A watchdog agency overseeing the U.S. presence in Afghanistan found evidence that U.S. government policies may have fueled the growth of the endemic and widespread corruption in Afghanistan and aided terrorist groups targeting American soldiers.
Since President Barack Obama escalated the conflict soon after taking office in 2009, the United States has resettled 6,205 Afghan refugees and 766 asylees within its borders, in addition to admitting 24,352 Afghans under a special immigrant visas (SIVs) program for those who were employed by the U.S. government at some point during the ongoing war, according to U.S. government data.
Italian anti-drug units, over a 32-month period, intercepted 20 enormous freighters used to traffic a collective 280 tons of hashish valued at about $3.2 billion through territory near Libya believed to be controlled by the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), reports The New York Times (NYT).
U.S. troops fighting the Islamic State alongside their Afghan counterparts in eastern Afghanistan were forced to leave behind military equipment and weapons, along with the identification cards of a fellow soldier, when they came under fire last month, according to Gen. Charles Cleveland, an American military spokesman.
The leader of the Islamic State’s branch in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, Hafiz Saeed, has been killed, according to regional Afghan military commander Gen. Mohammad Zaman Waziri.
Jihadists from the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) branch in Afghanistan have released several photos that purport to show the identification card of a U.S. soldier, along with weapons and other military equipment confiscated from American troops in eastern Afghanistan.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The top U.S. commander is employing a special authority recently granted by President Barack Obama to bring in additional troops into Afghanistan for an offensive against the Islamic State in their stronghold located in the eastern part of the country along the Afghan-Pakistan border.
Civilian casualties in Afghanistan reached 5,166 during the first half of this year, an all-time high, with children paying a heavy toll, reports the United Nations.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Barack Obama announced changes to his plans to draw down the number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, saying the United States will maintain 8,400 troops in the country into 2017 as he acknowledged that after more than 14 years of war “the security situation in Afghanistan remains precarious.”
A U.S. Green Beret in Afghanistan recently declared that America is “not at war with the Taliban,” reflecting the rules of engagement implemented by President Barack Obama, which allow lawyers to dictate when military force is justified, reports The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).
The Obama administration reports that at least 12 terrorists from the military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba — all released under George W. Bush — have killed an estimated half-dozen Americans, the Washington Post (WaPo) has learned from current and former U.S. officials on condition of anonymity.
Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain has backed a visa program for Afghani interpreters and their relatives that’s funded by imposing higher costs on U.S. military veterans’ health care costs, according to an immigration reduction group.
North Carolina Marine veteran Allen Thornwell, who fought to defend the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan, says he was pink-slipped for lowering his employer’s American flag to half-staff on Memorial Day, The Charlotte Observer reports.
Local officials in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, long considered to be the birthplace of the Taliban, have reportedly banned radio stations from airing songs performed by women, according to various media outlets in the region.
The Pentagon has “lost much of its ability” to monitor the effectiveness and capability of the Afghan security forces as the Taliban and other insurgents have stepped up their assaults, stresses the top watchdog for U.S.-funded nation-building projects in Afghanistan.
The Taliban has officially conquered five of the 14 districts in southern Afghanistan’s restive Helmand province, the New York Times (NYT) reports, citing Afghan government officials.
Russia and its ex-Soviet ally Tajikistan have conducted “large-scale military drills” near the Central Asian country’s border with Afghanistan, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP), citing a Tajik military official.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Fabled Navy SEAL Team Six member Edward Byers was presented with the Medal of Honor at the White House for his role in rescuing an American doctor being held captive by Afghan Taliban terrorists in 2012.
The U.S. Army, in a sign of military escalation, even as President Obama tries to draw down America’s military footprint, is deploying a battalion of 500 infantrymen to volatile Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold.
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Obama, in his final State of the Union (SOTU) address delivered Tuesday, only mentioned Afghanistan, home to America’s longest war, once, without highlighting that a resilient Taliban has managed to gain control of more territory than
A mob at a Muslim shrine in central Kabul killed an Afghan woman who was falsely accused of burning the Koran, showing that Afghanistan has not changed much despite more than 14 years of U.S.-led engagement.
Democratic presidential candidate former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated that while she agrees with President Obama’s decision to delay the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, “I will not sit here today and say what I would do upon taking
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stated he agrees with President Obama’s delay of the withdrawal from Afghanistan, although he added, “He’s cutting it down to 5,000, maybe he’ll leave 10,000, not that I recommend this at all, but I think
Republican presidential candidate Kentucky Senator Rand Paul argued the US should get out of Afghanistan immediately on Thursday’s broadcast of CNN’s “Wolf.” Rand said of President Obama’s decision to delay the scheduled withdrawal from Afghanistan, “I think it’s a mistake. It’s
BERLIN, Sept 29 (Reuters) – Germany’s defence minister signalled on Tuesday that she was open to delaying the withdrawal of German soldiers from Afghanistan beyond next year after the Taliban’s surprise seizure of the northern city of Kunduz on Monday. The
Britain’s “debt of honour” to Afghan interpreters (one pictured above, his face blurred for security purposes, helping Prince Harry), who worked with British troops during the Afghanistan war is being ignored. Instead bureaucracy is being allowed to get in the way of
The reported emergence of a new terror group in Afghanistan, calling itself the “Islamic Commandos,” indicates that the country remains a safe haven for terrorist organizations.
Gen. Martin Dempsey, the highest-ranking military officer in the U.S. armed forces, and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani discussed the possibility of forming a ten-year regional counterterrorism effort against the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL).
A NATO-led coalition airstrike, aimed at Taliban members in the restive Logar province east of the capital Kabul, killed at least seven Afghan troops and injured five others, according to various media reports.
American troops in Afghanistan raided the home of a local anti-Taliban commander and proceeded to blow up a munition cache inside his home, an action that shows U.S. forces are carrying out combat missions beyond their stated train, advise, and assist role, reports The New York Times (NYT).
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WASHINGTON, DC—The U.S. and Afghan governments lack accurate data on the Afghan security forces’s manpower, capability, and payroll, making it difficult to assess Afghanistan’s ability to fight the Taliban and prevent other terrorist groups from using the country to stage new attacks, according to a specially-appointed congressional watchdog agency.
WASHINGTON—Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), an Iraq War veteran, candidly told the moderator of a CPAC panel discussion that he would not have gone to war in Iraq.
President Obama is considering slowing the pace of the U.S. military exit from Afghanistan after more than 13 years of war “to ensure that hard-won progress lasts,” said new Defense Secretary Ash Carter.
Fmr. Ambassadors to Afghanistan James Cunningham and Joe Crocker criticized the planned timetable for the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan in testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday. Cunningham, who served as Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2012 to
Estimated opium production in Afghanistan, an important source of funding for the Taliban, has increased 35-fold since the U.S.-led invasion, from 185 tons in 2001 to 6,400 last year, data maintained by the United Nations shows.
The Army stripped former Capt. Mathew L. Golsteyn, an Afghanistan War hero, of the prestigious Silver Star award, citing an investigation for an “undisclosed” violation of the military’s rules of engagement, The Washington Post reports.
WASHINGTON — The Taliban in Afghanistan will be able to carry out attacks in the country’s urban areas through at least 2018, two years after the scheduled withdrawal of all U.S. troops.
The Ronald Reagan Library debuted an exhibit on Saturday which pays tribute to California’s fallen men and women. The “Remembering Our Fallen” exhibit honors the 725 lives that perished making the ultimate sacrifice by serving to protect the United States
Many Afghans believe they will be worse off now that the U.S.-led coalition has ended its combat mission and the majority of its troops have been withdrawn.
