Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Thomas Ruttig

Waffenruhe: Verbrüderung mit den Taliban

Thomas Ruttig •

Frankfurter Rundschau, 17 June 2018 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted in this article about the Eid ceasefire and the fraternisations it triggered, saying that the government ceasefire did not come out of the blue: „Das ganze ist sicher vorbereitet“, sagte Thomas Ruttig vom Afghanistan Analysts Network (AAN),„es gibt seit Jahren Kontakte zwischen Kabul und Taliban. […]

AAN in the Media Read more

Taliban refuse to extend truce with Afghan forces

Thomas Ruttig •

Guardian, 17 June 2018 A short quote from AAN’s Thomas Ruttig on why the Taleban ordered their fighters to return from government-controlled areas on day two of their Eid ceasefire: “Of course the leadership might fear some of them just stay,” said Thomas Ruttig, of the Afghan [sic] Analysts Network (AAN). What was not quoted: […]

AAN in the Media Read more

Why Farah?  A short history of the local insurgency (II)

Thomas Ruttig •

The Taleban have been a persistent and growing force in Farah since 2001, rebuilding their strength quietly after the US invasion and then seizing territory in remote districts. Insurgents now challenge pro-government figures for control of valuable trade and smuggling routes, assisted by the disarray among their opponents as the provincial government is hobbled by […]

War and Peace Read more

Surrounding the Cities: The meaning of the latest battle for Farah (I)

Ali Mohammad Sabawoon • Obaid Ali • Rohullah Sorush • Thomas Ruttig •

An attack on Farah city had long been feared. For years now, the Taleban have been taking control of the provincial capital’s outlying districts and inching their way towards the central hub. For a few days in mid-May, it looked as though the Taleban were about to take Farah city, which would have been their […]

War and Peace Read more

Where US troops train in Germany, Afghan refugees are recovering from war

Thomas Ruttig •

Stars and Stripes, 26 May 2018 J.P. Lawrence reports from Kaiserslautern in south-western Germany where, in apartments occupied by US troops during the Cold War, now refugees from Afghanistan live and are offered mental health services by he Red Cross, as refugees suffer from PTSD at rates 15 to 30 times the average. Giving background on reasons […]

AAN in the Media Read more

At any price we will take the mines: the Islamic State, the Taliban, and Afghanistan’s white talc mountains

AAN •

Global Witness, 25 May 2018 This new report by the NGO Global Witness provides a rare and detailed insight in an aspect of the political and resources economy of the Afghan war – looking at one of the less ‘sexy’ minerals, talc. While some media picked it up under headlines such as “Baby powder helping […]

Recommended Reads Read more

Clashes continue in Farah as Taliban renew attacks

Thomas Ruttig •

Stars and Stripes, 17 May 2018 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted in this article about the latest fighting in Farah: The attacks on Farah are similar to Taliban offensives that captured the provincial capital of Kunduz in 2015, said Thomas Ruttig, co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network. (…) “The Taliban have positioned themselves in Farah […]

AAN in the Media Read more

Offizieller Armutsbericht: Afghanen wieder so arm wie früher

Thomas Ruttig •

Tageszeitung, 17 May 2018 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig looks at latest reports by the Afghan government, Oxfam and the Swedish Committee on (low) aid effectiveness in Afghanistan, resulting in a poverty rate as high as in 2003, shortly after the fall of the Taleban regime (in German).

AAN in the Media Read more

[Afghanistan-]Gutachter: Angekratztes Monopol

Thomas Ruttig •

Wiener Zeitung, 17 May 2018 An update by the Vienna-based daily on the controversy around the only  Afghanistan “expert” in Austrian asylum cases who has come under fire for his “rosy” picture of the war-torn country, including by a counter-expertise by AAN’s Thomas Ruttig (in German): Für den deutschen Afghanistan-Experten Thomas Ruttig steht jedoch jetzt […]

AAN in the Media Read more

Offizieller Armutsbericht: Afghanen wieder so arm wie früher

Thomas Ruttig •

Tageszeitung, 17 May 2018 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig reports about the dramatically increased number of Afghans living under the poverty line – 55 per cent, up from 51,4 per cent in 2003, the second year after the Taleban  (in German).

AAN in the Media Read more

In Afghanistan è già iniziato il jihad contro le elezioni

Thomas Ruttig •

East West, 15 May 2018 In this article in the Italian web-based political magazine about the latest attacks on election installations in Afghanistan, some quotes by AAN’s Thomas Ruttig, with a link to and additional quotes from  his latest AAN paper on Afghanistan’s political parties: E, ovviamente, i Talebani e gli altri gruppi anti-governativi, che […]

AAN in the Media Read more

Subscribe to receive updates from the Afghanistan Analysts Network

Sign up