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Return of the Taliban

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Return of the Taliban

They're back ?"and they're making themselves heard

At one point they were broken, disorganized, and on the run, hiding in the caves of Tora Bora, beaten down by an all-out attack by America and its allies following 9/11. Now, riding popular discontent over civilian casualties caused by allied forces, and with the US distracted by the war in Iraq, they are resurgent, challenging Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s control of the country. Inspired by Al-Qaeda’s devastating suicide bomb attacks in Iraq, the Taliban have imported this tactic to Afghanistan, making them a powerful—and deadly—threat once again

Stories

Stories 1 - 20 of 154

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November 2008
- Afghans Bust Schoolgirl Acid Attackers
  
  Reuters | Nov 25, 08 8:00 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Afghan officials have nabbed 10 Taliban militants accused of throwing acid in the faces of eight schoolgirls and four female teachers, Reuters reports. President Hamid Karzai called for their arrest and said the group would be publicly executed. “The attack was the work of the Taliban and we have not finalized our investigation,” said a deputy minister. The Islamist group didn't allow girls to be educated while it held power in Afghanistan; members deny responsibility for the attacks. More »
- Pentagon Plans Afghan Surge of 20,000
  
  Reuters | Nov 22, 08 2:24 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - US commanders are drawing up plans to send an extra 20,000 troops to Afghanistan over the next 12 to 18 months, Reuters reports. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says the surge will help reverse the rising violence in the country and safeguard elections planned for next fall. Commanders say the current NATO force in southern Afghanistan is overwhelmed by the growing Taliban insurgency. More »
- Taliban Force US to Find New Route to Afghanistan
  
  Washington Post | Nov 19, 08 8:39 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the American military has received about 75% of its supplies via a NATO corridor from Pakistan. But as the Taliban continue to grow in strength and the border region becomes ever more unstable, the US is now seeking new routes—including a punishing overland journey via Europe. Attacks on drivers have become a daily occurrence, writes the Washington Post , and many on the route see no end in sight. More »
- Taliban Mullahs Reject Karzai's Offer of Talks
  
  Reuters | Nov 17, 08 9:00 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Taliban leaders have rejected Hamid Karzai's guarantee of safe passage in exchange for beginning peace talks, reports Reuters. The militants instead reiterated demands for all foreign troops to leave Afghanistan before any negotiating begins—a condition the Afghan president rejected as unacceptable. Some analysts don't see Mullah Mohammad Omar's rejection as a total loss, however. More »
- Karzai Vows to Protect Taliban Chief in Talks
  
  Washington Post | Nov 16, 08 3:50 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai will ensure the safety of Taliban chief Mullah Mohammed Omar if he agrees to peace talks, the Washington Post reports. "If I say I want protection for Mullah Omar, the international community has two choices: remove me or leave," Karzai said, referring to US demands for Omar to be turned over. More »
- Obama to Focus on bin Laden, Revamp Afghan Approach
  
  Washington Post | Nov 11, 08 8:39 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Barack Obama is drastically rethinking the war effort in Afghanistan, his security advisers tell the Washington Post, including making the capture of Osama bin Laden a top priority. The administration’s fledgling plan calls for a more aggressive regional approach, possibly involving help from Iran. Obama also favors the ongoing negotiations between the Afghan government and the “reconcilable” portions of the Taliban. More »
- Resilient Taliban Drives Pakistan to Brutal Tactics
  
  New York Times | Nov 11, 08 8:17 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - In the lawless Northwest Frontier Province, the Pakistani army has been fighting the Taliban for 3 months for control of just a sliver of land. State forces had expected the battle to be a cursory victory, but the Taliban is stronger and more deeply entrenched—literally, in a network of tunnels that allows them to store arms and move undetected—than commanders expected. The New York Times reports from the mountainous region, where Pakistan has resorted to scorched-earth policies to rout the Islamic militants. More »
- Afghan Officials Helped Taliban Attack US Army
  
  New York Times | Nov 4, 08 8:15 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - An Afghan police chief and a local government official aided Taliban militants who killed nine American soldiers, an internal military review has found. The July attack came as American and Afghan forces were constructing a base in the country's remote east, when around 200 fighters descended on the soldiers. The insurgents were only driven off after the Americans called in warplanes, helicopters, and artillery, reports the New York Times. More »
- Pakistan Warns Petraeus on Missile Attacks
  
  Guardian (UK) | Nov 4, 08 6:19 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Pakistan has told the new chief of US Central Command that missile strikes inside its territory must stop, the Guardian reports. Gen. David Petraeus was warned that the strikes on suspected al-Qaeda militants in tribal areas across the Afghan border are fanning anti-American sentiment and creating a "credibility" gap for Pakistan's new government. More »
October 2008
- $3.2B Opium Stash May Be Taliban's Secret Weapon
  
  Time | Oct 30, 08 4:57 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A huge pile of missing opium has international law enforcement agencies worried, Time reports. The UN estimates up to 8,000 tons of opium—enough to supply every addict in the world for two years—have disappeared between Afghanistan's poppy fields and the world market in recent years. Experts fear the Taliban is building a mammoth stockpile of the drug. More »
- US Weighs Talks With Taliban
  
  Wall Street Journal | Oct 28, 08 10:51 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The US is strongly considering negotiating with at least some elements of the Taliban, the Wall Street Journal reports. The talks, which would exclude top leaders, are part of a draft White House assessment of strategy in Afghanistan, officials say. Gen. David Petraeus, who takes over Central Command this week, supports the idea, as, to some extent, do both presidential candidates. More »
- Pakistan to Arm Local Militias
  
  Washington Post | Oct 23, 08 10:32 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Pakistan plans to give weapons to thousands of tribal fighters along its border with Afghanistan, the Washington Post reports—a strategy that has helped the US in Iraq. The move to link the militias—called lashkars—to anti-Taliban efforts is a boost to US confidence in Pakistan’s military efforts, and commanders say they’re seeing results across the border in Afghanistan. More »
- Taliban Gunmen Kill Christian Aid Worker
  
  Associated Press | Oct 20, 08 9:34 AM CDT
  
  (AP) - Taliban gunmen killed a Christian aid worker in Kabul today, and the militant group said it targeted the woman because she was spreading her religion. The dual South African-British national worked with handicapped Afghans and was shot by gunmen on a motorbike around 8 am, officials said. "This woman came to Afghanistan to teach Christianity to the people of Afghanistan," a militant spokesman said. "Our (leaders) issued a decree to kill this woman." More »
- Afghan Activists Push for Peace Talks
  
  Christian Science Monitor | Oct 19, 08 5:15 PM CDT
  
  (Ne