The Hill: When the United States finally left Afghanistan amid the chaos that claimed the lives of 170 civilians and 13 U.S. service personnel on Aug. 30, 2021, at Hamid Karzai International Airport, it was not the most disastrous retreat from Kabul ever suffered. In January 1842, nearly 16,000 souls, mostly civilian men, women and
Michael Hughes: The U.S. exit from Afghanistan was partially based on rolling the dice that the reconstitution of al-Qaeda under the Taliban would be a problem for the neighbors in Central and South Asia, not the Western powers. This was also based on the supposition that should al-Qaeda begin to plot another 9-11-style attack, U.S.
8am: Currently, Qatar is one of the key players in Afghan politics. Qatar’s relationship with the Taliban dates back to the early years of the group’s emergence. However, the opening of the Taliban’s political office in Qatar and this country’s unwavering propaganda support for the Taliban, followed by the signing of the Doha agreement between
Michael Hughes: The Western exit from Afghanistan left the country’s neighbors to deal with the fallout from the Taliban’s grooming of and/or inability to contain transnational terrorist activities. Beijing, likely grasping it does not have the capabilities to reach the growing threat of Afghan-based terrorists targeting China, figures it can at least get something from
8am: Ata Mohammad Noor, a familiar face in Afghan politics, recently reacted to the statements of Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran’s ambassador to Kabul, who said that if necessary, more than one suicide brigade would be sent from Afghanistan to Gaza. His words sparked controversy. According to Mr. Noor, “Afghanistan is not a source of proxy
8am: It seems that the federal system is neither relevant to Afghanistan’s problems nor a solution to the country’s issues nor does it have a place in Afghanistan. This system, like poison, is harmful to Afghan society. Despite its many good qualities and even though most advanced countries adhere to this system, it cannot address
Michael Hughes: In these pages in August of 2022, a year after the fall of Kabul, this author suggested the botched Afghan exit may have sent Joe Biden’s poll numbers plummeting “irretrievably.” That may still be true, unless somehow his job approval rating miraculously bounces back between now and the end of his term. The topic
8am: There is no doubt that the ISIS Khorasan operates in Afghanistan under the control of the Taliban. Although the Taliban deny this issue, occasionally they report attacks on ISIS hideouts in certain provinces, which is a significant contradiction. However, the idea of a country and a group supporting ISIS against the Taliban is at
8am: Over the past two decades of the Republic system, the topic of shifting the political system from centralized to decentralized has been a prevalent theme in political discussions. Non-Pashtun politicians have often advocated for a shift in the power distribution system from vertical to horizontal, while a majority of Pashtun politicians have emphasized the
8am: Moving beyond the Taliban regime is inevitable, and the current situation will eventually come to an end. The Taliban acknowledges this and, therefore, relies on financial resources and inflicts suffering on the people to secure a position before the end of their regime. However, the post-Taliban order should not be a centralized government. The