-
August 28, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
Los Angeles Times: When a suicide bomber targeted a wedding hall in the Afghan capital last week, killing at least 80 people, many of the bodies were brought to a dilapidated two-story block on the perimeter of Kabul. This is the Forensic Medicine Directorate, Criminal Techniques Department, the only functioning criminal forensic laboratory in Afghanistan, where a team of four molecular biologists juggles hundreds of cases a week, including victims of rape, drug overdoses, homicide, and bombings. Full news...
-
August 26, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
Gallup: Afghans not only are facing challenges in regard to their safety and security as the country’s presidential election nears, but they also are struggling more than ever to afford the basics such as food and shelter. Gallup surveys in Afghanistan over the past decade highlight the great need for action from incoming leadership. Full news...
-
August 22, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
cnsnews.com:The death of two U.S. Green Berets in Afghanistan on Wednesday brings to 14 the number of American military personnel killed in combat there this year – the highest annual combat death toll since 2014, and with more than four months of the year yet to run. The Pentagon on Thursday identified the two soldiers as Master Sgt. Luis F. DeLeon-Figueroa, 31, of Chicopee, Mass., and Master Sgt. Jose J. Gonzalez, 35, of La Puente, Calif. Full news...
-
August 20, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
TOLOnews.com: A school was set on fire by Taliban militants in Shakardara district in Kabul Province early on Tuesday, the Ministry of Interior said in a statement. The Boi Hazar Nasiri Girls High School is located in a village in Shakar Dara district, 25 kilometers to the north of the city of Kabul. Full news...
-
August 20, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
Gallup: Afghans could see a peace deal with the Taliban and an end to the nearly 18-year war in Afghanistan -- all ahead of the country’s presidential election in late September. Gallup data collected since 2008 in Afghanistan offer insights into what has happened to Afghans’ sense of safety and security during the violent decade that the potential peace deal has been in the making. Full news...
-
August 19, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
Reuters: A series of bombings has struck restaurants and public squares in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, wounding at least 66 people, officials said, as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence. No group claimed responsibility for the 10 bombs on Monday but both Islamic State and Taliban militants operate in the area. Full news...
-
August 18, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
Al Jazeera: At least 63 people have been killed and scores wounded in an explosion targeting a wedding in the Afghan capital, officials said on Sunday, the deadliest attack in Kabul this year. The suicide blast took place on Saturday evening in the men’s reception area at the Dubai City wedding hall in western Kabul, in a minority Shia neighbourhood, packed with people celebrating a marriage. Full news...
-
August 17, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
The Economist: On august 19th Afghans will take to the streets to mark 100 years of independence from Britain. They have more to protest about than to celebrate: their country has not known peace for 40 years.Afghanistan’s modern woes began in earnest in 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded to prop up a communist regime. In response, America funded mujahideen rebels, escalating a bloody proxy war. Full news...
-
August 15, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
Politics.co.uk: Last Wednesday, a car bomb exploded in Kabul. It killed at least 18 people and injured over 100 more. The atrocity was claimed by the Taliban, who said it had targeted a “recruitment centre” to kill soldiers and police officers. The attack comes as the Taliban is holding peace talks with the United States. Both sides are seeking to establish a timetable for American troop withdrawal. Full news...
-
August 14, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
ReliefWeb: One year after the worst drought on record forced nearly half a million Afghans to leave their homes, many families remain in tents on the outskirts of Herat city. Unable to return home due to ongoing conflict, they struggle to survive as support is cut back. Full news...
-
August 14, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
Antiwar.com: Hopes for peace in Afghanistan continue to get delayed, but with a deal seemly always just on the horizon, the Pentagon is finding new things to do in Afghanistan. Not trying to win the war, because that ship sailed long ago. But 18 years into the war, the Pentagon has found Afghanistan as a nice proving ground for a lot of different new military technology, hoping to show that new artificial intelligence efforts and cloud computing can make information-sharing in an occupation more efficient. Full news...
-
August 13, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
Rasmussen Reports: The Trump administration’s negotiations with the Taliban may soon bring U.S. troops home from Afghanistan. Fewer voters than ever see Afghanistan as important to America’s well-being, but most still stop short of supporting a complete troop withdrawal. Full news...
-
August 13, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
RFE/RL: Mohammad Wali was just 12 years old when his widowed mother began arranging his marriage to a 24-year-old woman from their village in Ghazni Province. “I don’t want to be married,” the young Afghan boy is said to have pleaded with his mother. “I just want to play soccer and cricket. I want to go to school.” But his mother insisted on the marriage to ensure that she and Mohammad Wali’s two teenage sisters would not become street beggars... Full news...
-
August 13, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
TOLOnews.com: At least 11 people were taken out of their homes and were killed the “01 Unit” of the National Directorate of Security at a night raid in Zurmat district of the northern province of Paktia, tribal elders and residents claimed. The operation was carried out in Gulal Koh village on Sunday night, August 11. Full news...
-
August 12, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
The New York Times: As the United States appears to be nearing a deal with the Taliban on pulling its troops from Afghanistan, the country’s security forces are in their worst state in years — almost completely on the defensive in much of the country, according to local military commanders and civilian officials. Afghan commanders vowed last year to take the offensive, rather than go on fighting a static “checkpoint war.” Full news...
-
August 12, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
The Guardian: In a war that has been raging for decades, a third of the casualties are children. Last year, the UN recorded 927 child deaths and 2,135 injuries. In the first half of this year, 327 children were killed and 880 wounded. Children across the country continue to live on the frontlines – and sometimes get caught in the middle of it all. Here, they share their experiences. Full news...
-
August 11, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
Los Angeles Times: The dull, throbbing sound of the helicopter breaks the silence of the clear starry night. As it approaches, the swishing of each blade clearly distinguishable, Hajatullah Gul, 30, and his family lie under mosquito nets in their beds outside, their bodies drenched in cold, nervous sweat. “Sometimes they strike in the village,” Gul’s 6-year-old son Assad whispers, referring to Afghanistan’s National Army. “I’m afraid of them.” Full news...
-
August 9, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
TOLOnews.com: Despite reports that American troops may soon be leaving the country following a deal with the Taliban, the United States Central Intelligence Agency plans to retain a strong presence on the ground in Afghanistan. Reports indicate that Washington has resolved its differences with the Taliban about withdrawing American troops from Afghanistan as the Doha talks are underway. Full news...
-
August 8, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
Foreign Policy: The muezzin had just called for the morning prayer when soldiers brandishing guns jumped off their Toyota Hiluxes, surrounded Noor Walli Khan’s house, knocked down the door, and entered the dark rooms where his family slept. Minutes later, they had tied everyone’s hands and feet and started pouring gasoline over the family’s only car. Full news...
-
August 7, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
RFE/RL: The U.S. Navy dismissed charges on August 6 against four SEALs accused of abusing detainees in Afghanistan seven years ago, AP reported. The four SEALs -- Lieutenant Jason Webb, Chief Petty Officers David Swarts and Xavier Silva, and Petty Officer 1st Class Daniel D’Ambrosio -- were accused of abusing bound prisoners alongside Afghan local police. Full news...
-
August 3, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
Al Jazeera: More than 1,500 civilians were killed or injured last month due to the ongoing war in Afghanistan, according to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The figure is the highest in a single month since May 2017, UNAMA said in a statement released on Saturday. The main driver was a sharp rise in civilian casualties from increased activity by the Taliban in urban areas against military installations. Full news...
-
August 2, 2019 :: RSS :: Print :: Email
Military.com: Attacks are increasing while the strength of Afghan security forces decreases. Schools are closing amid the violence, and no girls are being enrolled in many districts. Efforts to root out Afghan government corruption have either stalled, or never got off the ground. Full news...