Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: May 2017

Warlords in Afghanistan: Ghani und die starken Männer

Thomas Ruttig •

Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 14 May 2017 After Hekmatyar’s return to Afghanistan, Switzerland’s most prominent newspaper looks at the influence of warlords in Afghanistan, extensively quoting AAN’s Thomas Ruttig directly and indirectly: Nach dem Sturz der Taliban 2001, bei dem die amerikanische Luftwaffe die Bodentruppen der Nordallianz unterstützte, wurden viele dieser regionalen Machtträger trotz ihrer oftmals […]

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U.S. Troops Still Battling Islamic State near Site of Afghan Bomb Strike

Martine van Bijlert •

Florida Daily Post, 14 May 2017 Article on the aftermath of the MOAB on Achin, quotes AAN’s Kate Clark: Residents in Achin district say that they knew of no civilians still living voluntarily in the areas near the Islamic State stronghold, but it is still not clear if other non-combatants may have been involved. “The […]

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Slagteren fra Kabul er vendt tilbage

Thomas Ruttig •

Jyllands-Posten, 13 May 2017 In another article about Hekmatyar’s return to Afghanistan, the Danish daily quotes AAN’s Thomas Ruttig: Præsident Ashraf Ghani, der i over to år forgæves har forsøgt at slutte fred med Ta- liban, fremstiller aftalen med Hekmatyar som en politisk sejr. Men ifølge Afghanistan- eksperten Thomas Ruttig fra Afghan Analyst Network i […]

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Daily wage labourers chatting with each other while waiting for jobs. As the number of returnees from Pakistan has increased, the chances of getting work has gone down. Some labourers told AAN that they had been waiting for weeks to get a single day’s work.

Resettling Nearly Half a Million Afghans in Nangrahar: The consequences of the mass return of refugees

Fazl Rahman Muzhary •

Most of the 600,000 Afghans who returned from Pakistan last year chose to settle in the eastern border province of Nangrahar. This has put considerable strain on both health and education services. There has also been a boom in property prices, which has exacerbated land grabbing, already a major source of conflict in the province. […]

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Lashkar-linked IS chief, key to training of Indian jihadists, is reported killed in Afghanistan raid

AAN •

Indian Express, 9 May 2017 Some interesting background on the Pakistani links of the recently killed ISKP chief from this Indian daily.

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The Wrong Enemy in Afghanistan

AAN •

New York Times, 9 May 2017 AAN’s Borhan Osman wrote this opinion piece about the over-hyped IS phenomenon in Afghanistan that overshadows other, more important issues: … the United States obsession with the Islamic State in Khorasan — a minor group in Afghanistan — distracts attention from a more urgent task: negotiating a peace deal with […]

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The Butcher of Kabul and I

AAN •

Rediff News, 8 May 2017 A former Indian ambassador recounts Hekmatyar ‘politics’ while working on special assignment as Charge d’Affaires to manage the embassy in Kabul in 1990 – and wondering whom the Hezb leader was “trying to impress” by bringing “his wife and daughter for the ceremony in the presidential palace on Thursday, May […]

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Hekmatjar mit grossem Konvoi zurück in Kabul

AAN •

Strand Journal, 8 May 2017 The German news website reports Hekmatyar’s return to Kabul and quotes from Borhan Osman’s dispatch on the topic for AAN: Hekmatjar hielt die Rede im großen Gasi-Stadion, das 25.000 Menschen fasst und voll besetzt war. Die Experten des Afghanistan Analysts Network beschreiben ihn in einer aktuellen Analyse als “charismatisch, absolutistisch […]

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«Кабульский мясник» вернулся с миром

AAN •

Kommersant, 5 May 2017 The independent Russian newspaper quotes AAN’s Kate Clark, via The Guardian, on the return of the “Butcher of Kabul” to Afghanistan: «Хекматияр никогда не был командным игроком и никогда не работал на кого-то,— отметила в интервью газете The Guardian старший аналитик Afghanistan Analysts Network Кейт Кларк.— Он очень жесткий исламист… Он […]

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Der “Schlächter von Kabul” ruft zum Frieden auf

Martine van Bijlert •

Die Zeit Online, 5 May 2017 Article on Hekmatyar’s return to Kabul quotes AAN’s recent dispatch: Beobachter erwarten nicht, dass Hekmatjar sich zur Ruhe setzen wird. Die Experten des Afghanistan Analysts Network beschreiben ihn in einer aktuellen Analyse als “charismatisch, absolutistisch und spaltend”. In seinen Schriften verherrliche er sich gern als nationaler Anführer und religiöse […]

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Afghanistan : l’ex-chef de guerre Hekmatyar fait la paix avec Kaboul

Martine van Bijlert •

Le Monde, 5 May 2017 Article on the return of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar to Kabul quotes AAN’s Borhan Osman: “Son retour risque de perturber les fragiles équilibres politiques afghans. Il s’est toujours présenté comme le « Saladin » de l’ethnie pachtoune, sa force unificatrice et protectrice, face à la minorité chiite des Hazara ou aux rivaux du Jamiat-e-Islami, le parti […]

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Can This Provincial Warlord Scale in Kabul?

Martine van Bijlert •

Foreign Policy, 4 May 2017 Article on whether Balkh governor Muhammad Atta Nur is getting ready to run in the next presidential election quotes AAN’s Thomas Ruttig: Over the last two years, Abdullah has lost considerable favor within Jamiat-e-Islami and among other supporters. Noor’s campaign against Abdullah has pushed the chief executive into a corner. […]

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