To finish off the last regional report I stuck to Afghanistan. This week there has been a lot of discourse between the government of Afghanistan and the Taliban, and sadly the outcome was not what the world was hoping for. The Afghani government held a grand council meeting this week calling in attempts to talk about the possibility of a… Read more »
A report by the Pentagon on civilian deaths caused by the US military says 120 civilians were killed and 65 others injured by US military actions in 2018 – but human rights groups say that figure is far lower than their estimates. The annual, Congress-mandated, report, released on Thursday, showed a sharp decline from 2017 in which the Pentagon says 793… Read more »
For the first time, more civilians have been killed by Afghan forces this year than by insurgent groups, the UN says. In a report, the international body said pro-government forces were responsible for 54% of civilian deaths during the first three months of 2019. Tadamichi Yamamoto, the UN’s special representative for Afghanistan, called the latest figures “shocking”. The findings come… Read more »
The Taliban in Afghanistan has rejected calls for a Ramadan ceasefire and attacked the traditional council, or loya jirga, which made the proposal. The grand assembly is meeting in Kabul this week to discuss peace and called for an immediate ceasefire between the government and militants. President Ashraf Ghani agreed to a truce provided it was not “one-sided”. But the… Read more »
An Afghan grand council convened by President Ashraf Ghani ended Friday with a resounding call for peace with the Taliban and a promise from the president to free 175 Taliban prisoners ahead of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month that starts next week. The council – known as Loya Jirga – brought together more than 3,200 politicians, tribal elders, prominent figures… Read more »
In the simulation I played the role as the Delegation of Malil alongside Briton, Kyle, Becca, and Leah. Going into the simulation I felt sort of prepared, but not totally. There were some things that I learned along the way, such as generally you acnowledge the moderator with something to the sort of “Thank you esteemed chair,”. However I felt… Read more »
When 18-year-old Ogai Wardak came face to face with Taliban fighters, her fear quickly gave way to cautious hope. “Their faces were scary, but their hearts were kind,” she tells me when we meet in the Kabul studios of Zan TV, the only Afghan television channel just for women. “The Taliban of this time are not like the past, not… Read more »
Critical peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government in Qatar have been postponed after a disagreement over who should attend. Sultan Barakat, director of Qatar’s Center for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies, the organisation sponsoring the talks, tweeted news of the postponement, saying “this is unfortunately necessary to further build consensus as to who should participate in the conference”. The talks, scheduled for… Read more »
Just days after the United States government revoked the visa of the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor, the ICC judges rejected her request to open an investigation into alleged war crimes by American forces in Afghanistan. The decision on Friday, which prosecutor Fatou Bensouda may appeal and which angered human rights groups, means that neither the Taliban, the Afghan government, nor the United States… Read more »
A loud explosion and follow-up gunfire were heard in an ongoing assault near the Afghan communication ministry in central Kabul on Saturday, officials said. The attack occurred a day after talks fell apart between the Talibanand Afghan representatives. No one claimed immediate responsibility and there was no immediate word on casualties. “The information that we have is four attackers have placed themselves near… Read more »