After initially denying reports of his death, Taliban spokesmen have now confirmed that Mullah Dadullah, their most public and prominent leader, has been killed in clashes with Afghan and Nato forces in the southern province of Helmand. [Al Jazeera, May… Read moreAfghanistan: Mullah Dadullah dead?
An air raid killed 21 civilians in Afghanistan’s southern province of Helmand May 8, the provincial governor charged. “Twenty-one civilians, including women and children, were killed” in the raid on a village in Sangin district, Gov. Assadullah Wafa said. AlJazeera… Read moreAfghanistan: air strike kills civilians —again
Tehran has expelled tens of thousands of Afghans from Iran since mid-April, with authorities saying they will repatriate 1 million unregistered Afghan refugees over the next years. The UNHCR says it is powerless to intervene as those being forcibly repatriated… Read moreIran expels Afghan refugees; protests in Kabul
Afghanistan’s parliament is poised to pass a new media law considerably reducing freedom of the press. The controversial package—proposed by the religious and cultural affairs commission of the parliament, chaired by former warlord Haji Mohammed Mohaqeq and supported by the… Read moreAfghanistan to limit press freedom
The recent military campaign by tribesmen in Pakistan’s northwest borderlands to drive out Uzbek Islamist militants, portrayed as a victory against extremism by Islamabad, may have more to do with mere animosity between Pashtuns and Uzbeks than a rejection of… Read morePakistan Taliban: Osama welcome
Afghan troops tore down part of a new “anti-Taliban” fence being erected by Pakistan on the border between the two countries April 19, leading to an armed clash with Pakistani forces. An Afghan defense ministry statement said the fighting took… Read moreAfghan and Pakistani troops clash over “anti-Taliban” wall
A slight irony. On April 7, the New York Times runs an optimistic op-ed by Munir Akram, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN, entitled “A United Front Against the Taliban.” He assures readers that tribal leaders along the Afghan border are… Read morePakistan: jihadis pledge to bring terror to capital
“As Al Qaeda rebuilds in Pakistan’s tribal areas, a new generation of leaders has emerged under Osama bin Laden to cement control over the network’s operations, according to American intelligence and counterterrorism officials.” Thus begins “New Generation of Qaeda Chiefs… Read moreAl-Qaeda: the next generation …based in US ally Pakistan!
British soldiers are accused of shooting dead a 12-year-old boy close to the Afghan capital, Kabul. NATO told AlJazeera March 22 that an investigation into the incident is under way. The soldiers apparently opened fire on the vehicle in which… Read moreAfghanistan: Britain accused in death of child
Pashtun tribesmen loyal to Pakistan’s government exchanged mortar and rocket fire with purported al-Qaeda militants in South Waziristan for a third day March 21, leaving at least 114 dead. Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said 84 Uzbek militants and 30 local… Read morePakistan: battle escalates for Waziristan
Another appalling op-ed in the New York Times March 5, this one arguing that an amnesty for war criminals is “good for Afghan democracy.” This Orwellian exercise, “New Justice, No Peace,” is by Richard May, a fellow with the World… Read moreNYT op-ed: Afghan impunity “good for democracy”
Pakistan’s daily Dawn reports March 2 that the country’s security forces have captured Mullah Obaidullah Akhund, deputy to the elusive Taliban chief, Mullah Mohammad Omar. The newspaper cited a government official in Quetta, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Mullah… Read morePakistan cracking down on Taliban —or backing them?
