Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Reports

Reports – previously known as dispatches – are the flagship of the AAN website and our main type of publication. AAN reports are based on extensive desk and field research and provide timely and in-depth information and analysis.

AAN Reportage (2): The Andar Uprising – Has the Tide Already Turned?

Emal Habib •

In the spring of 2012, the Taleban lost control of substantial parts of one of their strongholds, Andar district in Ghazni. The government and national and international media called it a popular uprising. In Part 1 of AAN’s special reportage on the events of Andar, guest blogger and local journalist, Emal Habib(*) questioned this narrative. […]

War and Peace Read more

A Pathan Moustache Hair’s Worth: Afghans in Bollywood, Bollywood in Afghanistan

Fabrizio Foschini •

Hardy, hungry Afghan highlanders have for centuries looked beyond the Khyber Pass in search of…movies. And, be it clever marketing, be it spontaneous fascination, Bollywood cinema has also been keen on portraying Afghans throughout its different eras. Fabrizio Foschini has been looking at the outcome of this colourful cultural encounter, helped by the fact that […]

Context and Culture Read more

Back to Qatar? Talks about talks, again

Thomas Ruttig •

This summer has brought news that indicated that talks between the US and the Taleban (or even the Afghan government and the Taleban) might possibly be rekindled. It all started rather sensationally with a member of the Taleban leadership publicly attending an (academic) conference, moving on to speculations about Pakistan allowing Kabul access to an […]

War and Peace Read more

Lack of Capacity and Capital: Is Afghanistan Under-Selling the Ainak Copper?

Gran Hewad •

Containing 240 million metric tons of ore at 2.3 per cent copper content, the Ainak mine is considered one of the largest deposits of this metal in the world. It is located in Muhammad Agha district of Logar province, about 30 kilometres south-east of the Afghan capital, and was contracted to a Chinese consortium in […]

Economy, Development, Environment Read more

Guest Blog: Big Bucks for Big Players – Logistic fortunes of the Afghan war

Mohammad Jawad •

The logistics business is one of the most lucrative yet murkiest aspects of international security operations in Afghanistan. Involving backroom dealings and hundreds of millions of dollars, the stakes are high, as is the alleged involvement of the Afghan political elite. So who’s running the show, what are the scams, and what will happen as […]

Economy, Development, Environment Read more

On the borders: Where do the attacks in Nimruz come from?

Fabrizio Foschini •

The recent multiple suicide attacks that hit Zaranj, the capital of Nimruz province – with possibly one of the single biggest losses of lives in the Afghan conflict – received relatively small attention by the international media. Of course, both the global media and public are in a slack period regarding news from Afghanistan. The […]

War and Peace Read more

Afghan Politicking after the Rebellion in Tajik Badakhshan (amended)

Thomas Ruttig •

After a week of fighting, events in Tajikistan’s part of Badakhshan are quietening down. While a lot has been made in some media outlets of a possible cross-border Taleban link, events seem to have their background in the drug economy rather. On the Afghan side of the border politicking as a side-effect of the events […]

Regional Relations Read more

Karzai’s Decree to Combat Corruption: Cause for Cautious Optimism?

S Reza Kazemi •

Afghan President Hamed Karzai’s recent executive decree focussing on (but not only) the fight against corruption, which partly came as a reaction to debates at the recent international Afghanistan conference in Tokyo, sparked mixed reactions from Afghan parliamentarians, activists, experts and people at large. AAN’s researcher S. Reza Kazemi takes a closer look at the […]

Political Landscape Read more

The commuter of Alisheng: Death of a country district governor

Fabrizio Foschini •

The insurgent strategy of targeting rural government officials like woluswals (district governors) is not a new one, and it is gaining importance as the battle for contested areas becomes more acute. District governors cut a sometimes misunderstood figure in this war, as they are often portrayed as either old-times commanders or uninfluential pawns in somebody […]

War and Peace Read more

The Takhar attack and Targeted Killings: the Legal Challenge

Kate Clark •

An Afghan bank worker from rural Takhar, Habib Rahman, is taking the British government to court over Britain’s participation in drawing up and executing the US military’s ‘kill list’ which singles out alleged insurgents for targeted killing. Rahman lost his father-in-law, Zabet Amanullah, and several other close relatives in September 2010 when an air strike […]

International Engagement Read more

AAN Reportage: Who fights whom in the Andar Uprising?

Emal Habib •

The story of what is still being hailed by the government and media as a ‘popular uprising’ against the Taleban in Andar district, Ghazni has become one of the most ambiguous events on the battlefield for many years. The dominant and much-hyped account of what has happened presents an optimistic image of a purely popular […]

War and Peace Read more

Parliament sacks key ministers: Two birds with one stone?

Fabrizio Foschini •

The Afghan Lower House of the parliament, in an unprecedented move, voted out the two key ministers of Defence and Interior, in a single session. While it is early to make predictions on who will succeed them and whether they will be kept on as acting ministers for a while, it is worth having a […]

Political Landscape Read more

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