Afghanistan

China and the U.S. Exit from Afghanistan: Not a Zero-Sum Outcome

Beijing’s primary focus for now is to ensure stability on its western border and sustain its relationship with the new Taliban government in Kabul. It has become fashionable to characterize recent events in Afghanistan as a loss for the United States and a win for China. This zero-sum interpretation framed …

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What Does IS-K’s Resurgence Mean for Afghanistan and Beyond?

How the Islamic State affiliate’s recent attacks complicate an already precarious counterterrorism situation in Afghanistan. Last month’s bombing outside the Kabul airport was a devastating sign of the Islamic State of Khorasan Province’s (IS-K) recent resurgence. The group had already launched 77 attacks in the first four months of 2021 …

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La route de Kaboul passe par Islamabad

On n’empêchera pas l’Afghanistan de redevenir une base arrière du terrorisme international et un exportateur de migrants sans la coopération du Pakistan. Mais celle-ci est peu probable car, depuis 2001, Islamabad ne partage plus les mêmes intérêts que Washington dans la région. Des divergences que l’arrivée des talibans ne fera …

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Who Represents Afghanistan: Genuine Activists vs ‘Native Informants’

Scenes of thousands of Afghans flooding the Kabul International Airport to flee the country as Taliban fighters were quickly consolidating their control over the capital, raised many questions, leading amongst them: who are these people and why are they running away? In the US and other Western media, answers were …

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Afghan Taliban Statement Criticizes U.S. Officials For Saying That Taliban Interior Minister And FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist Sirajuddin Haqqani Is Among U.S. Targets

In a statement, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Afghan Taliban jihadi organization which seized power on August 15, 2021) has condemned remarks by American officials that some ministers appointed by the Taliban are on the U.S. blacklist of terrorists and still targets for United States counterterrorism forces. The statement …

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Tehrik-E-Taliban Pakistan And Its Relations With Afghan Taliban – Analysis

To understand the interesting relationship between the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as Pakistani Taliban, and the Afghan Taliban, one must peep into history to see how the linkages developed and why the Afghan Taliban are not responding in equal measure to Pakistan’s repeated appeals to take conclusive action against …

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The AP Interview: Don’t isolate the Taliban, Pakistan urges

Be realistic. Show patience. Engage. And above all, don’t isolate. Those are the pillars of an approach emerging in Pakistan to deal with the fledgling government that is suddenly running the country next door once again — Afghanistan’s resurgent, often-volatile Taliban. Pakistan’s government is proposing that the international community develop …

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Afghanistan-Pakistan: Snakes In The Backyard – Analysis

On September 15, 2021, seven Army soldiers and five terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Asman Manza area of South Waziristan District in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), in a statement, disclosed that the operation was launched on intelligence about the presence of …

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Behind the Scenes of the Taliban’s Internal Power Struggle

The Taliban’s announcement earlier this month that it had formed an all-male “interim” Cabinet in Afghanistan comprising only the movement’s members—many of them veterans of the Taliban’s last stint in power in the 1990s—took many observers by surprise. Members of the notorious Haqqani network, which controls southeastern Afghanistan, were placed …

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Former Afghan Vice President Karim Khalili Warns The Taliban Rulers: ‘Afghanistan’s Shi’ite Minority, The Hazara Community, Will Resume Armed Confrontation’

In an interview with Russian news agency Tass, former Afghan vice president Karim Khalili warned the Afghan Taliban that Shi’ite Muslims may join hands with other ethnic groups in Afghanistan to form a national resistance against the Taliban. Karim Khalili’s name has figured into the list of Afghan leaders likely …

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