South East Asia

A decade after he was hunted down and killed in Pakistan by US special forces, Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden retains the capacity to mobilise extremists even in a polarised jihadist scene that has radically changed in the last years. Even though Bin Laden’s body was buried in the Arabian …

The Afghan government said it plans to begin talks with 14 countries to discuss what to do with hundreds of their citizens who have been captured while fighting alongside the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). Ahmad Zia Seraj, the head of Afghanistan’s intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS), said …

America’s latest policies toward China will prove self-defeating. US–China relations now exemplify Freeman’s third law of strategic dynamics: for every hostile act there is a more hostile reaction. Washington would be easy to spot in a game of chess. It’s the player with no plan beyond an aggressive opening. That …

The following is the text of a communique issued by the United States of America, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, NATO, Norway, and the United Kingdom on the Afghan Peace Process. Begin Text: Special Envoys and Special Representatives of the United States of America, European Union, France, Germany, Italy, NATO, …

The Pentagon has deployed more heavy bombers and fighter jets to ensure the protection of the withdrawing U.S. and coalition troops from Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters on May 6. “Less than one week in, the drawdown is going according to plan,” Austin told reporters, adding that the …

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday (6 May 2021) that NATO continues to closely monitor Russia’s significant military build-up in and around Ukraine. Speaking at a meeting of European Union Defence Ministers, the Secretary General welcomed today’s announcement by the EU to include Canada, Norway and the United …

Pakistani chief of army staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince, deputy prime minister and minister of defense of Saudi Arabia, and reviewed bilateral relations, Saudi state news agency SPA reported. Bajwa arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Pakistani prime …

In an article, Nigerian expert Socrates Mbamalu wrote that China sees itself as “a trusted and consistent comrade” to Africa, and that China had offered military intelligence, weapons, and training of “freedom fighters” to Algeria, Angola, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, and Namibia. He added: “The often racist and unjust antics …

South Koreans often refer to their country with a famous proverb: “In a fight between whales, the shrimp’s back gets broken.” But rather than a shrimp, Seoul is betting that it can become a dolphin, giving it more agency and maneuverability as competition heats up between the United States and …

The United States appears upbeat about the resumption of stalled peace talks between warring parties in Afghanistan, even as fighting escalates amid the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from the country. A senior U.S. official said Tuesday during a background briefing in Kabul that Washington’s diplomatic efforts are continuing …