Month: May 2021

Nicht alles düster für Afghanistan: Wiederaufbau erfordert auch regionale Kooperation

nd, 31 May 2021 AAN’s Ali Yawar Adili is quoted in this article discussing different scenarios, including on a future reconstruction of Afghanistan – Ali with a more sceptical view on new regional rivalry triggered by President Ghani’s connctivity projects: Glaubt man dem afghanischen Präsidenten Aschraf Ghani, dann habe sein Land nun die Chance, alle […]

31 May 2021

Afghanistan: Gewalt und etwas Diplomatie

Süddeutsche Zeitung, 30 May 2021 AAN research on the Taleban’s parallel government and AAN’s Thomas Ruttig are quoted in this article by one of the leading German dailies, on scenarios for a future Afghanistan: “Die Taliban werden warten, bis die ausländischen Truppen wirklich weg sind und dann anfangen, einen eigenen Gesprächsfaden zu spinnen, ihre eigenen […]

30 May 2021

Why does the Incidence of Polio Vary? A comparative study of two districts in Helmand (Part 2)

Fazl Rahman Muzhary •

In this second of two case studies exploring why polio vaccination varies between apparently quite similar districts in Afghanistan, we look at two neighbouring district in Helmand province, Nawa, with its rare incidences of polio since 2001, and Nad Ali, which has seen one of the highest numbers of polio cases in the country. A […]

23 May 2021

The U.S. Is Leaving Afghanistan? Tell That to the Contractors.

New York Magazine, May 2021 While the US and other troops are leaving Afghanistan on the basis of a US-Taleban agreement that also covers contractors, at least some companies deploying contractors to the country seem to continue operating and even expecting to remain in the country, as they are “under private payroll.” For instance, the […]

17 May 2021

Kontinuität und Wandel der Taliban

Tageszeitung, 17 May 2021 A portrait of the Afghan Taleban movement between “continuity and change” – with four short portraits of leaders or important figures: Hebatullah Akhundzada, Serajuddin Haqqani, Mullah Baradar and Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanakzai (in German).

17 May 2021

Why does the Incidence of Polio Vary? A comparative study of two districts of Kandahar (Part 1)

Ali Mohammad Sabawoon •

Afghanistan and neighbouring Pakistan are now the only two countries in the world still suffering from polio, an infectious viral disease that strikes children, causing temporary or permanent paralysis and, in some cases death. Despite the availability of a vaccine since the 1960s and national vaccination since 1978, polio remains a persistent challenge in Afghanistan. […]

16 May 2021

The Amazing Rise And Fall Of Century-Old Afghan Box Cameras

RFE/RL, 15 May 2021 Ron Synowitz’s must-read about a rapidly disappearing trade in Afghanistan: “Now, with photography digitized, the karma-e-faoree has disappeared” and also spare parts and the right type of photo paper are nowhere to be found anymore. An edict in the 1950s by Afghanistan’s king, Zahir Shah, to introduce a black-and-white photo ID […]

15 May 2021

At Eid al-Fitr, AAN Wishes Calm and Peace for Afghanistan

AAN Team •

Eid al-Fitr, the festival that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, has again come at a deeply unsettling and anxious time for Afghans. Even as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to take and harm lives, the war has intensified, appearing also to have become more indiscriminate and merciless. For the sake of Eid, […]

13 May 2021

Chances For Peace In Afghanistan Recede As Deadly Taliban Attacks Spiral

Gandhara (RFE/RL), 12 May 2021 In this article which supposes that the Taleban are “creating the illusion that it remains committed to the peace process to gain further concessions from the United States”, AAN’s Ali Adili is quoted as saying: “The Taliban realizes that if it officially announces a spring offensive it would formalize the […]

12 May 2021

75pc of mining sites controlled by militants and strongmen

Pajhwok News Agency, 10 May 2021 A table of the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) shows that of 748 mining areas in different parts of Afghanistan, about 283 are controlled by the Taliban, 281 by government and the remaining by power full individuals. The ministry collected information on nationwide mining sites. A source in […]

10 May 2021

Nach der Schule der Tod – Mehr als 50 Opfer bei Anschlag in Kabul

dpa/Bieler Tageblatt, 9 May 2021 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig on the ‘signature’ of the 8 May 2021 Dascht-e Barchi terrorist attack on a girls school (in German): Aus Sicht des Afghanistan-Experten Thomas Ruttig trägt der Anschlag die Handschrift des IS. Man könne aber auch Sabotage-Aktionen von Kräften nicht ausschliessen, die an den inner-afghanischen Friedensverhandlungen nicht interessiert […]

9 May 2021

Terroranschlag in Kabul: Bombenangriff auf Schule

Tageszeitung, 9 May 2021 Op-ed (online and in print on 10 May) by AAN’s Thomas Ruttig, summarising information about the terrorist attack on a girls school in Kabul, the contradictory finger-pointing on who might have been the perpetrators and on tendencies of self-arming among the targeted Afghan Shia communities (in German).

9 May 2021