Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

News Sections

Newser Specials

Return of the Taliban

Started by C Miller; Last updated by D Lim | View history

Rate it:

Print

E-mail

|

Digg

Seed this on Newsvine

Add this link to Del.icio.us

StumbleUpon

| Edit thread | Notify editors | + Start a new thread

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 61 - 80 of 154

<< Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Next >>

June 2008
- Pakistan Routs Taliban Forces in Major Offensive
  
  CNN | Jun 28, 08 1:25 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Pakistan blasted suspected militant hideouts today, launching its biggest offensive against Taliban forces since electing a government last March. The military cleared three militant outposts and forced the insurgents west, CNN reports. For weeks, tensions have mounted between militants and Islamabad, which abandoned its diplomatic strategy as insurgent strikes increased. More »
- Taliban Said Routed Near Kandahar
  
  Associated Press | Jun 19, 08 7:21 AM CDT
  
  (AP) - Yesterday's swift offensive by Afghan and NATO forces drove Taliban militants from a strategic group of villages outside southern Afghanistan's largest city and killed 56 insurgents, Afghan officials said today. The Afghan National Army has taken control of the villages, a defense ministry spokesman said, but militants had planted hundreds of land mines in the area before fleeing, the AP reports. More »
- Afghans Launch Assault on Taliban
  
  Reuters | Jun 18, 08 8:27 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Afghan and NATO troops launched a huge offensive against the Taliban today, Reuters reports, starting with an air and ground assault on a valley in southern Afghanistan. Bolstered with hundreds of fighters freed in last week’s prison break, the Taliban has taken several villages in Arghandab, and has its sights on nearby Kandahar city—where NATO is bolstering security in response. More »
- Karzai Warns Pakistan He'll Send Troops Over Border
  
  BBC | Jun 15, 08 2:33 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Citing the right to self defense, Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned that his country may send troops across the border with Pakistan to fight militants who have killed Afghans, BBC reports. "When they cross the territory from Pakistan to come and kill Afghans and to kill coalition troops it exactly gives us the right to go back and do the same." More »
- Taliban Jailbreak Frees 1,200
  
  New York Times | Jun 13, 08 11:02 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Taliban fighters blasted into Kandahar's main prison last night and freed about 1,200 inmates, including 350 Taliban, the New York Times reports. Prisoners, including Taliban leaders, quickly flooded the streets and scattered into nearby villages. “It is very dangerous for security," a Kandahar politician said. "They are the most experienced killers and they all managed to escape." More »
- Afghan Cops Blow Up Huge Hashish Stash
  
  Guardian (UK) | Jun 12, 08 8:59 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Afghanistan police have made what is believed to be the biggest narcotics bust in history, the Guardian reports. Some 260 tons of hashish—worth $400 million—was found buried in trenches near the Pakistan border. The narcotics haul, which would have made as much as $14 million in profits for the Taliban, was so massive that an airstrike had to be called in to destroy the drugs. More »
- US Releases Pakistan Border Clash Video
  
  Associated Press | Jun 12, 08 7:50 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - US-led coalition forces have released a video shot from a surveillance drone showing a controversial clash on the Afghan-Pakistan border. Pakistan claims the engagement led to an airstrike that killed 11 of its troops, but the coalition says the footage proves that US and Afghan forces were simply returning fire after being attacked, the AP reports. More »
- Pakistan Condemns US Air Strike That Killed 11 Troops
  
  Washington Post | Jun 11, 08 9:46 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - At least 11 Pakistani soldiers and 10 other people were killed today in an ugly border incident that could strain US/Pakistani ties. US fighters reportedly launched an air strike inside Pakistan’s mountainous tribal area, backing up Afghan troops fighting Taliban forces. The matter was complicated, however, because Pakistani troops were apparently fighting alongside the Taliban, the Washington Post reports. More »
- In Afghanistan, Laura Bush Urges Support
  
  Reuters | Jun 8, 08 1:31 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - During an unannounced visit to Kabul today, Laura Bush urged the international community not to pull support from Afghanistan, highlighting successes in reconstruction and improved women’s rights, Reuters reports. The first lady's visit came even as Afghan, US, and NATO forces fight to contain a Taliban guerilla war in which the group and its al-Qaeda allies have vowed to increase suicide bombings to deter international aid to the country. More »
May 2008
- Taliban Frees Kidnapped Pakistan Envoy
  
  Reuters | May 17, 08 7:19 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Taliban militants released Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan today soon after the Pakistani government liberated over 40 Taliban fighters, a Pakistan security official said. The government has not yet given official details of Ambassador Tariq Azizuddin’s release. He had been kidnapped February 11, along with his driver and guard, on his way back to the Afghan capital; kidnappers passed him to fighters loyal to Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, Reuters reports. More »
- Pentagon to Build Giant Prison in Afghanistan
  
  New York Times | May 17, 08 6:05 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Pentagon is planning to build a huge new detention complex in Afghanistan, reports the New York Times , acknowledging that the US expects to hold prisoners there for many years to come. The 40-acre, $60-million facility at Bagram Air Force Base will replace the existing makeshift prison in a converted aircraft hangar, where more than 600 prisoners are held in wire pens; some have been in the deteriorating facility as long as five years. More »
- Taliban 'Narco Terrorist' Convicted in US Court
  
  Reuters | May 16, 08 4:58 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A Taliban militant has become the first person convicted under a "narco-terrorism" provision of the Patriot Act, Reuters reports. The Afghan man was busted by DEA agents for plotting to ship heroin to the US and use the proceeds to buy weapons to use against American and coalition forces. He was brought to the US last year to stand trial, and now faces 20 years to life in prison. More »
- 18 Afghans Killed by Bomber in a Burka
  
  Reuters | May 15, 08 4:59 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A suicide bomber wearing a burka killed 18 people today in a western Afghanistan bazaar, Reuters reports. A spokesman for the Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the attack, said the bomber was a man. The past two years have been Afghanistan’s bloodiest since 2001, and some Western officials fear a return to anarchy in the country. More »
- Marines Tread Lightly in Opium Poppy Fields
  
  Associated Press | May 7, 08 7:45 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The US Marines have been battling the Taliban in the world's largest opium-growing region—and they're taking care not to damage the crop, the AP reports. Troops in Afghanistan are aware that the Taliban makes millions from the poppy harvest, but they also realize that destroying the locals' only source of income is likely to drive them into the arms of the militants. More »