Afghanistan Analysts Network – English

Posts tagged: Uruzgan

Uruzgan

Nad Ali desert

One Land, Two Rules (10): Three case studies on Taleban sales of state land

Fazl Rahman Muzhary •

As the Taleban have expanded their areas of control around the country, anecdotal reports have been popping up of Taleban commissions and commanders in several provinces selling state land. However, a closer look into the three most prominent examples – Helmand, Uruzgan and Takhar – reveals a murkier picture than media reports and claims by government […]

Economy, Development, Environment Read more
Hamed Karzai as translator for Pir Gailani, likely in 1992. Source: archive/unknown (please let us known when you have the copyright for this)

Book Excerpt: Scenes of Afghan History – Hamed Karzai before 2001

Bette Dam •

As many influential Pashtuns, in the country and the diaspora, the Karzai family – and Hamed Karzai himself – offered support to the Taleban after they emerged in 1994 but were rejected by the movement’s leadership. They turned against them and – after the terrorist attacks on 9/11 – made overtures to the ‘Northern Alliance’ […]

Context and Culture Read more

With a Little Help From His Friends: A new biography of Hamed Karzai

Thomas Ruttig •

With only a few days left in the last of Karzai’s two 5-year tenures as head of state (the inauguration of his – still unknown – successor has just been postponed again), Dutch journalist Bette Dam presents the reviewed and updated English version of her biography of the politician who has shaped Afghanistan’s last 14 […]

Context and Culture Read more

Transition in Uruzgan (2): Power at the centre

Deedee Derksen •

“Only the dead see the end of war”. The encryption on the monument for fallen foreign soldiers in Camp Holland, the main international military base in Uruzgan, might end up a sad prediction for many inhabitants of this southern province. As foreign forces prepare to leave, Uruzganis are ever more worried about the future. Deedee […]

War and Peace Read more

Transition in Uruzgan (1): The fights that don’t get mentioned

Martine van Bijlert •

The daily news in Afghanistan is dotted with reports of small-scale attacks, mostly on police posts, district centres and government convoys. These reports illustrate what is going on, but do not provide a full picture: a large proportion of attacks and incidents go unreported. Although the strategic importance of the individual scuffles tends to be […]

War and Peace Read more

Security at the Fringes: the case of Shujai in Khas Uruzgan

Martine van Bijlert •

The build-up of the formal Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) is one of the main pillars of the transition strategy. However, in practice many security responsibilities are, and will continue to be, held by a myriad of hybrid and auxiliary forces that often operate under unclear lines of authority. Observers and media have been describing […]

War and Peace Read more

Elders warn of pulling out kin from police, ANA

admin •

Pajhwok News Agency (Kabul), 6 January 2013 ‘Tribal elders from various provinces on Sunday warned the government of withdrawing their relatives from the ranks of Afghan security forces if two former officials, including one charged with triple murder, were not tried publicly’. The report refers to a case in Baghlan province, but Kabul-based daily Mandegar […]

Recommended Reads Read more

Afghans just waiting for hell to break loose

admin •

The Australian, 29 December 2012 A reportage from Uruzgan’s Chora distrcit, one month after the Australian military closed its second-largest base in Afghanistan.

Recommended Reads Read more

Trouble in Gizab; the fight everyone chose to ignore

Martine van Bijlert •

On 13 September 2011 a large convoy of armed men, accompanied by US Special Forces, travelled from the centre of Gizab to Tamazan, an area bordering Daikondi province. A murky chain of events led to a confused fight between what should have been friendly forces, in what should have been a stable area. By the […]

War and Peace Read more

The Death of an Uruzgan Journalist: Omaid Never Stood a Chance

Susanne Schmeidl •

42 agonizing days after the death of a friend, the young and gifted Uruzgan journalist, Omaid Khpulwak, during a complex attack on 28 July 2011 in Tirin Kot, NATO has finally finished its investigation and admitted to what his friends and family had said all along, that Omaid was shot dead by US forces. It […]

War and Peace Read more

Death of an Uruzgan Journalist: who killed him? (amended)

Kate Clark •

When the journalist, Omaid Khpulwak, was killed on 28 July 2011 during a Taleban attack, Uruzgan province lost its most gifted reporters. He was one of dozens of casualties that day, including 18 other civilians, 10 of them children, who were also killed. However, there is evidence that Omaid, who worked for Pahjwok News agency […]

War and Peace Read more

Uruzgan’s New Chief of Police: Matiullah’s Dream Come True

Susanne Schmeidl •

Since the complex attack on Uruzgan on 28 July 2011, people in Tirin Kot have been jumpy. So last night, 7 August 2011, when around 9 pm shooting was heard throughout the city people feared the worst. It turned out to have been traditional congratulatory shooting in the air, saluting the appointing of Matiullah Khan […]

Political Landscape Read more

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