Taliban’s hypocrisy in peace talks
Early this morning, a group of Taliban gunmen launched a sophisticated attack on the presidential palace and a nearby CIA base in Kabul, infiltrating into one of the most fortified security zones in...
View ArticleObama’s ‘zero option’ in Afghanistan is a recipe for disaster
The New York Times reports that President Obama is “giving serious consideration” to pulling out all US troops from Afghanistan next year because of growing tension with Afghan President Hamid Karzai....
View ArticleFor the White House, timeline trumps reality in Afghanistan
A new Pentagon report claims that Afghanistan’s security forces aren’t yet ready to protect the country against the Taliban and al Qaeda on their own and will require “substantial training, advising,...
View ArticleMullah Omar’s actions contradict his words
In his annual Eid message, Taliban leader Mullah Omar has called on his fighters to spare civilians and promised that his group will not monopolize power after foreign troops leave Afghanistan next...
View ArticleIran’s Revolutionary Guards send Afghan refugees to fight in Syria
In a new escalation of its sectarian involvement in Syria, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) is reportedly training and sending scores of Afghan refugees (mostly Shi’ites) to fight...
View ArticleUS poised to repeat mistakes in Afghanistan
The New York Times reports that the American intelligence agencies are alarmed that if President Obama pulls out all troops from Afghanistan by this year’s end, the intelligence community could lose...
View ArticleSmall footprint jeopardizes gains in Afghanistan
Quoting administration officials, Reuters reports that the White House is considering keeping fewer than 5,000 troops in Afghanistan beyond 2014 – significantly less than the minimum 10,000 requested...
View ArticleAfghanistan braces itself for a risky runoff election
The Afghanistan election commission announced this morning that the second round of the country’s presidential vote would be held on June 14, after final results showed no outright winner in the first...
View ArticleTaliban readies for a comeback in Afghanistan
Taking advantage of foreign troops’ withdrawal and months-long election crisis in Afghanistan, the Taliban and its foreign allies have stepped up violence across the country to project power, seize...
View ArticleAfghanistan’s democratic transition: Hope and perils
Afghanistan today inaugurated a new president after months of election wrangling that threatened to trigger nationwide unrest and complicate the US withdrawal. Ashraf Ghani, a former World Bank...
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