Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: April 2016

Darum fliehen so viele Afghanen nach Deutschland

AAN •

Focus, 29 April 2016 The German weekly news magazine quotes from the joint FES-AAN study about decision-making processes in Afghan families about sending members as refugees to Europe (unfortunately without mentioning AAN).  

AAN in the Media Read more

Top Picks: Jihadis, bombs, and a Taliban riddle

Martine van Bijlert •

IRIN Top picks, 29 April 2016 IRIN top picks refers to AAN’s Martine van Bijlert’s recent dispatch on president Ghani’s speech when discussing “the riddle of the Taleban peace talks.” “What is going on with peace talks between Afghanistan and the Taliban? This week, President Ashraf Ghani tried to clear up his government’s position in […]

AAN in the Media Read more

Death from the Sky: Searching for Ground Truth in the Kunduz Hospital Bombing

AAN •

The Intercept, 28 April 2016 May Jeong’s excellent investigation into the (missing) chain of command and control in the US bombing of the Kunduz MSF hospital, with new detail on how Afghan ANSF unit commanders looked at MSF (almost as an enemy, as it also treated wounded Taleban) and their complete lack of understanding of […]

Recommended Reads Read more

Ghani’s Speech to the Parliament: A hardening position on war, peace and Pakistan

Martine van Bijlert •

President Ghani’s speech to the Afghan parliament, in an extraordinary joint session on 25 April 2016, was unprecedented. Made in response to demands that he clarify the government’s security policies, the televised speech was sober and dignified, and detailed the government’s hardening stance against Pakistan, the Haqqani network, Daesh and “parts of the Taleban.” Although, […]

War and Peace Read more
Kabul graffiti. Photo: Thomas Ruttig.

“We Knew They Had No Future in Kabul”: Why and How Afghan Families Decide to Leave

AAN Team •

The increasing number of refugees and migrants arriving across Europe has led to heated debates and an increased political polarisation between pro and anti-refugee movements and parties. Afghans are now the second largest group entering the European Union. A recent study by AAN and FES explores the reasons behind Afghanistan’s increased migration, by focusing on […]

External publications Read more

Just How Many ISIS Fighters Are There in Afghanistan? Estimates from Moscow’s special envoy to Kabul are a constantly changing thing

AAN •

The Diplomat, 27 April 2016 A necessary look at the “cottage industry of Russian officials overblowing the ISIS threat to Afghanistan” by unsourced figures. What should have been added here, though, is that also (the lower but possibly also overblown) US military figures are unsourced, too.

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Afghan president talks tough as outrage builds over Kabul attack

Martine van Bijlert •

Stars and Stripes, 25 April 2016 AAN’s Martine van Bijlert is quoted on president Ghani’s address to the two houses of parliament today: “Martine van Bijlert, co-director of the Kabul-based Afghanistan Analysts Network, said the speech was meant to project strength to the Afghan people who were shaken and angered by the attack. (…) How the […]

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Afghan Women, Eager to Play, Are Relegated to the Sidelines

AAN •

New York Times, 26 April 2016 “Women’s sports programs in Afghanistan, long a favorite of Western donors, have all but collapsed”, writes Rod Nordland in his hair-raising story. “With few exceptions, the sports programs have become riddled with corruption and been undermined by conservative Afghans who have never liked the idea of young women on sports […]

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Discussion: The obligations and jurisdictions of the ICC and Government of Afghanistan at AKCU

admin •

Afghanistan Analysts Network in association with Afghanistan Center at Kabul University, and the Transitional Justice Coordination Group is organising a symposium to discuss “the obligations of the ICC and Government of Afghanistan pursuant to the provisions of the Rome Statute and the interactions between these two institutes in the last thirteen years”, with purpose of providing the correct and important […]

Events Read more

Kabul Duck Alert 2: Pictures of birds and birdwatchers at the Kol-e Hashmat Khan wetland

Kate Clark •

The springtime migration of birds over Afghanistan is in full swing. The Kol-e Hashmat Khan wetland in south Kabul is an internationally important site for tired waterbirds to stop and rest, and build up their strength. Soon, they’ll be heading north again, crossing the Hindu Kush mountains to reach their summer breeding grounds in Central […]

Context and Culture Read more
How Kol-e Hashmat Khan looks to migrating water birds: a haven amid city and mountains (Photo Source: Andrew Scanlon/UNEP)

Kabul Duck Alert: Afghan capital still important stopover for migrating waterbirds

Kate Clark •

It is springtime which means birds in great numbers are migrating northwards over Afghanistan. The wetland in the south-east of Kabul city, Kol-e Hashmat Khan, is an internationally important place for water birds to rest and recuperate before taking back to the air and resuming their flight over some of the world’s highest mountain ranges. […]

Context and Culture Read more

Afghan Official: Kabul Attack Set Back Peace Efforts, Ties with Pakistan

AAN •

Voice of America, 22 April 2016 The VoA’s Ayaz Gul quotes from AAN’s analysis of the Taleban’s 19 April lorry bomb attack in Kabul when looking at Af-Pak relations after the terror attack: “The attack, so close to the heart of the security and government apparatus, seemingly based on very precise intelligence and possibly aided […]

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