Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: September 2018

Trump’s Iran Sanctions Trigger a Booming Cash Smuggling Business

AAN •

Bloomberg, 13 September 2018 Altaf Najafizada’s insight into how some Afghans gain from the US sanctions against Iran (most Afghans lose, many of them returning from Iran because the lack of work): For traders in Afghanistan’s main currency exchange, U.S. sanctions against Tehran have created the ultimate arbitrage play — one that involves frequent trips […]

Recommended Reads Read more

Playing Fields, Sports Clubs, Gyms Becoming Afghanistan’s Bloody New Battlegrounds

AAN •

RFE/RL, 12 September 2018 Quotes from AAN’s Ali Adili in this article about the recent anti-Shia terror attack wave: “The militants see these sports venues as soft targets,” says Ali Adili, a researcher at Afghanistan Analysts Network, an independent think tank in Kabul. “Striking these targets also makes headlines. More than this, these attacks may […]

AAN in the Media Read more

Gewalt in Afghanistan: IS verstärkt Anschläge gegen Schiiten

Thomas Ruttig •

Tageszeitung, 12 September 2018 Thomas Ruttig’s op-ed regarding the fears and preparations among the Afghan Shia community about more possible IS attacks during the current month of Muharram. He also says that such type of terrorist attacks overshadow widespread current fighting in a number of Afghan provinces (in German).

AAN in the Media Read more

The Taliban’s Fight for Hearts and Minds

Thomas Ruttig •

Foreign Policy, 12 September 2018 “The militants’ new strategy is to out-govern the U.S.-backed administration in Kabul—and it’s working”, Ashley Jackson who is associated  to the Overseas Development Institute in London reports from Charkh district in Logar which is t”currently governed by the Taliban.” Locals say there is remarkably little crime. Disputes among neighbors or families are […]

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Ferocious Attack on ICC: Washington threatens court if it investigates alleged US war crimes in Afghanistan

Kate Clark •

President Trump’s National Security Advisor, John Bolton, has made a withering attack on the International Criminal Court (ICC), threatening prosecutions against personnel and retaliation against any country cooperating with the Court if it ‘goes after’ America. Bolton’s intervention comes as the judges of the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber weigh up whether or not to authorise a […]

International Engagement Read more
Footage from the Islamic Jihad Union's al-Sodiqlar social media channel.

New Confusion About ISKP: A case study from Sar-e Pul

Obaid Ali •

After the defeat of a self-proclaimed ISKP group in Jawzjan in July 2018, focus has shifted to neighbouring Sar-e Pul. Russian media in particular have alleged that there are more pro-ISKP groups active in this province. AAN’s Obaid Ali (with inputs from Thomas Ruttig) has looked into Sar-e Pul’s insurgency landscape and found no indication […]

War and Peace Read more
Main informal camp after the storm on 17 July 2018 in Velika Kladusa, a town in northwest Bosnia. Photo: Elizabeth Wait, 2018.

Killing Time in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Afghan migrants try a new route into the EU

Elizabeth Wait •

Since January, around 800 Afghans have arrived in the non-EU country of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in an attempt to find a new route into the European Union. They are mainly camping out in dilapidated buildings and makeshift structures in the towns of Bihać and Velika Kladuša, both near to the north-western border with EU member […]

Migration Read more

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