Afghanistan
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Global War for Opium Poppy
A study done by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) revealed that the Opiates epidemic, alongside overdose deaths in the US, rose by 500% as a result of US intervention in Afghanistan between 2000 and 2016. Continue reading
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Russia’s victory in Ukraine resonates in Central Asia
Russia’s stunning victory in the battle of Avdeevka and the rout of the Ukrainian military, boosts the credibility of Russia as provider of security for the Central Asian region. The point is not lost on the erudite Central Asian mind that Russia has single-handedly put the NATO on the back foot. Continue reading
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Foreign devils on the road to Afghanistan
On March 7, the western powers huddled together in Paris for a restricted meeting on Taliban and the Afghanistan situation. It was an exclusive meeting of the Special Representatives and Envoys for Afghanistan of Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. Continue reading
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Prince Harry’s ‘Video Games’
Prince Harry claims that he killed 25 Afghan fighters during his second deployment in Afghanistan in 2012/13 in his new memoir. He describes killing someone with an Apache helicopter as “a joy” and likens it to playing video games. Continue reading
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Reflections on Events in Afghanistan — 41
The time has come to pick up threads from my blog of January 27 titled The West co-opts the Taliban. Indeed, the wheel has come full circle: the three-day conclave in Oslo on January 23-25 between a core group of Western diplomats with Taliban officials failed to work out a reasonable a modus vivendi. The pendulum… Continue reading
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US commits a perfect murder in Kabul
Eleven days after the US President Joe Biden’s dramatic announcement of August 1 regarding the killing of the emir of al Qaeda, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Moscow has broken its silence. Ten days back, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova had replied to a query that Moscow was yet to “get the details” on what had happened on July 31. Continue reading
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The killing of Ayman al-Zawahiri: the tip of the targeted killing iceberg
Drone assassination returned briefly to the top of the news agenda this week with the US targeted killing of al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul. Many could be forgiven for thinking this was the first drone targeted killing since the assassination of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani in January 2020, but behind the scenes the use of drones for… Continue reading
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The Empire is not done torturing Afghanistan
Tuesday, 5 July 2022 — The Cradle Despite its resounding defeat, NATO is not quite done with inflicting misery on the land of the Afghans By Pepe Escobar Photo Credit: The Cradle Continue reading
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Afghanistan braces for new war
There is a lot of infighting amongst marginalised Afghan elites, civilian and military. Apparently, the western powers are trying to rally them behind Sadat. An axis between Sadat and Panjshir leader Ahmad Massoud seems to be the preferred option for MI6 and the US intelligence. Sadat and Massoud are both products of King’s College, London,… Continue reading
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China’s diplomacy on a roll in Kabul
Last Thursday, the Acting Foreign Minister of the Taliban interim government Amir Khan Muttaqi made a stunning remark to greet the visiting Chinese Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Kabul when he said, “This is the most important high-level delegation received by Afghanistan.” It spoke volumes about the quiet success of Beijing’s diplomacy to turn… Continue reading
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US pips regional states at race for Kabul
In a hugely consequential advisory, the US Treasury Department quietly signalled on Wednesday that it was “tweaking” the sanctions against the Haqqani Network. The international banks can transfer money to Taliban, including Haqqani Network without fear of breaching sanctions. Continue reading
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Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-40
The three-day conclave in Oslo on January 23-25 for interaction for a core group of Western diplomats with Taliban officials marks a new phase in the political situation in Afghanistan. The West was represented by the US, UK, Germany, France and Italy as well as the European Union. Continue reading
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Biden Lies (Again) as He Covertly Continues the U.S. Forever War Against the Afghan People
Over the past few months, U.S. lawmakers, the Afghan government, and the international community have called on Washington to stop strangling the Afghan economy as its people continue to suffer from a U.S.-created humanitarian crisis. On December 22nd, the Biden administration effectively rejected those calls, opting instead for half-measures that will do little to counter the effects of stringent economic… Continue reading
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Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-38
Reports of the recent period are indicative of tensions between the Taliban forces and the Pakistani military deployed on their border. On December 22, the Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman Enayatullah Khwarazmi disclosed that the Taliban forces had stopped the Pakistani military from erecting an “illegal” border fence along the eastern Nangarhar province. Continue reading
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Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-36
As the Taliban completes its first hundred days in power, the Western powers are groping for a face-saving formula to engage with the authorities in Kabul with some modicum of dignity. Continue reading
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Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-35
The acknowledgement of “shared interests” with Russia regarding Afghanistan by the new US Special Representative for Afghanistan Thomas West following his discussions in Moscow on November 14 with the Kremlin’s Special Presidential Representative Zamir Kabulov and Security Council’s Deputy Secretary Alexander Venediktov is an important step forward. Continue reading
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Afghanistan: between pipelines and ISIS-K, the Americans are still in play
US trained and armed Afghan security forces are joining ISIS-K, which makes the US ‘withdrawal’ from Afghanistan look more like an American ‘repositioning’ to keep chaos humming. Continue reading
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Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-34
The information war is so intense nowadays that unsung melodies are often more alluring that the sung ones. The lines from English poet Shelley’s famous ode To a Skylark come to mind — ‘In the broad day-light / Thou art unseen, but yet I hear thy shrill delight…’ Continue reading
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Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-33
The stunning disclosure late Tuesday in Brussels that the US is working on a “road map” for according recognition to the Taliban Government will take a lot of people by surprise but it could have been expected sooner rather than later. Continue reading
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Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-32
India’s initiative to host a regional conference on Afghanistan in New Delhi on Wednesday has received a good response. With Tehran signalling acceptance of the Indian invite, only China’s response remains to be seen, as of now. Continue reading
The New Dark Age 