@a_a_jackson·
17 Aug

If you read one thing about the Taliban's takeover and events since the weekend in Afghanistan, it should be this @AANafgh @mvbijlert https://www.afghan-analysts.org/en/reports/war-and-peace/afghanistan-has-a-new-government-the-country-wonders-what-the-new-normal-will-look-like/

Twitter 1427555050956771333
online_monitordOnline Monitoring@online_monitord·
17 Aug

"There have been pictures of girls going to school, but they tended to have been young. The real litmus test for girl’s education will be whether girls will also be allowed to attend high school and university and, if so, under what conditions."

Leseempfehlung! https://twitter.com/AANafgh/status/1427519317025992719

Twitter 1427562900638638080
KooyJanJan Kooy@KooyJan·
17 Aug

"It is unclear who will be the target of retributions by the Taleban. What is certain is that no one believes that there will be no retribution at all. Indeed, there are already reports that some people have been quietly taken from their homes."

https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/en/reports/war-and-peace/afghanistan-has-a-new-government-the-country-wonders-what-the-new-normal-will-look-like/

Twitter 1427574767759077377
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Publications

Reports Special Reports Dossiers Other Publications

Afghanistan Has a New Government: The country wonders what the new normal will look like

Martine van Bijlert •

Afghanistan has a new government. Its exact shape is not yet clear, but its contours can be discerned from a combination of messaging, how the Taleban entered and then took control of Kabul and reports from areas that had come under their control over the last few weeks, months and years. So far, the public […]

Reports Read more

Is This How It Ends? With the Taleban closing in on Kabul, President Ghani faces tough decisions

Martine van Bijlert •

Things have been moving at breakneck speed since the first provincial capital – Zaranj in Nimruz – fell to the Taleban on 6 August. Six of the seven zonal army corps have either surrendered or dissolved, with only the Shaheen Corps in Jalalabad left, which has not been attacked yet. Over 20 provincial capitals are […]

Reports Read more

The Domino Effect in Paktia and the Fall of Zurmat: A case study of the Taleban surrounding Afghan cities

Thomas Ruttig • Sayed Asadullah Sadat •

After a siege of almost two months, the centre of the strategic district of Zurmat in Paktia province fell into the hands of the Taleban on 2 July 2021. This followed the successive collapse of 11 of the 14 districts of Paktia to the Taleban within six days in late June/early July. AAN’s Thomas Ruttig […]

Reports Read more

The Fall of Nimruz: A symbolic or economic game-changer?

Fabrizio Foschini •

With the fall of five provincial capitals in three days – Zaranj in Nimruz, Sheberghan in Jowzjan, Sarepul, Kunduz and Taloqan in Takhar –, the Taleban switched pace. After an unexpected and highly successful sweep of rural districts in many parts of Afghanistan yielded particularly astounding results in areas considered ‘difficult’ for them, such as […]

Reports Read more

New special report: ‘Between Hope and Fear. Rural Afghan women talk about peace and war’

Martine van Bijlert • AAN Team •

As the United States pushes ahead with the rapid and unconditional withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan, an unrelenting Taleban offensive has driven the Afghan government out of scores of districts across the country. Many Afghans are seeing their fears about the fallout from the ill-considered US-driven peace process come true. Against this backdrop, AAN’s […]

Special Reports Read more

New Special Report from AAN: “Kafka in Cuba, a Follow-Up Report: Afghans Still in Detention Limbo as Biden Decides What to do with Guantanamo”

Kate Clark •

As newly-elected United States President Joe Biden considers what to do with the almost two-decades-old ‘war on terror’ detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, we publish a special report on the last Afghans held there. Two Nangraharis, Asadullah Harun Gul and Mohammad Rahim, have both been detained since 2007. We also trace the fates […]

Special Reports Read more

New special report on Afghanistan’s newest local defence force: Were “all the mistakes of the ALP” turned into ANA-TF safeguards?

Kate Clark •

Today, AAN publishes a special report looking at Afghanistan’s newest local defence force, the Afghan National Army Territorial Force (ANA-TF). Set up by presidential decree in February 2018 and funded and supported by NATO’s United States-led Resolute Support mission, it was intended to be a lightly-armed, low-cost, local arm of the ANA which could hold […]

Special Reports Read more

New special report: ‘Ghosts of the Past: Lessons from Local Force Mobilisation in Afghanistan and Prospects for the Future’

Kate Clark •

A major new special report, ‘Ghosts of the Past: Lessons from Local Force Mobilisation in Afghanistan and Prospects for the Future’ looks at what is likely to make a local defence force – such as the Afghan Local Police (ALP) or Afghan National Army Territorial Force (ANA-TF) successful. This research sought to understand what makes some […]

Special Reports Read more

Dossier XXX: Afghan Women’s Rights and the New Phase of the Conflict

AAN Team •

Afghan women are generally more talked about than heard from. From 1978 and the start of Afghanistan’s conflict onwards, the argument over women’s rights and roles has been an ideological fault line running through multiple phases of the war. Girls education, women in the workplace, women’s rights in marriage and the household, and in the […]

Dossiers Read more

AAN Dossier XXIX: Living with the Taleban

AAN Team •

With the Taleban rapidly gaining ground in Afghanistan, it seemed useful to turn to AAN’s past research on what life under the Taleban has looked like for those living in insurgency-affected areas over the last few years. From December 2018 to January 2021, AAN conducted research first into how public services were delivered in a […]

Dossiers Read more

AAN Dossier XXVIII: Afghanistan in the Covid-19 Crisis

AAN Team •

Afghanistan has just entered the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic amid an unprecedented rise in confirmed cases, relatively unprepared. Apparently due to the relatively modest numbers during the second wave in November 2020, many Afghans became complacent about following health protocols and taking preventive measures. Complacency seems to have also been a factor in […]

Dossiers Read more
With intermittent fighting and rocket attacks throughout the day, election workers in the Awal Baba school voting centre in Maidan Shahr, had little work to do. Photo: Andrew Quilty, 2019.

AAN Dossier XXVII: Afghanistan’s contested 2019 presidential election and its aftermath

AAN Team •

A year on from Afghanistan’s fourth presidential poll since the fall of the Taleban regime, AAN is publishing all our reporting on the election and its aftermath in a new dossier. Our 37 AAN reports comprise coverage of the run-up to the election; on-the-day reporting; analysis of the controversies over counting, verifying and announcing the result, including our […]

Dossiers Read more

Afghanistan After the US Withdrawal: An Elusive Peace – Three Questions to Thomas Ruttig

Thomas Ruttig •

Institut Montaigne, 30 April 2021 The Paris-based nonprofit, independent think tank did an interview for its blog with AAN’s Thomas Ruttig to map out possible scenarios after the US and allied troop withdrawal from Afghanistan (in English).

Other Publications Read more

Have the Taliban Changed?

Thomas Ruttig •

CTC Sentinel, March 2021 This is a guest article by AAN’s Thomas Ruttig for the March 2021 issue of the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC’s) monthly Sentinel, at the Department of Social Sciences of the US’s West Point military academy. It is based on Thomas’s experience from working with the UN during and after the Taleban’s rule […]

Other Publications Read more

Afghanistan’s Divided Republican “Front”

Thomas Ruttig • Ali Yawar Adili •

ISPI online, 26 January 2021 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig and Ali Yawar Adili have co-authored an article for an Afghanistan dossier published on the website of the Italian Institute for the Study of International Politics (ISPI), dealing with the composition of the ‘Islamic Republic of Afghanistan team’ at the intra-Afghan negotiations with the Taleban that started […]

Other Publications Read more

Konfliktporträt Afghanistan

Thomas Ruttig •

Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, 29 September 2020 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig has been writing a ‘conflict portrait’ of Afghanistan for the website of the German Federal Centre for Political Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, bpb) for several years now. the bpb is a major source for teachers and school students. Here is the latest version, update […]

Other Publications Read more

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