Debate stirs over US-Taliban captive swap
Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl can expect a buoyant homecoming after five years in Taliban hands, but those in the government who worked for his release face mounting questions over the prisoner swap that won his freedom.
Obama signals limited Afghanistan role
President Barack Obama slipped into Afghanistan for a surprise visit Sunday and made clear that the U.S. will likely maintain a limited role here even after its combat mission ends this year and America’s longest war comes to a close.
Rescuers struggle to help Afghans
Afghan rescuers and volunteers armed with shovels and little more than their bare hands dug through the mud Saturday after a massive landslide swept through a village the day before, turning it into an earthen tomb holding hundreds of bodies, officials said.
Afghan hospital guard kills three American doctors
An Afghan security guard opened fire on a group of foreign doctors at a Kabul hospital this morning, killing three American physicians and wounding a U.S. nurse, officials said.
Will soldier be left behind in Afghanistan?
The case of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, held by the Taliban since 2009, has arisen again as the U.S. and other countries engage in diplomatic efforts to free him.
But if he is released, will America’s only prisoner of the Afghan war be viewed as a hero or a deserter?
General: Grim Afghan future if no security pact
Depicting a grim future for Afghanistan without U.S. help, the top U.S. military officer said Wednesday that Afghanistan’s refusal to sign a security agreement with the United States may make the fight more difficult this year, embolden the enemy and prompt some Afghan security forces to cooperate with the Taliban to “hedge their bets.”
Obama threatens Karzai with full withdrawal
Frustrated with his Afghan counterpart, President Barack Obama is ordering the Pentagon to accelerate planning for a full U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by the end of this year.
More delay likely on Afghan security pact
The Obama administration has quietly stopped demanding that Afghan President Hamid Karzai finalize a stalled security pact within weeks, opening up the possibility that a decision on keeping U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan after this year might not be made until after Karzai’s successor is elected this spring.
Miss. soldier killed in helicopter crash
The Department of Defense says a Mississippi soldier is among six soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan.
Lip service: Schools provide lip balm to soldiers
Thanks to an effort by a local school district, soldiers serving in Afghanistan will soon have over 1,000 tubes of lip balm.
United Nations says Afghan opium production hits record high
JALALABAD, Afghanistan — Afghanistan’s opium production surged this year to record levels, despite international efforts over the past decade to wean the country off the
Kerry in Afghanistan for urgent talks
KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday said a partial agreement was reached with Afghanistan on a security accord, but the
Afghan military faces surge in roadside bombs
GARDEZ, Afghanistan — Raqam Jan was at home on furlough after two years of fighting for the Afghan army when he stepped out of his
Afghan Taliban attack U.S. Consulate, kill two Afghans
KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban militants unleashed car bombs at the U.S. Consulate in western Afghanistan on Friday morning, triggering a firefight with security forces in
General: ‘Conditions are set’ to win Afghan war
WASHINGTON — The No. 2 American commander in Afghanistan said Wednesday he believes the stage has been set for winning the war, but hard fighting
Obama awards Medal of Honor to Afghan war vet
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama bestowed the nation’s highest military honor, the Medal of Honor, on Army Staff Sgt. Ty Carter on Monday, saluting the
Villagers unsatisfied by life sentence for Bales
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — The villagers traveled nearly 7,000 miles to learn the fate of the American soldier who gunned down their children, siblings
Soldier faces angry Afghans as sentencing continues
JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, Wash. — Lawyers for the U.S. soldier who killed 16 Afghan civilians in an attack on two villages are preparing to present
In Afghanistan, mixed reasons for drop in insider attacks
CAMP GARMSER, Afghanistan — When Marine Maj. Chris Bourbeau walked alone into an Afghan base last spring, he left behind his helmet, bulletproof jacket and
‘Any Hero’: A Columbus crafter helps deployed service members keep in touch with home
There are no greeting card shops in Baghdad or Kabul, but one Columbus crafter is doing what she can to ensure that a father deployed in the Middle East can send his wife at home a pretty anniversary card, or a Navy mom at sea for months at a time has a special birthday card to mail her daughter.