Afghanistan

One thorny issue facing President Biden at the U.N.: the defense deal he announced with Australia and the United Kingdom, which left France so angry that it pulled its ambassador from Washington.

Biden Says 'America's Back.' The World Has Some Questions

12:40pm September 20, 2021

by Ayesha Rascoe

President Biden gives his first address to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday. He may find some skepticism for his pitch to work together on COVID-19 and climate after some recent decisions.

Women march to demand their rights under the Taliban rule during a demonstration near the former Women's Affairs Ministry building in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Sunday. The interim mayor of Afghanistan's capital said that many female city employees have been

Female Government Workers In Kabul Told To Stay Home In Latest Taliban Rule

3:19pm September 19, 2021

by Jonathan Franklin

Kabul's interim mayor did not give an exact number on just how many female employees would be forced to stay home because of the new rule. Previously about a third of city employees were women.

In this Sept. 9, 2021, photo, a Qatar Airways aircraft takes off with foreigners from the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.

World News

Another Flight Has Left Kabul's Airport, This Time With 28 U.S. Citizens On Board

7:00pm September 18, 2021

by Joe Hernandez

The Qatar Airways charter flight, which was the latest departure from the country now under Taliban control, also included seven U.S. permanent residents.

A newly-opened COVID-19 hospital in Kabul. Dr. Wahid Majrooh, the acting minister of public health in Afghanistan, must address the pandemic's toll at a time when the Taliban takeover has triggered a freeze in hundreds of millions of dollars in health-car

Health & Safety

Afghan Health Minister: Health Care Is 'On The Verge Of Collapse' But 'I'm Optimistic'

6:48am September 18, 2021

by Kamala Thiagarajan

Dr. Wahid Majrooh tells NPR that "If I am hesitant and doubtful now it won't help anyone, and people in need of care will be the first to be affected."

The Pentagon has retreated from its defense of a drone strike that killed multiple civilians in Afghanistan last month. Gen. Frank McKenzie, who's shown here on screen in August as he speaks from MacDill Air Force Base, in Tampa, Fla., head of U.S. Centra

Pentagon Reverses Itself And Now Says A Deadly Kabul Drone Strike Was An Error

8:25pm September 17, 2021

by Vanessa Romo

The Pentagon initially asserted that the drone strike last month — which resulted in multiple civilian deaths — had killed an Islamic State extremist and was conducted correctly.

A Taliban guard stands on the Afghan side of the Torkham border crossing with Pakistan. People behind wait either to leave Afghanistan or to receive those returning to the country.

World News

At Pakistan's Border With Afghanistan, People Wait To Cross From Both Sides

4:24pm September 14, 2021

Afghans are trying to reach Pakistan via the frontier near the Khyber Pass, but Pakistan is wary of more refugees. Cargo trucks are backed up for miles, waiting to deliver goods into Afghanistan.

The aftermath of a U.S. drone strike on a car allegedly driven by Zemari Ahmadi.

Reports: U.S. Drone Strike Targeted Aid Worker Carrying Water, Not Explosives

8:29pm September 11, 2021

by Matthew S. Schwartz

Investigations from The New York Times and The Washington Post call into question a recent U.S. military drone strike against an alleged ISIS-K sympathizer.

Protesters march in Kabul on Wednesday, a day after the Taliban announced their all-male interim government. At left, a protester carries a sign with a photo showing Banu Negar, a pregnant police officer who was killed in front of her relatives early this

World News

Photos: Afghan Women Are Protesting For Their Rights

8:32pm September 09, 2021

by Hannah Bloch

Risking beatings by the Taliban, Afghan women have taken to the streets to protest against the hard-line regime, its new curbs on their rights — and Pakistan's influence in their country.

Passengers board a Qatar Airways aircraft at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Thursday.

World News

The 1st International Flight Since The U.S. Evacuated Leaves Kabul

3:02pm September 09, 2021

by Jackie Northam

About 200 people, including some Americans, departed the Afghan capital on Thursday. Officials said this was not an evacuation flight, but rather that people were leaving of their own free will.

Afghan girls play cricket on school grounds in Kabul in 2010. At the time, Afghanistan was set to select its first national women's cricket team. But a Taliban official now reportedly says women won't be allowed to play it and other sports.

Afghan Women Will Be Banned From Playing Sports, A Taliban Official Says

6:41pm September 08, 2021

by Bill Chappell

"Islam and the Islamic Emirate do not allow women to play cricket or play the kind of sports where they get exposed," a senior Taliban official reportedly said.