After a tumultuous year, Afghans face yet more uncertainty in 2019

Updated 21 December 2018
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After a tumultuous year, Afghans face yet more uncertainty in 2019

  • With insurgents making territorial gains and targeting military forces and civilians, 2018 has proven the most turbulent

KABUL: At home or abroad, few people have any doubt that from a political and military standpoint, Afghanistan has been going through its most turbulent year since a US-led force toppled the Taliban government in late 2001 after it refused to hand over Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the 9/11 Al-Qaeda attacks.

For Afghanistan, the way forward looks more uncertain than perhaps at any time since political tensions first flared more than four decades ago, with a Communist coup backed by the Soviet Union followed by a fully fledged military intervention.

With the Taliban making territorial gains and targeting Afghan soldiers and security forces in their bases and outposts, 2018 has witnessed a surge in violence across the country. The fighters have carried out a large number of attacks, starting with a bombing in January that killed more than 100 people and wounded hundreds of others in the capital Kabul.

For their part, the NATO-led international force and the US military have turned up the heat on both the Taliban and the Islamic State-Khorasan Province, also known as Daesh-KP, Daesh’s local affiliate with strongholds in some eastern provinces. But the pressure has not put an end to deadly attacks in Kabul and elsewhere, many of them involving suicide bombers.

In view of the administrative paralysis and the rising tide of violence, including the attacks that marred October’s parliamentary elections, which were held more than a year after their actual date, there are doubts that the crucial presidential vote will be held to schedule in April next year.

The election commission still has not been able to release even the preliminary results of the October ballot, which has been described by the UN as the most violent and disorganized of all elections since the overthrow of the Taliban 17 years ago.

With the incumbent president, Ashraf Ghani, seeking re-election, some of his political opponents have openly speculated that he might use his clout to divert state resources to swing the vote’s outcome in his favor.

A number of Afghan politicians and American diplomats are pushing for the formation of an interim government to give the talks between the US administration and the Taliban in Qatar time to succeed. But some analysts say that Ghani is opposed to the idea because his re-election prospects are brightest as long as he is in office.

US President Donald Trump is on record as saying that Afghans should be allowed to choose their leader according to their traditions. If they were to accept such a system, it would mean the country would be ruled by a man chosen by an assembly of tribal chiefs rather than elected by popular vote. 

Many American taxpayers are also questioning why US troops need to be in Afghanistan after so many years. Pressure is building on the Trump administration, some analysts say, to stage a complete troop pullout before it becomes obvious that the Taliban has won the war.

After years of a military stalemate, Trump hesitantly accepted a Pentagon proposal in the summer of 2017 to send additional troops and escalate the intensity of the military campaign against the Taliban and other groups as part of a new war strategy.

For a short time this year, it seemed that the Taliban was willing to give peace a chance. In June the Kabul government and the fighters observed a rare three-day cease-fire during the Eid Al-Fitr holiday. President Ghani extended the truce for several days and repeated his call for the group to enter into peace talks without preconditions. But his overture was rebuffed by the Taliban.

A month later, hopes rose again on reports that US government officials had met Taliban representatives in Doha to discuss potential talks. In Kabul, President Ghani went the extra mile in August to propose a three-month conditional cease-fire on the occasion of Eid Al-Adha. The Taliban responded with continued attacks.

During this year alone, the US is said to have dropped nearly 6,000 bombs — a very high number compared with previous years’ statistics — in Afghanistan on suspected militant hideouts and places with a high concentration of insurgents.

However, the escalation has not only failed to make a dent in the Taliban’s morale, the group has continued to gain ground across the country. In fact, the casualties on all sides — civilians, insurgents and Afghan army and security forces — have surged to unprecedented levels.

President Ghani recently put the number of security personnel killed battling the insurgency since he took office four years ago at 28,000. But observers say that the overall casualty figures are much higher as tens of thousands of Afghan families struggle with the burden of caring for the wounded. It is, after all, a conflict that mainly pits Afghans against fellow Afghans.

For the US defense department, there is no escaping the handwriting on the wall; the military strategy that they sold to a reluctant President Trump has fallen far short of delivering a victory over the Taliban and other insurgent groups. For their part, the leaders of the insurgency must also have realized that the goal of recapturing power remains well beyond reach. 

The deadlock should have convinced both sides that a negotiated settlement is the only feasible solution. But the Taliban’s insistence on total withdrawal of US forces before they agree to hold talks with the Kabul government has been a sticking point in all negotiations.

Even though the US has so far spent a trillion dollars on the Afghan war, the longest one in American history, the results of this mammoth investment are hard to see. Many Afghans now doubt that President Trump has the political will to stay committed to winning the war, and could very well decide to cut his losses, prompting NATO allies to follow suit.

The uncertainty surrounding US plans is already seen as emboldening the Taliban and other groups, prompting them to escalate their attacks. Increased meddling by regional powers bent on having a say in Afghanistan’s future political make-up could touch off an open-ended civil war, similar to the one that erupted after the Soviet withdrawal three decades ago.

In another possible scenario, the Kabul government would collapse due to infighting compounded by the disappearance of the international coalition’s security umbrella. Such an eventuality is equally likely to lead to a multi-sided civil conflict and hasten Afghanistan’s transition to a failed state.

The third possibility is that the war in Afghanistan rages on indefinitely and inconclusively with neither side able to declare victory. This of course will further fuel tribal and sectarian divisions, destabilize both society and polity, and leave in its wake a bloody wake of death and destruction.

The outcome that perhaps worries Afghans the most is one in which the insurgency overwhelms government security forces, compels foreign countries to withdraw their forces, and prompts international donors to abandon the country to its fate.

Such a scenario, though, conjures up images of the Al-Qaeda attacks on New York City’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon among other places on Sept. 11, 2001, which claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 civilians and triggered the US-led invasion of Afghanistan. Can the international community afford to forget such a painful lesson?


US adversaries fuel disinformation about LA protests, exploiting deep divisions in American society, say researchers

Updated 6 sec ago
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US adversaries fuel disinformation about LA protests, exploiting deep divisions in American society, say researchers

  • Russian, Chinese, and Iranian state-linked sources behind 10,000 posts and articles on LA protests, says watchdog Newsguard
  • Many peddled unfounded claims that California was ready to secede from the US and declare independence

WASHINGTON: Russia, China and Iran are amplifying disinformation about protests over immigration raids in Los Angeles, researchers said Friday, adding to a surge of domestically generated falsehoods and conspiracy theories.
The findings from researchers at the disinformation watchdog NewsGuard illustrate how foreign adversaries of the United States are exploiting deep divisions in American society as a tactic of information warfare.
NewsGuard said Russian, Chinese, and Iranian state-affiliated sources have published around 10,000 posts and articles about the demonstrations that recently erupted in Los Angeles, advancing false claims framing the city as “ground zero in an American apocalypse.”
Seizing on the political rift between President Donald Trump and Governor Gavin Newsom, pro-China accounts on X and Chinese platforms such as Douyin and Weibo have peddled unfounded claims that California was ready to secede from the United States and declare independence.
Meanwhile, Tehran-based newspapers have peddled the false claim that popular Iranian singer-songwriter Andranik Madadian had been detained by the National Guard in Los Angeles, in an apparent effort to portray the United States as an authoritarian state.
NewsGuard quoted Madadian, better known by his stage name Andy, as denying the claim, stating: “I am fine. Please don’t believe these rumors.”
Russian media and pro-Russian influencers, meanwhile, has embraced right-wing conspiracy theories, including the unfounded claim that the Mexican government was stoking the demonstrations against Trump’s immigration policies.
“The demonstrations are unfolding at the intersection of multiple vulnerabilities such as eroded trust in institutions, AI chatbots amplifying false claims about the unrest, political polarization, and a rollback of safety and moderation efforts by major platforms,” McKenzie Sadeghi, a researcher with NewsGuard, told AFP.
“As a result, foreign actors have a wide-open playing field to flood the zone with falsehoods at a faster rate and fewer barriers compared to previous moments of unrest,” she added.
The apparent alignment across the three countries was noteworthy, Sadeghi said.
“While Russia, China, and Iran regularly push their own unique forms of disinformation, it’s less common to see them move in such a coordinated fashion like this,” she said.
“This time, state media outlets have escalated their messaging to advance their geopolitical interests and deflect attention from their own domestic crises.”
The disinformation comes on top of false narratives promoted by US-based influencers.
In recent days, conservative social media users have circulated two photographs of brick piles they claimed were strategically placed for the California protesters to hurl at police and inflame violence.
The photos were cited as proof that the protests were fueled by nonprofit organizations supported by George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist who has long been a bogeyman for the far right.
But AFP’s fact-checkers found that one photo was lifted from an online marketplace, where a Malaysian hardware dealer uploaded it years ago, while the other was snapped near a construction site in New Jersey.
“Every time there’s a popular protest, the old clickbaity ‘pallets of bricks’ hoax shows up right on cue,” the Social Media Lab, a research center at the Toronto Metropolitan University, wrote on the platform Bluesky.
“The fact that these types of fake images are used isn’t a coincidence. It’s part of a pernicious (and) persistent narrative that protests against government policies are somehow inauthentic.”
 


India in mourning after over 240 killed in deadliest aviation disaster in decades

Updated 13 June 2025
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India in mourning after over 240 killed in deadliest aviation disaster in decades

  • Sole flight survivor Ramesh Viswashkumar a British national of Indian origin, is being treated at a hospital, airline confirms
  • London-bound Dreamliner with 242 people on board also killed dozens more when it crashed into a medical college hostel

NEW DELHI, India: Indian authorities were combing the site of one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters on Friday, after an Air India plane crashed in the western city of Ahmedabad less than a minute after takeoff, killing all but one of its passengers. 

The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which had 242 people on board, also killed dozens more people when it crashed into a medical college hostel located just outside Ahmedabad airport and burst into flames on Thursday afternoon. 

The sole survivor, a British national of Indian origin, is being treated in a hospital, the airline confirmed. 

“We are all devastated by the air tragedy in Ahmedabad. The loss of so many lives in such a sudden and heartbreaking manner is beyond words. Condolences to all the bereaved families,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on social media after visiting the crash site in the capital of his home state of Gujarat. 

The passengers comprised 169 Indian nationals, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese and one Canadian. 

The surviving passenger, who was in seat 11A next to an emergency exit in front of the plane’s wing, reportedly managed to jump out. He told Indian media that he had heard a loud noise shortly after flight AI171 took off. 

Various footage showed the plane taking off over a residential area and then sinking and disappearing from the screen, before a huge fireball could be seen rising into the sky from beyond the houses. 

Those killed on board include a family who was visiting India for Eid, a newlywed who is moving to the UK and Vijay Rupani, former chief minister of Gujarat. 

Health authorities are conducting DNA tests to identify bodies, which were mostly charred beyond recognition, as relatives take part and wait for officials to release the remains. 

Suresh Khatika, who was waiting at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital where the DNA testing was taking place, said his niece Payal Khatika was among the passengers. 

“Payal was going for further studies and she has taken a loan for it. She was really preparing herself for the day when she would go to the UK for studies,” Khatika told Arab News. 

“It is really tragic that her dream crashed like this. We are in deep pain, and don’t know how to react.” 

Many Indians have also taken to social media to mourn the victims, as their stories circulated widely. Among them is Dr. Pratik Joshi, who was reportedly bringing his wife, Dr. Komi Vyas, and three young children to move to the UK. A picture of the family, believed to be taken on the plane and shared with relatives before takeoff, has garnered millions of views online as messages of condolence poured in. 

In addition to the passengers and crew, dozens more people perished as they were caught in the path of the plane crash. 

Thakur Ravi, a cook at B.J. Medical College, said his mother and two-year-old daughter, who had been on the side of the building where the plane had crashed, were missing. 

“Other helpers and cooks managed to escape but my mother and daughter have been missing since yesterday,” Ravi told Arab News. 

“We are frantically hoping against hope to have my family back. It was a horrible incident. It seemed as if the sky had fallen on us.” 

Indian Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said a formal investigation headed by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has been launched. 

Boeing said it was in touch with Air India and stood “ready to support them” over the incident. The UK and US air accident investigation agencies also announced they were sending teams to support their Indian counterparts.

India, the world’s third-largest aviation market, has endured several fatal air crashes on its soil, including in 1996, when two planes collided mid-air over New Delhi, killing around 350 people. In 2010, an Air-India Express jet crashed and burst into flames at Mangalore airport in south-west India, killing 158 of the 166 passengers and crew onboard. 


Judge blocks Trump’s election executive order, siding with Democrats who called it overreach

Updated 13 June 2025
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Judge blocks Trump’s election executive order, siding with Democrats who called it overreach

ATLANTA: A federal judge on Friday blocked President Donald Trump’s attempt to overhaul elections in the US, siding with a group of Democratic state attorneys general who challenged the effort as unconstitutional.
The Republican president’s March 25 executive order sought to compel officials to require documentary proof of citizenship for everyone registering to vote for federal elections, accept only mailed ballots received by Election Day and condition federal election grant funding on states adhering to the new ballot deadline.
The group of attorneys general said the directive “usurps the States’ constitutional power and seeks to amend election law by fiat.” The White House has defended the order as “standing up for free, fair and honest elections” and called proof of citizenship a “commonsense” requirement.


Hong Kong rights group shuts down after years of advocating for workers

Updated 13 June 2025
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Hong Kong rights group shuts down after years of advocating for workers

  • Founded in 1994, organization maintained a database tracking workers’ strikes, protests, workplace accidents and other labor rights incidents in China

HONG KONG: A Hong Kong group that advocated for workers rights for decades announced its shutdown abruptly on Thursday, citing financial difficulties and debt issues.
China Labor Bulletin planned to stop updating its website content and appeared to have deleted Facebook and Instagram social media accounts used by the nonprofit rights organization.
“The company can no longer maintain operations and has decided to dissolve and initiate the relevant procedures,” it said in a statement on an archived web page Friday.
Founded in 1994, organization maintained a database tracking workers’ strikes, protests, workplace accidents and other labor rights incidents in China.
As dozens of civil society groups disbanded or left Hong Kong in the wake of the 2020 Beijing-imposed national security law, China Labor Bulletin continued providing valuable resources for journalists and academics in the southern Chinese city.
Critics say the drastic political changes in Hong Kong indicated the decline of Western-style civil liberties that China promised to keep intact when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997. However, Beijing and Hong Kong governments insisted the law was crucial to bring stability to the city following massive anti-government protests in 2019.
China Labor Bulletin’s founder Han Dongfang, a former railway worker who participated in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. He told the Central News Agency of Taiwan that the shutdown was his decision and he would stay in Hong Kong.
Han’s decision appeared sudden to many Hong Kong civil society observers. Three weeks ago, he wrote on social media platform LinkedIn about his work anniversary and his team’s progress.
“Let’s keep our faith up at this abnormal time and continue our important work,” he said.


India in mourning after deadliest aviation disaster in decades

Updated 13 June 2025
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India in mourning after deadliest aviation disaster in decades

  • Sole flight survivor, a British citizen of Indian origin, is being treated in hospital
  • Family members provide DNA samples to help identify crash victims

NEW DELHI: Indian authorities were combing the site of one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters on Friday, after an Air India plane crashed in the western city of Ahmedabad less than a minute after takeoff, killing all but one of its passengers.

The London-bound Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, which had 242 people on board, killed dozens more people when it crashed into a medical college hostel just outside Ahmedabad airport and burst into flames on Thursday afternoon.

The sole survivor, a British citizen of Indian origin, is being treated in hospital, the airline confirmed.

“We are all devastated by the air tragedy in Ahmedabad. The loss of so many lives in such a sudden and heartbreaking manner is beyond words. Condolences to all the bereaved families,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on social media after visiting the crash site in the capital of his home state of Gujarat.

The passengers comprised 169 Indian citizens, 53 Britons, 7 Portuguese and a Canadian.

The surviving passenger, who was in seat 11A next to an emergency exit in front of the plane’s wing, reportedly managed to jump out. He told Indian media that he had heard a loud noise shortly after flight AI171 took off.

Various footage showed the plane taking off over a residential area and then sinking and disappearing from the screen, before a huge fireball could be seen rising into the sky from beyond the houses.

Those killed on board include a family visiting India for Eid, a newlywed who was moving to the UK and Vijay Rupani, former chief minister of Gujarat.

Health authorities are conducting DNA tests to identify bodies, most of which were charred beyond recognition.

Suresh Khatika, who was waiting at the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital where the DNA testing was taking place, said his niece Payal Khatika was among the passengers.

“Payal was going for further studies and she has taken a loan for it. She was really preparing herself for the day when she would go to the UK for studies,” Khatika told Arab News.

“It is really tragic that her dream crashed like this. We are in deep pain, and don’t know how to react.”

Many Indians have taken to social media to mourn the victims, as their stories circulated widely. Among them is Dr. Pratik Joshi, who was reportedly bringing his wife, Dr. Komi Vyas, and three young children to move to the UK. A picture of the family, believed to be taken on the plane and shared with relatives before takeoff, has garnered millions of views online as messages of condolence poured in.

In addition to the passengers and crew, dozens more people caught in the path of the plane crash perished.

Thakur Ravi, a cook at B.J. Medical College, said his mother and 2-year-old daughter, who were on the side of the building where the plane crashed, were missing. 

“Other helpers and cooks managed to escape but my mother and daughter have been missing since yesterday,” Ravi told Arab News.

“We are frantically hoping against hope to have my family back. It was a horrible incident. It seemed as if the sky had fallen on us.”

India’s Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said a formal investigation led by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has been launched.

Boeing said it was in touch with Air India and stood “ready to support them” over the incident. The UK and US air accident investigation agencies also announced they were sending teams to support their Indian counterparts.

India, the world’s third-largest aviation market, has suffered several fatal air crashes on its soil, including in 1996, when two planes collided in mid-air over New Delhi, killing about 350 people. In 2010, an Air-India Express jet crashed and burst into flames at Mangalore airport in south-west India, killing 158 of the 166 passengers and crew onboard.