The American Conservative: The Afghan military sustained twice as many losses in the last year as U.S. forces killed in the entire 13 years of war in Afghanistan. And the pace of casualties is escalating, suggesting that the Taliban is stronger than the Pentagon and mainstream media have ever let on—in fact, the Afghan security forces
Yamin Zakaria: Looking back on 2015, except for the sporting success, there are not many reasons to feel optimistic about the future of Afghanistan. A resurgent Taliban continues to gain more territory, and even worse is the prospect of ISIS gaining a foothold, adding to the chaos. Click here to read more.
South China Morning Post: China is well aware that without stability in the war-wracked nation, its plans for an economic transformation in central Asia and beyond will be in doubt. Click here to read more (external link).
Michael Hughes: First, the United States – in cahoots with Pakistan – gave Afghanistan the “freedom fighters” during the jihad against the Soviets, led by the likes of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar and Osama bin Laden, which eventually morphed into the Taliban movement. Now, yet another made-in-the-USA religious extremist Frankensteinian creation has reared its ugly head in Afghanistan,
Pepe Escobar via Counter Punch: In the end, everything comes back to Helmand. Why Helmand? My Pashtun interlocutors loosen up and say it with a mouthful: it’s all about the involvement of the CIA in the heroin trade in Afghanistan; “The Americans simply can’t let it go.” Click here to read more (external link).
The Washington Post: The modest number of U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan operate with one hand tied behind their backs — at a time when Afghan forces, though fighting hard, are struggling. That should be changed. We should unleash our airpower in support of our Afghan partners in the same way that we support
Xinhua: “This time, the talks are different than the previous ones because of the participation of China and the U.S. in the quadrilateral conference, which made it more significant and raised the rays of hope among Afghans,” Sayed Jafar Rastin, a university professor and political analyst, told Xinhua on Tuesday. Click here to read more (external
Counter Punch: In Kabul, where the Afghan Peace Volunteers have hosted me in their community, the U.S. military maintains a huge blimp equipped with cameras and computers to supply 24 hour surveillance of the city. Remotely piloted drones, operated by Air Force and Air National Guard personnel in U.S. bases, also fly over Afghanistan, feeding U.S.
CounterPunch: The Islamic caliphate in any form, much less in image of the fetishized first caliphate (632-661 C.E.), is an utter impossibility, even though the romance of a unified Muslim ummah, free of foreign occupations, comprised of all ethnic communities and denominations, devoted to peace, social justice, piety, and glorification of One God, is a dream
Khyber News: The Afghan Taliban have launched an unprecedented winter surge that points to a desire for an upper hand in peace talks, analysts say, while some suggest rogue Pakistani elements may be bolstering the effort to derail overtures by Islamabad to India. Click here to read more (external link).