Month: July 2021

What Recent Taliban Advances in Afghanistan Do and Do Not Mean

SIGA, 8 July 2021 Franz J. Marty’s analysis of the recent Taleban advances in Afghanistan, an excellent addendum to AAN’s recent analyses – with plenty of complementary detail, for the Swiss Institute on Global Affairs.

8 Jul 2021

Afghan War Moves North

The Diplomat, 8 July 2021 AAN research by Kate Clark and Obaid Ali is quoted here, saying the Taleban “targeting the north now looks like a pre-emptive strike to prevent a northern opposition from organising.”

8 Jul 2021

New special report: ‘Between Hope and Fear. Rural Afghan women talk about peace and war’

Martine van Bijlert • AAN Team •

As the United States pushes ahead with the rapid and unconditional withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan, an unrelenting Taleban offensive has driven the Afghan government out of scores of districts across the country. Many Afghans are seeing their fears about the fallout from the ill-considered US-driven peace process come true. Against this backdrop, AAN’s […]

6 Jul 2021

In Afghan Peace Talks, the Taliban Gain Legitimacy While Pursuing War

Wall Street Journal, 6 July 2021 AAN’s Kate Clark is quoted with saying: “The Taliban have used the peace talks as a tool for the war,” said Kate Clark, co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network think tank. … (the remainder behind a pay wall).

6 Jul 2021

Tajikistan Reinforces Border As Afghan Forces Collapse Under Taliban Offensive

RFE/RL, 5 July 2021 In an article looking at several episodes of Afghan soldiers evading Taleban assaults across the border into Tajikistan, AAN research is quoted about the general situation in northern Afghanistan: According to a recent analysis by the Afghanistan Analysts Network, a Kabul think tank, the Taliban strategy in the north “looks like a preemptive […]

5 Jul 2021

The US and allies have a duty to Afghan interpreters

Financial Times, 4 July 2021 The Financial Tims’ editorial underlining western countries’ duty to protect their Afghan local staff from Taleban threats quotes from AAN when arguing that the US-led ‘coalition’ failed to achive one ‘strategic aim’ of the intervention – removing the Taleban from power: As the Taliban has ratcheted up violence they have […]

4 Jul 2021

After the retreat: what now for Afghanistan?

The Observer, 4 July 2021 An interesting reportage from Herat, giving first insight into Taleban behaviour in newly conquered districts, here Obe in Herat: On 14 June, the last government forces in the district were helicoptered out of a besieged outpost. The militants are confident enough of their control that last week they called a […]

4 Jul 2021

After the retreat: what now for Afghanistan?

The Observer, 4 July 2021 Quotes from a recent AAN report by Kate Clark and Obaid Ali: “That the Taliban would launch widespread attacks while, or immediately after, US forces left was to be expected, but the scale and speed of the Afghan National Security Forces’ collapse was not,” said Kate Clark of the Afghanistan […]

4 Jul 2021

Afghans’ choice as US departs: Weak government, or hated Taliban

Christian Science Monitor, 2 July 2021 This article quotes from a recent AAN report by Kate Clark and Obaid Ali: Indeed, a report today by the Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN) pointed to government “neglect and incompetence” as much as “Taliban strength,” as a reason for the insurgents’ recent lightning advances. Widespread Taliban attacks as the […]

2 Jul 2021

A Quarter of Afghanistan’s Districts Fall to the Taleban amid Calls for a ‘Second Resistance’

Kate Clark • Obaid Ali •

In the last few weeks, the Taleban have captured scores of district centres across Afghanistan. In this report, we look at the general reasons for the success of the Taleban onslaught, before focusing on the north, which has seen a collapse of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) of unprecedented speed and scale. The fall […]

2 Jul 2021