 RFE/RL Afghanistan Report 10/29/2009 4:08:38 PM A review of RFE/RL reporting and analysis about Afghanistan.For more stories on Afghanistan, please visit and bookmark our Afghanistan page . |
 UN, U.S. Say They Won't Be Deterred UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has condemned an armed attack in Afghanistan that left at least five UN workers dead, but said that the organization will not be deterred ahead of an election runoff due in 10 days. More  UN Conference Addresses Maternal Mortality The United Nations Population Fund this week is highlighting the problem of maternal mortality around the world. Of all the UN's development goals, the effort to reduce maternal mortality rates has seen the least progress in recent years. The lack of improvement is particularly striking in Central Asia, Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq. More  At Least 90 Dead In Peshawar Blast A powerful bomb blast in Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar has killed and wounded dozens of people, as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Islamabad vowing a new page in U.S.-Pakistan relations. More  UN Workers Killed In Brazen Kabul Attack Twelve people, including six foreign UN workers, were killed in Kabul when armed men stormed a guest house compound used by UN staff. The dawn attack has raised questions and fresh concerns about security for a presidential election run-off due in 10 days. More  Rocky Political Landscape As campaigning for Afghanistan's November 7 presidential runoff begins, incumbent President Hamid Karzai and challenger Abdullah Abdullah are competing not only for votes. Facing an uncertain political landscape, the candidates' camps are also trying to strengthen their respective bargaining positions. With the electorate worried by renewed threats of violence and disheartened by the brazen fraud and protracted controversies that marred the first round, the political alignments in Afghanistan seem to be in flux. More  Afghanistan Needs More Than Just A Second Round After nearly three decades of conflict and foreign interference, Afghans who had begun to see a ray of hope in a post-Taliban era are now more suspicious than ever of the motives of the international community in their homeland. More  Former UN Envoy Suggests 'Emergency Government' In Kabul Former Spanish diplomat Francesc Vendrell, who served as a special envoy for Afghanistan for the United Nations and the European Union, weighs in on the ongoing political crisis in Afghanistan. More  Biden: Trip Has Laid Eastern Europe's 'Reset' Fears To Rest U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has just wrapped up a three-day visit to Eastern Europe. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL, Biden said he believes he has successfully allayed fears that U.S. efforts to improve relations with Russia could come at the expense of Washington's Eastern European allies. More  RFE/RL Interview: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden In an exclusive interview, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden spoke with RFE/RL correspondents Brian Whitmore and Abubakar Siddique about the U.S. administration's policy on Russia, the Caucasus, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran. Biden assured Central and Eastern Europeans of the United States' commitment to the region, and said that the United States will not ignore concerns about democracy in dealing with Iran on its nuclear program. More  Are Afghans Prepared To Vote Again? With fraud, insecurity, and logistical nightmares wearing on voters, expectations for Afghanistan's November 7 presidential runoff are low. What do voters in remote parts of Afghanistan think about the prospects for the runoff, and what steps are being taken to lure them back to polling stations? More |
