Foreign Policy, 31 October 2016 The prosecutor’s office of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is ready to initiate a full investigation of a range of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Afghanistan, including some by U.S. personnel, according to several knowledgeable sources. The article has no new information on the ICC-Afghan relationship but information […]
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Washington Post, 16 October 2016 550-strong US Task Force Forge is back in Camp Shorab in Helmand, with its motto: “Holding the Helmand Line,” supported by Task Force Lethal — an American unit made up of an infantry battalion, medical-evacuation helicopters and gunships, stationed at Camp Dwyer. It had started in February 2015 “as seven advisers and four […]
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Zeit online, 11 October 2016 Putting the overrated ‘Merkel factor’ in the 2015 migration movements into context – of data and of long-term causes for people fleeing their countries. Article also available in German.
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AP, 7 September 2016 A reportage from Wakhan in Afghanistan’s extreme northeast – an area characterised by deep poverty and now increasingly isolated: Just 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Ishkashim, the town at the entrance to the valley, the Taliban and other criminal groups control the world’s oldest lapis lazuli mines, in Warduj district. (…) The presence […]
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The Diplomat, 26 August 2016 Some strong statements from an Afghan point of view (and by an advisor to an Afghan ministry), not only into Dr Abdullah’s problems – but those of President Ghani and of Afghanistan as such under the NUG: “paralyzing rivalries waged by different groups, elite pacts, and ethnic movements”; “ethno-cultural differences and political […]
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New York Times, 27 August 2016 A rare report on non-insurgency and family feud-realted violnce, pitching high-ranking policemen supporting different sides in the NUG against each other – in a case where Afghan officials and media prefer even not to name names.
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RFE/RL, 20 August 2016 Interesting article about the Afghan debate around King Habibullah II – aka (derogatorily) Bacha-ye Saqao – who overthrew reformer-King Amanullah in 1929. Another one on this subject here in the Washington Post.
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NYU Center for International Cooperation, August 2016 A paper co-authored by ex-UNAMA Georgette Gagnon and Barnett R. Rubin, recapitulating political and constitutional developments leading to the establishment of the NUG and its falling into crisis. It also discusses amending the Afghan constitution, as a way out of the current crisis, looks back at proposals that […]
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The Guardian, 7 August 2016 An extremely interesting comparison between Russia’ military interventions in Afghanistan and today in Syria, and what both has to do with each other.
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New York Times, 5 August 2016 Mujib Mashal, one of Afghanistan’s outstanding journalists, with a new portrait of former President Hamed Karzai, after another controversial Karzai interview with the Guardian. “Critics say the former president is working from the wings to destabilize his successor’s government. He says he has no interest in returning to power.”
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Telesur TV, 2 August 2016 “A recent analysis published by Afghanistan Analyst Network echoes the claims that the National Unity Government under President Ghani had funded the disgruntled Taliban members who then turned to IS in Afghanistan. “The Afghan government’s support to Mangal Bagh’s men is an open secret among residents of the Spin Ghar districts near the […]
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The Guardian, 19 July 2016 Kind of the sequel to the 18 July NYT article.
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