Taliban

Afghan service members head toward the site of the plane crash Monday in the eastern Afghan province of Ghazni.

U.S. Plane Goes Down In Afghanistan, Prompting Wave Of Questions, Contradictions

2:05pm January 27, 2020

by Colin Dwyer

A U.S. official tells NPR that two people died when the aircraft crashed in Ghazni province. The official blamed mechanical problems — but the Taliban claim to have shot it down.

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael James Goble, who was killed during combat operations in Kunduz province, Afghanistan, on Sunday.

20th American Service Member Killed In Deadly Year For U.S. In Afghanistan

6:19pm December 24, 2019

by David Welna

The death of an American Green Beret on Monday raised the tally of U.S. forces killed in action in Afghanistan to 20 this year, the highest since combat operations officially ended in 2014.

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In Afghanistan, Trump Announces Fresh Taliban Talks

5:57am November 29, 2019

by Tom Bowman

President Trump made a surprise visit to troops in Afghanistan on Thanksgiving Day, announcing that he believes the Taliban wants a cease-fire and that he is restarting peace talks with the group.

Australian Timothy Weeks, (left), and American Kevin King were abducted by insurgents in Kabul in August 2016. They are seen here in video stills released by the Taliban in June 2017.

Taliban Release American And Australian Hostages In Exchange For 3 Militants

1:19pm November 19, 2019

American Kevin King and Australian Timothy Weeks were abducted in 2016 from Kabul, where they taught at the American University. Three Taliban commanders held by the Afghan government were also freed.

Farahnaz Mohammadi (left) and her cousin Fatima Almi both worry that the gains made by Afghan women since 2001 will be in jeopardy after a U.S.-Taliban deal is signed.

World News

A Park In Kabul Gives Afghans Respite From The City, If Not From Worries Over Taliban

8:02am October 09, 2019

by Diaa Hadid

The Babur Garden is a place of respite in an often chaotic city. "Do you think the Taliban will ever accept this?" asks one man, pointing to himself and his fiancée, strolling among blooming roses.

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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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Afghan police inspect the site of a bombing in Parwan province, where Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was speaking at a campaign rally. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.

World News

Bombing At Afghan President's Campaign Rally Kills At Least 26

11:31pm September 17, 2019

by Bill Chappell

The attack, for which the Taliban claimed responsibility, occurred as President Ashraf Ghani was making a rare personal appearance. Due to security concerns, he gives many speeches through his laptop.

The Taliban say the Red Cross may resume its work in Afghanistan, more than five months after threatening the group. In this photo from March, an orthopedic technician walks past artificial limbs in a workshop at the International Committee of the Red Cro

World News

Taliban Lift Ban On Red Cross, Pledge To Protect Aid Workers In Afghanistan

2:11pm September 16, 2019

by Bill Chappell

"We welcome the acknowledgment of our humanitarian principles and renewal of security guarantees," says the Red Cross leader in Afghanistan.

Many Afghans approve of President Trump's decision to quash a potential deal with the Taliban. Here, security forces guard a street in Kabul last week after a suicide car bombing rocked the capital's diplomatic enclave.

In Afghanistan, A Mix Of Surprise And Relief After Trump Cancels Taliban Talks

4:18pm September 09, 2019

The leader of a pro-democracy group in Kabul says most of his friends "are supporting the decision of Trump." The president called off a potential deal with the Taliban in a series of weekend tweets.

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Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan meets U.S. Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad (left) in Islamabad on Aug. 1. Khalilzad met Khan ahead of peace talks in Qatar with the Taliban.

The Key Role Pakistan Is Playing In U.S.-Taliban Talks

2:38pm August 30, 2019

Critics have long contended that Pakistan has offered the Taliban shelter, if not outright support. Now the country is facilitating negotiations between Washington and the Taliban.