Afghan war

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Jen Psaki Not Happy With Reporter's 'Stranded' Comment

Says Americans are not stranded in Afghanistan

(Newser) - Peter Doocy, Fox News' White House reporter, had a question for Jen Psaki during Monday's White House press briefing that the press secretary did not appreciate. "Does the president have a sense that most of the criticism is not of leaving Afghanistan, it’s the way that he...

Taliban Have Seized the Presidential Palace
Taliban Have Seized
the Presidential Palace
the rundown
Aug 16, 2021 1:20 AM CDT

Taliban Have Seized the Presidential Palace

Government collapses as Taliban declare the war 'over'

(Newser) - Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, on Sunday fell to the Taliban, completing the militant group's takeover of the country so quickly that even the Taliban's co-founder admitted in an evening video statement the group was surprised at the speed. Hours earlier, the Taliban had entered Kabul as Afghanistan'...

They Inspected an Odd Object. Now 4 Are Dead, 7 Lost Limbs

The 'New York Times' looks at a particularly awful day in Afghanistan

(Newser) - On one awful April day in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, 10 children and one adult—all members of the same extended family—looked at an item on the ground near their home that they didn't recognize. It turned out to be an unexploded rocket, and as soon as a 16-year-old realized...

US Has Been Building Afghan Dam Since 1950s
US Has Been Building
Afghan Dam Since 1950s
new report
Jul 30, 2013 9:43 AM CDT

US Has Been Building Afghan Dam Since 1950s

Inspector general: Great Pyramid of Giza was erected faster

(Newser) - The US started construction on Afghanistan's Kajaki dam in the early 1950s—and it's still not done. "After using multiple contractors and sub­contractors, spending tens of millions of dollars, and losing scores of US and coalition lives, the work is still not complete," writes the...

Post-2014 Afghanistan: US Has 3 Options

Gen. Allen presents scenarios to Pentagon

(Newser) - Gen. John Allen has submitted three options to the Pentagon for how to maintain a presence in Afghanistan after the 2014 military withdrawal, defense officials tell the New York Times :
  • 6,000 troops, highest risk of failure: At this level, the US mission would focus on counterterrorism. Special Ops commandos
...

US Troop Deaths in Afghanistan Plummet in 2012

Deaths drop 25%, reflecting lower presence, increased Afghan responsibility

(Newser) - So far this year, 301 American troops have died in Afghanistan, down from 2010's peak of 500 and last year's 413, USA Today reports. The sharp decrease reflects the declining number of US troops in the country and the increasing number of Afghan troops now fighting the Taliban....

Post-2014 Plan: Keep 10K Troops in Afghanistan

But Karzai must still agree

(Newser) - The White House has settled on the number of troops it wants to leave in Afghanistan post-2014: 10,000. Gen. John Allen had recommended keeping between 6,000 and 15,000 troops there after formal combat ends to train Afghan troops and fight terrorism. The Obama administration's final choice...

Karzai to Afghan Troops: Take Back Our Prison

President orders Afghan forces to retake control of Bagram prison

(Newser) - Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai says the US has not abided by an agreement to hand over the prison at Bagram Air Base to Afghan forces, so he today ordered those forces to take over the prison, the New York Times reports. Karzai says the two-month grace period to complete the...

CIA Operative Killed in Afghanistan

He was a victim in weekend 'green-on-blue' attack

(Newser) - A senior US defense official says an agent for the CIA was among those killed in a suicide bombing at an Afghan intelligence office — the latest so-called "insider attack" in the war. The attack Saturday in Kandahar province killed four Afghan intelligence officials and two US intelligence officers....

Robert Bales' Wife: I Don't Think He Killed Them

Karilyn Bales tells Matt Lauer, 'This is not what it appears to be'

(Newser) - When Karilyn Bales first heard that the US soldier accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians was a 38-year-old staff sergeant, it occurred to her that "I don't think there are very many of those," she told Matt Lauer on Today this morning, and she "prayed and...

NC Rep's Name for China: 'Uncle Chang'

Walter Jones not exactly PC in House hearing

(Newser) - Rep. Walter Jones is really not happy that China is helping the US pay for military operations in Afghanistan, and he apparently let his emotions get the better of him yesterday at a House Armed Services Committee hearing with the top US commander in Afghanistan. Jones asked Gen. John Allen...

Afghanistan Shooting Suspect Identified

Senior US official names Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales

(Newser) - A senior US official says the soldier accused in the killing of 16 Afghan civilians is Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales. American officials had previously said the suspect was a 38-year-old staff sergeant and that he had spent 11 years in the Army. But they had refused to release his...

2 US Troops Shot Dead Over Koran Burning

As President Obama formally apologizes for the incident

(Newser) - The Koran-burning protests sweeping Afghanistan have claimed American lives, a source tells CBS News, which reports that two US troops were shot dead this morning by "an individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform." Four more were wounded in the attack, which occurred in the eastern Nangahar province...

Afghanistan: We Need Aid Through 2024—or Longer

Karzai wants political, military support until then, financial aid until 2030

(Newser) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai today called for continued political and military support in his country until 2024—a full decade beyond the planned 2014 withdrawal of American and other forces. "We will need your steadfast support for at least another decade," Karzai said to a group of leaders...

Cops Thwart Firebomb Attack on Berlin Station

Leftists demand end to Afghan war, call for Bradley Manning release

(Newser) - Police thwarted a firebomb attack on Berlin's central train station yesterday after a worker discovered several incendiary devices hooked up to detonators. The planned attack was claimed by a leftist group protesting Germany's involvement in the Afghan war and demanding the release of suspected WikiLeaks source US Private...

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