Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: February 2013

Afghanistan: Die Zahl der Opfer ist geringer, die Gewalt nimmt zu?

Other AAN •

Stimme Russlands (Russian radio), 20 January 2013 Quotes AAN’s Thomas Ruttig on the latest UNAMA protection of civilian report as saying that ‘it is positive without any doubt when the number of killed civilian in a war goes down’ but that there are still mixed trends; adds that an intensification of Taleban assassinations of GoA […]

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Fewer Deaths, But…: UNAMA’s 2012 Civilian Casualties Report (amended)

Kate Clark •

‘Civilian deaths in Afghan Conflict fall for the first time in six years’ was the good news top line of the new 2012 report by UNAMA on the protection of civilians. Fewer civilians were killed in suicide attacks, ground engagements and aerial attacks, said UNAMA. The Taleban remain responsible for bulk of civilian deaths, while […]

War and Peace Read more

Exodus aus Afghanistan

Other AAN •

Das Blättchen (Berlin), 18 February 2013 Based on Afghan media reports, AAN’s Thomas Ruttig looks at increasing numbers of Afghans fleeing the country in anticipation of post-2014 events: from diplomats to military officers and the common people, ending up as asylum seekers worldwide for this Berlin-based online magazine (in German).

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18 February 2013: Thomas Ruttig’s Afghanistan Conflict Portrait on German Website

AAN • admin •

AAN’s Thomas Ruttig has been invited to write the updated ‘Afghanistan conflict portrait’ for a much frequented German website, that of Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (Federal Centre for Political Education). It is a first point of reference for many pupils, students and teachers. Find his contribution (in German) here. The page also has a debate […]

Events Read more

The Civilian Casualty Tightrope: Karzai Bans ANSF Calling in ‘Foreign’ Airstrikes on Villages

Gary Owen •

In a blistering speech on 16 February 2013, President Hamed Karzai called requests to foreigners by Afghan security forces for airstrikes on Afghan villages ‘shameful’.(1) His office said that tomorrow, he will issue a decree formally banning requests for strikes on what is being described in the English press as ‘residential areas’. The president’s move […]

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New Trouble in the Jombesh: Dostum reasserts leadership

Thomas Ruttig •

The official leader of Jombesh party has been relieved of his post, along with eight other members of the party’s political committee. The sacked chairman, Sayed Nurullah Sadat, has cried foul, saying he could only be removed by a party congress and accusing the party’s founder, General Dostum, of being behind his dismissal. This looks […]

Political Landscape Read more

In Kabul’s ‘Car Guantánamo,’ Autos Languish and Trust Dies

admin •

New York Times, 17 February 2013 Just a brilliant reportage: ‘Residents here call it Car Guantánamo. Behind these walls are thousands of cars, trucks, vans, motorcycles and even bicycles, lined up in vehicular purgatory after falling afoul of the Kabul traffic police. Things that have landed cars in the slammer: illegal left turns, parking violations, […]

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Afghan refugees leave Iran for Turkey

admin •

The National (UAE), 17 February 2013 More Afghan refugees – most not directly from the country but from Iran – are arriving in Turkey, after Iranian authorities did not extend papers, in some cases to people who lived there for decades. Reportage about a group of Afghan refugees living in a basement of an Istanbul […]

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More civilian deaths as US prepares for Afghan withdrawal

Other AAN •

ABC, 14 February 2013. Kate Clark is quoted here on the latest Obama drawdown and victory speech: ‘They are spinning a narrative of victory. They are spinning a narrative that the insurgency is weakened, the Afghan national security forces are strong enough to take on the fight against the Taliban. But they are pulling out […]

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Allen, Obama and Orwell: Continuing War is Victory

Kate Clark •

President Obama in his State of the Union address announced what to many looks like an accelerated drawdown of US troops with half out of Afghanistan by this time next year. ‘We can say with confidence,’ Obama said, ‘that America will complete its mission in Afghanistan and achieve our objective of defeating the core of […]

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Kabul räumt erstmals Folter ein

admin •

Tageszeitung (Berlin), 11 February 2013. After the Karzai government’s enquiry confirmed an UN report about torture in Afghan jails, AAN’s Kate Clark comments: ‘I am glad that the UN report was confirmed. The problem is simply to big for a denial. Now it is important to draw the consequences.’.

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Eerste vredestekenen in Afghanistan (not online)

Other AAN •

NRC Handelsblad, 11 February 2013. In an article about the chances of a political deal with the Taleban, AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted: Het meest waarschijnlijke is dat alle partijen, al pratend, gewoon doorvechten. Een snelle, soepele vredesregeling is nog ver weg. Maar uitgesloten acht Thomas Ruttig, verbonden aan de denktank Afghan Analysts Network, vrede […]

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