Afghanistan War

Trauma surgeon David Nott, shown above in Bangladesh, has volunteered in war zones and disaster areas around the world. Now he's treating COVID-19 patients in London.

'War Doctor' Says Treating COVID-19 Is Like Fighting An Invisible Enemy

1:42pm April 02, 2020

by Terry Gross

Trauma surgeon David Nott has volunteered in war zones and disaster areas around the world. Now he's treating COVID-19 patients in London. He calls the pandemic a "disaster zone for the whole world."

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U.S. Marines stand guard during the change of command ceremony at Shorab military camp in Afghanistan's Helmand province in January 2018.

U.S. Reaches 'Reduction In Violence' Deal With Taliban In Afghanistan

3:41pm February 14, 2020

by Laurel Wamsley

The step is meant to serve as an initial confidence-building measure and would last for seven days. A more-formal agreement could be signed in the coming weeks.

U.S. soldiers keep watch near the wreckage of their vehicle at the site of a Taliban suicide attack in Kandahar in August 2017.

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2 U.S. Troops Killed By Taliban Bomb In Southern Afghanistan

11:53am January 11, 2020

by Samantha Raphelson

The soldiers were killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb planted by the Taliban in Kandahar province. Two other U.S. troops were wounded in the attack.

Afghan peace activists demand an end to war as they arrive in Kabul in June 2018, after marching hundreds of miles from Helmand.

Opinion: Afghans' Growing Demand For Peace Is Key To Ending Decades Of War

4:41pm November 18, 2019

"Not only do Afghans crave peace, they are more actively working for it at every level of society," write Nancy Lindborg and Andrew Wilder of the U.S. Institute of Peace.

Hamdullah Mohib, Afghanistan's national security adviser, speaks during the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Monday. After U.S.-Taliban talks excluded Afghanistan's government and collapsed last month, Mohib tells NPR that the only way

The Afghan Government Must Lead Peace Talks, Its National Security Adviser Says

5:04am October 02, 2019

After U.S.-Taliban talks excluded Afghanistan's government and collapsed last month, the senior official tells NPR that the only way to lasting peace is to include the country's leaders.

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In remarks at the U.S. Institute of Peace on Friday, Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad said a "long agenda" of issues need to be resolved before a peace deal can be finalized.

U.S. Envoy For Peace In Afghanistan Sees 'Long Road' Ahead For Final Deal

9:47pm February 08, 2019

by Vanessa Romo

"What we've achieved so far is significant. But these are small, two or three small steps in a long journey," Zalmay Khalilzad said in a hoarse voice, the result of 42 hours of talks with the Taliban.

A boy holds the burqa of his mother as they walk down a street in the old city of Kabul on November 1, 2009.

Opinion: As U.S. Seeks To Withdraw Troops, What About Afghanistan's Women?

8:07am February 02, 2019

by Scott Simon

The U.S. and the Taliban are working on an agreement to end the war and bring troops home. But NPR's Scott Simon asks: what will happen to Afghanistan's women if the Taliban return to power?

Afghan cadets attend a graduation ceremony at the Afghan Military Academy in Kabul. Saturday's "insider attack" is the third time an Afghan soldier has killed an American counterpart this year.

World News

U.S. Soldier Killed, Another Wounded In Afghan 'Insider Attack'

9:00pm November 03, 2018

by Jacob Pinter

This is the third American soldier killed by an Afghan counterpart this year. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says Afghan forces are making their vetting more strenuous.

Gen. John Nicholson, the top American commander in Afghanistan, speaks to reporters last week at Bagram air base north of Kabul, Afghanistan.

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Top U.S. Commander In Afghanistan Accuses Russia Of Aiding Taliban

4:15am March 26, 2018

by Scott Neuman

In an interview with the BBC, U.S. Army Gen. John Nicholson has reiterated charges that the Kremlin is providing arms to the Afghan resistance. Moscow calls the accusation "idle gossip."

A U.S. Army helicopter crew chief scans the ground near Mazar-e-Sharif, Afghanistan in June 2017.

After 16 Years, Afghanistan War Is 'At Best A Grinding Stalemate,' Journalist Says

2:18pm February 06, 2018

by Terry Gross

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Coll warns that there is no end in sight to America's longest war: "Most of the generals ... say in public, 'There's no military solution to this war.'"