Abubakar Siddique, a journalist for RFE/RL's Radio Azadi, specializes in the coverage of Afghanistan and Pakistan. He is the author of The Pashtun Question: The Unresolved Key To The Future Of Pakistan And Afghanistan.
As campaigning for Afghanistan's November 7 presidential runoff begins, incumbent President Hamid Karzai and challenger Abdullah Abdullah are competing not only for votes. Facing an uncertain political landscape, the candidates' camps are also trying to strengthen their respective bargaining positions. With the electorate worried by renewed threats of violence and disheartened by the brazen fraud and protracted controversies that marred the first round, the political alignments in Afghanistan seem to be in flux.
Former Spanish diplomat Francesc Vendrell, who served as a special envoy for Afghanistan for the United Nations and the European Union, weighs in on the ongoing political crisis in Afghanistan.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has just wrapped up a three-day visit to Eastern Europe. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL, Biden said he believes he has successfully allayed fears that U.S. efforts to improve relations with Russia could come at the expense of Washington's Eastern European allies.
With fraud, insecurity, and logistical nightmares wearing on voters, expectations for Afghanistan's November 7 presidential runoff are low. What do voters in remote parts of Afghanistan think about the prospects for the runoff, and what steps are being taken to lure them back to polling stations?
After the October 18 suicide attack in southeastern Iran that killed at least 42 people, the extremist group Jundallah is suddenly at the center of international attention. The group champions the cause of Iran’s Baluchi minority, but it may also be taking on a new role: as a pawn in a complicated chess game between states in the region.
With Afghanistan's Electoral Complaints Commission set to issue its findings on allegations of fraud in the country's August 20 vote, some believe a second-round vote is likely. But with Afghans weary of rising insecurity and their distrust in the election process at a peak, the country faces a difficult road in the event a runoff is held, or if incumbent President Hamid Karzai is named the first-round winner.
Two Pakistani cities have come under lethal attack by militants. The ongoing violence is seen as an attempt by extremists to prevent the military’s impending offensive against the South Waziristan tribal region, which is considered a vast sanctuary for Pakistani and Afghan extremists and Al-Qaeda.
In the wake of a daring and bloody attack against Pakistan's army headquarters and claims of a successful Taliban attack on a military convoy, Pakistani aircraft have been pounding suspected militant hideouts in the Bajaur and South Waziristan tribal regions along the Afghan border. The bombing campaign is expected to be followed by a major ground offensive against Taliban ensconced in South Wazirstan, but some analysts suggest that it will do little to stem the militant threat in the long term.
With U.S. legislation that would triple aid dollars to Pakistan awaiting a presidential signature, the Pakistani military's top brass has publically aired "serious concerns" over parts of the bill, arguing that it would harm national security.
Amid protests in Kabul by political activists and nongovernmental organizations against the United Nations' role in Afghanistan's contentious presidential election, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan has increasingly found itself mired in infighting among some of its top diplomats.
Taliban fighters in Pakistan have claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing that killed five people at the offices of the UN's World Food Program in Islamabad. The attack and recent media interviews by some Pakistani Taliban leaders suggest the group is trying to rebound from senior deaths and arrests.
Unnamed Pakistani security officials claim the fugitive leader of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan was killed in a late-August missile strike. There are still some doubts. But if it proves true, the death of Tohir Yuldash would deal allied militants -- including Al-Qaeda -- another blow in the region.
Western governments are pressing for Afghan forces to take on a greater role in countering the violent insurgency. But critics have expressed doubts as to whether, at this stage, the Afghan military can play the primary role in stabilizing the country.
In exclusive interviews with RFE/RL, Zalmay Khalilzad, a former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq, and former Spanish diplomat and peacemaker Francesc Vendrell weigh in on how to resolve the current postelection crisis in Afghanistan.
As Kabul grapples with the aftermath of a controversial election, Washington is in the midst of an intense debate over its future course in Afghanistan. President Barack Obama is reportedly looking into the possibility of an all-out effort to back Afghan nation building that military commanders might welcome. But some senior administration officials are reportedly urging him to concentrate on the narrower goal of targeting militant leaders.
Criticism and anger are mounting over the rescue of a "New York Times" journalist from Taliban militants. An Afghan colleague and British commando were among the four who died in the accompanying shoot-out, and Afghan journalists and British media are clamoring for the details.
Three weeks after Afghanistan's presidential election, final results are still not in and allegations of fraud grow by the day. It's threatening to plunge the country into even deeper crisis and is giving Afghanistan's international backers a big headache.
In a speech before parliament, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended her government's policies in Afghanistan, amid international criticism over a deadly air strike ordered by the German military. She also called for an agreement to transfer more responsibility for security to Afghan officials.
As reports of voting irregularities continue to pile up, casting a shadow over the country's still-untallied presidential election, key European countries have called for an international conference to discuss Afghanistan's future.
After a deadly bombing struck Konduz Province, concerns about the situation in Afghanistan topped the agenda as EU foreign ministers arrived in the Swedish capital Stockholm for two days of informal talks.
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