Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Thomas Ruttig

Rückzug der russischen Armee [aus Afghanistan] vor 30 Jahren

Thomas Ruttig •

Tagesschau 24, 15 February 2019 A video of an interview with Thomas Ruttig on the 30th anniversary of the Soviet military withdrawal from Afghanistan (in German).

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‘The victory was so strong’: Afghans celebrate Soviet pullout

Thomas Ruttig •

al-Jazeera, 15 February 2019 A short quote from AAN’s Thomas Ruttig about the Soviet withdrawal 30 years ago: “Militarily the Soviet army was not defeated. They continued to control much of Afghanistan, at least the cities and also part of the countryside – not unlike the current situation,” said Thomas Ruttig, co-director, Afghanistan Analysts Network […]

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Re-classified: Afghanistan is again the world’s deadliest conflict

Thomas Ruttig •

The Security Times, 14 February 2019 The newspaper for the Munich Security Conference carries an op-ed by AAN’s Thomas Ruttig about the situation in Afghanistan – from peace talks to the state of war.

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Taliban auf dem Vormarsch “Freiheitsrechte in Afghanistan bewahren”

Thomas Ruttig •

Tagesspiegel, 14 February 2019 The Berlin-based daily has a full interview (in German) with AAN’s Thomas Ruttig discussing the US-Taleban peace talks and the German offer to host a final peace conference including the Taleban.

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The Soviet Army was driven from Afghanistan 30 years ago. Putin’s Russia is repackaging it as a patriotic victory

AAN •

Washington Post, 14 February 2019 Amie Ferris-Rotman reports that while the Kremlin under Gorbachov in 1989 “called the Afghan war #a political mistake’ [and] Russian lawmakers, urged by President Vladimir Putin, are now trying to make a 180. On Friday, the date the last Red Army force withdrew from Afghanistan 30 years ago, the Russian parliament plans to […]

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From Sufi Sheikh to President: Historic mujahedin leader Mujaddedi passes away

Thomas Ruttig •

With Sebghatullah Mujaddedi, another of the historic leaders of the mujahedin parties, which fought the Soviet occupation (1979-89), has died. Mujaddedi belonged to a famous family of Sufi leaders and for this spiritual position, he was widely known simply as with the honorific ‘Hazrat Saheb’ in Afghanistan. Having been severely ill for some time, Mujaddedi […]

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Afghanische Wahlkommission gefeuert: Wahlergebnisse nicht in Sicht

Thomas Ruttig •

Tageszeitung, 13 February 2019 Another report by AAN’s Thomas Ruttig for the Berlin-based daily, this time on the firing of both Afghan election commissions by President Ghani and the still lacking parliamentary election results from October 2018.

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What Do the Afghan Peace Talks in Moscow Mean?

AAN •

PRIO, 12 February 2019 Kristian Haprviken, a specialist for south/central Asian regional relations at PRIO Oslo, looks at Russian intentions with regards to Afghanistan. He warns that one should not view Russia’s involvement “as having purely evil intent.” And further: One view is that the political capital Russia is now building in Afghanistan could be exploited […]

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Negociações entre Talibã e EUA trazem esperança e medo a afegãos

Thomas Ruttig •

O Globo, 10 February 2019 A quote from AAN’s Thomas Ruttig in this article in the leading Brazilian newspaper (behind a paywall, in Portuguese). Here an English translation of the quote: – The deal is still vague, needs to be negotiated in detail. There are open questions about how to reconcile the government, other political […]

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Re-read: From Uyghurs to Kashgaris (and back?) Migration and cross-border interactions between Xinjiang and Pakistan [and Afghanistan]

AAN •

Crossroads Asia project, 2014 Alessandro Rippa’ study of the Uyghur community of Pakistan, the Kashgaris, a group of migrants who left Xinjiang over the course of the last century, aiming principally at offering an overview of the history and current situation of the Uyghur community of Pakistan – a part of which migrated there via […]

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CIA-backed Afghan unit accused of atrocities is able to call in air strikes

AAN •

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, 8 February 2019 Moe on the modus operandi of CIA-backed NDS 02 unit based on Jalalabad airport, and another alleged case of killing of civilians in Nangrahar’s Rodat district in September 2018: A civil society activist in the province told the Bureau: “The 02 unit conducts operations with impunity and […]

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Explainer: Why There Are Two Competing Tracks For Afghan Peace

Thomas Ruttig •

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 7 February 2019 Some quotes from AAN’s Thomas Ruttig about the Moscow-sponsored talks between the Taleban and various Afghan factions, excluding the Afghan government: Thomas Ruttig, co-director of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, an independent think tank in Kabul, says the Russian peace talks are fueled by “Russian political sniping against the […]

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