Afghanistan Quake Kills 1,000 People, Deadliest in Decades
International
Afghanistan Quake Kills 1,000 People, Deadliest in Decades

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A powerful earthquake struck a rural, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan early Wednesday, killing 1,000 people and injuring 1,500 more in one of the deadliest quakes in decades, the state-run news agency reported. Officials warned that... Read More

U.S. Military Commanders Assure Senate They Are Ready for Terrorism
Geopolitics
U.S. Military Commanders Assure Senate They Are Ready for Terrorism

WASHINGTON -- The war in Afghanistan is officially over but the terrorism threat to the United States continues, according to military commanders who testified to the U.S. Senate Tuesday. They acknowledged that the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal was disappointing after... Read More

Senate Excoriates Secretary of State for Withdrawal from Afghanistan
Political News
Senate Excoriates Secretary of State for Withdrawal from Afghanistan
2021-09-14 19:42:56
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON -- Senators who handle foreign relations hammered away at the U.S. secretary of state for a second day Tuesday for what they described as the disastrous military withdrawal from Afghanistan. They criticized the lack of planning, the poor intelligence... Read More

Congressional Gold Medal Eyed for Kabul Attack Heroes
Congress
Congressional Gold Medal Eyed for Kabul Attack Heroes
2021-09-07 18:29:42
by Dan McCue

WASHINGTON -- Just days after their remains were returned home to their families for burial, the 13 U.S. service members killed during a deadly attack at the Kabul airport last month appear likely to receive Congress’s highest honor. Reps. Abigail... Read More

Biden Vows to Finish Kabul Evacuation, Avenge US Deaths
White House
Biden Vows to Finish Kabul Evacuation, Avenge US Deaths

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is vowing to complete the evacuation of American citizens and others from Afghanistan after the deadly suicide bombing at the Kabul airport. He promised to avenge the deaths of 13 U.S. service members killed... Read More

Suicide Bombings Blast Kabul, Killing American Service Members and Civilians
International
Suicide Bombings Blast Kabul, Killing American Service Members and Civilians
2021-08-26 19:00:48
by Daniel Mollenkamp

KABUL, Afghanistan -- A pair of suicide bombings near the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, which happened on Thursday morning, killed civilians and American personnel, U.S. officials say. American officials suspect an affiliate group of the Islamic State... Read More

Kabul Airlift Accelerating But Still Hampered by Chaos
International
Kabul Airlift Accelerating But Still Hampered by Chaos

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S.-led evacuation of Americans and others from the chaotic Kabul airport is accelerating, with a one-day doubling of the number airlifted out of the country, although President Joe Biden is not ruling out extending the mission... Read More

Biden: Greater Threats Than Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan
International
Biden: Greater Threats Than Taliban-Controlled Afghanistan

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says even with the Taliban in power in Afghanistan, he sees a greater threat from outposts of al-Qaida and its affiliated groups in other countries, and that it was no longer "rational" to continue... Read More

Inspector General Report Describes Intelligence Failings in Afghanistan
International
Inspector General Report Describes Intelligence Failings in Afghanistan
2021-08-18 20:46:09
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Defense Department officials on Wednesday afternoon acknowledged the kind of surprise about the fall of Afghanistan mentioned in a new inspector general’s report. “No, I did not see a collapse of an army of that size in... Read More

Here’s How Much the Afghanistan War Cost Taxpayers
Defense
Here’s How Much the Afghanistan War Cost Taxpayers
2021-08-18 20:42:25
by Reece Nations

Costs associated with the United States' “Global War on Terror” have mounted significantly in the nearly 20 years following the Sept. 11 World Trade Center attacks. The underlying mission of the Global War on Terror in 2001 was to fortify... Read More

Taliban Allowing ‘Safe Passage’ From Kabul in US Airlift
International
Taliban Allowing 'Safe Passage' From Kabul in US Airlift

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Taliban have agreed to allow "safe passage" from Afghanistan for civilians struggling to join a U.S.-directed airlift from the capital, President Joe Biden's national security adviser said, although a timetable for completing the evacuation of Americans,... Read More

Taliban Announce ‘Amnesty,’ Urge Women to Join Government
International
Taliban Announce 'Amnesty,' Urge Women to Join Government

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban declared an "amnesty" across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate... Read More

Biden to Address Nation on Chaos in Afghanistan
White House
Biden to Address Nation on Chaos in Afghanistan
2021-08-16 17:48:06
by Dan McCue

President Joe Biden cut short what was to have been a five-day stay at Camp David Monday and is slated to address the nation this afternoon on the stunning and still unfolding events in Afghanistan. Biden is scheduled to speak... Read More

Rush on Kabul Airport as Afghans Flee Taliban Takeover
International
Rush on Kabul Airport as Afghans Flee Taliban Takeover

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghans rushed onto the tarmac of the capital's airport on Monday as thousands tried to flee the country after the Taliban seized power with stunning speed. Some clung to the side of a U.S. military transport... Read More

VA, Veterans Bracing for 9/11 Anniversary Against Backdrop of Afghanistan Withdrawal
Veterans
VA, Veterans Bracing for 9/11 Anniversary Against Backdrop of Afghanistan Withdrawal
2021-08-13 15:45:25
by Dan McCue

As the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approaches, the Department of Veterans Affairs and many of the Iraq and Afghanistan-era war veterans they serve are bracing for a surge in the need for mental health and post-traumatic stress care. In response,... Read More

Former Intelligence Officials on the ‘Deteriorating’ Situation in Afghanistan
Think Tanks
Former Intelligence Officials on the ‘Deteriorating’ Situation in Afghanistan
2021-07-28 20:18:54
by Kate Michael

WASHINGTON -- Had President Biden sought Gen. David Petraeus’s advice on the Allied troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, he has made no secret of that fact he would have advised against it, even though the general admits the goals from engaging... Read More

Afghan Allies Headed to U.S. to Avoid Taliban Revenge
Foreign Affairs
Afghan Allies Headed to U.S. to Avoid Taliban Revenge
2021-07-19 20:57:05
by Tom Ramstack

WASHINGTON -- A proposal that would expedite visas for Afghans who assisted the U.S. military glided through a congressional hearing Monday as the urgency grows to save them. As U.S. troops withdraw from Afghanistan, some Afghans who helped the U.S.... Read More

Emmer Urges Biden to Get Afghan Interpreters Out Of Harm’s Way
Foreign Affairs
Emmer Urges Biden to Get Afghan Interpreters Out Of Harm's Way
2021-07-15 20:22:33
by Daniel Mollenkamp

WASHINGTON- A letter from Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Minn., to President Joe Biden this week urged the administration for firm plans to safeguard Afghans who worked with American troops during the War on Terror. As American troops continue to withdraw from... Read More

US to Begin Evacuating Afghans Who Aided American Military
Foreign Affairs
US to Begin Evacuating Afghans Who Aided American Military

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Wednesday that it is prepared to begin evacuation flights for Afghan interpreters and translators who aided the U.S. military effort in the nearly 20-year war. The Operation Allies Refuge flights out of Afghanistan... Read More

Top US Commander in Afghanistan Relinquishes Post
Military
Top US Commander in Afghanistan Relinquishes Post

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan relinquished his position at a ceremony in the capital Kabul on Monday, taking the United States a step closer to ending its 20-year war. The move came as Taliban insurgents... Read More

Biden Says US War in Afghanistan Will End August 31
White House
Biden Says US War in Afghanistan Will End August 31

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday said the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan will conclude on Aug. 31, saying "speed is safety" as the United States seeks to end the nearly 20-year war. "We did not go to... Read More

House Votes to Ease Entry Process for Afghan Interpreters
Congress
House Votes to Ease Entry Process for Afghan Interpreters
2021-06-30 20:19:34
by Daniel Mollenkamp

WASHINGTON- A bipartisan bill that would speed up the refugee process for Afghans who assisted U.S. soldiers passed the House on Tuesday. It is part of the attempt to shield them from retaliation, which has become a pressing issue as... Read More

US to Keep About 650 troops in Afghanistan After Withdrawal
Military
US to Keep About 650 troops in Afghanistan After Withdrawal

WASHINGTON (AP) — Roughly 650 U.S. troops are expected to remain in Afghanistan to provide security for diplomats after the main American military force completes its withdrawal, which is set to be largely done in the next two weeks, U.S.... Read More

Airstrikes Still a Possibility After Afghan Pullout
Defense
Airstrikes Still a Possibility After Afghan Pullout
2021-06-10 13:07:39
by Dan McCue

WASHINGTON — The Defense Department may seek authorization to carry out airstrikes if the capital of Kabul or any other major city in Afghanistan is in danger of falling to the Taliban after the U.S. completes the withdrawal of its... Read More

Withdrawal From Afghanistan Will Diminish U.S. Intelligence Network, CIA Chief Says
Geopolitics
Withdrawal From Afghanistan Will Diminish U.S. Intelligence Network, CIA Chief Says
2021-04-29 19:07:10
by Reece Nations

WASHINGTON — Members of the Senate Intelligence Committee were warned by CIA Director William Burns that American intelligence operations in Afghanistan will be kneecapped by the United States’ imminent withdrawal from the region.  Burns, confirmed as the head of the... Read More

Analysis: Biden Takes a Risk Pulling Troops from Afghanistan
Military
Analysis: Biden Takes a Risk Pulling Troops from Afghanistan

BRUSSELS (AP) — At its start, America's war in Afghanistan was about retribution for 9/11. Then it was about shoring up a weak government and its weak army so that Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida could never again threaten the United... Read More

US Forces to Leave Afghanistan By Sept. 11
Military
US Forces to Leave Afghanistan By Sept. 11
2021-04-13 19:38:35
by Dan McCue

WASHINGTON - U.S. military forces will leave Afghanistan by Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Biden administration officials revealed Tuesday. President Joe Biden is expected to formally announce the plan,... Read More

Former National Security Advisor McMaster ‘Not a Military Drone’
Geopolitics
Former National Security Advisor McMaster ‘Not a Military Drone’
2021-04-09 20:56:02
by Daniel Mollenkamp

Lt. General H.R. McMaster wants you to know he's not a military drone. Despite a long, high-profile career in the military, he has criticisms of American foreign policy, and he expressed those criticisms even when he was in the military.... Read More

Blinken Consults NATO About Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal
Foreign Affairs
Blinken Consults NATO About Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal
2021-03-23 18:58:19
by Daniel Mollenkamp

BRUSSELS- During his tour of America's European allies this week, where he's embracing the need to "revitalize" transatlantic relations, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is also feeling out NATO on whether or not to pull our troops from Afghanistan... Read More

New Defense Chief Urges Taliban to Curtail Attacks
Geopolitics
New Defense Chief Urges Taliban to Curtail Attacks
2021-02-19 22:51:09
by TWN Staff

WASHINGTON - In his first press conference as Pentagon chief, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, said an end to U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan depends entirely on the Taliban reducing attacks on NATO forces. “Clearly the violence is too high right... Read More

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