The Netherlands and Afghanistan
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Revolution in Afghanistan
Fred Halliday Revolution in Afghanistan On 27 April 1978 the world heard that there had been a successful military coup in Afghanistan. The régime headed by Mohammad Daud, which had itself come to power through a coup in July 1973, had been suddenly overthrown by tanks and jet planes that struck in the Afghan capital, Kabul. At first it seemed as if this was yet another military intervention which, although violent and abrupt, involved no major shift in the policies, social character or international alignment of those in power: a change comparable to Daud’s own coup, or to others in neighbouring Pakistan, Bangladesh, and the Arab world. Yet within days it became clear that the announcements of radical change coming over Radio Kabul were more than just the ritual demagogy of military coups: something rather more substantial had occurred. In the first place, the coup, although carried out by the military, reflected much wider political forces. It had been preceded by mass popular demonstrations in Kabul, and as thousands of people flocked to inspect Daud’s conquered palace, 3 now renamed the House of the People, it became evident that it had ousted a hated régime and at least temporarily embodied the hopes of a wide section of the population. At the same time it became clear that the coup was not just the product of a conspiracy within the military, but had been carried out on the instructions of an underground Marxist political organization whose membership was overwhelmingly civilian. This at once distinguished the new rulers from other radical military régimes in the Arab world, South Asia or Ethiopia. -
Afghanistan, 1989-1996: Between the Soviets and the Taliban
Afghanistan, 1989-1996: Between the Soviets and the Taliban A thesis submitted to the Miami University Honors Program in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for University Honors with Distinction by, Brandon Smith May 2005 Oxford, OH ABSTRACT AFGHANISTAN, 1989-1996: BETWEEN THE SOVIETS AND THE TALIBAN by, BRANDON SMITH This paper examines why the Afghan resistance fighters from the war against the Soviets, the mujahideen, were unable to establish a government in the time period between the withdrawal of the Soviet army from Afghanistan in 1989 and the consolidation of power by the Taliban in 1996. A number of conflicting explanations exist regarding Afghanistan’s instability during this time period. This paper argues that the developments in Afghanistan from 1989 to 1996 can be linked to the influence of actors outside Afghanistan, but not to the extent that the choices and actions of individual actors can be overlooked or ignored. Further, the choices and actions of individual actors need not be explained in terms of ancient animosities or historic tendencies, but rather were calculated moves to secure power. In support of this argument, international, national, and individual level factors are examined. ii Afghanistan, 1989-1996: Between the Soviets and the Taliban by, Brandon Smith Approved by: _________________________, Advisor Karen L. Dawisha _________________________, Reader John M. Rothgeb, Jr. _________________________, Reader Homayun Sidky Accepted by: ________________________, Director, University Honors Program iii Thanks to Karen Dawisha for her guidance and willingness to help on her year off, and to John Rothgeb and Homayun Sidky for taking the time to read the final draft and offer their feedback. -
Afghanistan Assessment
AFGHANISTAN ASSESSMENT April 2001 Country Information and Policy Unit 1 CONTENTS I SCOPE OF DOCUMENT 1.1 - 1.5 II GEOGRAPHY General 2.1 Languages 2.2 – 2.5 Economy 2.6 – 2.8 III HISTORY 1973 Coup d' État 3.1 – 3.2 1978-1992 3.3 – 3.11 1992-1994: Mujahidin Government 3.12 – 3.17 Emergence of the Taliban 3.18 – 3.21 February 1995-June 1996 3.22 – 3.23 September 1996-June 1997 3.24 – 3.31 August 1997-August 1998 3.32 – 3.40 September 1998-December 1999 3.41 – 3.47 January 2000-September 2000 3.48 – 3.52 October 2000-April 2001 3.53 – 3.59 IV INSTRUMENTS OF THE STATE 4.1 POLITICAL SYSTEM Constitution 4.1.1 Government 4.1.2 – 4.1.5 4.2 JUDICIAL SYSTEM Introduction 4.2.1 – 4.2.4 Taliban Territory 4.2.5 – 4.2.7 Northern Alliance Territory 4.2.8 – 4.2.9 4.3 SECURITY General 4.3.1 Taliban Territory 4.3.2 – 4.3.6 Northern Alliance Territory 4.3.7 – 4.3.8 V HUMAN RIGHTS 5.1 INTRODUCTION 5.1.1 – 5.1.4 5.2 GENERAL ASSESSMENT Torture 5.2.1 Detainees 5.2.2 – 5.2.7 Mazar-i-Sharif Massacres 5.2.8 – 5.2.9 Recruitment of Soldiers 5.2.10 – 5.2.11 2 Religious Police 5.2.12 – 5.2.14 5.3 SPECIFIC GROUPS General 5.3.1 – 5.3.2 Religious Minorities - Introduction 5.3.3 – 5.3.6 - Demography 5.3.7 - Shia Muslims 5.3.8 – 5.3.9 - Ismailis 5.3.10 - Sikhs and Hindus 5.3.11 – 5.3.13 Ethnic Groups - Introduction 5.3.14– 5.3.16 - Pashtuns 5.3.17 – 5.3.20 - Tajiks 5.3.21 – 5.3.23 - Hazaras 5.3.24 – 5.3.29 - Uzbeks and Turkomans 5.3.30 – 5.3.31 - Baluchis 5.3.32 - Nuristanis 5.3.33 - Panjsheris 5.3.34 Former Members of the PDPA Regime 5.3.35 – 5.3.42 Women 5.3.43 – 5.3.54 -
Produced by the Human Security Centre Lead Author
1 Human Security Centre – Written evidence (AFG0019) Produced by the Human Security Centre Lead Author: Simon Schofield, Senior Fellow, In consultation with Rohullah Yakobi, Associate Fellow 2 1 Table of Contents 2. Executive Summary .............................................................................5 3. What is the Human Security Centre?.....................................................10 4. Geopolitics and National Interests and Agendas......................................11 Islamic Republic of Pakistan ...................................................................11 Historical Context...............................................................................11 Pakistan’s Strategy.............................................................................12 Support for the Taliban .......................................................................13 Afghanistan as a terrorist training camp ................................................16 Role of military aid .............................................................................17 Economic interests .............................................................................19 Conclusion – Pakistan .........................................................................19 Islamic Republic of Iran .........................................................................20 Historical context ...............................................................................20 Iranian Strategy ................................................................................23 -
Pdpa Fifth Plenum
i VOL. XIX, NO. 24. THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 1981 (IIAMAL 27, 1360 U.S.) PRICE AFS. 6 PDPA FIFTH PLENUM Sultan Ali Keshtmand returns home Waldheim's DECISIONS HAILED emissary f HERAT, April 16 (Bakhtar) Lt Gen Abdul Qader, Incharge of the ',4s4fg Op (V meets justice and defence division of the PDPA CC, and Maj Gen Gul Aqa, presid- ent of the politcal affairs department of the army attended a meeting of the cadres and party activists of the Herat military division no., 17 held in su- Foreign pport of the PDPA fifth 'plenum decisions at the division headquarters on Tuesday. atten- Gen Qader, sp- Organization for the You- The meeting was y Later, Lt ded by Bareq Shafiyee, oke in detail on the ple- th of the division who had Minister alternate member of the num decisons and drew taken active part in the ' ' PDPA CC, the secretary the attention of the offi- revolution. KABUL, April 16 (Ba- 1 1 and deputy secretary of cers and soldiers to their At the end, a resolution 1 khtar). Javier Preze de de- the provincial committee, responsibilities in its supporting the plenum . ;' .... Cueller, the commander of divis- implementation. cisions was issued. for Special Pol- ion no. 17, the Herat gov- itical Affairs of the Un- Sultan Ali Keshtmand, member of the PDPA' CC Politburo, ernor, the commandant The secretary of the pr- According to another ited Nations arrived in of the RC and Deputy Prime Minister, on arrival at the Kabul Interna of the police, some mem- ovincial committee, the report, Gen Qader and Kabul yesterday from Is- tional Airport. -
The Road to Afghanistan
Introduction Hundreds of books—memoirs, histories, fiction, poetry, chronicles of military units, and journalistic essays—have been written about the Soviet war in Afghanistan. If the topic has not yet been entirely exhausted, it certainly has been very well documented. But what led up to the invasion? How was the decision to bring troops into Afghanistan made? What was the basis for the decision? Who opposed the intervention and who had the final word? And what kind of mystical country is this that lures, with an almost maniacal insistence, the most powerful world states into its snares? In the nineteenth and early twentieth century it was the British, in the 1980s it was the Soviet Union, and now America and its allies continue the legacy. Impoverished and incredibly backward Afghanistan, strange as it may seem, is not just a normal country. Due to its strategically important location in the center of Asia, the mountainous country has long been in the sights of more than its immediate neighbors. But woe to anyone who arrives there with weapon in hand, hoping for an easy gain—the barefoot and illiterate Afghans consistently bury the hopes of the strange foreign soldiers who arrive along with battalions of tanks and strategic bombers. To understand Afghanistan is to see into your own future. To comprehend what happened there, what happens there continually, is to avoid great tragedy. One of the critical moments in the modern history of Afghanistan is the period from April 27, 1978, when the “April Revolution” took place in Kabul and the leftist People’s Democratic Party seized control of the country, until December 27, 1979, when Soviet special forces, obeying their “international duty,” eliminated the ruling leader and installed 1 another leader of the same party in his place. -
Military Assistance to the Afghan Opposition Human Rights Watch Backgrounder October 5, 2001
Military Assistance to the Afghan Opposition Human Rights Watch Backgrounder October 5, 2001 To respond to the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001, the United States government has begun to put together what it calls a coalition against terrorism. As part of this approach, the United States has signalled support for the creation of a broad-based coalition to oppose the Taliban, the current rulers of most of Afghanistan. This opposition would include forces that presently constitute the United Front—also known under its former name the Northern Alliance—as well as Taliban defectors. Some commanders with experience in the guerrilla war against Soviet occupation in 1979-1989, but not now in the United Front, may also be drawn into the new coalition. A number of present and former commanders who may be eager to assume positions of leadership in the coalition have a long record of serious human rights abuse in Afghanistan. Human Rights Watch is concerned that unqualified support—military, political, diplomatic, financial—for this new coalition, which may come to constitute the basis for a future government of Afghanistan, will encourage further abuses. In responding to the crimes against humanity of September 11, the United States should not resort to means that themselves violate basic human rights and humanitarian law standards, or provide assistance to forces that do. Support for the Afghan Opposition While the United States says it has so far provided no arms to the Afghan opposition, recent media reports suggest that it is gearing up to provide financial and possibly military support to the United Front and other armed Afghan groups. -
Loya Jirgas and Political Crisis Management in Afghanistan: Drawing on the Bank of Tradition by Scott S
SPECIAL REPORT NO. 457 | SEPTEMBER 2019 UNITED STATES INSTITUTE OF PEACE www.usip.org Loya Jirgas and Political Crisis Management in Afghanistan: Drawing on the Bank of Tradition By Scott S. Smith Contents The Modernity of a Tradition ......3 History and Paradoxes of Loya Jirgas ....................................4 Decisions and Modalities ........... 6 The Present Era of Consultative Loya Jirgas ........... 13 Conclusion and Recommendations ...................... 15 Delegates assemble at the Consultative Peace Loya Jirga in Kabul on April 29, 2019, to discuss an approach for achieving peace with the Taliban. (Photo by Omar Sobhani/Reuters) Summary • Loya jirgas, though rooted in tra- • The post-2001 political order is • Since 2010, three “traditional” ditional Afghan practices, are es- founded on two loya jirgas: the or “consultative” loya jirgas—so sentially modern political institu- 2002 Emergency Loya Jirga, called because of the inability to tions that are convened to address which legitimized the post–Bonn call together loya jirgas in accord- problems of great national impor- Agreement interim government; ance with the strict provisions set tance. Loya jirgas have almost al- and the 2004 Constitutional Loya out in the 2004 constitution—have ways endorsed the decisions of Jirga, which ratified Afghanistan’s been convened on an ad hoc ba- the national leader. current constitution. sis by Presidents Hamid Karzai and • Since 1915, no loya jirga has been • The 2004 constitution included Ashraf Ghani. convened under the same mo- specific provisions for convening • Should a loya jirga be required to dalities, yet they have in common future loya jirgas: the majority of resolve an electoral crisis or ratify their national composition, their delegates are to be selected from a new political order following a attempts to demonstrate broad in- among district councils. -
Pak-US Collaboration on Afghanistan and USSR War 1979 to 1988
Pakistan Social Sciences Review P-ISSN 2664-0422 June 2019, Vol. 3, No. 1 [305-317] O-ISSN 2664-0430 RESEARCH PAPER Pak-US Collaboration on Afghanistan and USSR War 1979 to 1988 Muhammad Aslam Faiz 1 Muhammad Akbar Malik 2 Khalil-ur-Rehman 3 1. PhD Scholar, Department of Pakistan Studies, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan 2. Associate Professor, Department of Pakistan Studies, the Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan. 3. PhD Scholar, Department of Pakistan Studies, the Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan PAPER INFO ABSTRACT Received: Pakistan has always been very vital because of its geographical January 08, 2019 location and strategic position. On Christmas Eve, the Soviet Accepted: Union attacked on Afghanistan in 1979. USSR wanted to June 24, 2019 conquer Afghanistan. Soviet distinction was Pakistan but USSR Online: dream just remained a dream. Pakistan put this violation to June 30, 2019 USA and joined the USA block. With cooperation of USA, Pakistan fights against the USSR in the favor of Afghanistan. Keywords: USA supported with weaponry Morley against the USSR Collaboration, invasion in Afghanistan. Pakistani, Afghan arms and freedom USA, Pakistan, fighter defeated the USSR. With the withdrawal of USSR troops Afghanistan, from Afghanistan, Pakistan outlived its utility with United USSR, strategies, State. This article seeks to analysis the impact of the Pak U.S War, CIA, ISI collaboration on Afghanistan war against the Soviet Union. Also seek for analyze the implication of Pak U.S strategy on the Corresponding current demission and future relations with each other. It argues Author: that the two countries share the main goal of the Afghanistan Pakistan strategies which is to defeat power full Soviet Union in aslamfaizir786@ Afghanistan. -
Contents EDITORIAL, POLITICAL ANALYSIS, 3 a Quarterly Publication of MILITARY REPORT
AECHAN JEHAD Contents EDITORIAL, POLITICAL ANALYSIS, 3 A Quarterly Publication of MILITARY REPORT, The Cultural Council of Grand table of Afghanwar casualties Afghanistan Resistance (April -June, 1988) Afghans and the Geneva accordon Afghanistan 14 MANAGING EDITOR: ® MAJOR DOCUMENTS: 21 Sabahuddin Kushkaki 1. Text of charter for mujaheddin transitional April-June, 1908 government; (2) Text of Geneva accord on Afghan- istan; (3) IUAM and the Geneva accord; (4) Muja- SUBSCRIPTION heddin offer general amnesty; (5) IUAM President urges trial for PDPA high brass; (6) Biographies Per Six Annual of IUAM transitional cabinet; (7) Biographies of copy months three IUAM leaders; (8) Charters of the IUAM Pakistaa organizations; (9) Annual report of Amnesty In- (Ra.) 30 60 110 ternational on Afghanistan, Foreign AFUHANISTAN IN INTERNATIONAL FORUMS: (s) 6 12 30 1« Islamabad Conference on Afghan future 2. Karachi Islamic meeting 3. Paris Conference: Afghan Agriculture Cultural Council of Afghanist- 0 IRC Survey on health in Afghan refugeecamps.97 Resistance CATALOGUE OF MUJAHEDDIN PRESS House No.8861 St. No. 27, G /9 -1 99 103 Islamabad, Pakistan 0 DIGEST OF MUJAHEDDIN PRESS Telephone 853797 (APRIL-JUNE 1988) ® BOOKS BY THE MUJAHEDDIN, FOR THE 164 MUJAHEDDIN 0 CHRONOLOGY OF AFGHAN EVENTS 168 (APRIL-JUNE 1988) 0 AFGHAN ISSUES COVERAGE: 318 By Radio Kabul, Radio Moscow (April -June, 1988) 0 MAPS 319 -320 0 ABBREVIATIONSLIST 321 FROM MUJAHEDDIN PUBLICATIONS MA Juiacst-- April -June, 19 88 Vol.1, No.4 AFGHAN JEHAD Editorial Q o c':. NC(° IN ME NAME OF GOD, MOST GRACICJUS, MOST MERCI.FU AFTER GENEVA Now that the Russian troops are on than way out from Afghanistan,' the focus on the Afghanistan issue is on two subjects; the nature of government in Kabul and finding a channel for the huge humanitarian assistance which the international community has indicated will provide to the war,ravaged Afghan- istan after the Soviet. -
Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations from 1978 to 2001: an Analysis
South Asian Studies A Research Journal of South Asian Studies Vol. 31, No. 2, July – December 2016, pp. 723 – 744 Pakistan-Afghanistan Relations from 1978 to 2001: An Analysis Khalid Manzoor Butt GC University, Lahore, Pakistan. Azhar Javed Siddqi Government Dayal Singh College, Lahore, Pakistan. ABSTRACT The entry of Soviet forces into Afghanistan in December 1979 was a watershed happening. The event brought about, inter alia, a qualitative change in Pakistan‟s relations with Afghanistan as well as balance of power in South Asia. The United States and its allies deciphered the Soviet move an attempt to expand its influence to areas vital for Washington‟s interests. America knitted an alliance of its friends to put freeze on Moscow‟s advance. Pakistan, as a frontline state, played a vital role in the eviction of the Soviet forces. This paved the way for broadening of traditional paradigm of Islamabad‟s Afghan policy. But after the Soviet military exit, Pakistan was unable to capitalize the situation to its advantage and consequently had to suffer from negative political and strategic implications. The implications are attributed to structural deficits in Pakistan‟s Afghan policy during the decade long stay of Red Army on Afghanistan‟s soil. Key Words: Durand Line, Pashtunistan, Saur Revolution, frontline state, structural deficits, expansionism, Jihad, strategic interests, Mujahideen, Pariah, Peshawar Accord Introduction Pakistan-Afghanistan relations date back to the partition of the subcontinent in August 1947. Their ties have been complex despite shared cultural, ethnic, religious and economic attributes. With the exception of the Taliban rule (1996- 2001) in Afghanistan, successive governments in Kabul have displayed varying degrees of dissatisfaction towards Islamabad. -
Afghanistan ICRC Worldwide Consultation on the Rules of War
PEOPLE ON WAR Country report Afghanistan ICRC worldwide consultation on the rules of war Report by Greenberg Research, Inc. EVEN WARS HAVE LIMITS EVEN WARS HAVE LIMITS EVEN WARS HAVE LIMITS EVEN WARS HAVE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS About the People on War project To mark the 50th anniversary of the modern Geneva Conventions (on 12 August 1999), the ICRC launched its People on War project with the aim of building greater respect for fundamental humanitarian principles. At centre stage is a worldwide consultation giving the general public a chance to air their views on the many facets of war. The idea was that civilians and combatants alike would be able to share their experiences, express their opinions on what basic rules should apply in war, discuss why those rules sometimes break down and look at what the future holds. With this in mind, the ICRC commissioned Greenberg Research, Inc. to design a research programme that would enable people to be heard in the most effective way possible. Under the guidance of Greenberg Research, ICRC staff and Red Cross and Red Crescent volunteers carried out this consultation in 12 countries (Afghanistan, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Colombia, El Salvador, Georgia/ Abkhazia, Israel, the occupied territories and the autonomous territories, Lebanon, Nigeria, Philippines, Somalia and South Africa), conducting in-depth, face-to-face interviews, group discussions and national public opinion surveys. Surveys on the basis of a questionnaire only were conducted in a further five countries (France, Russian Federation, Switzerland, United Kingdom and United States) in order to reflect these people’s perceptions of war.