Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: February 2017

Afghan Exodus: Afghan asylum seekers in Europe (2) – the north-south divide

Thomas Ruttig •

The situation and number of Afghan migrants in Europe differed from country to country in 2016. The division lay, roughly, along the Alps. To the south, the number of incoming migrants, though still high, dropped but requests for asylum continued to rise in some countries. Living conditions, meanwhile, deteriorated sharply. To the north, much fewer […]

Migration Read more

An Afghan Mother’s Heartache: Three Sons Dead in a Day

AAN •

New York Times, 14 February 2017 Mujib Mashal’s heart-breaking story about two mothers who each lost three sons fighting  on both sides of the Afghan war,

Recommended Reads Read more

Taliban hoist flags to build political brand

AAN •

Stars and Stripes, 13 February 2017 The US-based newspaper picks up Borhan Osman’s dispatch for AAN about the Taleban establishing their brand – flag and name etc, quoting extensively from it: Analysts say the Taliban are placing a new emphasis on symbols as a part of a wider attempt to portray themselves as a modern […]

AAN in the Media Read more
Locked out from the EU – Afghan and Pakistanis migrants (with a few Bangladeshis and a Nigerian) standing in line for supplies in a Belgrade, Serbia squat. Photo: Martine van Bijlert (Nov 2016).

Afghan Exodus: Afghan asylum seekers in Europe (1) – the changing situation

Thomas Ruttig •

In 2016, Afghans remained the second-largest group both of migrants seeking protection in Europe and of those formally applying for asylum. Meanwhile, numbers of arrivals – both in general and in terms of Afghans – have dropped significantly, compared with the peak in late 2015, as European countries have since made getting, staying and integrating […]

Migration Read more
HIG leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Photo: website of Shahadat daily.

Hekmatyar taken off UN sanctions list: Paving the way for his return – and Hezb-e Islami’s reunification?

Thomas Ruttig •

The United Nations has lifted the sanctions against Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, the leader of the Islamic Party of Afghanistan. This was the next step in the implementation of the peace agreement signed by the Afghan government and Hezb in September 2016. It paves the way for the return of the former mujahedin leader, one of the […]

Political Landscape Read more

Wie ist die Sicherheitslage in Afghanistan?

Thomas Ruttig •

Mediendienst Integration, 10 February 2017 The Germany-based specialised media service quotes AAN’s Thomas Ruttig in this report about the security situation in Afghanistan, on the – insufficient – welcome of Afghan deportees at Kabul airport: Thomas Ruttig, Ko-Direktor des “Afghanistan Analyst Networks”, bemängelt zudem den Umgang mit abgeschobenen Afghanen: Obwohl sie von Vertretern der deutschen […]

AAN in the Media Read more

Expandiert der IS in Afghanistan?

AAN •

dpa/Sächsische Zeitung, 9 February 2017 In this analysis of the IS’ strength in Afghanistan, AAN’s Borhan Osman is briefly quoted (in German): Der Experte des Instituts Afghanistan Analysts Network, Borhan Osman, gibt zu bedenken, dass fast die Hälfte aller Selbstmordattentäter des IS bisher nicht aus Afghanistan stammten.  

AAN in the Media Read more

Nach Mord an sechs Mitarbeitern: Rotes Kreuz stoppt Afghanistanhilfe

AAN •

Tageszeitung, 09 February 2017 The Berlin-based daily quotes AAN information about the likely perpetrator of the killings and abductions of ICRC staff in Qushtepe, Jawzjan (in German): Nach Informationen des Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN), einem unabhängigen Thinktank, herrscht ein usbekischer Kommandeur namens Qari Hekmat mit seiner regierungsfeindlichen Miliz in dem betroffenen Gebiet. Bei ihm handle es sich […]

AAN in the Media Read more

Six Red Cross workers in Afghanistan killed in ambush

AAN •

The Guardian, 8 February 2017 Obaid Ali, AAN’s head of office in Kabul, is quoted here as giving background on the possible perpetrator of the killings, a local Uzbek commander: Qush Tepa, where the attack occurred, is highly contested. The area is largely controlled by Qari Hekmat, an ethnic Uzbek with a long history as […]

AAN in the Media Read more

UN widersprechen Bundesregierung: Opferzahlen unter Zivilisten in Afghanistan erreichen Rekordhöhe

Thomas Ruttig •

Tageszeitung, 7 February 2017 This op-ed by AAN’s Thomas Ruttig in Berlin-based daily Tageszeitung summarises the controversy about the assessment of security in Afghanistan between the UNHCR and the German federal government as well as the latest civilian casualty figures in Afghanistan.

AAN in the Media Read more
Graves prepared for those killed during an attack claimed by Daesh/ISKP on 23 July 2016 suicide which targeted a peaceful demonstration in Deh Mazang square, Kabul. It was the single deadliest conflict-related incident for civilians recorded by UNAMA in Afghanistan since 2001. Most of the victims were Shia Hazaras (Xinhua/Rahmat Alizadah)

More Horrific Records Set: UNAMA documents another peak year of civilian casualties

Kate Clark •

More than eleven thousand civilians were killed or injured in the conflict in Afghanistan last year, setting a grisly new record – the highest number of civilian casualties recorded by UNAMA in any year since it started systematic documentation in 2009. In its 2016 annual report on the protection of civilians in the conflict, UNAMA […]

War and Peace Read more

US Policy in Afghanistan: What to Expect from Trump

Thomas Ruttig •

Centre on Religion & Geopolitics, 6 February 2017 AAN co-director Thomas Ruttig is among three analysts who have their say on the question: Can Trump scale back involvement in Afghanistan while keeping his inauguration pledge to ‘eradicate radical Islamic terrorism from the face of the earth?’

AAN in the Media Read more

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