Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: August 2011

Conflicts in the East, part II

Fabrizio Foschini •

Coalition’s concerns arising from the increasingly aggressive and assertive behaviour of insurgent groups, or from their very identity and international connections, are not limited to Loya Paktia and the locally dominant Haqqani network. Following Petraeus’s guidelines and moving further East, one arrives in what has sometimes been termed Loy Nangrahar (Nangrahar, Laghman, Kunar, Nuristan – […]

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Motorbike bandits of Jam: A look at the land Nato forgot (Ghor)

admin •

Scotsman, 17 August 2011 A rare look into an abandoned province with Taleban presence, illegal armed group and ALP by Jerome Starkey

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The Great Hindukush Gold Rush (1): Another Silver Bullet

Thomas Ruttig •

When last year the not-so-new news hit the headlines that Afghanistan possesses enormous mineral resources, a lot of eyes started to shine with joy. Some Afghan and foreign officials believe that they finally have found the Holy Grail for post-2014 Afghanistan: a resource from which the country can pay its own security and development costs, […]

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U.S. military awards contracts in Afghanistan to get money away from insurgents

admin •

Washington Post, 16 August 2011 Article scetches the outlines of a new contracting policy within the US military, that aims to bypass the many brokers and middlemen – although the details are not yet clear. Changes changes include “direct contracts with truckers, improvements in convoy monitoring and increased vetting of Afghan private security subcontractors.” Contracts […]

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Responses to the President’s Ruling; Will the Opposition Hold?

Martine van Bijlert •

The parliamentary stand-off is apparently nearing its end. Manawi, the head of the Independent Electoral Commission, is expected to announce a decision towards the end of the week – a responsibility that has been passed on from the Special Electoral Tribunal to the Kabul Appeals Court, back to the President, and now finally to the […]

Political Landscape Read more

A golden decade for defense companies is ending

admin •

Canadian Business, 15 August 2011 Article describes the huge growth and change of focus in the defence industry since 11 September 2001, as well as what now seems to be the end of the golden decade (but is it really?)..

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How to Read the Presidential Ruling

Martine van Bijlert •

On Wednesday morning, 10 August 2011, the Palace issued presidential ruling no. 3607 “Regarding the settlement of the 1389 electoral dispute”. It is a remarkably complicated and opaque legal text, which has led to a wide variety of conflicting interpretations. The confusing language and the silence on the side of the palace on what it […]

Political Landscape Read more

Conflict going East, conflict going on

Fabrizio Foschini •

The US-led Coalition has declared that its troops’ new strategic focus will be on eastern Afghanistan, after its claims of gains made in southern Afghanistan last year. Although the bad security situation in the East is not new, the recent emphasis on it may be mainly linked to the increased interest (and concern) of the […]

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Political Insecurity and Reports of Worrying Developments

Martine van Bijlert •

Afghan politics are fast-paced and slow at the same time; often more smoke than fire, but unpredictable enough to keep everyone on their toes and to keep the political class engaged in endless cycles of meetings. The chatter is a steady hum on the background of whatever is going on in the country. In insecure […]

Political Landscape Read more

Uruzgan’s New Chief of Police: Matiullah’s Dream Come True

Susanne Schmeidl •

Since the complex attack on Uruzgan on 28 July 2011, people in Tirin Kot have been jumpy. So last night, 7 August 2011, when around 9 pm shooting was heard throughout the city people feared the worst. It turned out to have been traditional congratulatory shooting in the air, saluting the appointing of Matiullah Khan […]

Political Landscape Read more

Disrupted dialogue: Purported Taliban negotiator ‘goes missing’

admin •

The Express Tribune, 8 August 2011 Article claims that Tayyeb Agha has made himself unavailable and is no longer in touch with US negotiators (and quotes Mullah Zaeef who claims he may have never been).

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Ten Killed in Badakhshan: One year on

Kate Clark •

A year ago today, in one of the worst attacks on humanitarian workers of the war, ten medical workers and their support staff were murdered in Badakhshan. They had just trekked across 5000m passes to one of the remotest areas of the country: the Parun valley of Nuristan to give out free eye care, dental […]

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