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One Land, Two Rules (10): Three case studies on Taleban sales of state land

As the Taleban have expanded their areas of control around the country, anecdotal reports have been popping up of Taleban commissions and commanders in several provinces selling state land. However, a closer look into the three most prominent examples – Helmand, Uruzgan and Takhar – reveals a murkier picture than media reports and claims by government […]

15 Apr 2020 Fazl Rahman Muzhary • Economy, Development, Environment

End of a Peace Process? Pressure on Islamist party undermines Tajik post-civil war consensus

Tajikistan’s government is cracking down on the main opposition party, the Islamist IRPT. Some say this is just part of a pre-election campaign (the country is to elect its president in November); others see longer-term implications that could jeopardise the 1997 peace agreement that still shapes the country’s political reality. The IRPT – the only […]

9 Sep 2013 Thomas Ruttig • Regional Relations

Qatar, Islamabad, Chantilly, Ashgabad: Taleban Talks Season Again? (amended)

There has again been movement in the positions marking the landscape of ‘reconciliation’ or, more precisely, of contacts and possible negotiations with the Taleban seem to be moving again. A track II meeting, labelled as ‘intra-Afghan’ talks, was held in France and, before that, the so-called ‘HPC roadmap’ leaked, indicating a more active role of […]

31 Dec 2012 Thomas Ruttig • War and Peace

AAN Paper: Afghanistan’s new generation of Islamic activists

Since the fall of the Taleban, Afghanistan has gone through a great deal of changes. The efforts to establish a democratic and pluralistic political system, the hugely improved access to the rest of the world through media and telecommunication, the emergence of a middle class as a result of a growing economy and the influx […]

23 Jun 2015 AAN Team • Political Landscape

A new Afghan Shia Leader: Return to quietism versus political Islam?

A new leader is emerging in Afghanistan’s Shia community, one who so far has chosen to abstain from any presence or involvement in the religious or political affairs of the country. Ayatollah Mohammad Eshaq Fayaz is being supported by Afghan Shia – among them rather influential figures such as Second Vice President Sarwar Danish – […]

2 Nov 2014 Qayoom Suroush • Political Landscape

Preparing for a Post-Departure Afghanistan: Changing political dynamics in the wake of the US troop withdrawal announcement

It is six weeks since US President Joe Biden announced that all international troops would be withdrawn by September and the reverberations of that announcement are still being felt in Afghan political and security circles. The government has been bullish in public, claiming the country is ready for the departure of the foreign forces. Yet, […]

4 Jun 2021 Ali Yawar Adili • War and Peace

Creating a Hierarchy of Victims? ICC may drop investigations into US forces to focus on Taleban and ISKP

The International Criminal Court’s Chief Prosecutor, Karim A A Khan, has asked the judges of the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber to authorise a resumption of investigations into alleged “atrocity crimes” committed in the context of the Afghan conflict, but only those ascribed to the Taleban and Islamic State in Khorasan Province (ISKP). As for crimes perpetrated […]

1 Oct 2021 Kate Clark • Rights and Freedoms

Attack on the Opposition in Tajikistan: Afghan concerns and comparisons

Despite its 1300 kilometre-long border with Tajikistan, Afghanistan is rarely worried by the internal political strife and occasional violence to its north. The situation is, however, worsening. The Dushanbe government’s relentless attack on its domestic political (non-military) opposition, including the Islamic Revival Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), threatens to undo the relative peace and prosperity of […]

25 Oct 2015 Christian Bleuer • Regional Relations

Text of Speech Enunciated by Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan at a Research Conference in France

This was used as an annexe to the AAN report “Qatar, Islamabad, Chantilly, Ashgabad: Taleban Talks Season Again?” Monday, 10 Safar 1434 Monday, 24 December 2012 08:16 The full text of speech enunciated by two representatives from Political Office of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Mawlawi Shahbuddin Dilawar and Doctor Muhammad Naeem, at research conference in […]

24 Dec 2012 Taleban and related documents

The Ulama Council: paid to win public minds – but do they?

The largest religious body in Afghanistan is the National Ulama Council, which was set up by President Karzai almost a decade ago. The president’s hope, expressed at the time, was that the council – with its 3,000 members from across the country, all of whom receive government salaries – would help him win political support […]

5 Nov 2012 Borhan Osman • Political Landscape