 RFE/RL Afghanistan Report 9/15/2009 5:31:41 PM A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Afghanistan.For more stories on Afghanistan, please visit and bookmark our Afghanistan page . |
 EU Reviews Caucasus Strategy, Mulls Afghan Future EU foreign ministers are attempting to flesh out a partnership offer to Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. In Afghanistan, the bloc is looking to take up a bigger role once a new government is in place. And on Iran, it is ready to impose sanctions if nuclear talks fail. More  What I Saw While Afghanistan Voted Here’s what I saw during the elections in Ghazni. My colleague, Steve, and I arrived from Kabul via Blackhawk helicopter a couple of days before the vote. The new ring road linking the capital to the south was not safe enough to drive. The plan was for us to coordinate with U.S. State Department officials to monitor the voting. As it turned out, they don’t travel without a military escort and, under election rules, military vehicles couldn’t go near the polling stations. More  Afghan Man Wins Temporary Deportation Reprieve Hussain Muradi, the ex-Muslim Afghan who we wrote about on Watchdog yesterday, has been released from detention and allowed to stay in Britain temporarily, according to his lawyer’s blog. More An Afghan man who is seeking asylum in the United Kingdom was transferred to the Dover Removal Center for deportation on the morning of September 13, though he was later told that his deportation was not certain, according to the British Humanist Association (BHA). More  New Plan Could Let Prisoners Challenge Incarceration The Pentagon has reportedly begun putting a program in place that will give hundreds of detainees at the U.S. military's Bagram prison in Afghanistan the right to challenge their incarceration. Human rights advocates are welcoming the reports, but also are expressing some skepticism. More  Why Afghanistan Needs A New Transitional Authority In order to lift Afghanistan from its current political crisis, the international community should pressure Hamid Karzai to transfer power to a transitional administration that would run the government until the election controversy is resolved. More  Rescue Deaths Raise Uncomfortable Questions Criticism and anger are mounting over the rescue of a "New York Times" journalist from Taliban militants. An Afghan colleague and British commando were among the four who died in the accompanying shoot-out, and Afghan journalists and British media are clamoring for the details. More  Eight Years After U.S. Attacks, Al-Qaeda Still Evolving In the eight years since 9/11, Al-Qaeda's operational tactics have been evolving within its strategically flexible ideology. Experts agree Al-Qaeda is no longer the same organization it was in 2001. But for all the research that has been done, much remains unknown or a matter of speculation -- including whether Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is still alive. More  Vote Crisis Hinders Quest For Stability Three weeks after Afghanistan's presidential election, final results are still not in and allegations of fraud grow by the day. It's threatening to plunge the country into even deeper crisis and is giving Afghanistan's international backers a big headache. More The Afghan interpreter, who was killed today in a special forces raid to rescue a kidnapped journalist, had blogged for "The New York Times" earlier this month: More  In Wake Of Deadly Air Strike, Merkel Defends Afghan Policy In a speech before parliament, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended her government's policies in Afghanistan, amid international criticism over a deadly air strike ordered by the German military. She also called for an agreement to transfer more responsibility for security to Afghan officials. More  Former Death-Row Student Flees After Afghan Pardon Twenty-four-year-old Sayed Pervez Kambakhsh was condemned in a hasty northern Afghan trial in January 2008 to die in connection with his purported distribution of an article on women's rights under Islam. Kambakhsh and his relatives have said the case was the result of a vendetta by a local warlord. More  EU Weighs Afghan Strategy In Wake Of Konduz Strike After a deadly bombing struck Konduz Province, concerns about the situation in Afghanistan topped the agenda as EU foreign ministers arrived in the Swedish capital Stockholm for two days of informal talks. More  EU Discussing 'Afpak' Strategy, Iran, Mideast EU foreign ministers are gathering in the Swedish capital for two days of informal discussion on Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, and the Middle East. More  Afghans Paying More For AK-47s In North The recent rise -- from $450 to $650 for a Kalashnikov -- appears to be linked to mounting security concerns among Afghans, according to RFA. More |
