Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: April 2012

May 2012: ‘Under the Drones’ – New book with AAN participation

AAN • admin •

Titled ’Under the Drones: Modern Lives in the Afghanistan-Pakistan borderlands’ and edited by Shahzad Bashir and Robert D. Crews, the book contains chapters about a broad spectrum of issues, both political and ethnographic, that go back to a seminar held at Stanford University in late 2009. I asked a mullah, what do you think Paradise is […]

Events Read more
Taleban fighters in Darqad district centre, 2015 after the fall of the district centre (Taleban website).

How Tribal Are the Taliban?

Thomas Ruttig •

Thomas Ruttig, in ’Under the Drones: Modern Lives in the Afghanistan-Pakistan Borderlands’, Shahzad Bashir and Robert D. Crews, eds, Harvard University Press, Cambridge (Mass.) and London, 2012. The book contains chapters about a broad spectrum of issues, both political and ethnographic, that go back to a seminar held at Stanford University in late 2009: James […]

External publications Read more

Flash from the Past: Power play before the 2002 Emergency Loya Jirga

Thomas Ruttig •

Ten years ago, Afghans were preparing for the Emergency Loya Jirga (ELJ) with high hopes. The chairman of its preparatory commission had dubbed it the ‘Peace and Democracy Loya Jirga’(1), reflecting the aspirations of a majority of Afghans. But the country was already in the grips of political posturing. There were attempts to prevent the […]

Political Landscape Read more

The second line of talks: Hezb-e Islami in Kabul

Gran Hewad •

With the suspension of talks in Qatar and the spike in security incidents across the country, the latter part of the mooted “fight and talk” equation looks pretty lopsided this year as far as the Taleban goes. But meanwhile, dialogue between the second largest insurgent group ‘Hezb-e Islami Gulbuddin’ (HIG) (1) and the Afghan government […]

War and Peace Read more

Afghanistan: A Moderate Defies the Taliban

admin •

The Daily Beast, 25 April 2012 The Newsweek blog protraits Agha Jan Mutassim who once headed the Taleban political commission, would have been their chief negotiator in this position, was sidelined and almost killed by his former comrades and now resides in Ankara.

Recommended Reads Read more

Likely a legal act of war: Death of an Afghan journalist

Kate Clark •

An investigation into the fatal shooting of an Afghan journalist by a US soldier in July 2011 has raised critical questions about the safety of local reporters working in the field, and the need for greater honesty by ISAF when operations go wrong, according to a new report by Kate Clark, a senior analyst at […]

War and Peace Read more

In Afghanistan, underground girls school defies Taliban edict, threats

admin •

Washington Post, 25 April 2012 So back to square 1? A report about an underground girls school in a Taleban-controlled area, sounds like from the year 2000 or so. WE can just hope that the author changed the name of the village…

Recommended Reads Read more

Reading the Asia Foundation’s Afghan Voter Behavior Survey

admin •

Registan (blog), 25 April 2012 Oliver Lough does something very useful: without dismissing it altogether, he looks at TAF’s polling in Afghanistan and puts his finger on the point which is valid for all polls in Afghanistan: ‘Just make sure to keep in mind, as you leaf through all of those pleasing percentages, of the […]

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Death of an Uruzgan journalist: Command Errors and Collateral Damage

Kate Clark •

An investigation into the fatal shooting of an Afghan journalist by a US soldier raises critical questions about the safety of local reporters working in the field, and the need for greater honesty by ISAF when operations go wrong, according to a new report by AAN’s senior analyst, Kate Clark. Omaid Khpulwak was killed at […]

Special Reports Read more

In Kabul’s Shadow: the attacks in the provinces on 15-16 April

Fabrizio Foschini •

The attacks that took place a week ago in Kabul received more than their fair share of media coverage. The same thing cannot be said for the parallel attacks launched by insurgents simultaneously in three other provincial capitals. AAN’s Fabrizio Foschini and Obaid Ali look into the attacks in Nangrahar, Paktia and Logar, to try […]

War and Peace Read more

U.S. soldier’s gift to Afghan workers at her base underscores divide

admin •

Washington Post, 24 April 2012 Another heart-breaking story about a good intentioned (female) US soldier who failed with her private form of aid.

Recommended Reads Read more

Taliban far from defeated in Australian zone: report

admin •

The Age, 22 April 2012 Australian newspapers report about a TLO report assessing the situation at the eve of the country’s troops’ withdrawal that has been censored by the country’s authorities that originally had commissioned it. Among other, it states that Taliban still control almost half of the Afghan province where Australian forces operate, and […]

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