Thomas Ruttig

Inside the U.S. military’s raid against its own security guards that left dozens [60] of Afghan children dead

USA Today, 1 January 2020 Published on a day where not many people would have read a story about an atrocity in Afghanistan, this story deserves a careful read: about the Americans bombing a village to kill a Taleban commander linked to feuding local commanders who had been hired by a (then) British security company […]

20 Jan 2020

The Shattered Afghan Dream of Peace

AAN •

The New Yorker, 28 October 2019 “Trump upended peace talks. Civilian casualties keep climbing. After eighteen years of war, Afghans are suffering more than ever.” A tour-de-force about Afghanistan’s present: a refugee boy-turned-Taleb-turned-IS fighter-turned reconcilee; Achin militiamen; victims of the N.D.S./C.I.A. “hybrid units” which are “N.D.S. in name only” in Sherzad, Nangrahar. Doha talks, elections, women talking to the […]

27 Oct 2019

Afghanistan nach den Wahlen: „Die Afghanen müssen ihr Schicksal selbst in die Hand nehmen“

Thomas Ruttig •

Reporter, 26 October 2019 This interview with Austro-Afghan journalist Emran Feroz names AAN’s Thomas Ruttig as a reliable source on Afghanistan in the German-speaking areas.

26 Oct 2019

In a Quiet Corner, an Old Afghan Poet Polishes ‘the Heart’s Mirror’

AAN •

New York Times, 25 October 2019 “The heart is like a mirror,” Mr. Wujodi said. “If it is cleansed of the dust and fog, whichever way or object you aim it at the reflection of it would be reflected in the mirror.” A lovely reportage by Mujib Mashal about Haidari Wujodi, a Sufi poet-librarian, who has […]

25 Oct 2019

Afghanistan’s 2019 Election (19): An ambiguous picture of E-day civilian casualties

Thomas Ruttig •

The latest UNAMA report and other figures paint a mixed picture of the level of violence Afghanistan experienced on election day. On one hand, the day remained calmer than many feared, without the massive terror attacks threatened by the Taleban. On the other hand, 28 September was the second-most violent election day the country has ever […]

17 Oct 2019

War Without End

AAN •

Newsline, October 2019 A short AAN quote in the article by Rahimullah Yusufzai for the Pakistani monthly magazine on violence on E-day in Afghanistan: The Taliban claimed to have undertaken 531 attacks, the Afghanistan Analysts Network put the number at 400 and the Afghan interior ministry downplayed the Taliban threat by insisting that the “enemy” […]

11 Oct 2019

AAN contributes to book on “Education and Development in Afghanistan”

Thomas Ruttig •

After years of military interventions, the current situation in Afghanistan is highly ambivalent and partially contradictory – especially regarding the interplay of development, peace, security, education, and economy. Despite numerous initiatives, Afghanistan is still confronted with a poor security and economic condition. This volume investigates the tension between these ambivalent developments. Sociologists, political and cultural […]

11 Oct 2019

Former Afghan Warlord Hekmatyar Claims Two-Thirds of Ghani Votes Fraudulent

Thomas Ruttig •

Voice of America, 10 October 2019 In this article, AAN research is quoted on data of the Afghan presidential election which is known so far: Independent analysts, like those of the Kabul-based Afghanistan Analysts Network, have also questioned at least some of the turnout data presented publicly so far, calling some of the numbers “implausible.” […]

10 Oct 2019

‘Ample Opportunities’ For Fraud Bedevil Afghan Presidential Election

Thomas Ruttig •

RFE/RL, 9 October 2019 AAN’s Thomas Ruttig is quoted here, among a number of other analysts, is quoted on some seemingly implausible turnout figures that have come up in the Afghan presidential election: Thomas Ruttig, co-director of the independent Kabul-based Afghanistan Analysts Network, says that “everything now depends” on whether the IEC sticks to its […]

9 Oct 2019

Afghanistan: Little Help for Conflict-Linked Trauma

Thomas Ruttig •

Human Rights Watch, 7 October 2019 On the day the US-led military intervention in Afghanistan was started exactly 18 years ago, the human rights organisation says the Afghan government and international donors are failing in providing mental health services to a heavily traumatised population: Forty-one years of war have had a devastating impact on the […]

7 Oct 2019

Fourth Report of the Secretary-General on Children and Armed Conflict in Afghanistan

Thomas Ruttig •

United Nations, 2 October 2019 Between 2015 and 2018, the country task force verified 14,202 grave violations against children throughout the country. Of serious concern, the killing and maiming of 12,599 children was verified, representing almost a third of all civilian casualties and an increase of 82 per cent in child casualties compared with the […]

7 Oct 2019

Nur jeder fünfte Afghane hat gewählt

Thomas Ruttig •

Neues Deutschland, 30 September 2019 Some quotes on the Afghan election and the low turnout by AAN’s Thomas Ruttig in the Berlin-based left-wing daily (behind a pay wall). Here a PDF version – Afghanistan article at the bottom of the page: 20190930ND-my quotes

30 Sep 2019