By Hannah Kaviani | – ( RFE/RL ) – I’m Hannah Kaviani, a senior broadcaster and editor at RFE/RL’s Radio Farda, filling in this week for senior correspondent Golnaz Esfandiari. Here’s what I’ve been following and what I’m watching out for in the days ahead. The Big Issue Colonel Hassan Sayad Khodaei, a shadowy figure […]
Afghanistan: Taliban Faces Rising Armed Resistance From Former Government Factions
By Abubakar Siddique | – ( RFE/ RL )- For nearly two decades, the Taliban launched an annual deadly spring offensive in a bid to regain the power it lost in 2001. As the snows melted in the Afghan mountains, Taliban fighters hastened their attacks on officials and troops of the pro-Western Afghan republic and […]
Historian Adam Michnik: Putin’s Invasion Of Ukraine Will End Like Brezhnev’s Afghan War, And Spark A ‘New Wave’
By Vadim Dubnov | – ( RFE/RL ) – Vladimir Putin “has driven Russia into a trap” by invading Ukraine, the former Polish dissident Adam Michnik has said, predicting ultimate defeat for the Russian leader and a chance for much-needed liberal reforms afterward. “In Russia, changes took place after wars were lost — after the […]
How The Coming Weeks Could Decide The Future Of The Ukraine War
By Reid Standish | – ( RFE/RL ) – This is not the war that Moscow was expecting. Ukrainian forces have put up stronger resistance than many military analysts predicted prior to Russia’s February 24 invasion, with Russian forces facing growing losses and a series of logistical setbacks that have left it regrouping and changing […]
Iran, China and Russia face Dilemma of Taliban Control of Afghanistan
By Ron Synovitz | – ( RFE/RL ) – The chaotic withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan and the lightning collapse of the internationally recognized government in Kabul in August spelled the end of the West’s nearly 20-year foothold in the war-torn country. Now, with the Taliban back in control of Afghanistan, other […]
Armed With Online Option, Afghan Girls Say ‘Bring It On’ When It Comes To Taliban Education Ban
By Michael Scollon of RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi | – ( RFE/RL – Radio Azadi) – Hundreds of school-aged girls in Afghanistan are getting around the Taliban’s efforts to stymie their education by going online, giving them the opportunity to continue to learn everything from computer programming to sculpting to yoga psychotherapy. “It sends a clear […]
Hacked Videos Force The Unthinkable In Iran: Official Admission Of Abuses At Evin Prison
( RFE/RL ) – Former inmates, their families, and human rights activists have long complained of mistreatment and torture at Evin prison, a notorious facility in Tehran that is a primary site for political detainees. Regular detainees, as well as surviving political prisoners and other perceived enemies of Iran’s postrevolutionary regime, have alleged torture and […]
‘Ready To Resist,’ Residents Of Last Anti-Taliban Stronghold, Panjshir, Brace For Uncertain Future
By Farangis Najibullah | – ( RFE/RL’s Radio Azadi) – As Afghanistan’s last major bastion of anti-Taliban resistance gears up for new fighting against the hard-line Islamist group, there has been an outpouring of support for the effort from residents of the Panjshir Valley. But they are also concerned about the prospect of a prolonged […]
Who’s Who In The Taliban: The Men Who Run The Extremist Group And How They Operate
By Ron Synovitz | – This piece from August 6, 2021, before they took over Afghanistan, is a very useful overview of Taliban leadership and I thought it well worth reprinting here. ( RFE/RL – Radio Azadi ) – With the Taliban in control … of all districts in Afghanistan, promises made by Taliban political […]
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