Michael Hughes: U.S. State Department envoy Zalmay Khalilzad faces a daunting task – persuading the Taliban not to launch an offensive against Western troops that are likely to stay beyond the withdrawal deadline set by the Doha pact. The reboot in talks with the Taliban comes as the insurgents vow to kill any U.S. forces that
Michael Hughes: NATO defense chiefs at their upcoming ministerial are expected to approve a plan to keep troops in Afghanistan beyond the May Doha agreement deadline due to the Taliban’s alleged failure to divorce al-Qaeda and the need to support intra-Afghan talks. However, the irony is the decision will ensure a nearly dead peace process
The American Conservative: The Afghanistan Study Group has a new report out and its recommendation remains ever the same: more troops. With the 20th anniversary of the Afghanistan war now just around the corner, Americans might reasonably wonder whether the nation’s longest war is ever going to end. After carefully considering the question, two retired
Michael Hughes: The Taliban last week threatened to kill any American troop that remains in Afghanistan beyond the deadline of the peace deal the group struck with the Trump administration. The insurgent group is freely willing to make such a threat because it feels it holds all the cards. As a Taliban commander told a Western military
Michael Hughes: President-elect Joe Biden may have no choice but to allow Zalmay Khalilzad to stay on as U.S. envoy to Afghanistan for reasons of continuity amid the ongoing negotiations between Kabul and the Taliban. Khalilzad, a native Afghan turned American cowboy, is not taking any chances, however, as he aggressively pushes President Ashraf Ghani
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty January 12, 2021 By Said Sabir Ibrahimi and Pashtana Durrani Islamic education is already an integral part of Afghanistan’s so-called “secular” educational system, in addition to pure religious teachings at mosques, madrasahs, and Shariat faculties across the country. But the Education Ministry recently proposed a new policy approach in which Islam will become part of
Michael Hughes: The first question to ask about recent unconfirmed allegations of China paying non-state actors to target American troops in Afghanistan is the following: If they amount to mere rumors, as U.S. officials have admitted, why are they being declassified and made public? Chinese officials have argued that the allegations were revealed in order
The Tribune: “America is delegitimising democracy in Afghanistan. They want a puppet democracy. They are pushing Ghani (Ashraf Ghani) to give up the election. The Taliban is getting what they want. Pakistan is playing clever. They think that delegitimising democracy would create chaos in Afghanistan. Pakistan is maestro of chaos.” Click here to read more (external
The Guardian (UK): It’s nearly two weeks since Australian defence force chief Angus Campbell released the Brereton report, alleging war crimes perpetrated by Australians in Afghanistan. Two immensely difficult and challenging weeks not just for the ADF but for Afghan-Australians. Click here to read more (external link).
Michael Hughes: The record-pace extraction of US forces from Afghanistan after 20 years of lost blood and treasure is a significant historical accomplishment in the eyes of many Americans, especially when compared to how previous administrations in Washington have handled the conflict. However, as audacious as the endeavor was, it failed to achieve its number