Al Jazeera: The ongoing political crisis within the Afghan National Unity Government amid the country’s security and economic challenges recalls earlier warnings, notably from US intelligence and the UN, on the fragility of Afghanistan’s political stability. According to the agreement brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry in September 2014, the Afghan government should have initiated a
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 First Vice President General Abdul Rashid Dostum harshly criticized President Ghani during a gathering in Kabul following a deadlock in the Government of National Unity by CEO Abdullah’s remarks. According to a video released online by Enayatullah Babar Farahmand, the Chief of Staff of the Office of the First Vice President, Gen. Dostum is seen
Tolo News: After a week of political turmoil, President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah held a one-on-one meeting Wednesday in an attempt to ease tensions between them and resolve their disagreements – that sparked political uncertainty in the country over the past few days. Delegations from both sides appear to have brokered today’s meeting
Al Jazeera: Afghanistan’s two-year-old National Unity Government is experiencing its most difficult political moment after Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah expressed dismay and frustration last week over the way that President Ashraf Ghani is dealing with issues pertaining to partnership, leadership and policy priorities. Click here to read more (external link). Related Presidential Palace, CEO’s Office Work
Al Jazeera: The growing political crisis within the Afghan National Unity Government is compounding the ongoing security and economic crises in the country. President Ashraf Ghani sees himself as a saviour destined and determined to restore the Ghilzai Pashtuns’ lost political mastery against the Durrani Pashtuns and non-Pashtuns. Ghani’s strategy has been sidelining his electoral rival Abdullah Abdullah,
Press TV August 12, 2016 Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah has slammed President Ashraf Ghani, saying his ally is “unfit for the presidency.” Abdullah made the comment during a gathering in the capital Kabul on Thursday. The president had agreed to give Abdullah the position of prime minister following the controversial elections of 2014. Ghani,
Tolo News: The practice by the National Unity Government (NUG) of not appointing Afghan ambassadors and other key diplomats on merit, will affect the country’s foreign standing, a number of analysts have warned. President Ashraf Ghani recently appointed the former chief of Independent Election Committee Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani as ambassador to Spain and earlier his uncle Abdul
1TV: Afghanistan’s First Vice-President Abdul Rashid Dostum is apparently unsatisfied with his share in unity government. He said he didn’t approve a “fifty-fifty concept” from the very beginning. “Everybody knows General Dostum’s role… Where is our percentage?,” Dostum told 1TV in Faryab province. “We don’t have a single ambassador, what we have is only two governors.” Click here
Michael Hughes: Afghanistan’s oxymoronic divided “Unity” government is finding temporary succor in the U.S. and NATO expanding their military purview in the face of a Taliban movement on the march. President Barack Obama is worried about his legacy and does not want to see more Taliban gains on his watch, but his policy shift is unlikely