Anand Gopal » Hekmatyar

Posted in Afghan Life, Articles on Apr 16th, 2009

The umbrella organization includes many different groups fighting the Afghan government and Western forces.
Kabul, Afghanistan - As the Obama administration ramps up focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan, insurgents from both countries have teamed up to confront the rising US troop presence. While the insurgents often get labeled as the “Taliban,” in reality there are [...]

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Who Are the Taliban?

Posted in Articles, Security on Dec 4th, 2008

The Afghan War Deciphered
If there is an exact location marking the West’s failures in Afghanistan, it is the modest police checkpoint that sits on the main highway 20 minutes south of Kabul. The post signals the edge of the capital, a city of spectacular tension, blast walls, and standstill traffic. Beyond this point, Kabul’s [...]

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Hekmatyar Reaching Out to Kazai? Update

Posted in Blog, Reporting on May 7th, 2008

It looks like we have some confirmation of last week’s post on Hekmatyar’s letter to Karzai. The Afghan online news site Quqnoos is reporting that the President is indeed close to opening talks. Might we see a return of Hekmatyar to the Afghan government? The last time Hekmatyar held a government post, [...]

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Hekmatyar reaching out to Karzai?

Posted in Blog, Reporting on Apr 29th, 2008

As bullets flew and MPs scampered on Sunday, many wondered how insurgents were able to penetrate such tight security. The Taliban claims that they didn’t intend to kill Karzai, but of course you wouldn’t expect them to say otherwise. However, if history is any guide, they might actually be telling the truth. [...]

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