Latest news with #Khost
Business Wire
31-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
Voya Investment Management expands Distribution team and launches new practice management platform: Voya Global Consulting
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Voya Investment Management (Voya IM), the asset management business of Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), today announced key additions to its Distribution team and the launch of a new practice management initiative, underscoring its commitment to the Intermediary channel. Three senior leaders have joined Voya IM's Distribution team, reporting to Tiffani Potesta, head of Distribution: Lynn Flaherty will join mid-August as head of Marketing. In this role, Flaherty will lead a team of marketing professionals responsible for the development and implementation of Voya IM's brand and marketing strategy for institutional and intermediary channels. Prior to Voya, Flaherty was at Schroders, where she established and executed the marketing strategy for their North American institutional business. Greg Khost joined in June 2025 as managing director and head of Intermediary Sales. He is responsible for leading the firm's business development efforts across private wealth markets in the U.S., including broker-dealers, private banks and RIAs. Khost has over 30 years of experience in private wealth and asset management. Prior to Voya IM, he was the head of Business Development for Neuberger Berman Private Wealth and also held sales leadership roles at Deutsche Bank, U.S. Trust and Central Park Group. Reporting to Khost is Brook Conley. Conley joined Voya IM in March as the Eastern Divisional sales head. Before joining Voya, Conley spent 29 years at Columbia Threadneedle as a wholesaler, most recently covering investment banks and cross- channel territories. Andrew Terry joined in July as head of Insurance Solutions. In this role Terry is responsible for expanding Voya IM's investment capabilities for insurance clients. Before joining Voya, Terry was a managing director at ACORE Capital, responsible for leading the firm's engagements with insurance companies in the U.S. and abroad. 'I'm thrilled that Lynn, Greg, Brook and Andrew have joined Voya IM. The Distribution team is very much in growth mode as we work to meet Voya IM's ambitious goals for the rest of 2025 and onward,' said Potesta. 'I am confident this team will bring the passion and expertise that will benefit Voya and our clients.' Concurrently, Voya IM also announced the launch of Voya Global Consulting (VGC), a new practice management platform led by Jason Chura, head of Voya Consulting. VGC is designed to help financial advisors grow their businesses through a customizable learning experience that addresses real-world challenges faced by advisors. VGC offers resources to improve advisor communication skills, deepen understanding of client behavior and build confidence in client interactions. 'We are committed to enhancing our Intermediary channel. As such, we made a concerted effort to provide our intermediary clients with not only the best products to meet their client's needs but also cutting-edge insights to help them meet their business needs,' said Potesta. 'Initial feedback from advisors has been overwhelmingly positive, and I look forward to working with Jason and Greg to develop VGC further.' About Voya Investment Management Voya Investment Management (IM) has approximately $395 billion in assets under management and administration as of March 31, 2025, across public and private fixed income, equities, multi-asset solutions and alternative strategies for institutions, financial intermediaries and individual investors, drawing on a 50-year legacy of active investing and the expertise of 300+ investment professionals. Voya IM has cultivated a culture grounded in a commitment to understanding and anticipating clients' needs, producing strong investment performance. VOYA-IM
Malay Mail
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Taliban hang up Kalashnikovs to pen memoirs of Afghan war
KABUL, June 11 — Since trading the battlefield for Afghanistan's halls of power, some Taliban members have also swapped their weapons for pens to tell their version of the 20-year conflict with Western forces, who they accuse of distorting 'reality'. A flood of books has been written, mostly from a Western perspective, about the war between the US-led forces that invaded Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11 attacks until the Taliban's return to power in 2021. But in the years since, a proliferation of writings by Taliban figures — praising their exploits and the achievements of the 'Islamic Emirate' — is now the reigning narrative in Afghanistan. 'No matter what foreigners have written... they have largely ignored the reality of what happened to us and why we were forced to fight,' author Khalid Zadran told AFP. A member of the Haqqani network — long viewed as one of the most dangerous militant factions in Afghanistan — he now serves as the spokesman for the capital's police force. In his 600-page tome in Pashto published in April, he recounts US incursions in his home province of Khost, his childhood steeped in stories of soldiers' 'atrocities', and his desire to join the Taliban in the name of his country's 'freedom'. 'I witnessed horrific stories every day — mangled bodies on the roadside,' he writes in '15 Minutes', a title inspired by a US drone strike he narrowly escaped. Muhajer Farahi, now a deputy information and culture minister, penned his 'Memories of Jihad: 20 Years in Occupation' to 'state the facts', he said. 'America, contrary to its claims, has committed cruel and barbaric acts, destroyed our country with bombs, destroyed infrastructure, and has sown discord and cynicism between nations and tribes,' he told AFP from his office in central Kabul. Little attention is paid in either book to the thousands of civilians killed in Taliban attacks — many of them suicide bombings that entrenched fear across the country for nearly two decades. Farahi insists the Taliban 'were cautious in saving civilians and innocent' lives, while criticising fellow Afghans who collaborated with the pro-Western police as a 'stain' on the country. Rights groups accuse the current Taliban authorities of widespread abuses — particularly against women and girls, who the United Nations say are victims of what amounts to 'gender apartheid'. In his book published in 2023, Farahi claims the Taliban attempted to negotiate — in vain, he insists — with the United States over the fate of Osama bin Laden, whose capture or death Washington demanded after his plane hijackers killed around 3,000 people in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda, who had been based in Afghanistan, was killed by US forces in Pakistan in 2011. Khalid Zadran, spokesperson of Kabul police and author of the book '15 Minutes'. — AFP pic American 'bloodthirsty dragon' 'It was clear... that the Americans had already planned the occupation of Afghanistan,' writes Farahi in the English version of his book, which has been translated into five languages. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, Afghans thought it would 'have nothing to do with our country', he continues, but soon realised that Afghanistan would face 'punishment'. For 20 years, the war pitted Taliban militants against a US-led coalition of 38 countries supporting the Afghan Republic and its forces. Tens of thousands of Afghans died in the fighting and in Taliban attacks, as did nearly 6,000 foreign soldiers, including 2,400 Americans. For Farahi, the war reflects the West's desire to 'impose its culture and ideology on other nations'. His disjointed journal mixes battlefield memories with polemical chapters railing against the American 'bloodthirsty dragon'. The book 'reveals the truths that were not told before because the media, especially the Western media, presented a different picture of the war,' he said. According to him, the mujahideen, or holy warriors, despite being far less equipped, were able to rely on their unity and God's aid to achieve victory. An Afghan man holding a book, 'Memories of Jihad: 20 Years in Occupation', authored by Muhajer Farahi, Deputy Minister of Information and Culture for Publication Affairs in Kabul. — AFP pic New front Only a few of the new wave of Taliban books have been autobiographies, which appeal to an audience seeking to understand the war 'from the inside', according to Zadran. His book, initially 2,000 copies in Pashto, sold out quickly and another 1,000 are in the works — along with a Dari-language version, he said. Many chapters mention Bowe Bergdahl, the US soldier held hostage for five years by the Haqqani network. He recounts treks through the mountains along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border to move him between hideouts, efforts to convert him to Islam and conversations about his girlfriend back in the US. Both accounts end in 2021, before the transformation of the fighters who moved from remote mountain hideouts to the carpeted offices of the capital. There, their battle has turned diplomatic: the Taliban are now fighting for international recognition of their government. 'The war is over now,' Farahi said, 'and we want good relations with everyone' — even with the 'bloodthirsty dragon'. — AFP
Arab News
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Taliban hang up Kalashnikovs to pen memoirs of Afghan war
KABUL: Since trading the battlefield for Afghanistan's halls of power, some Taliban members have also swapped their weapons for pens to tell their version of the 20-year conflict with Western forces, who they accuse of distorting 'reality.' A flood of books has been written, mostly from a Western perspective, about the war between the US-led forces that invaded Afghanistan in the wake of the September 11 attacks until the Taliban's return to power in 2021. But in the years since, a proliferation of writings by Taliban figures — praising their exploits and the achievements of the 'Islamic Emirate' — is now the reigning narrative in Afghanistan. 'No matter what foreigners have written... they have largely ignored the reality of what happened to us and why we were forced to fight,' author Khalid Zadran told AFP. A member of the Haqqani network — long viewed as one of the most dangerous militant factions in Afghanistan — he now serves as the spokesman for the capital's police force. In his 600-page tome in Pashto published in April, he recounts US incursions in his home province of Khost, his childhood steeped in stories of soldiers' 'atrocities,' and his desire to join the Taliban in the name of his country's 'freedom.' 'I witnessed horrific stories every day — mangled bodies on the roadside,' he writes in '15 Minutes,' a title inspired by a US drone strike he narrowly escaped. Muhajer Farahi, now a deputy information and culture minister, penned his 'Memories of Jihad: 20 Years in Occupation' to 'state the facts,' he said. 'America, contrary to its claims, has committed cruel and barbaric acts, destroyed our country with bombs, destroyed infrastructure and has sown discord and cynicism between nations and tribes,' he told AFP from his office in central Kabul. Little attention is paid in either book to the thousands of civilians killed in Taliban attacks — many of them suicide bombings that entrenched fear across the country for nearly two decades. Farahi insists the Taliban 'were cautious in saving civilians and innocent' lives, while criticising fellow Afghans who collaborated with the pro-Western police as a 'stain' on the country. Rights groups accuse the current Taliban authorities of widespread abuses — particularly against women and girls, who the United Nations say are victims of what amounts to 'gender apartheid.' In his book published in 2023, Farahi claims the Taliban attempted to negotiate — in vain, he insists — with the United States over the fate of Osama bin Laden, whose capture or death Washington demanded after his plane hijackers killed around 3,000 people in the September 11, 2001 attacks. Bin Laden, the leader of Al-Qaeda, who had been based in Afghanistan, was killed by US forces in Pakistan in 2011. 'It was clear... that the Americans had already planned the occupation of Afghanistan,' writes Farahi in the English version of his book, which has been translated into five languages. In the wake of the September 11 attacks, Afghans thought it would 'have nothing to do with our country,' he continues, but soon realized that Afghanistan would face 'punishment.' For 20 years, the war pitted Taliban militants against a US-led coalition of 38 countries supporting the Afghan Republic and its forces. Tens of thousands of Afghans died in the fighting and in Taliban attacks, as did nearly 6,000 foreign soldiers, including 2,400 Americans. For Farahi, the war reflects the West's desire to 'impose its culture and ideology on other nations.' His disjointed journal mixes battlefield memories with polemical chapters railing against the American 'bloodthirsty dragon.' The book 'reveals the truths that were not told before because the media, especially the Western media, presented a different picture of the war,' he said. According to him, the mujahideen, or holy warriors, despite being far less equipped, were able to rely on their unity and God's aid to achieve victory. Only a few of the new wave of Taliban books have been autobiographies, which appeal to an audience seeking to understand the war 'from the inside,' according to Zadran. His book, initially 2,000 copies in Pashto, sold out quickly and another 1,000 are in the works — along with a Dari-language version, he said. Many chapters mention Bowe Bergdahl, the US soldier held hostage for five years by the Haqqani network. He recounts treks through the mountains along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border to move him between hideouts, efforts to convert him to Islam and conversations about his girlfriend back in the US. Both accounts end in 2021, before the transformation of the fighters who moved from remote mountain hideouts to the carpeted offices of the capital. There, their battle has turned diplomatic: the Taliban are now fighting for international recognition of their government. 'The war is over now,' Farahi said, 'and we want good relations with everyone' — even with the 'bloodthirsty dragon.'
