Tag - central-asia

 
 

CENTRAL ASIA

Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 25, 2016
Gunmen storm American University in Kabul, kill guard, wound at least 21
Afghan security forces killed two gunmen who attacked the American University in Kabul, police said early on Thursday, ending an assault on the compound that killed at least one person and sent hundreds of students fleeing in panic.
Japan Times
WORLD / ANALYSIS
Aug 15, 2016
Islamic State faces uphill 'branding war' in Afghanistan, Pakistan
The U.S. drone strike that killed the Islamic State group's commander for Afghanistan and Pakistan was the latest blow to the Middle East-led movement's ambitions to expand into a region where the long-established Taliban remain the dominant Islamist force.
WORLD
Aug 13, 2016
Drone kills Islamic State leader for Afghanistan and Pakistan, U.S. says
The leader of the Islamic State group's branch in Afghanistan and Pakistan was killed in a U.S. drone strike on July 26, a Pentagon spokesman said on Friday after the Afghan ambassador to Pakistan announced the news to Reuters.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 10, 2016
Taliban tightens grip on Helmand province as Kabul focuses on Islamic State
The Taliban are tightening their noose around the capital of disputed Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, which has seen sustained fighting, residents and local officials say.
Japan Times
WORLD
Aug 5, 2016
Pakistani chopper goes down in Afghanistan; occupants feared held by Taliban
A Pakistani government helicopter crash-landed in Taliban-held territory in neighboring Afghanistan on Thursday and all passengers and crew are feared to have been captured by the insurgents, officials said.
WORLD
May 23, 2016
Taliban No. 2 Haqqani may be even more deadly foe than Mansour
Afghan guerrilla commander Sirajuddin Haqqani, a possible successor to Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour, would likely prove an even more implacable foe of beleaguered Afghan government forces and their U.S. allies.
Japan Times
WORLD
May 9, 2016
Opium harvested, Taliban ends combat lull in Helmand
Taliban insurgents attacked police checkpoints on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, the main city of the southern Afghan province of Helmand, early on Sunday, ending weeks of relative calm during the annual opium harvest.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 21, 2016
China eyes deeper military ties with Afghanistan
China wants to have deeper military ties with Afghanistan, including counterterrorism intelligence cooperation and joint drills, a senior Chinese officer told a visiting Afghan envoy.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 21, 2016
Afghan drone war: data show unmanned flights dominate air campaign
Drones fired more weapons than conventional warplanes for the first time in Afghanistan last year and the ratio is rising, previously unreported U.S. Air Force data show, underlining how reliant the military has become on unmanned aircraft.
Japan Times
WORLD
Apr 18, 2016
Al-Qaida seen cozying up to Taliban, upping threat against U.S., NATO in Afghanistan
Leadership turmoil within the Taliban since the death of the militant group's founder has fueled closer links with foreign groups like al-Qaida, the new commander of international forces in Afghanistan said, complicating counterterrorism efforts.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 15, 2016
Why China's latest power play may roil Russia
The Sino-Russian rivalry is back in the spotlight, thanks to a recent Chinese proposal for an anti-terror alliance in Central Asia.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 12, 2016
Growing terrorism risk leads China to boost role in Afghanistan
As China watches Afghan peace talks founder and Islamic militants make inroads in parts of its troubled neighbor, Beijing is taking its most concrete steps yet toward assuming a direct security role in the country.
Japan Times
WORLD
Feb 15, 2016
Taliban use captured Humvees in suicide attack in Helmand
Taliban insurgents in captured military Humvee vehicles launched suicide attacks in the southern Afghan province of Helmand on Saturday, killing several members of the security forces in the district center of Sangin, a senior official said.
Japan Times
WORLD / Society
Dec 7, 2015
Afghan brain drain threatens to cause severe economic damage
Afghan software entrepreneur Farshid Ghyasi, chief executive of the Netlinks company, is struggling to keep his best employees, as more plan to join a wave of migrants leaving for Europe that risks causing long-term damage to the country and its economy.
Japan Times
WORLD
Dec 2, 2015
NATO to keep Afghanistan troop level intact, seek funds amid 'sobering' realities on ground
The NATO allies decided on Tuesday to hold alliance troop levels in Afghanistan steady at about 12,000 next year and launched a campaign to fund the 350,000 Afghan forces it hopes can some day secure the country against Taliban militants.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 28, 2015
Delayed Kabul-Jalalabad road project highlights China's challenge in Afghanistan
A new road linking the Afghan capital with a trade hub near Pakistan has been stuck in the slow lane since a state-owned Chinese company took the contract to build it two years ago, bedevilled by militant attacks and accusations of mismanagement.
Japan Times
WORLD
Nov 9, 2015
NATO ponders future of Afghan mission as fatigue, frustration mount
NATO partners are considering ways of beefing up their training and assistance mission in Afghanistan as concern grows over the ability of local forces to fight an escalating insurgency by Taliban militants, according to officials in Brussels and Kabul.
Japan Times
WORLD
Oct 27, 2015
At least 100 dead after strong quake hits Afghanistan, Pakistan
A powerful earthquake struck a remote area of Afghanistan on Monday, shaking the capital Kabul and killing at least 24 people while 76 were killed in neighbouring Pakistan, officials said.

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’