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Baghlan on the Brink: ANSF weaknesses and Taleban resilience

Is Baghlan province in the north of Afghanistan on the way to becoming a new stronghold of the insurgents? Two incidents symbolise this trend. On 20 May, one of the most powerful anti-Taleban commanders in the north, Mohammad Rasul Mohseni, died in a suicide attack. On 4 May, three Afghan police and one German soldier […]

31 May 2013 AAN Team • War and Peace

Attack on the ICRC: Crossing a Red Line

Today (29 May 2013), suicide bombers attacked the office of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Jalalabad, killing an unarmed guard and wounding a delegate before the attack was suppressed by Afghan security forces. No-one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Nevertheless, the insurgency has crossed a red line. It is […]

29 May 2013 Kate Clark • War and Peace

About Discrimination and Internet Access: Another student protest in Kabul

The 24 May complex Taleban attack in the heart of Kabul and, to a lesser extent, the demonstration of Kabul University students against the Law for the Elimination of Violence against Women (EVAW law) overshadowed another student protest in the Afghan capital. For eight days ending yesterday, some 80 students mostly of the Social Science […]

28 May 2013 Niamatullah Ibrahimi • Rights and Freedoms

The EVAW law – an Evil Law? The backlash at Kabul University

Many worried that debating the Elimination of Violence against Women (EVAW) law in parliament might backfire. In the end, the Speaker cut short the discussion and sent it into the shadows of a parliamentary committee for further discussion. However, even such a brief debate brought he existence of the law to the public’s attention and […]

26 May 2013 Borhan Osman • Rights and Freedoms

The evolving Taleban: Changes in the insurgency’s DNA

Understanding the dynamics and complexity of the Taleban insurgency has generally proved difficult for outsiders, but it is now becoming clearer how fast the Taleban has evolved in recent years. The movement’s command structure has seen profound change – partly in response to the US wiping out whole layers of the old, mid-level insurgent leadership […]

19 May 2013 Claudio Franco • War and Peace

Damage Avoided, for Now? The very short debate about the EVAW law

It took only 20 minutes on Saturday morning for the parliamentary debate on the Elimination of Violence against Women (EVAW) law to get heated – and for the Speaker to abruptly stop discussion. He sent the EVAW law back to the Joint Commission of the Parliament, which is responsible for preparing draft laws, for more […]

18 May 2013 Christine Roehrs • Rights and Freedoms

Moving East in the North: Transitioned Faryab and the Taleban

It took little more than seven months to turn Faryab from a province with a worrisome security situation into a province under constant attack. Since the Norwegian Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Faryab closed in September 2012, the security situation has quickly deteriorated. These days, Faryab is one of the main targets of the Taleban’s […]

17 May 2013 Obaid Ali • War and Peace

On a Knife’s Edge: The looming parliamentary debate about the Elimination of Violence against Women law

The Law on the Elimination of Violence against Women (the EVAW law) was celebrated as a major step forward for women’s rights in Afghanistan when it was issued per presidential decree three years ago. It is now on the parliament’s agenda for debate. This is not necessarily good news for women’s rights, however, since a […]

16 May 2013 Christine Roehrs • Sari Kouvo • Rights and Freedoms

Trouble at the Goshta Gate: New tensions and old wounds along the Durand Line

For almost two weeks now, tensions have been running high again at the Durand Line, the Afghan-Pakistani border not recognised by Kabul officials. Afghan troops have removed Pakistani border installations they perceived to be on their territory, security forces from both sides have exchanged fire and both governments have filed protests. Among Afghans, the issue […]

14 May 2013 Thomas Ruttig • Regional Relations

Return of the Muslim League: Pakistan after the Election

Pakistan elected its new parliament on 11 May 2013. The tiger – as many in the media have titled – has roared again: according to preliminary results, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) that used the tiger as its election symbol is way ahead of all its rivals but still short of an absolute majority. As […]

14 May 2013 Thomas Ruttig • Regional Relations