Taliban

"This is a moment for the Afghan leaders not to repeat the mistakes of the past, to build a consensus-based system where all key players can participate, and perhaps peace in Afghanistan can change the dynamics even regionally," says U.S. Special Represen

Khalilzad: 'A Moment For The Afghan Leaders Not To Repeat The Mistakes Of The Past'

5:08am October 02, 2020

by NPR Staff

With talks begun between Afghanistan's government and the Taliban, U.S. special envoy for Afghan peace Zalmay Khalilzad tells NPR the U.S. has "tested" the Taliban and "they are meeting those tests."

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Shamsia Alizada, left school in 2018 after an ISIS suicide bomber struck the academy in Kabul where she was studying. Now she's scored the highest grades on Afghanistan's nation-wide university entrance exams at a time when negotiations with the Taliban t

Coal Miner's Daughter Is A Heartwarming Hero In Afghanistan

5:37pm September 25, 2020

by Diaa Hadid

Shamsia Alizada dropped out of the Madwdud Academy in Kabul after a suicide bomber killed more than 40 students. But she returned — and has scored top grades on the country's college entrance exams.

Abdul Salam Hanafi (right), a member of the Taliban negotiating team, heads to the opening session of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban in Doha, Qatar, on Saturday.

Afghanistan-Taliban Talks Begin In Attempt To End 19 Years Of Bloodshed

4:42pm September 12, 2020

by Matthew S. Schwartz

The historic negotiations represent the first direct talks between the long-warring sides. However, leaders warn that reaching a peace deal could take time.

Ali Al-Tamimi (center) walks with two unidentified men as they leave federal court in Alexandria, Va., in April 2005. A federal judge has ordered him released from prison pending the outcome of his appeals, which have been unresolved for more than a decad

National

Judge Orders Release Of Virginia Terrorism Convict Pending Appeal

10:13am August 19, 2020

by Mark Katkov

Ali Al-Tamimi was sentenced to life in prison 15 years ago for encouraging several young men to join the Taliban and fight U.S. forces. He is being held in the federal Supermax prison in Colorado.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani holds up a resolution on the last day of a traditional council known as a Loya Jirga, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 9. The council concluded with hundreds of delegates agreeing to free 400 Taliban members, paving the way for an

World News

Is Afghanistan Waiting For The U.S. Election Before Starting Peace Talks?

10:57am August 18, 2020

by Diaa Hadid

Some analysts think Kabul is holding out for a possible Joe Biden presidency before trying to strike any substantive deals with the Taliban.

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Muslims partake in evening prayers at a mosque in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in April. The Taliban have declared a cease-fire for an upcoming holiday.

World News

Taliban Call Cease-Fire In Afghanistan For Muslim Holiday

2:11pm July 28, 2020

by Diaa Hadid

The Taliban and Afghan government agreed to halt fighting for three days during the upcoming Eid al-Adha, a move that could renew momentum toward negotiations.

Afghan Taliban militants and villagers celebrate a peace deal and victory in March. News reports allege Russia offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. troops. Russia accuses U.S. intelligence of leaking the story to scuttle the peace pro

Russia Denies Allegations It Paid Militants To Kill U.S. Troops As 'Nonsense'

1:19pm July 08, 2020

by Lucian Kim

A bounty program on U.S. soldiers would constitute a "massive escalation" in Moscow's testy relations with Washington, says one Russia expert. A Russian lawmaker asks: "What would we get out of this?"

The President's Daily Briefing is the top-secret intelligence report the CIA presents to the president every weekday. The book shown here is for a briefing delivered to President George W. Bush in 2002.

Experts Say Intel Should Have Reached Trump On Russian Bounty Program

6:08pm July 04, 2020

by Greg Myre

The president says no one told him about the threat to U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Reports say the information was available in a detailed intelligence file called the President's Daily Briefing.

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Muslim worshipers in Kabul offer prayers Sunday at the start of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The Taliban announced a three-day ceasefire during the holiday, a surprising move after months of bloody fighting.

World News

3-Day Truce, Prisoner Release Deal Inspire Hopes For Reconciliation In Afghanistan

11:06am May 25, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

The Taliban announced the cease-fire in honor of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, and the Afghan government quickly reciprocated by initiating a process to release up to 2,000 Taliban prisoners.

A newborn baby girl receives treatment for the gun wound in her right leg received during the attack on a maternity clinic in Kabul this week. The gunmen killed her mother.

OPINION: We Shouldn't Have To Ask That Babies And Mothers Not Be Killed. Yet We Must

8:21am May 16, 2020

After a brutal attack in Kabul, activists in Afghanistan write: "Our people are targeted and killed on a daily basis. Afghan women are calling for an end to it."