Afghanistan

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At Least 108 Dead in Afghanistan Avalanches

Heavy snow storm triggers deadly series of avalanches north of Kabul

(Newser) - Avalanches caused by a heavy winter snow killed at least 108 people in northeastern Afghanistan, an emergency official said today, as rescuers clawed through debris with their hands to save those buried beneath. The avalanches buried homes across four northeast provinces, killing those beneath, says Mohammad Aslam Syas, the deputy...

US Eyes Slow Afghan Exit
 US Eyes Slow Afghan Exit 
Feb 22, 2015 1:40 PM CST

US Eyes Slow Afghan Exit

And Afghanistan readies for new Taliban talks

(Newser) - The US is considering slowing its military exit from Afghanistan by keeping a larger-than-planned troop presence this year and next because the new Afghan government is proving to be a more reliable partner, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said yesterday. Carter, on his first overseas trip since starting the Pentagon...

Afghan Civilian Casualties Have Jumped 22%: UN

Taliban responsible for 72% of them, report says

(Newser) - The number of civilians killed or wounded in fighting in Afghanistan climbed by 22% in 2014 to reach the highest level in five years as foreign troops concluded their combat mission, the UN says in an annual report released today. The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan in 2014 documented 10,...

Seized al-Qaeda Laptop Yields Intelligence Goldmine

New York Times reports it's led to a surge in special ops raids

(Newser) - This should be a quiet time for US troops in Afghanistan: Not only is the US winding down its mission, but winter traditionally brings a lull in activity. But all that goes out the window when an al-Qaeda laptop turns up. The New York Times reports that the intelligence gleaned...

Drone Strike Kills Afghan ISIS Leader

Disaffected mullah quit Taliban last month

(Newser) - A disaffected Taliban commander has been killed less than a month after he pledged allegiance to ISIS. Mullah Abdul Rauf was killed yesterday in Helmand province in a strike that tribal elders say hit a car traveling across the desert and killed around six people, the BBC reports. Rauf—who...

3 US Contractors Shot Dead at Kabul Airport

Gunman may have been an Afghan soldier

(Newser) - Another insider attack ? A gunman at an airport in Kabul killed three American contractors today, reports the AP . Reuters reports that the shooter was an Afghan soldier, though that has not been confirmed. ABC News quotes a US official as saying that the gunman was at least wearing the...

US, NATO Formally End Afghanistan War

Afghan forces set to take over as Taliban remains deadly as ever

(Newser) - The United States and NATO formally ended their war in Afghanistan today with a ceremony at military headquarters in Kabul as the insurgency they fought for 13 years remains as ferocious and deadly as at any time since the 2001 invasion that unseated the Taliban. The symbolic ceremony marked the...

With US Gone, Afghans Struggle to Keep Taliban at Bay

1.3K killed between June and November in Helmand province: report

(Newser) - Following the departure of most US forces from Afghanistan, clashes between its security forces and the Taliban have been renewed, with brutal fighting returning to areas that had been comparatively quiet, the New York Times reports. From June to November, some 1,300 members of Afghan security forces were killed...

US Sends 4 Guantanamo Prisoners Back to Afghanistan

That leaves 132 detainees at Gitmo

(Newser) - The US has returned four Afghans from Guantanamo Bay back to their home country. US officials say the transfer—which drops the number of detainees at the facility to 132—is a sign of confidence in new Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. The Defense Department identities them as Mohammed Zahir, Shawali...

Taliban Attack Kills 12 Demining Workers

2 US soldiers shot dead elsewhere in Afghanistan

(Newser) - Taliban fighters shot dead at least 12 workers clearing mines today in southern Afghanistan, authorities said, part of a series of attacks that saw two US troops killed and a top Afghan court official gunned down. Security in the capital, Kabul, has been stepped up amid Taliban warnings that attacks...

Suicide Bomber Hits Anti-Suicide-Bomber Play

At least one killed in Taliban attack in Kabul

(Newser) - The Taliban pulled off a deadly suicide bombing in Kabul yesterday with a cruel twist: The blast took place during a play condemning suicide bombers, reports CNN . Authorities say the teenaged bomber set off his explosives during a performance of Heartbeat: Silence After the Explosion at the French Cultural Centre,...

Afghan Cops Shoot Bomb-Carrying Bird

Animal walking on highway appeared to have antenna

(Newser) - Police in Afghanistan were puzzled by a large bird walking on the highway: The animal, which wasn't a local species, appeared to have an antenna. They shot it—and it exploded, an official tells NBC News . It left "suspicious metal stuff" behind, Maj. Gen. Abdul Nabi Ilham says...

Suicide Bomber Kills 45 at Afghan Volleyball Match

Tournament in Paktika turns deadly when bomber detonates in crowd

(Newser) - A suicide bomber attacked a volleyball tournament in eastern Afghanistan today, killing at least 45 people. Dozens more were wounded when the bomber, who was on foot and mingling with the crowd, detonated his explosives, said a rep for the governor of Paktika province. He said the attack happened during...

Obama Allows Bigger Combat Role in Afghanistan

Troops will be allowed to go after Taliban

(Newser) - The US still plans to wind down its mission in Afghanistan by the end of 2016, but the troops who remain in the country until then are going to be doing more fighting than previously planned, reports the New York Times . President Obama has quietly approved a broader mission with...

80% of Terrorism Deaths Occur in 5 Countries

Global Terrorism Index shows big jump overall from last year

(Newser) - If it feels like deadly attacks by terror groups such as the Islamic State are in the headlines every day, new numbers from the Global Terrorism Index might explain why. The survey attributes about 18,000 deaths last year to terrorism, a rise of 60% from the previous year, reports...

Top Female MP Survives Afghan Suicide Bomber

Shukria Barakzai slightly injured in assassination attempt that kills 3

(Newser) - A suicide bomber tried to assassinate a prominent female member of Afghanistan's parliament today, killing three people and wounding the lawmaker, a senior official said. Shukria Barakzai was slightly wounded in the attack on her vehicle as she was heading to parliament, said Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi. Another...

Marine's Parents Share Poignant Story of Loss

The McHones talk to NPR's Steve Inskeep

(Newser) - In honor of Veterans Day, Steve Inskeep at NPR shares what he calls "a private story we never meant to share." He explains that in connection with a school benefit he sometimes records family interviews, and was so moved by the "important" story that Sylvia and Ron...

Scientists Spot Elusive Fanged Deer

Kashmir musk deer identified in Afghanistan for first time since 1948

(Newser) - A deer with fangs: It sounds made-up, and scientists hadn't seen one in Afghanistan since 1948. But researchers have found that the musk deer still exists in the country's Nuristan Province. In fact, they've spotted the creatures five times: a male three times, a female and a...

1st US Serviceman Dead in ISIS Mission

Marine Lance Cpl. Sean Neal died in 'noncombat' incident

(Newser) - Washington may not have "boots on the ground" in Iraq, but it still recorded the first death of a serviceman in the fight against ISIS—19-year-old Marine Lance Cpl. Sean Neal, the Washington Post reports. The California native reportedly died in Baghdad in what the Pentagon is calling a...

US Blew Millions Shipping Military Trucks: Report

GAO report suggests it would have been cheaper to just blow them up

(Newser) - It would've been more financially prudent to blow up now-useless US military vehicles used in Afghanistan instead of what the Pentagon actually did: ship them back home. A GAO report released yesterday and cited in USA Today says that from October 2012 to October 2013, the Army and Marines...

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