The Diplomat | Author

Franz J. Marty
Franz J. Marty is a freelance journalist based in Afghanistan; he tweets @franzjmarty
Franz J. Marty has been living and working in Afghanistan since December 2014. He reports on a broad range of topics but focuses on security and military issues in general and violent extremism/terrorism in particular. His past work includes interviews with active insurgents in areas out of government control, an embed with the elite Afghan Commandos during a night operation in a Taliban-held village, as well as unembedded investigative reporting from hostile areas in various parts of Afghanistan.
In addition to The Diplomat, his articles have been published by, among others, Foreign Policy, The Afghanistan Analysts Network, Popular Front, TRAC (Terrorism Research & Analysis Consortium), IHS Jane’s, and the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. He has also contributed to live programs on TV channels such as CNN and France 24 as well as radio stations like BBC World Service and RFI.
Before his work as a journalist in Afghanistan, Franz J. Marty intensively traveled in Central Asia, Iran, the Middle East, and Russia. He is fluent in German, English, French, and Persian (Tajiki/Dari/Farsi) and also speaks some Russian.

April 03, 2021
Spike in Violence Follows Failed Negotiations Between the Pakistani Taliban and Islamabad
By Franz J. Marty

February 01, 2021
The US-Taliban Deal: A Year Later
By Franz J. Marty

December 22, 2020
Fire From the Sky: The Afghan Taliban’s Drones
By Franz J. Marty

October 20, 2020
What the Fate of Freed Taliban Prisoners Means for the Afghan Peace Process
By Franz J. Marty

August 10, 2020
The Taliban Say They Have No Foreign Fighters. Is That True?
By Franz J. Marty

June 13, 2019
Waigal, Afghanistan: ‘This War Will Never End Here’
By Franz J. Marty

May 14, 2019
The Peculiar Presence of the Islamic State in Kunar
By Franz J. Marty

October 21, 2018
Afghan Parliamentary Elections Marred by Technical Troubles and Insecurity
By Franz J. Marty

September 26, 2018
The Last 2 Sikhs in the Taliban’s Heartland
By Franz J. Marty

April 09, 2018
Afghan-Pakistani Cross-Border Terrorism Cuts Both Ways
By Franz J. Marty

January 02, 2018
What Living in Kabul Is Really Like
By Franz J. Marty
