Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Posts tagged: NATO

NATO

‘Tough way to do business’

admin •

The Friday Times, 9-15 December 2011 Shashank Joshi takes a closer look at the implications of Pakistan’s decision to close its transit route for NATO supplies. The move forces NATO to make even greater use of the more expensive alternatives: the NDN (twice the cost) and air lifts (ten times the cost). On the other […]

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Acting on Old News? NATO Suspends Detainee Transfers in Afghanistan

Sari Kouvo •

NATO has temporarily suspended detainee transfers to a number of detention centers in Afghanistan. This decision was taken pending the release of a so far unreleased UN report that is said to document mistreatment and torture in Afghan detention centers. AAN’s Sari Kouvo* ponders how this can be breaking news for NATO and ISAF troop […]

Rights and Freedoms Read more

29 August 2011: New Afghan scenario paper with AAN’s Thomas Ruttig as co-author published

AAN • admin •

AAN’s Thomas Ruttig and Citha D. Maaß of Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP) in Berlin have co-authored a paper that describes possible scenarios during and after the transition process ‘Afghanistan vor neuem Bürgerkrieg?’ (Afghanistan facing a new civil war?). The paper has been uploaded at the SWP website today in English, the original German version […]

Events Read more

Well done, medium or ‘authentic’? – or: Reality is satire

AAN •

The following piece was published by the AFP. We did not make it up, we swear. Wanted: Afghan butcher class for US special forces AFP, 18/07/2011 WASHINGTON US special forces in Afghanistan are known for taking out militants in stealthy night raids but commanders now want them to learn how to butcher meat and cook […]

Context and Culture Read more

BREAKING NEWS: BAMIAN HANDED BACK TO AFGHANISTAN

Thomas Ruttig •

The BBC has just been reporting that NATO has handed over the security responsibility for Bamian province to the Afghan government. It has bee a big secret – no one has told us in advance. In what was a highly classified operation, NATO/ISAF has handed over the security responsibility for the Central Afghan province of […]

Political Landscape Read more

Najib Who? Or: A Faux-pas Transition Press Release

Thomas Ruttig •

Press releases of NATO and ISAF in Kabul are not known for their literary quality. Mostly, they inform matter-of-factually about successes of the Western troops and political progress achieved and often are full of euphemistic language, military neologisms and acronyms. Not different those of DVIDS, the ISAF Joint Command’s Defence Video & Imagery Distribution System. […]

War and Peace Read more

Talking about Civilian Casualties in Kabul (with comment)

Thomas Ruttig •

Last week, on 28 June, ISAF Kabul had invited for a half-day conference on the issue of civilian casualties. The attendance, at least during the first hour, was high-ranking, with Gen. David Petraeus, NATO SCR Simon Gass, NSC chairman Rangin Dadfar Spanta and deputy speakers of both houses of the Afghan parliament. They all left […]

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ATTACK ON KABUL INTERCONTI (updated)

Thomas Ruttig •

A group of six armed insurgents has stormed into Kabul Interconti hotel around 10 pm on 28 June. Around 22.40 local time, we heard a loud single explosion, followed by police cars with sirens approaching the area and heavy but sporadic small arms fire. The group resisted until 4.40 in the morning; the last three […]

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How the West Contributed to the ANSF’s Dire State

Thomas Ruttig •

The Independent on Sunday came out today with an article highlighting the dire state of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF). The article’s headline is self-explanatory: ‘After 10 years, no security unit is fit to take over from coalition in Afghanistan’. Indeed, there are grave concerns whether the ANSF can fully take over by 2014 […]

International Engagement Read more

NATO Counters Taliban

admin •

The Diplomat, 20 April 2011 Even US military receive Taleban night letters. US Army Col. Johnny Isaak, commander of a military agricultural team in Logar: ‘I’ve had the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, which is the shadow government, send me letters, telling me … I didn’t have proper building permits, (so) I need to pay them […]

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Building for Eternity? The Issue of the US Afghan Bases (amended)

Thomas Ruttig •

Will the US really withdraw (most of its) its troops – those who will not be rebranded ‘trainers’ and advisors’ like in Iraq – by 2014? Is general Petraeus following his own timeline? For sure, the US is planning to keep (some of) its bases in Afghanistan, and it is expanding them rapidly. A US […]

War and Peace Read more

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