Opinion divided as war-scarred Kabul palace restored
Darul Aman palace
Al Jazeera: Upon completion, the building will host a museum containing artefacts from the Presidential Palace’s archive, which goes back to the time of Amanullah’s father, King Habibullah, and a fully-landscaped park. But not everyone is in favour of the restoration project. Some say the cost of what will be lost will be too great compared to what will be gained in return. Click here to read more (external link).
What’s next in Afghanistan? The Taliban answer.
Sohail Shaheen
PRI’s The World: A Taliban spokesman agreed to answer a few questions from the group’s political office in Doha, Qatar. The spokesman, Sohail Shaheen, sent the answers to The World via voice and text messages on WhatsApp. Click here to read more (external link).
Russian FSB Chief Warns Of IS Threat From Afghanistan
ISIS members in Afghanistan – photo by PBS
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
May 21, 2019
The head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) says that militants from the extremist group Islamic State (IS) have been amassing in northern Afghanistan, near its borders with former Soviet republics in Central Asia.
FSB chief Aleksandr Bortnikov spoke on May 21 during a visit to Tajikistan, which shares a long border with Afghanistan.
Moscow has been expressing concern about an IS spillover into Central Asia for years.
Security experts have said that Russia has exaggerated the number of militants in order to justify its outreach to the Afghan Taliban and to suggest to Central Asian governments that they need support from Russia to defend themselves.
The U.S. military estimates that there are about 2,000 IS fighters in Afghanistan.
Bortnikov said he was concerned about what he called the “redeployment” of around 5,000 IS fighters “to the northern provinces of Afghanistan.”
Bortnikov called for tighter border control to prevent a spillover.
In recent years, Russia has emerged as a power broker in Afghanistan, where the Soviet Union fought a disastrous war from 1979 to 1989.
In November, Russia hosted peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan political figures.
U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad welcomed the talks, although some U.S. officials have claimed that Moscow was promoting itself as a power broker to challenge the U.S.-backed peace process with the Taliban in Qatar.
IS has been active in Afghanistan since 2015, fighting the Taliban as well as Afghan and U.S. forces.
Based on reporting by AP and Interfax
Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
Other Security News
1TV Afghanistan Dari News – May 20, 2019
Taliban kill three police in Kabul checkpoint attack during iftar meal
Taliban fighters (file photo)
1TV: Taliban gunmen attacked a security checkpoint in Afghan capital Kabul on Sunday evening, killing three police while they were having their fast-breaking meal called iftar. The attack happened around 7:10p.m. in Doghabad area in Police District 7 of the city, two kilometres from the parliament building. Click here to read more (external link).
Atmar Offers President Ghani To Head A Caretaker Govt
Mohammad Hanif Atmar
Tolo News: President Ashraf Ghani’s former National Security Advisor and a leading presidential candidate Mohammad Hanif Atmar at a gathering on Monday called the continuation of the incumbent government “illegitimate” and made some offers to the head of the state. Addressing a group of presidential candidates, Atmar said the nation and the candidates are awaiting President Ghani’s decision after May 22 which he said is the end of the National Unity Government’s term according to the Constitution. Atmar said the country will face a crisis if the incumbent government continued its term after May 22. Click here to read more (external link).
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Simmons to step down as Afghanistan coach after World Cup
Afghanistan’ Coach Phil Simmons
ESPNcricinfo: Phil Simmons will step down as Afghanistan coach after the World Cup. The former West Indies opener, who was appointed to the position in December 2017, said the time is right for him to move on as the target he was given – of helping Afghanistan reach the World Cup – has been achieved. Simmons is understood to have communicated his decision to the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Saturday. Click here to read more (external link).
Other Afghan Cricket News
New Afghan Parliament Session Ends In Brawl Over Speaker
Mir Rahman Rahmani
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
May 19, 2019
A fight broke out during the first session of Afghanistan’s new parliament after disagreement on the election of a speaker.
Online video showed lawmakers fighting on May 19 over the seating of businessman Mir Rahman Rahmani as the speaker of the lower house of parliament, known as the Wolesi Jirga. The body was meeting for the first time since controversial elections held last year.
Rahmani received 123 votes the previous day to defeat challenger Kamal Nasir Osuli, who had 55 votes, for the speaker’s post.
But Rahmani was one vote short of the simple majority of 124 votes in the 247-seat Wolesi Jirga that is needed to secure the speakership.
Rahmani’s supporters declared him the the new speaker and insisted he take the post.
“He has secured a majority of the votes and one vote is not an issue, so he is our new chairman,” said Nahid Farid, a lawmaker from the western city of Herat.
But opponents of Rahmani — the father of Ajmal Rahmani, a wealthy businessman known in the Afghan capital for selling bulletproof vehicles to Kabul’s elite — refused to let him sit in the speaker’s chair.
“We will never accept the new speaker and there must be a reelection with new candidates,” said Mariam Sama, a parliament deputy from Kabul.
Ramazan Bashardost, a deputy from Kabul, told Tolo News that the controversy over the new speaker could be resolved through legitimate means but lawmakers “are not willing to address the issue through legal channels.”
The results of the October 20 parliamentary elections were officially finalized this month after months of technical and organizational problems.
Based on reporting by Reuters and Tolo News
Copyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.
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