Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: August 2017

Allt fler civila offer i sargat Afghanistan

AAN •

Dagens Nyheter, 23 August 2017 The leading Swedish daily quotes from AAN analysis in its article about Donald Trump’s Afghanistan address – but the detail is hidden behind a pay wall.

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“Not nation-building,” but “killing terrorists”: Trump’s ‘new’ strategy for Afghanistan

Kate Clark •

The American president’s long-awaited announcement on United States policy in Afghanistan has finally been made: more troops (number unspecified) and no end-date to the US deployment; fighting “to win” (defined only as preventing a Taleban take-over), aiming at “killing terrorists” and not “nation-building”; new, unspecified threats against Pakistan to stop supporting the Taleban and a […]

International Engagement Read more

О новой американской стратегии в Афганистане – с Томасом Рутигом

Thomas Ruttig •

Central Asian Analytical Network, 23 August 2017 Full interview (both in English and Russian) with AAN’s Thomas Ruttig on the Baku-based outlet about Trump’s Afghanistan strategy. Russian version under the same link, just switch languages.

AAN in the Media Read more

„Nötig wäre der Aufbau eines funktionierenden Staates“

Thomas Ruttig •

Tagesspiegel, 22 August 2017 Full interview with AAN’s Thomas Ruttig about President Trump’s 21 August Afghanistan address, both print and online (in German).

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U.S. Has More Troops in Afghanistan Than Publicly Disclosed

AAN •

Wall Street Journal, 22 August 2017 Useful article that gives an overview over the real number of US soldiers in Afghanistan: 8400 ‘full-timers’ and  3500 temporarily deployed, altogether 11,900.  3900 will be added based on Trump strategy, summa summarum: 15,800. Then there is an unknown number of special forces etc; of course, some soldiers shift between […]

Recommended Reads Read more

Trump’s Afghanistan strategy lacks vision, analysts say

Martine van Bijlert •

RFI, 22 August 2017 Article quotes AAN’s Thomas Ruttig in response to Trump’s speech implying the US intends to stay in Afghanistan and fight until al Qaeda and the Islamic State are wiped out and the Taliban defeated on the battlefield: Such an effort would “take years or even further decades” of US deployment to Afghanistan, […]

AAN in the Media Read more

President Trump and America’s ‘forever war’

AAN •

KCRW, 22 August 2017 Listen to the show: AAN’s Kate Clark was on a radio panel with KCRW, on the US National Public Radio Network. Other participants: Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Washington Post; Omar Samad, Silk Road Consulting / New America Foundation; Hardin Lang, Center for American Progress.

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The Ghost of Najibullah: Hezb-e Watan announces (another) relaunch

Thomas Ruttig • Ali Yawar Adili •

A new attempt is underway to relaunch Hezb-e Watan, the ruling party that was revamped by President Najibullah in 1990 when he renamed the PDPA and tried to shed it’s communist past. Although the intention is to bring together an important segment of the former leftist forces in Afghanistan, the relaunch also has the potential […]

Political Landscape Read more

‘Guardian angel’ need for advisers in Afghanistan drives call for more troops

Thomas Ruttig •

Reuters, 18 August 2017 Author Josh Smith, among other things, gives figures about composition of RS mission: Of the 12,447 troops from 39 countries that make up the NATO-led Resolute Support mission, about 2,865 are classified as advisers, according to numbers provided by the coalition.  Another 7,766 are considered “enablers”, which can range from logistics […]

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Interesi okoli Afganistana (in English)

Thomas Ruttig •

Radio Student (Ljubljana), 18 August 2017 Half-hour interview (in English) with AAN’s Thomas Ruttig about the history and present of Afghanistan’s conflicts, with an additional question on plans in the US to ‘privatise’ the Afghan war. (Only intro and some text in between in Slovenian.)

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