Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Posts tagged: Ghazni

Ghazni

A view of Andar district town, where the Taleban have allowed telephone companies to operate 24 hours, which was not possible before the signing of S.U-Taleban peace agreement. The Taleban closed the district town several times, but since 2019, the businesses had returned to normal.

Living with the Taleban (1): Local experiences in Andar district, Ghazni province

Sahil Afghan •

Today, we publish the first of three studies exploring how the Taleban rule, and the impact of that rule on residents. Given that the talks in Doha may presage an Afghan state with key positions held by the Taleban or that, at the very least, the pattern of the Taleban controlling particular localities will continue, understanding […]

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Normally, this area would be bustling, with second-hand clothes and shoes sold from handcarts. During the August attack on Ghazni city, as many as 73 handcarts, all loaded with merchandise were burnt, according to a government fact-finding team. A month after the attack, this area, on the west bank of the River Jalga in the heart of the city, was still deserted. (Fazl Muzhary/AAN 2018)

Unheeded Warnings (1): Looking back at the Taleban attack on Ghazni

Fazl Rahman Muzhary •

Four months after the Taleban captured large parts of the strategic and historic city of Ghazni during a five-day siege in August 2018, local people live in fear of a new onslaught. While the Taleban were ultimately pushed out – or withdrew – from the city, they remain in the suburbs and have extended their […]

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Before Ashura: Extra security measures in place for second year running

Kate Clark •

This year, the ten-day commemoration of Muharram by Afghanistan’s Shia Muslims follows a wave of bloody attacks directed against them, most claimed by the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP). In 2017, the government armed and paid guards at some mosques and other religious buildings in an attempt to thwart attacks. Those guards have stayed […]

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The Insecure Spring of Ghazni: Results of third-grade treatment by the centre?

Ehsan Qaane •

Ghazni is one province where the Taleban have long-established significant influence. Actually, they dominate it militarily, with the exception of the provincial capital, all but one of the 18 district centres and some larger areas in three districts. Over the spring of 2018, the Taleban – although not capturing more territory –, have significantly expanded […]

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Mirai Bazaar, Andar District, Ghazni Province - March 2013. Photo: Fazal Muzhary

Finding Business Opportunity in Conflict: Shopkeepers, Taleban and the political economy of Andar district

Fazl Rahman Muzhary •

Even in times of war, people still need to buy food and other essentials and shopkeepers still need to sell. But when frontlines shift and military masters change – due to insurgency, uprising or rising government power – how can shopkeepers react to try to survive the situation? Indeed, how can they try to find […]

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Elections 2014 (14): Why two thirds of Andar’s polling centres may have never opened

Fazal Rahman •

Andar district, which is located along Highway 1 after Ghazni city and also straddles the main road to Paktia, has long been a stronghold for the Taleban. The district is home to the Nur-ul-Madaris madrassa where a number of key Taleban leaders once studied and was one of the first places where the insurgency reappeared […]

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Election Interest Surges in Taleban-Free [Andar] District

AAN •

IWPR, 2 April 2014 "In one district of Afghanistan where a popular public uprising succeeded in ejecting the Taleban, people have thrown themselves wholeheartedly into preparations for the upcoming elections. The last time elections were held in Andar district in the southern province of Ghazni, just three ballots were cast. But the long lines of […]

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Ghazni Militia Holds Locals to Ransom

AAN •

IWPR, 30 November 2013 The anti-Taleban 'uprising'/ALP saga continues with a telling report from Moqor district in Ghazni were three ALP commanders terrorise the population and run private prisons, a well-known feature from all stages of Afghans wars. The three commanders admitted they received regular payments from Kabul until [former NDS head] Asadullah Khaled left Afghanistan for medical […]

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Killing Mullahs and Wedding Guests, Banning Last Rites: the worsening Andar conflict

Emal Habib •

Violence within Ghazni’s Andar district has become increasingly savage in recent months. The roadside bomb which killed 19 people, mostly women, as they drove to a wedding on 27 October rightly caught the world’s headlines. Beyond that though, Andar has seen an escalation in killings and threats and even bans on giving last rights and […]

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Afghans Flee Homes as U.S. Pulls Back

AAN •

Wall Street Journal, 15 October 2013 Margherita Stancati and Rachel Pannett cover the story of displacement in Afghanistan and escape from the country from two geographical angles: covering the story of people forced to flee from Wardak, one of the insurgency's hot spots, to Kabul and from the in the direction of Australia, but with […]

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The Road to Ghazni: Bombs, battles and blockades

Borhan Osman •

Step outside Kabul, about 30 miles away, and the road to Ghazni starts to bring you the sense of the battlefield. You pass by fierce skirmishes, exploding bombs, burning oil tankers, gun-toting Afghan forces and convoys of US forces that look hostile to anyone Afghan. Some drivers have gotten so used to the constant violence […]

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The Morphing of the Andar Uprising: Transition to Afghan Local Police

Emal Habib •

The much-publicised anti-Taleban ‘uprising’ in Ghazni’ s Andar district is almost one year old, yet no side has managed to consolidate its control over the area. Violence has not let up during the last 12 months and the year ahead looks set to be just as bloody. Our author, Emal Habib, has been closely following […]

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