Afghanistan
Analysis: New Interview with Taliban Leader
Earlier this week, a newly founded jihadist media group, the al-Balagh Islamic Centre, released an interview with Siraj Haqqani, leader of the Haqqani Network, a Taliban group operating in eastern Afghanistan. It is available on a number of jihadist forums and also on the Flashpoint Partners website.
Do Afghans Really Support the Taliban?
UK Islamists and sections of the extreme left continue to insist that groups like the Taliban are freedom fighters who enjoy popular support among local civilians. Today, a group of Afghan villagers went some way towards disproving this.
The Role of Ideology in the Afghan Strategy
Reproduced below is an extended version of a blog I wrote last week on the the crucial role that ideology will play in a strategy to defeat the Taliban. This was published on Monday by Hudson New York.
Voting, Afghan Style
According to western diplomats, in Hamid Karzai’s Kandahar homeland, 350,000 people ‘voted’, although only 25,000 actually popped a paper into the ballot boxes.
Don’t Forget Why We’re in Afghanistan
Times are tough in Afghanistan right now. British forces have long been under attack in Helmand where scores of troops have been lost to the Taliban.
The Moderate Taliban
Yesterday, David Miliband indicated that NATO are considering political engagement with moderate sections of the Taliban. He insisted that any military strategy must be combined with a political one in order for the Afghan mission to be a success.
Differing Views on Afghanistan
In the last two weeks, The Times has run two comment pieces on Afghanistan. Both are as fascinating as they are distinctly different.
Why Remoaners should back Boris
“Boris, ironically, now offers Remoaners the best chance of a soft Brexit, or at least a sensible one. And to those who want a second referendum—’the people’s vote’—there may even be a chance of that too.”
On the road
“In the summer of 1980, in the grip of some Kerouac-ish fantasy, I opted to hitch-hike from Laredo to New York”
Discovering the Great War of China
A third of a million Chinese labourers helped the Allies defeat the Kaiser, but their huge unsung contribution ended in betrayal