After the bombing of innocents
After the bombing of innocents
by Zarwali Khoshnood, Khost
The proximity of large foreign military bases is both a boon and curse for small communities. They benefit from additional employment and trading opportunities, and better road links and other infrastructure. But the presence of the bases also increases the threat to the local population during insurgent and Coalition forces' attacks. On March 8th, the day another bombing in Kabul coincided with the visit of US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, this threat finally overtook the village of Kondai in Khost Province. A suicide bomber blew himself up among the most cherished members of this community instead of nearby US and Afghan forces. read more
by Naqib Ahmad Atal, Jalalabad
Nicknamed 'Bulldozer' for his rampant pace with reconstruction projects, Nangarhar Governor Gul Agha Sherzai now faces increasing scrutiny and local opposition over alleged abuse of office. Hundreds of opposition figures, but also Sherzai's supporters, demonstrated in the streets of Jalalabad in recent days over the Bulldozer's future at the provincial helm. read more
by Waheed Orya and Masood Momin, Mazar-e Sharif/Kabul
Safe houses and shelters are a life-saving resource for many Afghan women who have run away from violence or have been disowned by their families. But such sanctuaries as the House of Hope in Mazar-e Sharif can lose their funding after 2014 if the government does not step in to cover the departure of foreign donors. And here, as across the country, closure can have a deadly outcome for vulnerable women. read more
Af-Taj focus: Tajik terror comes of age
Af-Taj focus: Tajik terror comes of age
by Tilav Rasulzoda, Khujand
After 20 years of upheavals and deprivation, from civil war to rampant poverty to kidnappings by human trafficking rings, a new generation of militant Tajik youth has reached maturity. And it appears to be increasingly active in the conflict in Afghanistan. read more
by Zafar Shah Rouyee, Kabul
In the past 11 years, the Taliban movement has seized every opportunity to advance its struggle for control of Afghanistan, up to and including the assassination of government and security officials inside mosques. Now these places of worship have become both targets and, depending on their proximity to strategic objects, security strongholds in themselves. read more
by Mir Sediq Zaliq , Kabul
It was a long time in coming, but Afghanistan is poised to adopt a new set of regulations outlining electoral reform and criteria for the formation of political parties. Some commentators welcome the move as strengthening national alliances and voters’ choices, but critics say parties with foreign influence and donors will profit. read more
by Khalil Rahman Omaid and Nang Durrani, Lashkar Gah/Kandahar
Over recent months, villages and even districts in several provinces rejected Taliban control and set up their own self-defence forces, vowing to keep insurgent groups out henceforth. In some cases there was a strong supposition that the government had previously supplied villagers with weapons to support the image of a growing grass-roots rejection of the Taliban. Now some communities in Helmand and Kandahar have also declared themselves Taliban-free and ready to defend their newfound independence. But will the government arm them and provide infrastructure they missed out on? read more
Af-Taj focus: Beating a woman's path in politics
Af-Taj focus: Beating a woman's path in politics
by Muhaiyo Nozimova and Fawzia Ihsan, Dushanbe/Kabul
Two neighbouring states with related but distinct cultures, both with histories of restriction and emancipation of women. But the current leader in female dynamism in politics may come as a surprise. read more
Make or break for Marja militia
Make or break for Marja militia
by Khalil Rahman Omaid , Helmand
The transition of security duties is ongoing across Afghanistan, and some of the burden at district level has been passed to Afghan Local Police units, reincarnated forms of the traditional arbakai local militias. In Kunduz, their harrassment of the population caused uproar. In the former Taliban stronghold of Marja in Helmand, the ALP have managed to both keep the peace and maintain local trust. But for how long? read more
by Fawzia Ihsan and Shafia Veqar, Kabul/Jalalabad
When legislators return from their winter break, a woman may be nominated for the first time to the High Council of the Supreme Court. Elsewhere, thousands of female law graduates are climbing an arduous ladder to senior positions in the male-dominated judiciary. read more
by Abdurrahim Momand, Jalalabad
Frequent anti-Western demonstrations in Jalalabad have earned the University of Nangarhar the nickname "Al-Qaida university". Whenever there are nationwide protests in Afghanistan, Jalalabad's students are the first to take to the streets. Afghanistan Today looks at micro-politics in the eastern city to explain why read more
by Rahmat Alizada, Ghazni
Up to 13 per cent of the 365 districts in Afghanistan’s provinces have no state-run courts, human rights activists assess. The situation is most pronounced in Ghazni Province, where the majority of the population has no other recourse in local disputes than to the Taliban’s mobile "desert courts". read more
Badakhshan rumbles in Rabbani's wake
Badakhshan rumbles in Rabbani's wake
by Khushqadam Usmani, Faizabad
Former Afghan president and peace envoy Burhanuddin Rabbani was assassinated in Kabul in 2011. Eight months later, the power vacuum this created in his native Badakhshan threatens to destabilize the peace process and ignite long-simmering conflicts between dominant factions. read more
by Rohullah Rahimi and Khalil Rahman Omaid, Mazar-e Sharif/Lashkar Gah
July 2011 was when the formal transition of security from international to Afghan forces began in earnest. In recent days, governors, diplomats and military commanders hailed the move at ceremonies in seven areas, including the cities of Mazar-e Sharif, Lashkar Gah and Herat. But for all the fanfare, ordinary Afghans have little sense of what this will mean in practice, and whether it will bring greater or less safety in their daily lives. read more
by Gul Rahim Niazman, Kunduz
International forces insisted on the transformation of arbakai community militia into local police to help stabilization. Now, amid hold-ups in their training and payment, units of this auxiliary force are accused of abusing the population in Kunduz and other provinces, and hampering the broader peace process. read more
by Mohayudin Noori, Herat
The killing by US special forces of al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden in Pakistan has driven a wedge through public opinion in Afghanistan. While many mourn the passing of a revered warrior of the jihad against the Soviets, or a perceived figurehead of the current insurgency, others hope his demise will usher in greater security and political stability. read more
by Mir Sediq Zaliq , Kabul
It is relatively easy for an army to recruit in a country with high unemployment, even if military service can very easily mean being sent to fight. But building and preserving a sense of unity among these brothers in arms is a much harder task, when they come from very different ethnic backgrounds and may not even share a common language. read more
by Zarwali Khoshnood, Khost
For centuries, tribal jirgas of elders have settled local disputes. Today, as more people feel that government courts have failed them and resort to traditional mechanisms, the number of grievances over hasty, ill-informed or corrupt jirga rulings also grows. In the second of two stories on alternative justice, Afghanistan Today looks at the pitfalls of the old ways. read more
by Nang Durrani, Kandahar
While much has been reported about Staff Sgt. Robert Bales who allegedly massacred 17 Afghan civilians in Kandahar, rather little is known about the victims and their families. One reason is that US and Afghan authorities initially did not allow journalists to interview survivors who are still being treated at the Mirwais hospital in Kandahar city. Our correspondent has visited them now. read more
After the foreign troops leave
After the foreign troops leave
by Naqib Ahmad Atal and Zarwali Khoshnood, Jalalabad/Khost
As Afghans ponder the meaning of security transition and the July start of the formal withdrawal of some foreign forces, a few turbulent parts of the country have effectively already made the change. Two of these examples are found in the eastern provinces of Kunar and Khost, both bordering on Pakistan and prone to high insurgent infiltration and fierce clashes in the mountain terrain. read more
Taliban fighters in Wardak Province scored a major achievement this month in their fight against international forces by shooting down a military helicopter and killing 38 elite US and Afghan troops. But for the moment, they say their struggle is as much against rivals from the Hesb-e Islami faction who are supposedly hampering their local operations. And while Wardak Governor Mohammad Halim Fidai says he's working to neutralize both sides, his critics accuse him of stoking the flames. read more
by Masood Momin, Kabul
The issue of night raids by foreign forces of homes suspected of sheltering insurgents has long inflamed relations with the Afghan government and people. It is a main hindrance to the conclusion of a strategic agreement between Kabul and Washington that would allow US special forces to continue operating after combat troops are withdrawn by the end of 2014. The United States has raised the idea of concessions in these raids, with possible necessity of authorization by Afghan justice officials before they are carried out. Afghanistan Today asked people in several provinces what they think. read more
by Rohullah Rahimi and Khushqadam Usmani, Mazar-e Sharif/Faizabad
Around 100 mass graves discovered in recent years are thought to date back to the civil war and ensuing struggle between Taliban and Northern Alliance forces. Many of the human remains they contain were crudely reburied without any closer identification. Finally there are steps to regulate the process of exhumation and reinterment, and perhaps bring some closure to families still searching for missing loved ones. read more
