Month: May 2020

Will there ever be direct talks between Afghan gov’t and Taliban?

al-Jazeera, 13 May 2020 Watch a panel discussing the latest terrorist attacks in Afghanistan and their repercussions for direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taleban, including AAN’s Kate Clark, Popal Habibi (academic researcher on peacebuilding in Afghanistan) and Sultan Barakat (Professor of conflict resolution at the Doha Institute). Also via Youtube, here.

13 May 2020

Regierung in Kabul beschuldigt Taliban [wegen Anschlägen]

dpa/Deutsche Welle, 13 May 2020 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted here on the terrorist attack against a hospital-cum-birth clinic in Shia-inhabited West Kabul on 12 May, saying that the modus operandi speaks for the Islamic State as perpetrator, possibly in an attempt to further undermine peace talks, despite the fact that no group has claimed […]

13 May 2020

A Request to Delay: Another Afghan government attempt to prevent an ICC war crimes investigation?

Ehsan Qaane •

The Afghan government has submitted a request to the ICC Office of the Prosecutor to defer the ICC’s investigations in Afghanistan, on the grounds that domestic investigations are taking place into alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity that occurred on Afghan soil. They argue this means there is no need for the ICC investigation. […]

13 May 2020

Afghans worth better Afghan authority

Pajhwok News Agency, 13 May 2020 A short reference to AAN research in this opinion piece on the Kabul-based news agency’s website: The Taliban are proceeding with the war. As two late reports by the Afghan Analysts Network have archived, following seven days of brought down assaults during the purported decrease in viciousness period, Taliban […]

13 May 2020

A Rocket Attack. Two Narratives. This Is What Happened

The New York Times, 12 May 2020 “When 16 rockets were fired at a small American base in southern Afghanistan last fall, the Taliban trumpeted the attack as a blood bath, claiming they had killed “tens” of Americans. The U.S.-led mission in Kabul downplayed it. (….) The rockets were inaccurate and injured two Afghan civilians, […]

13 May 2020

From Parallel Governments to a New Form of Power-Sharing? Afghanistan’s ongoing post-election crisis

Ali Yawar Adili •

Both parties claiming to be Afghanistan’s president are sending out signals that they are moving toward a new power-sharing formula. It is not clear, however, whether these signals indicate that the post-election political standoff is nearing its end. Possibly, they are just designed to reassure Afghans and the country’s international backers, the most important of […]

7 May 2020

One Land, Two Rules (11): Delivering public services in insurgency-affected districts – a synthesis report

Kate Clark •

In many parts of Afghanistan, the issue of who is in control is not straightforward: it may be the government or the Taleban or a mixture of both. Yet despite this – and the ongoing conflict ­– many public services continue, including health and education. How that works in practice is a question we wanted […]

6 May 2020

Business as Usual: The Uninterrupted Illicit Supply Chain across the Borders of Afghanistan

Medium.com, 5 May 2020 David Mansfield’s overview over the impact the coronacrisis will have on the supply chain for illicit goods and the funds available to armed actors, criminals and insurgents. He looks at the smuggling business at Afghanistan’s borders, with special insights into Nangrahar and Nimruz provinces. On growing drugs: “all areas where the opium crop […]

5 May 2020

In Rural Afghanistan, Taliban Gingerly Welcome Girls Schools

Foreign Policy, 4 May 2020 “What’s different this time, villagers say, is many of the fighters’ own sisters and daughters are attending” – a reportage on girls at school from Badikhel, in southeastern Afghanistan (province not mentioned).

4 May 2020

US-Taliban fragile pact plus weak political leadership in Kabul to push Afghanistan towards fresh nightmare

Tehran Times, 2 May 2020 The Iranian newspaper briefly refers to two recent AAN research pieces: The Taliban are continuing the war. As two recent reports by the Afghan Analysts Network have documented, after a week of lowered attacks during the so-called reduction in violence period, Taliban attacks have steadily increased. 

2 May 2020