Monthly Archives: February 2013

Afghan Artists Shine on World Stage

Afghan Analytica Opinion – Oscar-nominated film Buzkashi Boys did not win an Academy Award Sunday night in the Best Live Action Short Film category, but young amateur actors Jawanmard Paiz and Fawad Mohammadi, along with the film’s director, Sam French, and Afghan-American producer, Ariel Nasr, made history and deserve high tribute for capturing the special…

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From Clinton to Kerry – Another Chapter of the Afghan Saga

By Farzana Nabi, Ph.D. - Since the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, four Secretaries of State – including the current Secretary – and the same number of Secretaries of Defense have dealt with various issues surrounding the war in Afghanistan but none have come close to claiming a breakthrough on the battlefield or the diplomatic…

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Secretary Clinton and the Future of Women’s Rights

By Hodei Sultan - Last Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stepped down after serving for four years as America’s top diplomat. While some analysts examine her legacy, others wonder whether she will run for the presidency in 2016. Regardless of her legacy and intentions in four years, Clinton leaves behind “high heels” to…

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No more KamAir flights for Afghan President

By Hawa Dawi - Much to his displeasure, President Hamid Karzai travelled to London on a British airline on Saturday to attend the third Afghanistan-UK-Pakistan trilateral summit to discuss regional peace and security issues. President Karzai’s preference was to fly KamAir but some countries purportedly refused the embattled Afghan airline to enter their airspace. The…

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Light News Bites

Young Afghans determined to rebuild country With foreign troops withdrawing by the end of 2014, educated young Afghans who have tasted new freedoms in post-Taliban times are determined to stay and rebuild their war-ravaged nation. Businessman and builder Jamshid Ibrahimi, 29, who started a construction company in 2003 with $3000, says: “I was not only thinking about becoming rich and making money, but also about how I can play my part in rebuilding my country.” Alka Sadat, a documentary-maker, said her work often moves her to tears but she perseveres. Afghan analyst Omar Sharifi, pointing to a sense of survival, said: “Tthis generation grew up in the 1980s and 1990s. They experienced extreme-left and extreme-right, communism and the Taliban, refugee camps.” Shaharzad Akbar, 25, who heads a political movement called 1400, a collection of 250 young people, says “In the past 10 years, a new generation of Afghans has been educated… they are capable, motivated, they want to work for Afghanistan.” However, expressing some level of apprehension, Ibrahimi said, “Iif the situation gets worse, you can’t put a lot of things at risk. It’s not only about money but also about life.” (AFP, April 19, 2013)

Taliban amputates two Afghans as punishment

Taliban insurgents amputated a hand and a foot of two private security guards in Herat province. One of the victims, 25, said: "They asked us to plant explosives in the security company… but we said no; then their judges ruled that a hand and a foot be cut off." A police spokesman said the men were targeted because they worked for a private security company guarding supply convoys for foreign forces. The Taliban said the men were robbers. (TOLOnews – April 20)

MPs Call to Stop Releasing Taliban Prisoners

Members of the Afghan parliament’s lower house formed a commission tasked to deal with reconciliation and requested that the government stop releasing Taliban prisoners. MPs suggested that many released Taliban have rejoined the insurgents. "The peace process is just a waste of time… it has been a failure," first vice speaker Mirwais Yasini said. MP Shukria Barikzai said: "High Peace Council is a political project for some circles that seek to remain in power.” MPs also suggested that on-going conflict is plotted by orders from Pakistani intelligence and that the neighboring country does not aim for a stable Afghanistan. (TOLOnews - 20 April)

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