Taliban - Page 57

Islamic State Captures First Territory in Afghanistan

Islamic State fighters have taken substantial areas of Afghanistan for the first time, displacing the Taliban to become the new masters of parts of the east of the war-torn country. Known commonly by the acronym ISIS, encompassing their initial territorial

Afghan former Taliban fighters are photographed holding weapons before they hand them over

Taliban Suicide Bomber, Gunmen Attack Afghan Parliament

A Taliban suicide bomber and at least six gunmen attacked the Afghan parliament as lawmakers voted to endorse a new defense minister. “A woman and a 10-year-old girl were killed and 31 civilians were injured,” reports USA TODAY. Some news outlets report that seven gunmen were involved in the assault while others say six.

AFP PHOTO / Wakil Kohsar

Taliban and ISIS Continue Afghan Turf Wars

The Taliban in Afghanistan sent a direct message to Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL/IS) leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Tuesday, warning the ISIS “Caliph” that his jihadi group should refrain from encroaching upon the Taliban’s insurgent operation.

This file image made from video posted on a militant website Saturday, July 5, 2014, which

ISIS in Afghanistan Beheads 10 Taliban Militants

The Islamic State beheaded at least 10 Taliban militants in Afghanistan this week in a remote area in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar region, where the jihadist groups are locked in an intense battle for control over many of the surrounding provinces.

IRAQ, - : An image grab taken from a propaganda video released on March 17, 2014 by the Is

Injustice as Usual: Malala Assassins Secretly Acquitted in Pakistan

The Pakistani courtroom proceedings were secret. Despite what reporters were previously told this past April (that ten men had been convicted), Pakistani authorities secretly acquitted eight of the men charged with conspiracy and attempted murder in the case of teenager Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted because she wanted girls to receive an education.

The Associated Press

Taliban Slaughters 9 Aid Workers

(Reuters/AFP) Gunmen have killed nine Afghan aid workers during an overnight raid on their guesthouse in northern Afghanistan, officials say.

AP Photo/Rahmatullah Naikzad

Women Told ‘Know Your Place’ in Pakistani Elections

As election fever sweeps the most socially conservative regions of Pakistan ahead of this weekend’s local government polls, one crucial group is feeling excluded. Following deals between local politicians and elders, women will have no say in the district and

Pakistan

Report: Afghanistan’s Taliban Sends Delegation To Iran

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A delegation from Afghanistan’s Taliban has arrived in Iran to discuss the situation of Afghan migrants and issues in the Islamic world, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported Tuesday. The report said the delegation arrived in

Reuters

Qatar to Free Taliban Commanders Exchanged for Bergdahl

The five senior Taliban Commanders released from Guantanamo (GITMO) in exchange for the return of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl are set to be freed from their “luxurious” confinement in Qatar effective June 1. These five hard-core terrorists are Mullah Norullah Noori, Abdul Haq Wasiq, Mullah Mohammad Fazl, Khairullah Khairkhwa and Mohammend Nabi Omari. They were classified as some of the most dangerous Taliban commanders held at GITMO, according to Thomas Joscelyn of The Long War Journal.

The Associated Press

ISIS Orders Male Population Of Mosul To Grow Beards

According to the World Tribune, the latest demand inflicted upon the captive population of Mosul by their ISIS overlords is a ban against shaving male beards. The terror state has decreed that beards are mandatory under sharia law.

Reuters

Watchdog on Afghan Security Force: We Don’t Know Who is Showing Up for Work

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.

AFP PHOTO / Jawed Tanveer

Intel, Military Sources Say 2009 NCIS Report Shows Bergdahl Planned Desertion

The Obama White House has resolutely insisted Bergdahl was a model soldier whose rescue from Taliban captivity was their top priority, and the entire Democrat Party joined the chorus. A contrary report showing evidence of premeditation and/or mental instability would mark Obama and his staff as incompetent at best, for somehow not being aware of the information, and deeply dishonest at worst.

Obama Bergdahl Rose Garden (Jonathan Ernst / Reuters)

In Context of Desertion Charges, Bergdahl Swap Was a ‘High Crime’

The news that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl is to be tried for desertion casts the 2014 prisoner swap in a new light. President Barack Obama traded five senior Taliban leaders, who had been imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay, for Bergdahl–and did so without giving Congress 30 days’ advance notice. In doing so, the Obama administration broke the law, according to a report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. That violation was not just a crime, but also, in context, a high crime.

Obama Bergdahl Rose Garden (Jonathan Ernst / Reuters)

Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani Addresses Congress

Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani gave an hour-long address to Congress on Wednesday, in which he mused that his country’s longstanding position as the graveyard of empires is quite exhausting to the Afghan people. Having established their reputation as fierce, stubborn fighters, they would really like to move on to a more productive future. “‘Ordinary’ is what has escaped us, and what we’d really like is to lead totally ordinary lives,” he said.

AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais