Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Thomas Ruttig

L’analista dell’Afghanistan: “Talebani all’attacco per riprendere l’egemonia del jihad”

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La Repubblica, 14 May 2015 A long interview (in Italian) with Fabrizio Foschini about the Taleban attack on a Kabul guest house.  

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Afghanistan: missed opportunities and threats for the future

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East, 14 May 2015 The new Italy-based European news magazine published an interview with AAN’s Thomas Ruttig covering the performance of the national unity government, talks with the Taleban and the role of Pakistan as well as the relationship between the Taleban and IS/Daesh. (both in Italian and English).

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Why targeted killings work against Islamic State

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MacLean’s, 14 May 2015 The Canadian magazine discusses targeted killings as a method and compares IS and Taleban, quoting AAN’s Kate Clark on the latter: Others, like Afghanistan expert Kate Clark, senior analyst for the Kabul-based Afghan Analysts Network, disagree. From her perspective, largely focused on the Afghan Taliban, targeted killings of the Taliban leadership […]

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Central Asia: After the strongmen

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Financial Times, 13 May 2015 In a long piece, the FT discusses the situation in Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan where two autoritarian, but increasingly aging presidents rule and no visible arrangements for succession have been taken. The article looks at the situation, power constellations and possible implications for the region, including Afghanistan.  

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»معرفی کتاب «سیاست‌ورزی قومی و بنای صلح در افغانستان

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Ettela’at-e Ruz, 13 May 2015 (23 Saur 1394) AAN’s Qayoom Suroush reviews Muhammad Qasem Wafaizada’s book “Siayatwarzi-ye qaumi wa bena-ye solh dar Afghanistan” (Ethnic Politics and Peace Building in Afghanistan), originally published in English by the Heinrich Boell Foundastion in Germany and now out in Dari, for the Kabul daily.

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The Pious Spy: a Taliban intelligence chief’s death & resurrection

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Harper’s, 11 May 2014 Now without pay wall: Mujib Mashal’s portrait of the Taleban’s intelligence chief Qari Ahmadullah, often declared dead (killed) but apparently still alive.

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Afghan clerics uneasy as civil rights movement gains momentum

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Reuters, 10 May 2015 The dispatch of AAN’s Borhan Osman is quoted here, referring to civil society and other protests that also attacked the Muslim clergy in the context of the lynching of a young Kabul woman: “These episodes have angered the mullahs (clerics) and I can see they are now drawing a line between […]

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IS, Taliban pairing up in northern Afghanistan

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AFP, 8 May 2015 AAN’s Kate Clark again as a voice of caution on the above: “Just because they are foreign fighters does not mean they are Daesh,” she told AFP. “I’m sceptical because I can’t see any reason why the Taliban would want to fight alongside Daesh. We need to see more evidence to […]

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Tienduizenden mensen ontvluchtten Kunduz in minder dan twee weken

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De Morgen, 8 May 2015 In this article in the Belgian newspaper about the relationship between the Taleban and IS in Afghanistan, AAN’s Kate Clark is quoted: Het is inderdaad zo dat veel buitenlandse jihadstrijders uit Centraal-Aziatische landen zoals Pakistan en Tjetsjenië er komen vechten, “maar dat wil niet per se zeggen dat het om […]

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As U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan, darkness falls on Taliban’s birthplace

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Washington Post, 8 May 2015 Although the headline sounds a bit US-centric (it is weird and unsustainable projects run by military non-development specialist, not the US withdrawal as such), a very interesting and sobering article how the US leaves Kandahar behind without electricity supplies – not least because it concentrated on unrealistic aims (repairing Kajaki […]

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