Follow Newser on Twitter   Friend Newser on Facebook
Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

NEWS ABOUT: Afghanistan army

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>

Switch to grid view »

For 20th Time This Year, Afghan Soldier Strikes NATO

'Green on blue' attacks heighten distrust between sides

(AP) - A man wearing an Afghan army uniform shot dead a US service member in the east of the country, one of two NATO troops killed today, military officials said. NATO didn't officially disclose the nationality of the victim, but a senior US defense official said he was an American... More »

Afghan Soldier Kills US Marine

Another Marine wounded in Helmand province attack

(AP) - An Afghan soldier has killed one US Marine and wounded another before being shot to death in return fire in southern Afghanistan in the latest in a series of attacks against foreigners blamed on government forces working with coalition troops. Yesterday's attack in Helmand province was among nearly 20... More »

Afghan Special Forces Soldier Shoots US Mentor

It follows another shooting incident earlier this week

(Newser) - A member of Afghanistan's elite special forces—a group that is supposed to be rigorously vetted—shot and killed an American mentor and his translator at a US military base Wednesday, before being gunned down in turn by US soldiers, Reuters reports. Another Afghan special forces soldier was killed... More »

Afghan Soldiers Busted in Kabul Terror Plot: NYT

10 suicide vests seized at defense ministry building, officials say

(Newser) - The Afghan government has prevented what could have been the most devastating attack yet from its own forces, according to the New York Times . The Defense Ministry in Kabul went into total lockdown yesterday after more than a dozen soldiers were arrested for planning an attack on the building, and... More »

US Suspects Afghan Air Force of Drug Running

Investigators say US-funded force has been ferrying illegal weapons, too

(Newser) - The US military and the DEA are both investigating the Afghan Air Force, over allegations that it has been using its aircraft—most of which were funded with US cash—to ferry narcotics and illegal weapons around the country, officials tell the Wall Street Journal . Senior AAF and Afghan government... More »

Afghan Spies' New Target: Afghan Troops

As attacks from inside mount, Afghans take precautions

(Newser) - Afghanistan's spy agency has a new target: Afghan troops. With attacks on US and Afghan troops by Taliban infiltrators on the rise, the National Directorate of Security is launching an ambitious spying program designed to identify any threats. In addition to the previously reported "special reconnaissance group" that... More »

Afghan Army to Soldiers: Cut Ties to Pakistan, or Quit

Afghan National Security Force desperate to root out infiltrators

(Newser) - Afghan military officials have begun ordering soldiers to move any family they have in Pakistan out of the country, or else leave the military, in a desperate attempt to rid their ranks of Taliban infiltrators. While those orders haven't yet been translated into an official nationwide policy, they represent... More »

Hatred Fueling Afghan Army Attacks on Allied Troops

Mutual contempt behind most attacks on NATO troops from within: report

(Newser) - Even before today's attack on French troops , the number of deadly attacks on US and other coalition troops by Afghan soldiers was steadily rising. And while the military continues to describe the attacks as isolated incidents, a classified report obtained by the New York Times tells a very different... More »

After Afghan Soldier Kills 4 Troops, French to Withdraw?

6 other coalition troops killed in helicopter crash

(Newser) - France suspended its training programs in Afghanistan today after an Afghan National Army soldier shot and killed four French troops and wounded 16 others. The soldier, who opened fire at a base in eastern Afghanistan, has been arrested, the BBC reports. French President Nicolas Sarkozy says France may now withdraw... More »

No Afghan Soldiers Fight Without US Help

Most Afghan fighters lack education to use military equipment

(Newser) - Ten years and $66 billion later, not one Afghan battalion is operating on its own. That was the conclusion of Lt. Gen. William Caldwell today as he set new benchmarks for training Afghan soldiers and expressed alarm over the attrition rates of Afghanistan's men in uniform. In charge of... More »

Afghan Desertion Rates Soar as US Withdraws

Officials blame poor Afghan leadership, but increase a concern

(Newser) - Desertions from the Afghan army are soaring this year, amounting to one in seven of the country's 170,000 soldiers in the first six months of 2011, and casting doubts on the government's ability to maintain its own security, reports the Washington Post . The trend—more than twice... More »

Afghan 'Allies' Increasingly Killing US Troops

Military report sees killings as a 'systemic threat'

(Newser) - Afghan troops are killing US troops in numbers that “may be unprecedented between 'allies' in modern history,” according to a new classified military report that warns the killings are becoming a “rapidly growing systemic threat” that could undermine the war effort. Based on interviews with 600... More »

6 US Soldiers Killed Near Pakistan Border

Kunar province among Afghanistan's most violent

(Newser) - Six US soldiers were killed during an attack on an insurgent hideout near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan, the Washington Post reports. The deaths that resulted from the helicopter-driven assault are the latest reminder of the US struggle in the isolated Kunar province. The US has lately shifted its attention... More »

US Withdraws from Once-Key Afghan Valley

Some troops see wasted effort in Pech Valley

(Newser) - The US is withdrawing from the Pech Valley, the mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan that for years was central to its strategy—and the site of much bloodshed. The move is a controversial one, notes the New York Times : 103 US troops were killed there, and many more wounded, leading... More »

Pedophilia Accepted in South Afghanistan: Study

'Boy play' common across parts of country

(Newser) - Pedophilia is a widely-accepted practice in southern Afghanistan, where "boys are apprenticed to older men for their sexual initiation," US social scientists find. British officers requested the study amid soldiers’ complaints about unwanted advances from locals, including Afghan soldiers. Young Western troops "were beginning to feel uncomfortable... More »

Biden Makes Surprise Afghanistan Visit

VP to review progress in security handover

(Newser) - The vice president has made a surprise visit to Afghanistan. Joe Biden is in the country to review progress as allied forces turn security over to Afghan hands, the AP reports. He’s set to meet with President Karzai and US commander David Petraeus, the White House says; he’ll... More »

Taliban Attacks Afghan Military, Kills 13

Attackers wore army uniforms

(Newser) - Taliban suicide squads launched two attacks against Afghan security forces today, killing 13. At least four suicide bombers dressed in Afghan army uniforms stormed a recruitment center in Kunduz, setting it on fire amidst a lengthy gun battle. “There are gun shots, heavy machine guns fire and RPGs,”... More »

Troops on Course to Leave Afghanistan in July: Report

White House cites 'fragile' gains in region

(Newser) - The US is “setting conditions” to begin an Afghanistan troop withdrawal in July as planned, says a White House report. While President Obama’s strategy in the region is “showing progress,” the document says, “the challenge remains to make our gains durable and sustainable,” the... More »

US Plans 2014 End to Afghan Combat

Phased withdrawal echoes Iraq exit strategy

(Newser) - The Obama administration has worked up a plan to complete the US combat mission in Afghanistan by 2014, gradually shifting security into the hands of Afghan troops, insiders tell the New York Times . The piecemeal strategy, which echoes the phased Iraq withdrawal, will be presented at a NATO meeting in... More »

'Permanent War' Threatens US Democracy

Mounting Disrespect Should Trigger Alarms

(Newser) - An age-old truth is rearing its ugly head in the US Afghanistan command: long wars and democracy don't mix, Andrew Bacevich writes in the Washington Post . Finding itself in a state of endless war—that folks back home can and do ignore—the military has adopted a "culture of... More »

Stories 1 - 20 |  Next >>
NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Timelines   |   Geek Sugar   |   Business Insider   |   HuffPost Entertainment