Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: October 2012

Election Date Fixed, but Questions Remain on Next Steps

Thomas Ruttig •

Afghanistan has a date for its next presidential elections: 5 April 2014. But today’s announcement by the Independent Election Commission of a timeline leading up to this date leaves questions open about its implementation. First, there are contradictory statements about whether the old, controversial voter cards will be used again. Second, the IEC aims at […]

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NATO, Afghan Troops Shot Dead Afghan Civilians, Allegedly Covered Up

admin •

Kabul Press, 30 October 2012 Another case on an issue dragging on for too long: two taleban (madrassa students) – mistaken for Taleban? – killed in a nught raid in Helmand.

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Afghan presidential vote due April 5, 2014: official

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AFP, 30 October 2012 An Afghan election official was not able to shut up and wait for the official announcement planned for tomorrow, 31 October: Apparently, the next presidential (and provincial council) election will be held on 16 Hamal 1393, i.e.5 April 2014.

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Guest Blog: The Andar Uprising – Co-opted, divided and stuck in a dilemma

Emal Habib •

More than five months into the Andar uprising, the anti-Taleban rebellion supported by the government and US forces has failed to unite the local tribe under its banner. Differences between participating groups have further sharpened as the government’s attempt to turn it into its proxy (and integrate it into the Afghan Local Police) has become […]

War and Peace Read more

Kandahar: Assassination capital of Afghanistan

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BBC, 29 October 2012 In Kandahar, more than 500 targeted assassinations have taken place over the past 10 years, writes Dawood Azami, and adds that ‘these killings have become a weekly, if not daily, occurrence in recent years’. The targets include high-ranking politicians, provincial police chiefs, mayors, district governors, village and religious elders, as well […]

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Warning Bells over Slow Electoral Reform and Voter Registration for 2014

Thomas Ruttig •

A number of organisations have warned that electoral reform in the run-up to the 2014 polls in Afghanistan is moving too slowly. Two issues stand out: the lack of a voter registry and the lack of a revised electoral law. The recent argument about whether the future ECC should include UN-nominated members or not is […]

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Winter food crisis looms over Daikundi

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Pajhwok News Agency, 28 October 2012 People in the central Daikundi province is likely to face severe food crisis this winter as food production had dipped in recent months due to erratic weather conditions, the agency reports. ‘Wheat production declined by 30,000 tonnes this year compared to last year’s 50,000 tonnes output, while the province […]

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23 and 27 October 2012, Munich/Berlin: ‘Whither Afghanistan?’

AAN • admin •

AAN’s Thomas Ruttig participated in two podium discussions on Afghanistan in Germany in late October, a public one in Bavaria’s state parliament in Munich on 23 October (‘Whither Afghanistan?’), with an audience of over 400, and one under Chatham House rules, on occasion of the 20th founding anniversary German Bundesakademie für Sicherheit (BAKS, Federal Security […]

Events Read more

Bribe and prejudice

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Afghanistan Today, 27 October 2012 Taxi drivers, business owners, street vendors and shopkeepers are exasperated by the daily harassment and shakedowns they face at the hands of police, customs and municipal authorities. Even children are being forced to bribe their teachers to come to class. In this special report, Gul Rahim Niazman examines the predicament […]

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Living in a Minefield: Panjwayi after the US Surge

Borhan Osman •

In the words of one local elder, life in Panjwayi resembles living in a minefield. The district just southwest of Kandahar city has been a major arena for the US troop surge that was ordered in 2009 by President Obama dispatching 33,000 additional troops to Afghanistan. The surge ended in September this year and was […]

War and Peace Read more

The Taliban Aren’t the Only Ones Who Shoot Young Girls in the Head: The Killing of Benafshah

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Counterpunch, 23 October 2012 Italian journalist renders the story how soldiers from his country shot dead a young Farah girl in 2009 and about what appears to be the cover-up of it.

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Guest Blog: Afghans or Americans on Top? The Future of Special Forces Operations in Afghanistan

Gary Owen •

In July, a new task force combining all international and Afghan special forces under a unified command was set up. Known as the Special Operations Joint Task Force-Afghanistan (SOJTF-A), it is led by an American general, but its spokesperson told AAN, ‘SOJTF-A does not have command of any Afghan Special Operations Forces, rather, we partner, […]

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