Thomas Ruttig

Hezb-e Islami Peace Proposal

AAN Team •

Hezbi Islami Peace Proposal (not dated) بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Introduction: This proposal details the procedure and mechanism aimed at the creation of an authoritative and agreed-upon body for peace and broad political consensus one that includes all circles i.e. government, political entities within and outside the government, prominent and influential personalities, administer the peace […]

30 Apr 2020

Plan of the National Council for Peace (Dari)

AAN Team •

Mehwar-e Solh wa Nejat-e Afghanistan az Bohran (Axis for Peace and Salvation of Afghanistan from Crisis): “Tarh-e Shura-ye Melli-ye Solh (Plan of the National Council for Peace)” طرح شورای ملی صلح  بخش اول مقدمه اهداف اعتماد سازی و مراحل آن موارد اعتماد سازی داخلی موارد اعتماد سازی خارجی مکانیزم های عملی برای دست یابی به توافقات دارالانشاء […]

30 Apr 2020

Afghans and Americans both deserve better Afghan leadership

The Hill, 28 April 2020 Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan, Ronald E Neumann, quotes AAN in this opinion piece: The Taliban are continuing the war. As two recent reports by the Afghan [sic] Analysts Network have documented, after a week of lowered attacks during the so-called reduction in violence period, Taliban attacks have steadily increased.

28 Apr 2020

Taliban attempts to woo Afghanistan’s Hazara community with new appointment

The National, 28 April 2020 AAN’s Ali Yawar Adili is quoted here as saying: Ali Yawar Adili, a researcher with the Afghanistan Analysts Network told The National “In recent years, the Taliban have recruited from other communities like Tajiks and Uzbeks. They seemed to feel a gap in their effort to portray themselves as a […]

28 Apr 2020

Afghanistan First Quarter Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: 2020

UNAMA, 27 April 2020 From 1 January to 31 March 2020, UNAMA documented 1,293 civilian casualties (533 killed and 760 injured) – one third women and children –, highlighting that the conflict in Afghanistan continues to be one of the deadliest in the world for civilians. The overall number of civilian casualties in the first […]

27 Apr 2020

Flash from the Past: The 1950 Kabul Students Union and its impact on the post-WWII opposition movement

Thomas Ruttig •

70 years ago, on 4 April 1950, the first students’ organisation in Afghanistan’s history was launched. The Students Union of Kabul University started as an attempt by factions in the government to gain control over a small, but enthusiastic group of activists and instrumentalise it for their own interests. This attempt backfired, and the Union […]

26 Apr 2020

Static War: Helmand after the US Marines’ return

Andrew Quilty •

In April 2017, 300 US Marines were sent back to Helmand, a province the US troops, who numbered 20,000 at their peak there, had handed over to Afghan forces less than three years earlier. The Marines’ task was to rehabilitate the Afghan National Army’s (ANA) 215th Corps and help prevent the fall of the provincial […]

23 Apr 2020

26 Pro-Government Afghans Killed in Fighting

Voice of America, 21 April 2020 Research by AAN’s Kate Clark about the Afghan National Army Territorial Force is quoted here: “Despite the many pitfalls associated with local defense forces … when they work, they work extremely well, producing determined fighters with local knowledge who protect the civilians in their areas and often stand their ground more […]

21 Apr 2020

Domestic abuse: ‘Women in Herat may survive coronavirus but not lockdown’

The Guardian, 21 April 2020 Since Herat was put in lockdown two weeks ago, work of healthcare workers helping victims of domestic abuse has ground to a halt and many of the women they were trying to protect have disappeared. “In a country where violence against women is endemic, Herat has some of the highest […]

21 Apr 2020

Herat City’s Reported Spike in Insecurity: What a sober reading of events reveals

S Reza Kazemi •

In late 2019 and early 2020, Afghanistan’s key western city of Herat witnessed a series of security incidents, including targeted killings and attacks on the police. The increase in violence resulted in an Afghan media uproar and a swirl of local theories about what or who could be behind it. Taking a closer look at […]

21 Apr 2020

Afghanistan on the Brink: Time for a Broader Humanitarian Intervention

Stability Operations Magazine, 20 April 2020 In an exclusive 1TV interview after taking oath as First Vice-President, Amrullah Saleh made a confident statement, claiming the government has put a set of firm measures and precautions in place — while sharing no details on how they work — to reduce the infection rate of the pandemic […]

20 Apr 2020

Virus Wipes Away [Female] Afghan Toilet-Paper Maker’s Expansion Plans

AFP, 20 April 2020 The story of a “rare female face in Afghanistan’s male-dominated business world,” Zuhal Atmar talks about the odds of her business, also beyond the Corona crisis: “To get a loan, you need a guarantor, a business partner, and of course collateral,” she said. “Women don’t usually have access to any of […]

20 Apr 2020