“Just Don't Call It a Militia”

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

“Just Don't Call It a Militia” Afghanistan HUMAN “Just Don’t Call It a Militia” RIGHTS Impunity, Militias, and the “Afghan Local Police” WATCH “Just Don’t Call It a Militia” Impunity, Militias, and the “Afghan Local Police” Copyright © 2011 Human Rights Watch All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56432-806-6 Cover design by Rafael Jimenez Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Avenue, 34th floor New York, NY 10118-3299 USA Tel: +1 212 290 4700, Fax: +1 212 736 1300 [email protected] Saga Building Damascus Road, Saifi District 11-4399 Riad El Solh Beirut, Lebanon Tel: Tel: +961-1-217670, Fax: +961-1-217672 Poststraße 4-5 10178 Berlin, Germany Tel: +49 30 2593 06-10, Fax: +49 30 2593 0629 [email protected] Avenue des Gaulois, 7 1040 Brussels, Belgium Tel: + 32 (2) 732 2009, Fax: + 32 (2) 732 0471 [email protected] 51, Avenue Blanc 1202 Geneva, Switzerland Tel: +41 22 738 0481, Fax: +41 22 738 1791 [email protected] First Floor, Audrey House 16-20 Ely Place London EC1N 6SN, UK Tel: +44 20 7713 1995, Fax: +44 20 7713 1800 [email protected] 27 Rue de Lisbonne 75008 Paris, France Tel: +33 (1)43 59 55 35, Fax: +33 (1) 43 59 55 22 [email protected] 1st Fl, Wilds View Isle of Houghton, Boundary Road Parktown, 2198 South Africa 1630 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 500 Washington, DC 20009 USA Tel: +1 202 612 4321, Fax: +1 202 612 4333 [email protected] Web Site Address: http://www.hrw.org SEPTEMBER 2011 ISBN: 1-56432-806-6 “Just Don’t Call It a Militia” Impunity, Militias, and the “Afghan Local Police” Map of Afghanistan .......................................................................................................................... iii Glossary ........................................................................................................................................... iv Summary ........................................................................................................................................... 1 Key Recommendations ........................................................................................................... 10 Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 12 I. Background: The Ghosts of Militias Past ....................................................................................... 15 A Maze of Militias ................................................................................................................... 15 Token Disarmament ................................................................................................................ 17 Afghan National Auxiliary Police (ANAP) .................................................................................. 18 Community Defense Forces (CDF) ............................................................................................ 21 Community Defense Initiative (CDI)/Local Defense Initiative (LDI) ........................................... 22 Interim Security for Critical Infrastructure ................................................................................ 24 A Magnet for Insurgent Attacks ............................................................................................... 24 II. The Growth of Abusive Militias in the North ................................................................................. 27 Militias in Kunduz .................................................................................................................. 29 Khanabad District: Multiple Killings .................................................................................. 32 Imam Sahib District .......................................................................................................... 37 Kunduz District ................................................................................................................. 39 Militias and Sexual Predation ................................................................................................. 41 III. The Wardak Experiment: The Afghan Public Protection Program ................................................. 43 Creation of AP3 in Wardak ....................................................................................................... 43 Local Disquiet about AP3 ........................................................................................................ 44 Empowering a Notorious Commander ..................................................................................... 45 Weak Vetting .......................................................................................................................... 47 Allegations of Abuse .............................................................................................................. 48 Converting AP3 to ALP ............................................................................................................ 49 IV. The Afghan Local Police: “Community Watch with AK-47s” ........................................................ 53 Development of the ALP in Pul-e-Khumri, Baghlan ................................................................... 58 ALP Abuses in Pul-e-Khumri ............................................................................................. 60 Development of ALP in Shindand, Herat .................................................................................. 70 Controversy over Recruitment ........................................................................................... 75 Abuses by the ALP in Shindand District ............................................................................. 76 The ALP in Uruzgan ................................................................................................................. 81 ALP in Khas Uruzgan ........................................................................................................ 82 V. ALP Recruitment and Vetting ....................................................................................................... 84 Assurance of Shuras .............................................................................................................. 84 Politics of Implementation: IDLG and ASOP ............................................................................. 87 From Attackers to Protectors: Reintegration Efforts and the ALP .............................................. 88 VI. Lessons from the Experience of the Afghan National Police ........................................................ 92 VII. Recommendations .................................................................................................................... 96 To the Government of Afghanistan ......................................................................................... 96 To the Taliban and other Insurgent Forces .............................................................................. 99 To the United States and the International Security Assistance Force...................................... 99 To the US Department of State .............................................................................................. 100 To the US Department of Defense and CIA ............................................................................. 101 Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................ 102 ii Map of Afghanistan iii Glossary ABP Afghan Border Police ALP Afghan Local Police AMF Afghan Militia Force ANA Afghan National Army ANAP Afghan National Auxiliary Police ANCOP Afghan National Civil Order Police ANP Afghan National Police AP3 Afghan Public Protection Program APPF Afghan Public Protection Force APRP Afghan Peace and Reintegration Program ASOP Afghan Social Outreach Program CDI Community Defense Initiative CSTC-A Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan DDR Disarmament Demobilization and Reintegration DIAG Disbandment of Illegal Armed Groups IDLG Independent Directorate for Local Government ISCI Interim Security for Critical Infrastructure LDI Local Defense Initiative NTM-A NATO Training Mission Afghanistan NDS National Directorate of Security VSO Village Stability Operations iv Summary What we should not do is take actions that will reintroduce militias of the former power brokers. There has been some good work here to get those things back in the box and we shouldn’t seek to go back there. —US Gen. Dan McNeil, commander of the International Security Assistance Force, rejecting a British plan to create tribal militias, January 2008 We have a proverb about a child who is always sick. Instead of trying to cure his sickness, his family changed his name. We are doing the same thing with ALP [Afghan Local Police]. We have all these problems in society, like warlords and mafia, but we do not treat them, we give them a new name. —Maj. Gen. Esmatullah Dawlatzai, senior Ministry of Interior official, October 26, 2010 ALP is the exit strategy. —International civilian official, Kabul, October 9, 2010 In Afghanistan armed groups are proliferating. A decade after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan following the attacks of September 11, 2001, the Taliban-led insurgency has intensified in many parts of the country. In response, the Afghan government and its international supporters, as part of the international exit strategy, are expanding the national army and police at high speed. The government has reactivated various irregular armed groups, particularly in the north. Hundreds of small militias have
Recommended publications
  • Justice & Security Practices, Perceptions, and Problems in Kabul and Nangarhar
    Justice & Security Practices, Perceptions, and Problems in Kabul and Nangarhar M AY 2014 Above: Behsud Bridge, Nangarhar Province (Photo by TLO) A TLO M A P P I N G R EPORT Justice and Security Practices, Perceptions, and Problems in Kabul and Nangarhar May 2014 In Cooperation with: © 2014, The Liaison Office. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the publisher, The Liaison Office. Permission can be obtained by emailing [email protected] ii Acknowledgements This report was commissioned from The Liaison Office (TLO) by Cordaid’s Security and Justice Business Unit. Research was conducted via cooperation between the Afghan Women’s Resource Centre (AWRC) and TLO, under the supervision and lead of the latter. Cordaid was involved in the development of the research tools and also conducted capacity building by providing trainings to the researchers on the research methodology. While TLO makes all efforts to review and verify field data prior to publication, some factual inaccuracies may still remain. TLO and AWRC are solely responsible for possible inaccuracies in the information presented. The findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in the report are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cordaid. The Liaison Office (TL0) The Liaison Office (TLO) is an independent Afghan non-governmental organization established in 2003 seeking to improve local governance, stability and security through systematic and institutionalized engagement with customary structures, local communities, and civil society groups.
    [Show full text]
  • Stephen Philip Cohen the Idea Of
    00 1502-1 frontmatter 8/25/04 3:17 PM Page iii the idea of pakistan stephen philip cohen brookings institution press washington, d.c. 00 1502-1 frontmatter 8/25/04 3:17 PM Page v CONTENTS Preface vii Introduction 1 one The Idea of Pakistan 15 two The State of Pakistan 39 three The Army’s Pakistan 97 four Political Pakistan 131 five Islamic Pakistan 161 six Regionalism and Separatism 201 seven Demographic, Educational, and Economic Prospects 231 eight Pakistan’s Futures 267 nine American Options 301 Notes 329 Index 369 00 1502-1 frontmatter 8/25/04 3:17 PM Page vi vi Contents MAPS Pakistan in 2004 xii The Subcontinent on the Eve of Islam, and Early Arab Inroads, 700–975 14 The Ghurid and Mamluk Dynasties, 1170–1290 and the Delhi Sultanate under the Khaljis and Tughluqs, 1290–1390 17 The Mughal Empire, 1556–1707 19 Choudhary Ramat Ali’s 1940 Plan for Pakistan 27 Pakistan in 1947 40 Pakistan in 1972 76 Languages of Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Northwest India 209 Pakistan in Its Larger Regional Setting 300 01 1502-1 intro 8/25/04 3:18 PM Page 1 Introduction In recent years Pakistan has become a strategically impor- tant state, both criticized as a rogue power and praised as being on the front line in the ill-named war on terrorism. The final report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States iden- tifies Pakistan, along with Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, as a high- priority state. This is not a new development.
    [Show full text]
  • Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Ministry of Home
    Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Ministry of Home Affairs Security Services Division Immigration-5 Section Bangladesh Secretariat, Dhaka-1000 www.ssd.gov.bd Record Number: 58.00.0000.044.34.001.21.146 Date: 24/8/2021 Subject: Permission for Visa on Arrival. Reference: 1. Bangladesh Cricket Board’s Letter No- BCB/Admin/2021/471; Dated: 09.08.2021. 2. Bangladesh Cricket Board’s Letter No- BCB/Admin/2021/483; Dated: 11.08.2021. 3. Bangladesh Cricket Board’s Letter No- BCB/Admin/2021/510; Dated: 21.07.2021. The undersigned is directed to convey that the Government of Bangladesh has accorded permission for issuing Visa on Arrival (VoA) in favour of 66 (Sixty-six) Afghan/New Zealand/British/Sri Lankan/Indian/South African citizens after ensuring of their identity, letter of appreciation, return tickets and conditions mentioned below:- SL Name Passport No Nationality 01. Suliman Arabzai P.P No- PO08001154 02. Suliman Safi P.P No-PO0781013 03. Bilal Sayeedi P.P No-PO2229469 04. Bilal Ahmad Tarin P.P No-P01383684 05. Numan Shah Agha P.P No-PO3709534 06. Kamran Hotak P.P No-PO0799648 07. Nangeyalia Khan P.P No-PO0037324 08. Yama Arab P.P No-PO3554931 09. Faisal Khan Ahmadzai P.P No-PO3556637 10. Khalel Khalel Ahmad P.P No-PO3567592 11. Mohammad Ishaq Zazai P.P No-PO1000324 12. Uaz Ahmad P.P No-PO3287742 13. Zahidullah Salimi P.P No-PO3559536 14. Mohammadullah Najibullah P.P No-PO3670397 15. Uaz Ahmad Ahmadzai P.P No-PO1495794 16. Izharulhaq Naveed P.P No-PO0822064 17.
    [Show full text]
  • Match Report
    Match Report Vienna Afghan CC, VACC 1st XI vs Bangladesh CC Austria, BCCA 1st XI Vienna Afghan CC, VACC 1st XI - Won by 102 runs Date: Sun 18 Aug 2019 Location: Austria Match Type: Open League Scorer: BCC Austria Toss: Bangladesh CC Austria, BCCA 1st XI won the toss and elected to Bowl URL: https://www.crichq.com/matches/770284 Vienna Afghan CC, VACC 1st Bangladesh CC Austria, BCCA XI 1st XI Score 333-10 Score 231-7 Overs 37.4 Overs 40.0 Ahmad Ahmed A Siddique A Sharifullah A Sabbir A Ahmadzai H Firoz Malyar Khaibar I Hossain M Shinwari M Islam N Khan Mohammed Y Naseer N Alam Ahmadzai N Ahmad† S Muhammad R Islam S Nazim† Shahdath Khan S Saied Sharif Khan Z Ibrahimkhel Tipu Chowdhury Z Safi Z Shahid page 1 of 36 Scorecards 1st Innings | Batting: Vienna Afghan CC, VACC 1st XI R B 4's 6's SR Malyar . 2 2 . 2 . 4 1 . 1 4 . 2 4 1 4 1 6 1 . 4 . 2 2 4 2 . 1 6 4 . 4 . c H Firoz b Z Shahid 99 65 13 2 152.31 2 . 2 4 . 1 . 3 4 1 1 . 1 . 4 . 1 4 . 3 . 4 . // Khaibar M Shinwari . 2 . // c N Ahmad† b Tipu Chowdhury 2 6 0 0 33.33 S Muhammad . 6 1 . 2 1 . 4 4 2 2 . 1 . 1 1 . 1 . // b A Sabbir 26 26 2 1 100.0 A Ahmadzai . 1 6 6 1 3 1 2 2 . 1 . 2 1 . 6 6 4 6 .
    [Show full text]
  • Health and Integrated Protection Needs in Kunduz Province
    [Compa ny name] Assessment Report- Health and Integrated Protection Needs in Kunduz Province Dr. Noor Ahmad “Ahmad” Dr. Mirza Jan Hafiz Akbar Ahmadi Vijay Raghavan Final Report Acknowledgements The study team thank representatives of the following institutions who have met us in both Kabul and Kunduz during the assessment. WHO – Kabul and Kunduz; UNOCHA – Kunduz; MSF (Kunduz); UNHCR- Kunduz; Handicap International Kunduz; Provincial Health Directorate, Kunduz; Regional Hospital, Kunduz; Afghanistan Red Crescent Society (ARCS), Kunduz; DoRR, Kunduz; Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, Kunduz; JACK BPHS team in Kunduz Thanks of INSO for conducting the assessment of the field locations and also for field movements Special thanks to the communities and their representatives – Thanks to CHNE and CME staff and students District Hospital staff of Imam Sahib Our sincere thanks to the District wise focal points, health facility staff and all support staff of JACK, Kunduz who tirelessly supported in the field assessment and arrangement of necessary logistics for the assessment team. Thanks to Health and Protection Clusters for their constant inputs and support. Thanks to OCHA-HFU team for their feedback on our previous programme and that helped in refining our assessment focus and added the components of additional issues like operations, logistics and quality of supplies which were discussed elaborately with the field team of JACK. Thanks to Access and Security team in OCHA for their feedback on access and security sections. Page 2 of 102 Final
    [Show full text]
  • Afghanistan State Structure and Security Forces
    European Asylum Support Office Afghanistan State Structure and Security Forces Country of Origin Information Report August 2020 SUPPORT IS OUR MISSION European Asylum Support Office Afghanistan State Structure and Security Forces Country of Origin Information Report August 2020 More information on the European Union is available on the Internet (http://europa.eu). ISBN: 978-92-9485-650-0 doi: 10.2847/115002 BZ-02-20-565-EN-N © European Asylum Support Office (EASO) 2020 Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged, unless otherwise stated. For third-party materials reproduced in this publication, reference is made to the copyrights statements of the respective third parties. Cover photo: © Al Jazeera English, Helmand, Afghanistan 3 November 2012, url CC BY-SA 2.0 Taliban On the Doorstep: Afghan soldiers from 215 Corps take aim at Taliban insurgents. 4 — AFGHANISTAN: STATE STRUCTURE AND SECURITY FORCES - EASO COUNTRY OF ORIGIN INFORMATION REPORT Acknowledgements This report was drafted by the European Asylum Support Office COI Sector. The following national asylum and migration department contributed by reviewing this report: The Netherlands, Office for Country Information and Language Analysis, Ministry of Justice It must be noted that the review carried out by the mentioned departments, experts or organisations contributes to the overall quality of the report, it but does not necessarily imply their formal endorsement of the final report, which is the full responsibility of EASO. AFGHANISTAN: STATE STRUCTURE AND SECURITY
    [Show full text]
  • A Day-To-Day Chronicle of Afghanistan's Guerrilla and Civil
    A Day-to-Day Chronicle of Afghanistan's Guerrilla © and Civil War, June 2003 – Present Memories of Vietnam? A Chinook helicopter extracts troops of the 10th Vietnam epiphany. U.S. troops on patrol in the Afghan countryside, April 2003 Mountain Division in Nov. 2003 in Kunar province (photo by Sgt. Greg Heath, [photo in World News Network 5/2/03]. For more on parallels with Vietnam, see 4th Public Affairs Dept., Nov. 2003). Ian Mather, "Soldiers Fear 'Afghan Vietnam'," The Scotsman [May 4, 2003] A new file was begun after May 31, 2003 for two reasons: (1). during May, Secretary Rumsfeld announced the end of major U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan; and (2) in June, Mullah Omar announced a new 10-man leadership council of the Taliban and urged an increased guerrilla warfare. The new data set better captures the extent of this civil and guerrilla conflict. "...we're at a point where we clearly have moved from major combat activity to a period of stability and stabilization and reconstruction activities...." Spoken by Secretary Rumsfeld in Kabul on May 1, 2003 True or False? On August 22, 2002, the U.S. 82nd Airborne carried out another helicopter assault in Paktia province as part of a week-long campaign, 'Operation Mountain Sweep.' 1 Copyright © 2004 Marc W. Herold Estimated Number of Afghan Civilian "Impact Deaths1” Period Low Count High Count Oct. 2001 - May 2003 * 3,073 3,597 June 2003 – June 2004 412 437 CIVILIAN CASUALTIES TOTAL 3,485 4,034 * Source: “The Daily Casualty Count of Afghan Civilians Killed by U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Usama Bin Ladin's
    Usama bin Ladin’s “Father Sheikh”: Yunus Khalis and the Return of al-Qa`ida’s Leadership to Afghanistan Harmony Program Kevin Bell USAMA BIN LADIN’S “FATHER SHEIKH:” YUNUS KHALIS AND THE RETURN OF AL‐QA`IDA’S LEADERSHIP TO AFGHANISTAN THE COMBATING TERRORISM CENTER AT WEST POINT www.ctc.usma.edu 14 May 2013 The views expressed in this paper are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of the Combating Terrorism Center, the U.S. Military Academy, the Department of Defense or the U.S. government. Author’s Acknowledgments This report would not have been possible without the generosity and assistance of the director of the Harmony Research Program at the Combating Terrorism Center (CTC), Don Rassler. Mr. Rassler provided me with the support and encouragement to pursue this project, and his enthusiasm for the material always helped to lighten my load. I should state here that the first tentative steps on this line of inquiry were made during my time as a student at the Program in Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University. If not for professor Şükrü Hanioğlu’s open‐minded approach to directing my MA thesis, it is unlikely that I would have embarked on this investigation of Yunus Khalis. Professor Michael Reynolds also deserves great credit for his patience with this project as a member of my thesis committee. I must also extend my utmost appreciation to my reviewers—Carr Center Fellow Michael Semple, professor David Edwards and Vahid Brown—whose insightful comments, I believe, have led to a substantially improved and more thoughtful product.
    [Show full text]
  • AFGHANISTAN - Base Map KYRGYZSTAN
    AFGHANISTAN - Base map KYRGYZSTAN CHINA ± UZBEKISTAN Darwaz !( !( Darwaz-e-balla Shaki !( Kof Ab !( Khwahan TAJIKISTAN !( Yangi Shighnan Khamyab Yawan!( !( !( Shor Khwaja Qala !( TURKMENISTAN Qarqin !( Chah Ab !( Kohestan !( Tepa Bahwddin!( !( !( Emam !( Shahr-e-buzorg Hayratan Darqad Yaftal-e-sufla!( !( !( !( Saheb Mingajik Mardyan Dawlat !( Dasht-e-archi!( Faiz Abad Andkhoy Kaldar !( !( Argo !( Qaram (1) (1) Abad Qala-e-zal Khwaja Ghar !( Rostaq !( Khash Aryan!( (1) (2)!( !( !( Fayz !( (1) !( !( !( Wakhan !( Khan-e-char Char !( Baharak (1) !( LEGEND Qol!( !( !( Jorm !( Bagh Khanaqa !( Abad Bulak Char Baharak Kishim!( !( Teer Qorghan !( Aqcha!( !( Taloqan !( Khwaja Balkh!( !( Mazar-e-sharif Darah !( BADAKHSHAN Garan Eshkashem )"" !( Kunduz!( !( Capital Do Koh Deh !(Dadi !( !( Baba Yadgar Khulm !( !( Kalafgan !( Shiberghan KUNDUZ Ali Khan Bangi Chal!( Zebak Marmol !( !( Farkhar Yamgan !( Admin 1 capital BALKH Hazrat-e-!( Abad (2) !( Abad (2) !( !( Shirin !( !( Dowlatabad !( Sholgareh!( Char Sultan !( !( TAKHAR Mir Kan Admin 2 capital Tagab !( Sar-e-pul Kent Samangan (aybak) Burka Khwaja!( Dahi Warsaj Tawakuli Keshendeh (1) Baghlan-e-jadid !( !( !( Koran Wa International boundary Sabzposh !( Sozma !( Yahya Mussa !( Sayad !( !( Nahrin !( Monjan !( !( Awlad Darah Khuram Wa Sarbagh !( !( Jammu Kashmir Almar Maymana Qala Zari !( Pul-e- Khumri !( Murad Shahr !( !( (darz !( Sang(san)charak!( !( !( Suf-e- (2) !( Dahana-e-ghory Khowst Wa Fereng !( !( Ab) Gosfandi Way Payin Deh Line of control Ghormach Bil Kohestanat BAGHLAN Bala !( Qaysar !( Balaq
    [Show full text]
  • (SIKA) – East Final Report
    Stability in Key Areas (SIKA) – East Final Report ACKU 2 ACKU Ghazni Province_Khwaja Umari District_Qala Naw Girls School Sport Field (PLAY) opening ceremony ii Stability in Key Areas (SIKA) – East Final Report ACKU The authors’ views expressed in this document do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government iii Name of USAID Activity: Afghanistan Stability in Key Areas (SIKA) - East Name of Prime Contractor: AECOM International Development $144,948,162.00 Total funding: Start date: December 7, 2011 Option period: December 3, 2013 End date: September 6, 2015 Geographic locations: Ghazni Province: Andar, Bahrami Shahid, Dih Yak, Khwaja Umari, Qarabagh, and Muqur Khost Province: Gurbuz, Jaji Maidan, Mando Zayi, Tani, and Nadir Shah Kot Logar Province: Baraki Barak, Khoshi, and Mohammad Agha Maydan Wardak Province: Chaki Wardak, Jalrez, Nirkh, Saydabad and Maydan Shahr Paktya Province: Ahmad Abad, Laja Ahmad Khail, Laja Mangal, Zadran, Garda Serai, Zurmat, Ali Khail, Mirzaka, and Sayed Karam Paktika Province: Sharan and Yosuf Khel Overall goals and objectives: SIKA – East promotes stabilization in key areas by supporting GIRoA at the district level, while coordinating efforts at the provincial level to implement community led development and governance initiatives that respond to the population’s needs and concerns to build confidence, promote stability, and increase the provision of basic services. • Address Instability and Respond to Concerns: Provincial and District Entities increasingly address Expected Results: sources of instability and take measures to respond to the population’s development and governance concerns. • Enable Access to Services: Provincial and District entities understand what organizations and provincial line departments work within their geographic areas, ACKUwhat kind of services they provide, and how the population can access those services.
    [Show full text]
  • AFGHANISTAN La Situation Sécuritaire À Jalalabad
    COMMISSARIAT-GÉNÉRAL AUX RÉFUGIÉS ET AUX APATRIDES COI Focus AFGHANISTAN La situation sécuritaire à Jalalabad 20 février 2018 (Mise à jour) Cedoca Langue du document original: néerlandais DISCLAIMER: Ce document COI a été rédigé par le Centre de documentation et de This COI-product has been written by Cedoca, the Documentation and recherches (Cedoca) du CGRA en vue de fournir des informations pour le Research Department of the CGRS, and it provides information for the traitement des demandes d’asile individuelles. Il ne traduit aucune politique processing of individual asylum applications. The document does not contain ni n’exprime aucune opinion et ne prétend pas apporter de réponse définitive policy guidelines or opinions and does not pass judgment on the merits of quant à la valeur d’une demande d’asile. Il a été rédigé conformément aux the asylum application. It follows the Common EU Guidelines for processing lignes directrices de l’Union européenne pour le traitement de l’information country of origin information (April 2008) and is written in accordance with sur le pays d’origine (avril 2008). the statutory legal provisions. Ce document a été élaboré sur la base d’un large éventail d’informations The author has based the text on a wide range of public information selected publiques soigneusement sélectionnées dans un souci permanent de with care and with a permanent concern for crosschecking sources. Even recoupement des sources. L’auteur s’est efforcé de traiter la totalité des though the document tries to cover all the relevant aspects of the subject, the aspects pertinents du sujet mais les analyses proposées ne visent pas text is not necessarily exhaustive.
    [Show full text]
  • Making Sense of Daesh in Afghanistan: a Social Movement Perspective
    \ WORKING PAPER 6\ 2017 Making sense of Daesh in Afghanistan: A social movement perspective Katja Mielke \ BICC Nick Miszak \ TLO Joint publication by \ WORKING PAPER 6 \ 2017 MAKING SENSE OF DAESH IN AFGHANISTAN: A SOCIAL MOVEMENT PERSPECTIVE \ K. MIELKE & N. MISZAK SUMMARY So-called Islamic State (IS or Daesh) in Iraq and Syria is widely interpreted as a terrorist phenomenon. The proclamation in late January 2015 of a Wilayat Kho- rasan, which includes Afghanistan and Pakistan, as an IS branch is commonly interpreted as a manifestation of Daesh's global ambition to erect an Islamic caliphate. Its expansion implies hierarchical order, command structures and financial flows as well as a transnational mobility of fighters, arms and recruits between Syria and Iraq, on the one hand, and Afghanistan–Pakistan, on the other. In this Working Paper, we take a (new) social movement perspective to investigate the processes and underlying dynamics of Daesh’s emergence in different parts of the country. By employing social movement concepts, such as opportunity structures, coalition-building, resource mobilization and framing, we disentangle the different types of resource mobilization and long-term conflicts that have merged into the phenomenon of Daesh in Afghanistan. In dialogue with other approaches to terrorism studies as well as peace, civil war and security studies, our analysis focuses on relations and interactions among various actors in the Afghan-Pakistan region and their translocal networks. The insight builds on a ten-month fieldwork-based research project conducted in four regions—east, west, north-east and north Afghanistan—during 2016. We find that Daesh in Afghanistan is a context-specific phenomenon that manifests differently in the various regions across the country and is embedded in a long- term transformation of the religious, cultural and political landscape in the cross-border region of Afghanistan–Pakistan.
    [Show full text]