Who are the Taliban? We still see this question floating around a fair amount on social media and online. People also tend to confuse them with al-Qaeda. Now that the Taliban have taken over Afghanistan at a lightning pace over the last two weeks they claim to have been “reformed.”
Hallelujah! Can I get an “Amen!”
Yeah. Right.
In early July, as the Pentagon was accelerating the pullout of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, U.S. counterterror analysts circulated a confidential report highlighting a worrisome development thousands of miles away.
The Taliban’s media-savvy spokespersons send deceptive signals that appear socially and politically acceptable, while the organisation continues to pursue their military, ideological objective on the ground
As the Taliban take over Kabul for the second time in three decades, many questions are waiting to be answered. One that has occupied important editorial spaces across the world is that of the Taliban makeover — “has the Taliban really changed?” This is a hugely important question as the answer to this would have implications for tens of thousands of Afghans, especially women. Many voices including within the Taliban claim it has learnt from its mistakes and is now more pragmatic and less extremist.
Al-Qaeda has not been eliminated from the Afghanistan-Pakistan (AfPak) region, and the group still enjoys significant support in the broader regional jihadist landscape.
To counter the aggressive U.S. counterterrorism campaign, al-Qaeda altered its organizational structure and strategy in AfPak, strengthening its roots in the region to ensure its survival.
En Libye, depuis des années, des milliers d’Africains sont emprisonnés dans des centres de rétention où ils subissent toutes sortes d’exactions. Parmi eux, figurent de nombreux migrants syriens, qui avaient choisi de devenir mercenaires pour pouvoir passer en Europe.
Près d’un mois après les annonces choc du 25 juillet, les prochaines étapes du programme présidentiel commencent à se dessiner. Explications.
À la stupeur suscitée par l’offensive menée contre l’assemblée et le gouvernement par le président tunisien, Kaïs Saied, le 25 juillet, a succédé l’attente et les interrogations. Les mesures exceptionnelles – gel de l’Assemblée, limogeage du gouvernement et prise en main des trois pouvoirs – engagées en s’adossant à l’article 80 de la Constitution sont provisoires et le président avait signifié de lui-même qu’il se donnait trente jours pour jeter les bases d’un changement de cap politique. Depuis, le pays est suspendu à l’annonce de cette feuille de route. Laquelle ne saurait tarder, selon des sources proches du palais.
SCÉNARIO. L’échec des Américains et de la communauté internationale relance le débat sur la présence des troupes internationales au Mali et au Sahel.
Ce 18 août, cela fait un an jour pour jour que le président malien Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta a été chassé du pouvoir après des manifestations soutenues par les mouvements d’opposition, sur fond de lutte contre la corruption et face à l’impuissance de l’État pour contrer la violence. Cet anniversaire était l’occasion pour les Maliens de dresser un bilan de l’année écoulée, de faire le point sereinement sur les avancées et les attentes, mais les événements en Afghanistan, soit à plus de 8 000 kilomètres ont tout chamboulé.
The collapse of the US’s position in Afghanistan has limited read-across to its relations with its NATO and Asian allies. But it is a stark reminder of the constraints on the UK as a global power.
This is a desperate time for the people of Afghanistan, as they await their fate under Taliban rule. While too much international aid has been wasted and embezzled, enough still got through to provide substantial improvements in health, education and economic opportunities for millions of Afghans, including many women and girls. All this is now at risk.
There are several reasons for the collapse of the Afghan army, but a duplicitous US negotiation with the Taliban was the most potent, and the insurgents exploited the uncertainty brilliantly.
President Joe Biden’s claim that the Afghan army ‘did not have the resolve’ to fight for its own country would seem to be true following its disintegration. But it is as much a misrepresentation of the truth as US and UK ministerial claims in recent days that the collapse came as a complete surprise.
Protests against Taliban rule in Afghanistan spread to several cities ahead of the first Friday prayers since the militant group took control last Sunday. In Kabul, around 200 people gathered at one protest on Thursday, the country’s independence day, before Taliban fighters dispersed them violently. Several people were killed in Asadabad after the Taliban fired on a crowd waving Afghan flags, and the group announced a curfew in Khost after demonstrations there.