Afghanistan

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'Frustrated' Obama May Yank All Troops in Afghanistan

Relations with Karzai going downhill fast, insiders say

(Newser) - President Obama is so sick of dealing with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai that he is seriously considering bringing American military involvement in the country to a speedy and complete end, senior administration officials tell CNN and the New York Times . The "zero option" of leaving no American troops...

Afghans Bust Ex-US Translator in Disappearances

Zakeria Kandahari worked with US special forces

(Newser) - Afghanistan authorities have arrested a former translator for US special forces over "multiple crimes," officials said today, without elaboration. The AP fills in a few of the blanks, reporting that the Defense Ministry had said Zakeria Kandahari was wanted on charges of murder and torture in connection with...

4 Girls Fetching Water Killed by Roadside Bomb

...in Helmand province

(Newser) - Afghan officials say four girls were killed by a roadside bomb in the country's south on their way home after being sent out to fetch water. A rep for the Helmand governor says the girls, ages 10 to 12, were on their way home in the provincial capital of...

Afghan Army Boss: Pakistan Could End War

He accuses neighbor of controlling militants as drone strike kills 17

(Newser) - The Taliban is being controlled by Pakistan and Islamabad could bring fighting in Afghanistan to a halt "in weeks" if it gave the order, the chief of the Afghan National Army tells the BBC . The Taliban's "leadership is in Pakistan," Sher Mohammad Karimi says, accusing Afghanistan'...

Taliban Attack Karzai Palace
 Taliban Attacks Karzai Palace  
Jun 25, 2013 1:13 AM CDT

Taliban Attacks Karzai Palace

All attackers killed in raid on most secure part of Kabul

(Newser) - Suicide attackers set up a car bomb and battled security forces outside Afghanistan's presidential palace early this morning after infiltrating one of the most secure areas of the capital. All the attackers were killed and one palace security guard was wounded, officials say. The palace is in a large...

Taliban: We'll Free Only US POW in Afghanistan If...

...it gets 5 Taliban operatives held at Gitmo in return

(Newser) - The Taliban says it's willing to free the only US prisoner of war in Afghanistan—if the US will hand over five top Taliban operatives held at Guantanamo Bay. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl (who disappeared on June 30, 2009) "is, as far as I know, in good condition,...

There Was a New Refugee Every 4.1 Seconds in 2012

Now 45.2M displaced people in the world—most in developing countries

(Newser) - About 7.6 million people became refugees in 2012—that's one every 4.1 seconds—bringing the total number of displaced people in the world to 45.2 million, the highest figure since 1994, reports al-Jazeera . A new report from the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees...

Taliban Kills Americans Hours After Peace Office Opens

Karzai pulls out of security talks

(Newser) - Taliban insurgents aren't letting up the fight in Afghanistan despite the opening of an office for peace talks . Four American troops were killed in a rocket attack on a convoy near Bagram Air Base just hours after the Taliban office opened its doors in Qatar, the New York Times...

US, Taliban to Talk Peace in Group's New Qatar Office

Taliban holds a press conference to announce office's opening

(Newser) - The Taliban has opened its long-promised office in Doha, Qatar, where it will openly hold direct peace talks with the US, Taliban officials announced today at, of all things, a press conference. Top US officials tell the BBC that peace talks will begin within days, on the condition that the...

Afghans Take Over Security From NATO

As bomb hits western Kabul

(Newser) - It's a big day in Afghanistan: NATO has officially put Afghan forces in charge of the country's security. NATO forces will now serve as support to the Afghans ahead of NATO's withdrawal in a year and a half, CBS News notes. President Hamid Karzai and NATO head...

Obama's Weapons Won't Do Enough In Syria

Michael Weiss and Elizabeth O'Bagy say it's time to unleash the MANPADs

(Newser) - The Obama administration is at last willing to send weapons to Syrian rebels —but it looks like neither the president, nor anyone else in Washington, is willing to go far enough to actually help, write Michael Weiss and Elizabeth O'Bagy at the Atlantic . "Even the most hawkish...

Taliban Storms Kabul Airport, Kills Nobody

7 attackers die in 'show of strength'

(Newser) - Air traffic out of Kabul was halted for hours this morning as militants stormed the military side of the city's airport, sparking an hours-long battle with Afghan security forces. The attackers seized two buildings under construction and fired machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades from them, but Afghan authorities say...

Afghan Soldier Kills 3 US Troops
Afghan Soldier Kills
3 US Trainers
Jun 8, 2013 8:49 AM CDT

Afghan Soldier Kills 3 US Trainers

Two service members and one civilian killed

(Newser) - A man in an Afghan army uniform turned his weapon on the American trainers working with him in the country's east today, killing three of them. An argument between the Afghan soldier and his trainers appeared to have led to the shooting on an Afghan National Army base in...

US POW Manages to Get Letter to Parents

Handwritten letter 'definitely from Bowe': source

(Newser) - The father of the only American prisoner of war in Afghanistan has received an early Father's Day present from his son, who was captured while deployed in the country in 2009: a handwritten letter. Bob and Jani Bergdahl say they're confident the letter was indeed written by son...

Afghan Massacre Suspect to Plead Guilty, Avoid Death

Victims' relatives are irate Robert Bales won't face execution

(Newser) - Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will plead guilty to the murder of 16 Afghan villagers, his lawyer tells CNN , in a move to dodge the death penalty. Lawyer John Henry Browne says military prosecutors have approved the plea, but a rep for Joint Base Lewis-McChord wouldn't say whether the matter...

Britain Reveals Its Version of Guantanamo

As many as 90 Afghans being held without trial at Camp Bastion

(Newser) - Britain is taking a page out of the US' book, quietly running a prison in Afghanistan where 80 to 90 people have been held without charges for as long as 14 months. Defense Secretary Philip Hammond confirmed the prison's existence at Camp Bastion to the BBC today, after lawyers...

Women's Rights Bill Deemed Too Offensive in Afghanistan

Religious lawmakers call measure 'un-Islamic'

(Newser) - Religious lawmakers in Afghanistan blocked legislation today aimed at strengthening provisions for women's freedoms, arguing that parts of it violate Islamic principles and encourage disobedience. The law criminalizes, among other things, child marriage and forced marriage, and bans the traditional practice of exchanging girls and women to settle disputes....

Kabul Suicide Attack on NATO Kills 6

Taliban-linked group takes credit

(Newser) - A suicide bomber in Kabul launched an attack on NATO vehicles, killing at least six people and wounding 30 in the process, the AP reports. "It was a powerful explosion and some of the dead were badly burnt and cannot be recognized," says an Afghan official. Reports are...

Afghan Bomb Kills 5 US Troops
 Afghan Bomb Kills 5 US Troops 
May 4, 2013 9:57 AM CDT

Afghan Bomb Kills 5 US Troops

Roadside blast was in Taliban's 'spritual birthplace'

(Newser) - Five US service members were killed today by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan, the latest deadly attack against international troops since the Taliban announced the start of their spring offensive this week. NATO did not disclose the location of the blast, but a spokesman for the governor of Kandahar...

CIA Giving Karzai Sacks of 'Ghost Money': Report

It's said to have added up to tens of millions

(Newser) - While some American officials complain about corruption in Afghanistan, the CIA has been smoothing its relationship with President Hamid Karzai's government by dropping off suitcases, backpacks, and even plastic bags full of cash at his office every month, the New York Times finds. The payments—described as "ghost...

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