Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: March 2018

Coming Home to Kabul: A Mughal art exhibition opens in the cradle of King Babur’s Empire

Jelena Bjelica • Kate Clark •

The display of 72 paintings from the mid-sixteenth century Mughal period in Kabul as well as late sixteenth and seventeenth century Indian Mughal paintings opened in the Queen’s Pavilion of Babur’s Garden in Kabul on 31 March 2018. This, as well as an earlier exhibition in Herat’s Citadel in December 2017 showcasing fifteenth century Tîmûrid […]

Context and Culture Read more

Russia using ISIS fears to undermine NATO’s Afghan mission, analysts say

Thomas Ruttig •

Stars and Stripes, 29 March 2018 Before the background of US allegations that Russia is arming the Taleban, AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted here on Russia’s possible intent behind overplaying the role and threat emanating from IS in Afghanistan: Exaggerating the ISIS presence has several aims, according to Thomas Ruttig of the Afghanistan Analysts Network. […]

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Afghanistan : à Kaboul, « on sent nos vies rétrécir, on s’emmure »

Thomas Ruttig •

Le Monde, 28 March 2018 In this article in the leading Frnech daily, AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted (behind a paywall): Ces franchises, tout comme des groupes sectaires antichiites pakistanais, pourraient par ailleurs s’appuyer sur des réseaux locaux, des « terroristes à louer » en résidence à Kaboul, note le chercheur Thomas Ruttig, de l’Afghanistan […]

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Friedenskonferenz ohne Taliban

Thomas Ruttig •

SRF4, 27 March 2018 Listen to AAN’s Thomas Ruttig’s interview with Swiss radio’s rendez-vous show about today’s Afghanistan conference in Tashkent (in German): go to 27 March page and click audio under the headline mentioned above.

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Photo: Christine Roehrs 2015

2018 Afghan National Budget 2: Deals done with MPs to get budget through parliament

Kate Clark •

Figures for the 2018 Afghan budget are in the public realm and show that, despite government attempts to clean up its finances, Afghanistan’s Members of Parliament (MPs) were, once again, ‘given’ projects to persuade them to vote the budget through. The draft budget presented to parliament in November 2017 had been almost balanced; the one […]

Economy, Development, Environment Read more

Russia ‘arming the Afghan Taliban’, says US

AAN •

BBC, 23 March 2018 AAN’s Kate Clark induces some doubts in the logic behind US allegations of a close Russia-Taleban collaboration: The Taliban’s enmity towards Russia was enduring, says Kate Clark of the Afghanistan Analysts Network: “The Taliban always castigated the Northern Alliance for dealing with Russia,” she says. It may be that now Russian […]

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Nurullah, a farmer selling spring flowers ahead of Nawruz in Kabul. Photo: Obaid Ali 2018

Happy Nawruz: Wishing peace and happiness to AAN readers

AAN Team •

After a cold winter, spring has finally arrived. By 1 Hamal 1397, in every corner of Kabul city, greenhouses are being reopened with a variety of trees and flowers on sale. AAN team would link to wish all our readers and friends a blessed and peaceful year. We wanted to brighten up your day (further) […]

Context and Culture Read more
Bozoi Gumbaz in Badakshan where the old Soviet base was built nearby to stop infiltration of mujahedin coming in from China. Photo: Author (2017).

Tilting at Windmills: Dubious US claims of targeting Chinese Uyghur militants in Badakhshan

Franz J Marty • Ted Callahan •

In early February 2018, US forces conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan’s north-eastern province of Badakhshan, supposedly targeting ‘support structures’ of the ‘East Turkistan Islamic Movement’ (ETIM), allegedly a group of Uyghur extremists hailing from China’s far west said to be focused on attacking the Chinese state. (1) United States Forces – Afghanistan claimed the strikes targeted […]

Regional Relations Read more

Doubts Cast on US Claims of Hitting Anti-China Militants in Afghanistan

AAN •

Voice of America, 19 March 2018 The US radio station has summarised AAN’s guest dispatch on US airstrikes against what it claimed were targets linked with Uyghur militants – and has asked the US military for a response: When contacted by VOA for his reaction to AAN’s report, U.S. military spokesman Captain Tom Gresback in […]

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Faryab provins i hendene på Taliban

Thomas Ruttig •

Klassekampen, 19 March 2018 In a package about the current situation in Afghanistan, the Norwegian leftwing daily spoke to AAN’s Thomas Ruttig (about the situation in Faryab province, where formerly a Norwegian PRT was based) and the recent peace proposals with Prof Barnett Rubin (behind a pay wall).

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Afghanistan: Verhandeln mit den Taliban?

Thomas Ruttig •

ARD, 17 March 2018 This article on the website of Germany’s leading news programme, Tagesschau, quotes “renowned Afghanistan Analysts Network” as saying that president Ghani’s peace proposal is qualitatively more far reaching than any earlier peace initiative and that it was likely that the Taliban are contemplating it.

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A Bold Afghan Peace Offer, but are the Taliban Interested?

Thomas Ruttig •

AP/Military Times, 14 March 2018 In this article by Kathy Gannon on the forthcoming Ulema conference in Indonesia and recent peace initiatives, AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted: Thomas Ruttig, co-founder of the independent Afghanistan Analysts Network, called Ghani’s offer “a good beginning, not more, not less.” “Most elements of the proposal have been brought up […]

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