Thomas Ruttig

A Rocket Attack. Two Narratives. This Is What Happened

The New York Times, 12 May 2020 “When 16 rockets were fired at a small American base in southern Afghanistan last fall, the Taliban trumpeted the attack as a blood bath, claiming they had killed “tens” of Americans. The U.S.-led mission in Kabul downplayed it. (….) The rockets were inaccurate and injured two Afghan civilians, […]

13 May 2020

From Parallel Governments to a New Form of Power-Sharing? Afghanistan’s ongoing post-election crisis

Ali Yawar Adili •

Both parties claiming to be Afghanistan’s president are sending out signals that they are moving toward a new power-sharing formula. It is not clear, however, whether these signals indicate that the post-election political standoff is nearing its end. Possibly, they are just designed to reassure Afghans and the country’s international backers, the most important of […]

7 May 2020

One Land, Two Rules (11): Delivering public services in insurgency-affected districts – a synthesis report

Kate Clark •

In many parts of Afghanistan, the issue of who is in control is not straightforward: it may be the government or the Taleban or a mixture of both. Yet despite this – and the ongoing conflict ­– many public services continue, including health and education. How that works in practice is a question we wanted […]

6 May 2020

Business as Usual: The Uninterrupted Illicit Supply Chain across the Borders of Afghanistan

Medium.com, 5 May 2020 David Mansfield’s overview over the impact the coronacrisis will have on the supply chain for illicit goods and the funds available to armed actors, criminals and insurgents. He looks at the smuggling business at Afghanistan’s borders, with special insights into Nangrahar and Nimruz provinces. On growing drugs: “all areas where the opium crop […]

5 May 2020

In Rural Afghanistan, Taliban Gingerly Welcome Girls Schools

Foreign Policy, 4 May 2020 “What’s different this time, villagers say, is many of the fighters’ own sisters and daughters are attending” – a reportage on girls at school from Badikhel, in southeastern Afghanistan (province not mentioned).

4 May 2020

US-Taliban fragile pact plus weak political leadership in Kabul to push Afghanistan towards fresh nightmare

Tehran Times, 2 May 2020 The Iranian newspaper briefly refers to two recent AAN research pieces: The Taliban are continuing the war. As two recent reports by the Afghan Analysts Network have documented, after a week of lowered attacks during the so-called reduction in violence period, Taliban attacks have steadily increased. 

2 May 2020

Der Taliban-Shuffle: Die afghanischen Taliban und der schiitische Milizenführer Maulana Mahdi

Zenith, 30 April 2020 Quotes from AAN and AAN’s Thomas Ruttig in the article in the German (also English- and Arabic-language) Middle East magazine, about the first known Hazara/Shia Taleban district governor. (behind a paywall, unfortunately, and not (yet?) in the English version), pointing out that the appointment has already been done years ago, that […]

30 Apr 2020

Jamiat-e Islami Peace Plan

Jamiat-e Islami-ye Afghanistan: “A Comprehensive Peace Plan for Afghanistan: A Practical Concept Note for Sustainable Peace, prepared by General Ata Mohammad Noor, General Chief of Executive Council of Jamiat-e-Islami” dated: Mazar-e Sharif, 2020

30 Apr 2020

Looking ahead to Intra-Afghan Negotiations: A scrutiny of different political groups’ plans for peace

Ali Yawar Adili • Khadija Hossaini •

Since the US-Taleban agreement in late February, focus has shifted to intra-Afghan negotiations, with little clarity so far as to their scope. The US-Taleban deal agreed on 29 February focused on the withdrawal of US (and other foreign) troops, and anti-terrorism guarantees by the Taleban. While waiting for talks to begin, five political groups have […]

30 Apr 2020

Islamic Republic of Afghanistan negotiation team for Taleban talks

AAN Team •

This list has been published by the State Ministry for Peace on 26 March 2020. Originally, it included five women and 16 men (since then two members, including a woman, have been replaced, according to a source from the SMP speaking to AAN on 22 April, bringing down the number of women to four): Masum Stanekzai, head […]

30 Apr 2020

Heart of Asia Society: “Draft Framework for Intra-Afghan Peace Negotiations between the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and Taleban Movement”

AAN Team •

Draft Framework for Intra-Afghan Negotiations by the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Jadi 1398 [Dec 2019/Jan 2020] Kabul – Afghanistan Table of Content  Introduction ( page 3) Section One: Basis of intra-Afghan negotiations (Page 4) Viewpoints and overall objective  Principles and values Need for national consensus (4) Section Two: Structures necessary for legitimacy and advancement of Intra-Afghan […]

30 Apr 2020

Position of Mehwar-e Mardom-e Afghanistan (Afghanistan People’s Axis) regarding Peace Negotiations (Dari)

AAN Team •

Mehwar-e Mardom-e Afghanistan (Afghanistan People’s Axis) : “Position of Mehwar-e Mardom Afghanistan regarding Peace Negotiations محور مردم افغانستان ریاست دارالانشاء موضع محور مردم افغانستان در باره مذاکرات صلح کابل، ۳۰ سرطان ۱۳۹۸ مدخل افغانستان در آستانه یک چرخش بسیار مهم تاریخی قرار دارد. گفت‌وگو های ایالات‌متحده امریکا با طالبان در حال نهایی شدن است. همه نشانه‌ها دال بر این است که […]

30 Apr 2020