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Archives: Taliban

Taliban Attackers Kill at Least 140 Soldiers at Afghan Base: Officials

TeleSur | - - Afghan President Ashraf Ghani visited the base on Saturday, and in a statement condemned the attack as "cowardly" and the work of "infidels." At least 140 Afghan soldiers…

“Dear Nasemi: ‘I’m Sorry.'” (ICE doesn’t Keep out Afghan-American Coffins)

By Jonathan S. Addleton | (Informed Comment) | - - Dear Nasemi – I’m sorry. It is hard to believe that it was almost four years ago that we walked together along…

Afghanistan: We Lost a long Time Ago, and are Still at War

William J. Astore | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - America’s war in Afghanistan is now in its 16th year, the longest foreign war in our history. The phrase “no end in…

The Misuse of American Military Power and Mideast Chaos

By Danny Sjursen | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - The United States has already lost -- its war for the Middle East, that is. Having taken my own crack at combat soldiering in…

Afghan Women Take Up Arms Against The Taliban

By RFE/RL's Afghan Service The leader of a fledgling women's militia in northern Afghanistan says dozens of volunteers have joined the fight since a handful of women recently took up arms to…

What did we buy with the $5 Trillion that the Iraq & Afghanistan Wars have cost us?

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - A Boston U. political scientist estimates that as of 2016, The Iraq and Afghanistan Wars have cost the American taxpayers $5 trillion. That…

US still in Conventional War in Afghanistan via . . . Drones?

By Jack Serle | ( Bureau of Investigative Journalism) | - - US drones hit Taliban more than terrorist networks despite end of Afghan war The majority of US airstrikes in Afghanistan…

The Taliban Threat to Northern Afghanistan

By Bruce Pannier | ( RFE/RL) The security problems in northwest Afghanistan continue despite several trips to the region by Afghan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum, a former general who comes from…

Afghanistan: New Taliban leader between Drones, ISIL & Negotiations

By Michael Semple | (The Conversation) | - - The May 21 drone strike that killed Taliban leader Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor was no ordinary assassination; it was an act of armed politics…

Afghanistan: Washington’s Twenty-First-Century Opium Wars

By Alfred McCoy | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - In October 2001, the U.S. launched its invasion of Afghanistan largely through proxy Afghan fighters with the help of Special Operations forces,…

A Teacher in Afghanistan: Is the Future Democracy or Muslim Extremism?

By Jeffrey E. Stern | (Informed Comment) | - - A few months ago, in downtown Kabul, a small man stood on top of a car with a megaphone in a city…

6 US Troops killed by Taliban Suicide Bomber in Afghanistan

Curated by Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - BBC Monitoring translates from Pushtu a report from the 'Afghan Islamic Press' from Kabul on 21 Dec., which says that "A suicide…

America’s Never-Ending Wars: #1

By Ann Jones | (Tomdispatch.com) | - - Ten months ago, on December 28, 2014, a ceremony in Kabul officially marked the conclusion of America’s very long war in Afghanistan. President Obama…

Putin says Afghan Situation ‘Close to Critical’: Will he intervene there, Too?

By Frud Bezhan | ( RFE / RL) | - - Russia has signaled its willingness to boost its involvement in Afghan security in a power play that could help President Vladimir…

Still underestimating al-Qaeda & Taliban despite 1500 Military Analysts

By Tom Engelhardt | ( Tomdispatch.com ) | - - That figure stunned me. I found it in the 12th paragraph of a front-page New York Times story about “senior commanders” at…

If Russia is Region’s new Gun for Hire, Afghanistan Warlord wants to Bring it In

By Frud Bezhan | (RFE/ RL) | - - With the Taliban threatening to overrun large parts of Afghanistan, First Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum is seeking help from an old ally…

Afghanistan’s Elite Special Forces led in Recovering most of Kunduz from Taliban

By Frud Bezhan | (RFE/RL) | - - Afghanistan's much-maligned security forces were facing their greatest challenge yet in trying to retake a key northern city from the Taliban -- and expectations…

Afghanistan: The Taliban reign of Fear in Kunduz belies Charm Offensive

By Frud Bezhan | ( RFE/ RL) | - - An expected Afghan government counteroffensive to retake Kunduz from the Taliban appears to have largely stalled as troops await reinforcements." "The citizens…

The Final Collapse of Bush’s Nation-Building: Konduz falls to Taliban

The Final Collapse of Bush’s Nation-Building: Kunduz falls to Taliban

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | - - On Monday, the Taliban swept into the provincial capital of Kunduz, taking it in half a day from a large and well-equipped Afghan…

Is al-Zawahiri’s oath to Taliba a sign al-Qaeda is finished? Will ISIL step In?

Is al-Zawahiri’s oath to Taliban a sign al-Qaeda is finished? Will ISIL step In?

By Joanna Paraszczuk | ( RFE/ RL ) - - After almost a year of silence, Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri has released an audio message swearing bay'ah -- an oath of allegiance…