Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Month: November 2019

Two Western Hostages Are Freed in Afghanistan in Deal With Taliban

Thomas Ruttig •

International New York Times, 19 November 2019 AAN’s Kate Clark is quoted as saying here that “It’s a risky move on his part,” Kate Clark, an analyst with the Kabul-based Afghanistan Analysts Network, said of Mr. Ghani. “It’s not clear why it has happened now or whether it will actually be what he said he […]

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Insurgent bureaucracy: How the Taliban makes Policy

AAN • Thomas Ruttig •

USIP, 19 November 2019 Interesting new report about the Taleban’s policy making by Ashley Jackson and TLO’s Rahmatullah Amiri, with focusses on education, health and complaints and civilian casualties. Particularly interesting the account of regional differences in the implementation of Taleban leadership policies (or lack thereof).

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Tausche drei Taliban gegen zwei Professoren

AAN • Thomas Ruttig •

Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 18 November 2019 The leading Swiss daily also touches upon the still-undecided Afghan presidential election, and quoting AAN on this: Für die Denkfabrik Afghanistan Analysts Network ist klar, welche Konsequenzen drohen, wenn die Behörden nicht mehr Klarheit schaffen: Widersprüche, Fehler und Versäumnisse säten den Boden für eine Politisierung der Ergebnisse, wie auch […]

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Experts See Dim Prospects for Democracy in Afghanistan

AAN • Thomas Ruttig •

The Media Line, 14 November 2019 AAN’s Kate Clark is quoted in this article about competing claims of victory and an on-and-off recount in the September 28 presidential election: “It was a choice between two incumbents, neither of whom people are very excited about,” Kate Clark, co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, a nonpartisan research organization, told […]

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Lack of info on Afghan vote recount raises eyebrows

AAN • Thomas Ruttig •

Asia Times, 14 November 2019 The news platform quotes from AAN research here, on early implausibly high IEC turnout figures in the 28 September Afghan presidential election: Voter participation has been witnessed as implausibly higher than the national average in Kandahar, Helmand, Khost, Kunar and Ningarhar provinces, according to the independent Kabul-based think-tank Afghanistan Analysts Network.

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A Maelstrom of Militias: Takhar, a case study of strongmen co-opting the ALP

Kate Clark •

When the Ministry of Interior officials and human rights activists are asked where the worst Afghan Local Police (ALP) are, Takhar province is usually on the list. The reasons given are the enduring power of local strongmen over the force and the involvement of ALP units in crime, especially drug smuggling, and abuses of the […]

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Gefangenenaustausch für Frieden

Thomas Ruttig •

Tageszeitung, 13 November 2019 Op-ed by AAN’s Thomas Ruttig for the Berlin-based daily about the (then still) forthcoming prisoner/hostages swap between the Taleban and the Afghan government, designed to re-kickstart the US-Taleban negotiations (in German).

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We Still Don’t Know Who Won Afghanistan’s Presidential Election

AAN • Thomas Ruttig •

The Diplomat, 13 November 2019 This article quotes from AAN research on turnout figures from Afghanistan’s 28 September presidential election: Ali Yawar Adili and Jelena Bjelica wrote for the Afghanistan Analysts Network last week about the devilishly confusing and tumultuous array of turnout numbers that have been issued from various voices since the September 28 […]

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Afghanistan: Possible prisoners/hostage swap

AAN • Thomas Ruttig •

BBC Radio, 12 November 2019 AAN’s Kate Clark has spoken to BBC radio (the PM Afternoon news and current affairs programme) about the possible swap of three Taleban from the Haqqani network detained in Bagram, Mali Khan, Hafez Rashid and Anas Haqqani, for two professors from the American University of Afghanistan, American Kevin King and […]

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IEC Chief Calls for Patience on Vote Recount

AAN • Thomas Ruttig •

ToloNews, 12 November 2019 A short quote by AAN’s election expert Ali Yawar Adili in this news report about today’s spat at a press conference of the Independent Election Commission: “Commissioners are not able to manage a news conference. This affects people’s expectations,” said Ali Adili, deputy head of Afghanistan Analysts Network.

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Afghanistan releases three Taliban militants in bid to free US and Australian hostages

Thomas Ruttig •

The National, 12 November 2019 In this report by the Dubai-based daily about the planned prisoner/hostage exchange between the Afghan government and the Taleban, AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted as saying: “The prisoner/hostage swap is essential to get US-Taliban negotiations started again, after President Trump had declared them ‘dead,’ Co-Director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network […]

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Tajikistan government’s story about IS attack already crumbling

AAN • Thomas Ruttig •

Eurasianet, 8 November 2019 On 6 November, a 20-strong armed group masked individuals assaulted a border outpost at the Tajik-Uzbek border, according to Tajikistan’s authorities. It claimed the group had crossed over from Afghanistan’s Qala-ye Zal district of Kunduz province which was rejected by Afghan military officials in Kabul. The Russian and other governments used the report to […]

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