The most critical question in Afghanistan today is whether the Afghan military can keep the country safe from the Taliban. An NPR team went looking for the answer, and two of the group were killed.
Fifteen years into the Afghan war, locals continue to grow, harvest and sell poppy, notwithstanding attempts to eradicate it, replace it with something else, or use it for constructive means.
A permanent academy is in the works to help Afghan troops improve their artillery and mortar skills. NPR visited a base where the Afghans are learning to wield what's called the "King of Battle."
U.S. forces continue to help Afghan troops battle back the Taliban, but the security situation remains uncertain at best. Our team has just returned from a fateful reporting trip to Afghanistan.
Two suicide bombers struck a convoy of buses carrying recently-graduated Afghan police cadets, according to wire service reports. The Taliban has claimed responsibility.
A group of specialists called the Gray Team challenged the dogma that said head injuries were serious only if they were obvious and bloody. Bomb blasts can lead to lasting but invisible damage.