Background Ahmed Wali Karzai, brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, was assassinated by a longtime associate on July 12th while entertaining guests at his home. The Taliban claimed responsibility, stating that the associate, Sardar Muhammad, was a sleeper agent. Analysis At first glance, this was a typical Taliban assassination against an official in the U.S.-backed [...]

[Read more →]

Editor’s Note:  I’ve been sitting on this post for a few weeks now and finally have a chance to post it.  Fortunately for me, questions still linger about Pakistan’s motivations behind the recent spate of Taliban arrests. SUMMARY The first two months of 2010 have brought about a sea change on the ground in Afghanistan [...]

[Read more →]