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Return of the Taliban

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

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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 121 - 140 of 154

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August 2007
- Taliban to Free 2 Hostages
  
  Associated Press | Aug 11, 07 1:41 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Taliban will release two South Korean hostages who have become sick after nearly a month of captivity in Afghanistan. The announcement came during talks between the militant group and South Korean emissaries, but hasn't been confirmed by international groups monitoring the situation. More »
- South Korea Begins Taliban Hostage Talks
  
  Reuters | Aug 10, 07 5:01 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A South Korean team began face-to-face negotiations with the Taliban today, hoping to secure the lives of 21 Korean aid workers abducted last month. The meeting is taking place in an Afghan government-controlled zone where the Taliban has been guaranteed temporary safe passage. Seoul has already cautioned that it doesn't have the power to release any Taliban prisoners, Reuters reports. More »
- Musharraf Bails on Karzai Meeting
  
  Associated Press | Aug 8, 07 2:16 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Pervez Musharraf has backed out of meetings with his Afghan counterpart in an abrupt snub that initially shocked Washington. Musharraf told Hamid Karzai he has other “engagements" at home in Pakistan and can't attend the meeting of tribal leaders intended to discuss military violence. The US is looking into the announcement, but says it's sure the general-president had "good and compelling reasons." More »
- US Troops High on Afghan Heroin
  
  Salon | Aug 7, 07 11:15 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Bored US soldiers have easy access to heroin in poppy-rich Afghanistan, and few fear punishment if they're caught using it, Salon reports. Filmmaker Shaun McCanna says he was able to score heroin easily on over a dozen occasions during his two trips to the war-torn country. More »
- Bush, Karzai Diverge on Iran
  
  Washington Post | Aug 6, 07 4:14 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - President Bush and Hamid Karzai emerged from today's Camp David meetings together, but they've clearly parted ways on the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and Iran's role in Afghanistan. Bush put the onus on Iran to demonstrate that it's not a "destabilizing force," the Washington Post reports, but Karzai is already on the record praising Tehran. More »
- Hostage: We Don't Want to Die
  
  Reuters | Aug 6, 07 5:45 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Afghan doctors yesterday delivered medicines to 21 South Korean hostages held by Taliban rebels as one of the captives pleaded for their lives in an emotional radio interview. "We are all sick and weak," a nurse told Voice of America, pleading with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon to intervene. "Please save us. We don't want to die." More »
- Karzai to Meet With Musharraf
  
  CNN | Aug 5, 07 6:29 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Facing mounting US pressure to extinguish the Taliban and capture Osama bin Laden, dueling presidents Pervez Musharraf and Hamid Karzai will meet this week to discuss anti-terrorism efforts, CNN reports. Karzai has criticized his Pakistani counterpart for failed efforts to crack down on terrorism, but today the Afghan leader praised him for “some very strong measures” against extremists. More »
- Seoul Pleads for Taliban Talks
  
  Reuters | Aug 4, 07 3:55 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - South Korean officials are in Afghanistan seeking direct talks with the Taliban, Reuters reports, as the terrorist group and the Afghan government bicker over a venue for their own negotiations to free the 21 remaining Korean hostages. Two male members of the church group have been killed by the kidnappers. More »
- Obama Talks Tough on Pakistan
  
  Associated Press | Aug 1, 07 2:24 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Barack Obama said in a speech today he’d be tougher than Bush on Pakistan, and that he'd like to see the US troops that ought to be withdrawn from Iraq redeployed in Afghanistan and across the border in Pakistan—with or without an invitation, the AP reports. The freshman senator said the US wimped out when it bowed to Pakistan's president Pervez Musharraf on strikes on al-Qaeda targets. More »
July 2007
- Body of Second Korean Hostage Found
  
  Reuters | Jul 31, 07 4:35 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Afghan police have found the body of a second Korean hostage killed by the Taliban, Reuters reports. The man was shot in the head, and his body found in a clover field close to the spot where 23 Korean missionaries were kidnapped last week. The kidnappers have threatened to kill more hostages unless the Afghan government releases all Taliban rebel prisoners by tomorrow. More »
- Taliban Claims Second Hostage Death
  
  CNN | Jul 30, 07 1:56 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Taliban has killed a second South Korean hostage, a spokesman for the extremist group told CNN in a telephone interview today, adding that the corpse was dropped off in the province of Ghazni in central Afghanistan. Officials have not located any bodies in that area. The militants already murdered a 42-year old pastor, one of the 23 church group members who were kidnapped 11 days ago. More »
- Afghan Hostage Talks Stall as Threats Escalate
  
  Reuters | Jul 29, 07 11:51 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Taliban will kill 22 South Korean hostages tomorrow if the Afghan government does not release insurgent prisoners, a spokesman for the kidnappers said today. The Taliban leadership council issued the most recent death threat since the abductions Wednesday, signaling its seriousness, Reuters reports. And Afghan and foreign troops are stationed in Ghazni, where the hostages are being held. More »
- Force May Be Used to Free Korean Hostages
  
  Reuters | Jul 28, 07 3:49 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - One of the 22 South Korean hostages held in Afghanistan spoke to a Reuters reporter today, saying she and the other remaining hostages are continually moved to different locations. She appealed to both the Taliban and the Afghan government to free them. A senior Afghan official said force “certainly” will be used if necessary to free the captives, Reuters reports. More »
- Captive Pleads for Rescue From Taliban
  
  BBC | Jul 27, 07 6:51 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A South Korean woman pleaded to be rescued with her fellow hostages yesterday, saying all of church volunteers being held captive by the Taliban are sick and the situation is growing worse. Her captors listened to her conversation with an Afghan reporter, the BBC reports; the 32-year-old nurse wept as she spoke in Korean and Farsi, according to the Independent. More »
- Korean Envoy Presses to Save Remaining Hostages
  
  Associated Press | Jul 26, 07 9:50 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A day after militants shot and killed a hostage, a high-level South Korean envoy is rushing to Afghanistan today to try to save the lives of the 22 remaining hostages held by the Taliban. South Korean and Afghan officials insist they won't use force to free the captives, though the kidnappers are said to have conflicting demands. More »
- 1 Killed, 8 Freed in Afghanistan Hostage Crisis
  
  CNN | Jul 25, 07 10:53 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Taliban has killed one of the 23 South Koreans it's holding captive today, and vowed to murder the rest by 1 AM local time if the Afghan government does not release insurgents. CNN reports that 8 hostages have been freed, however, while the slain captive's bullet-riddled body was discovered by police in Central Afghanistan. More »
- 75 Taliban Killed; Deadline Extended for South Koreans
  
  Associated Press |