Category Archives: History
Why Did The Taliban Appoint A Hard-Line Chief Negotiator For Intra-Afghan Talks?
By Frud Bezhan Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty September 10, 2020 Abdul Hakim Ishaqzai spent years lying low in Pakistan’s southwestern city of Quetta, where the Afghan Taliban leadership has been based since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 toppled the extremist group from power in neighboring Afghanistan. A hard-line cleric, Ishaqzai until recently ran an Islamic madrasah,
First Ever Ahmad Shah Massoud Day Declared in The United States
Massoud Foundation USA: Two days before 9/11 , The National Hero of Afghanistan, Ahmad Shah Massoud was assassinated by Al-Qaeda operatives sent by Osama Bin Laden – San Diegans honored the late Ahmad Shah Massoud, dubbed the “Afghan Won the Cold War” by the Wall Street Journal. The City of San Diego declared Wednesday, September 9th, both Ahmad Shah Massoud
India to renovate Kabul’s Bala Hissar fortress
1TV: A memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard was signed between Indian Ambassador Vinay Kumar and diplomatic representative of Agha Khan Development Network in the presence of President Ashraf Ghani on Monday. Bala Hissar saw some of the worst fighting between Afghan forces and the invading British during the two Anglo-Afghan wars in the
At Least 10 Wounded In Rocket Attacks As Afghanistan Marks Independence Anniversary
RFE/RL’s Radio Free Afghanistan August 18, 2020 KABUL – Afghan officials say at least 10 people were wounded after a series of rockets hit residential and diplomatic areas in Kabul as the country celebrated the 101st anniversary of its independence. The Interior Ministry said on August 18 that a total of 14 rockets were fired
Rebel Poet’s Death Leaves 40 Years of Epic Afghan Work Unfinished
NYT: He was a Marxist revolutionary and minister in Afghanistan’s short-lived communist government. But Sulaiman Layeq spent the last decades of his life writing an epic poem about an Islamist insurgent. Click here to read more (external link).
Afghan Poet, Ex-Official Suleiman Layeq, 90, Has Died
Tolo News: Afghan writer, poet and former politician, Suleiman Layeq, passed away at the age of 90 on Friday, according to his family. His family said Layeq’s death was due to the wounds he received in an explosion in the Shash Darak area in downtown Kabul last year. Layeq was the founder of the Parcham
Remembering President Daoud’s Coup: Lessons for Afghanistan’s Future
Arwin Rahi: On July 17, 1973, former Prime Minister Mohammad Daoud Khan staged a coup against Afghanistan’s last king, Mohammad Zahir Shah, Daoud’s cousin and brother-in-law. Exactly what motivated Daoud to topple his cousin is a matter of contention. At the time neither Daoud nor his allies had the slightest idea that they were setting
Preserving Buddhist treasures in Afghanistan
Al Jazeera: Some of the earliest statues of the Buddha are among precious items housed at the National Museum of Afghanistan. But the US estimates that nearly 70 percent of the treasures have been looted from the museum or destroyed during four decades of war or under strict Taliban rule. Now, historians at the
As Foreign Superpower Exits Afghanistan, Insurgent Fault Lines Deepen
Michael Hughes: Today’s headlines about the ongoing U.S. exit from Afghanistan eerily resemble those published more than 30 years ago vis-à-vis the Soviet withdrawal, especially with respect to the infighting among the anti-government elements who had the most to gain by the expulsion of a foreign invader. The Peshawar 7 mujahideen factions never really operated