Thomas Ruttig

Jihadistische terreurbewegingen willen profiteren van coronacrisis

de Volkskrant, 13 April 2020 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted on whether the Afghan IS franchise might be able to instrumentalise the coronavirus crisis for gaining territory– which he doubts, after the severe weakening it has suffered: De situatie in Afghanistan lijkt wat minder urgent. De altijd al marginale rol van Islamitische Staat-Khorasan, de lokale […]

13 Apr 2020

Ein Schei­tern aller:  Afghanistan steht vor einem Bürgerkrieg…

Der Spiegel, 11 April 2020 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted in this analysis for the leading German news magazine by Christoph Reuter (behind paywall): „Letztlich ist es ein Scheitern aller Beteiligten“, urteilt der Co-Direktor des Afghanistan Analysts Network, Thomas Ruttig, „der Amerikaner, der Verbündeten, die nur mitgemacht haben, sowie der afghanischen Eliten. Nur von denen […]

11 Apr 2020

Friedensprozess in Afghanistan: Taliban brechen Gespräche ab

Tageszeitung, 9 April 2020 In Afghanistan, the tug-of-war between the Taleban and the government about an exchange of prisoners is escalating Freilassung. The Taleban threaten to collapse the peace process. But meanwhile, some prisoner exchange has happened…

9 Apr 2020

Die Taliban, dein Freund und Helfer

Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 7 April 2020 AAN’s Fazl Muzhary is quoted in this text about the Taleban’s dual strategy, their governance (including a corona awareness campaign) and their stepped-up offensiv against the government troops (in German, behind a pay wall):

7 Apr 2020

Coronavirus forces Afghanistan’s child workers off the streets

Reuters, 7 April 2020 “Afghanistan’s child workers are forced to stay at home due to the COVID-19 lockdown, with families concerned about how they will earn money now” – a reportage by Stefanie Glinski.

7 Apr 2020

5 Days of Political Talks in Kabul; Does Arg Follow a Divide Strategy?

Reporterly, 6 April 2020 AAN’s Ali Adili is briefly quoted in this analysis of the Ghani-Abdullah row in Afghanistan: Ali Adeli [sic], an analyst in the Afghan [sic] Analysts Network, believes that the stability and partnership team led by Abdullah is working on a “delay strategy”.

6 Apr 2020

Topdara-stupan berättar om det buddistiska arvet

Jelena Bjelica •

SCA/SAK, 6 April 2020 Jelena Bjelica’s AAN report, The Largest Standing Stupa in Afghanistan: A short history of the Buddhist site at Topdara, has been translated (and shortened) into a version in Swedish.

6 Apr 2020

Islamic State in Afghanistan: future spoiler?

Afghan Hindsight, 2 April 2020 This entry in Bill Foxley’s blog quotes AAN research: The Afghanistan Analysts Network has cautioned that many reports of ISKP fighters are inaccurate and warned against assuming that the existence of foreign fighters was automatic proof of an ISKP presence.[14]

2 Apr 2020

Blood in the Abode of Peace: The attack on Kabul’s Sikhs

Fabrizio Foschini •

At a time when Afghans face a looming pandemic and worsening conflict, one recent event has stood out: the attack on the Sikh gurdwara in the Old City of Kabul one week ago. It was an unprecedented, sectarian attack on a peaceful, non-Muslim religious minority. 26 people were killed and 11 wounded, men, women and one child. […]

1 Apr 2020

Covid-19 in Afghanistan (2): Herat city between disregard and compliance

S Reza Kazemi •

With around two-thirds of Afghanistan’s confirmed positive Covid-19 cases thus far, the western province of Herat is now known as the path through which the coronavirus spread from neighbouring Iran. But how have residents and government in Herat city, the provincial centre, reacted to the disease in day-to-day life? Based on observations and conversations, AAN […]

30 Mar 2020

Was bringt der Friedensplan für Afghanistan?

ARD-Weltspiegel, 29 March 2020 The foreign correspondents’ magazine of Germany’s leading public TV network has two quotes from AAN’s Thomas Ruttig in this report about the attempts to reach a peace settlement in Afghanistan. Watch the video in German here.

29 Mar 2020

Covid-19 in Afghanistan (1): No large outbreak yet in the country

Thomas Ruttig •

Afghanistan has so far been moderately affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with fewer than 100 people testing positive and four confirmed fatalities. There are strong indications that these cases may have been seeded by the outbreak in neighbouring Iran, via Afghans who returned from that country. AAN’s Thomas Ruttig has compiled an overview of what […]

27 Mar 2020