Afghanistan

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Afghanistan Exit Plans: Leave 10K Troops —or None

And, according to one report, pull out fast

(Newser) - The Pentagon has offered President Obama a stark choice: Leave 10,000 troops in Afghanistan at the end of the year, or yank them all. The military argues that dropping below that threshold will leave it unable to protect any remaining US personnel, the New York Times reports. The State...

2 US University Workers Killed in Afghan Attack

Gunmen, suicide bomber hit popular restaurant

(Newser) - The American University of Afghanistan says that two of its US employees were among those killed in a Taliban attack on a popular Kabul restaurant yesterday that left 21 people dead, including 13 foreigners. A spokesperson did not identify the employees out of respect for the families, but he said...

First Female Afghan Police Chief: I Am Not Afraid

'I am ready to serve' despite Taliban threat, she says

(Newser) - Kabul's District 1 has a new police chief—and the Taliban has a new target. Col. Jamila Bayaz has become the first Afghan policewoman to run an entire district, and she says she is ready to face the challenge despite the threat from militants, the AP reports. "I...

New Video Proves Captive US Soldier Is Alive

But Bowe Bergdahl looks to be in poor health

(Newser) - The US military has received fresh video of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl , who was captured by the Taliban in June 2009 and is the only US soldier currently held in captivity. The "proof of life" video, found on a thumb drive the US obtained last week, is the first glimpse...

Afghan Atheist Wins Asylum in UK

Lawyers say he could have faced death sentence

(Newser) - In a landmark case in Britain, an Afghan man has been granted asylum because he fears persecution for his lack of religious belief. The man, now 23, was brought up as a Muslim in Afghanistan but became an atheist after he fled to Britain at age 16, the Guardian reports....

Negotiator Sees No Hope for Afghan Deal by Deadline

Relations worsen as US accidentally kills 4-year-old child

(Newser) - The US isn't going to get the security deal it wants in Afghanistan on the timetable that it wants it in, the Obama administration's top negotiator has privately warned Washington. In a classified cable, Ambassador James Cunningham said that Hamid Karzai would likely stick to his on-again off-again...

Karzai Defies US, Frees Dozens of Detainees

Move could scuttle long-term security deal

(Newser) - Relations between the US and Afghanistan are expected to go from bad to worse thanks to Hamid Karzai's latest move. Defying American wishes, he ordered the release of 72 detainees today considered dangerous by US and coalition forces, reports the Wall Street Journal . The detainees are "accused of...

Failed Suicide Bomber: Afghan Girl, 8

Supposed sister of Taliban commander was to attack border police

(Newser) - Police arrested an unlikely would-be suicide bomber in southern Afghanistan yesterday: an 8-year-old girl. An Afghan soldier spotted the girl in a suicide vest; the BBC reports that she intended to attack border police, but notes it's unclear whether she failed in her task because she had trouble detonating...

Insurgents Poised to Reclaim Afghanistan: Report

Kabul will be in crosshairs by 2015 if US leaves

(Newser) - Afghanistan's insurgents are on the verge of a resurgence. If the US fully withdraws from the country next year, militants will swiftly reclaim much of the country, threatening Kabul as early as 2015, according to the latest National Intelligence Estimate. Indeed, experts believe things will get worse even if...

6 Americans Dead in Afghan Helicopter Crash

1 survivor as Black Hawk goes down in Zabul province

(Newser) - Six US service members were killed today when a helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan, US and NATO officials said. One person on board the Black Hawk UH-60 was injured and survived, two US defense officials said. The aircraft was an Army helicopter from an Army unit, but officials have not...

US Relying on Dangerous Tunnel to Exit Afghanistan

Has put $19.5M into improving Salang Tunnel

(Newser) - How will the US military exit Afghanistan? It may rely, at least in part, on a tunnel that's been called the "world's most treacherous," NBC News reports. A few people die each year from the carbon monoxide that persists in the 1.6-mile-long Salang Tunnel in...

Last Aussie Combat Troops Leave Afghanistan

400 trainers will stay on

(Newser) - Australia has called time on its longest-ever overseas military deployment after 12 years, 40 deaths, and 261 serious injuries. The final Australian combat troops left their base in Afghanistan's Uruzgan province today, though around 400 Australians will still serve in advisory roles across the nation, the Australian reports. Some...

In Afghanistan, Women's Progress in Freefall

As US exits, signs of trouble emerge: Human Rights Watch researcher

(Newser) - Women's rights have come a long way in Afghanistan over the last decade, but a Human Rights Watch researcher sees disturbing signs that the bad old days are poised to return as the US military exits. Violence against women has spiked in the last year, conservative lawmakers want to...

US: Sorry About Drone Strike That Killed Child

Top commander apologizes to Hamid Karzai

(Newser) - The top US commander in Afghanistan apologized to President Hamid Karzai for a drone strike that killed a child and NATO promised an investigation today as rising tensions threatened efforts to persuade the Afghan leader to sign a long-delayed security agreement. Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford called Karzai late yesterday to...

US, Karzai Butt Heads Over Afghan Security Deal

Karzai wants Gitmo releases, help with Taliban talks; US threatens to walk

(Newser) - As the US and Afghanistan attempt to hammer out a troop withdrawal agreement, things are getting testier on both sides. Afghan President Hamid Karzai is telling US National Security Adviser Susan Rice that he won't sign any deal unless the US agrees to new demands. He wants Washington to...

Future Fate of Afghan Adulterers: Public Stoning?

Human Rights Watch up in arms over proposed provision

(Newser) - Human Rights Watch is up in arms over what it says is an Afghan government proposal to publicly stone married adulterers. It got a look at the draft revision of Afghanistan's penal code, which states that if a court determines a couple engaged in adultery, both shall be...

New Deal Would Keep US in Afghanistan Until 2024

Afghan grand council of elders votes on it today

(Newser) - US and Afghan negotiators have struck a security deal that will keep US troops in Afghanistan through 2024, while keeping billions of aid dollars pumping into Kabul, John Kerry announced yesterday. Hamid Karzai today presented the deal to the Loya Jirga , Afghanistan's grand council of elders, urging them to...

Afghans Demand Obama Write 'Contrite' Letter

In exchange, US troops who stay behind will be able to raid houses

(Newser) - The US has just about cinched a deal with Afghanistan regarding the US military presence in the country after next year's big withdrawal—and it hinges on President Obama writing a letter acknowledging US "mistakes" in the war, reports the Wall Street Journal . (The New York Times has...

Afghan Opium Crop Hits Record High

Withdrawal expected to give drug trade another boost

(Newser) - After more than a decade of international efforts to combat the narcotics trade in Afghanistan—depriving the Taliban of funds in the process—the country is now producing more opium than ever before, a UN reports funds. The harvest this year resulted in a staggering 6,000 tons of opium,...

Afghan Interpreters Who Helped US Troops Denied Visas

Gov't says they're not facing 'serious threat'

(Newser) - An increasing number of Afghan interpreters who worked with US troops for years during the war are being denied US visas, because the government doesn't think their lives are in serious danger. Think again, the interpreters tell the Washington Post . "There are tons of [Taliban members] in my...

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