Macleans: Amidst claims of a ‘fake’ dispatch to Kabul, a ‘conspiracy’ against her and a staff revolt, the ambassador was recalled and may not return to Ottawa. In recent months, Ghani’s government has been subjected to withering criticism over what his critics have called the “Pashtunization” of his administration, and the political leaders of the country’s
Krithika Varagur VOA News April 6, 2017 JAKARTA — Afghan president Ashraf Ghani’s historic two-day visit to Indonesia was largely focused on economic ties between the young democracies. Indonesian president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo promised to build a large hospital and Islamic center in Afghanistan in addition to signing several agreements for further cooperation. The leaders also
Ayaz Gul VOA News April 3, 2017 ISLAMABAD — Lawmakers in Afghanistan have called for stoning to death of a fellow parliament member for stating the country’s long border with Pakistan is an international boundary. Afghan commentators and newspaper editorials have also slammed the parliament member for speaking against “the national interest,” with some demanding Abdul
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan March 8, 2017 Pakistan’s border police say more than 20,000 Afghans and Pakistanis have crossed into Afghanistan since March 7 since Pakistani authorities temporarily reopened two main crossings that were closed after a series of militant attacks. The figures on the number of people making the crossing during the temporary reopening
Ayaz Gul VOA News September 26, 2016 ISLAMABAD — Officials and witnesses in Afghanistan say fighters linked to Islamic State have regained control of most of the militant group’s former strongholds in the country, weeks after retreating to remote mountain hideouts in the face of major Afghan security operations. The troubled areas are located in Achin,
By Frud Bezhan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 4, 2016 Two years after a contentious, fraud-marred presidential election pushed Afghanistan to the brink of another bloody civil war, the country is once again staring into the abyss. The compromise power deal signed by political rivals Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah to avert that crisis expires
The Washington Post: The accusation is that Ghani has surrounded himself with advisers from his Pashtun ethnic group and clan, while shutting out those from other backgrounds. Both of his vice presidents are from ethnic minorities, but several of his closest confidants, such as the national security adviser, Hanif Atmar, are fellow Ghilzai Pashtuns. He
By Frud Bezhan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 1, 2016 The belated funeral ceremony for a controversial former Afghan monarch turned violent in Kabul on September 1, with at least one person killed and several wounded after gunshots were fired during a procession attended by thousands of members of Afghanistan’s ethnic Tajik minority. Mourners carrying
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 22, 2016 Around 100 U.S. troops in Afghanistan have been deployed to a southern city at risk of falling to the Taliban. The spokesman for U.S. forces in Afghanistan said the soldiers had arrived in Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand Province, to provide training and support to Afghan forces.
By Frud Bezhan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty August 19, 2016 In Afghanistan, August 19 typically spurs an outpouring of celebration and patriotism over the day in 1919 that the multiethnic country regained its independence from Britain following the end of the third Anglo-Afghan war. But a fuss this time over a contentious historical figure who