http://www.rferl.org/archive/Afghanistan/latest/654/654.html RFE/RL's latest news, features, commentary, and multimedia content on Afghanistan http://www.rferl.org/img/rssLogo_RFERL.gif http://www.rferl.org/archive/Afghanistan/latest/654/654.html en-US Copyright 2010 - RFE/RL, Inc. 60 Mon, 20 May 2013 05:40:15 +0000 Pangea CMS – RFE/RL Spokesman Aimal Faizi says Afghan President Hamid Karzai will discuss recent Afghan-Pakistani border skirmishes when he visits New Delhi and will seek Indian help in strengthening Afghan security forces. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-military-aid-india-karzai-pakistan-border/24990809.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-military-aid-india-karzai-pakistan-border/24990809.html Sun, 19 May 2013 15:22:36 +0000 Afghanistan RFE/RL Just minutes into the May 18 debate on a law aimed at preventing violence against women, the parliament’s speaker ended proceedings amid strong opposition from legislators who called the law un-Islamic. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-women-rights-violence/24990048.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-women-rights-violence/24990048.html Sat, 18 May 2013 12:02:51 +0000 Afghanistan An Afghan police chief has been killed after two militants riding on motorcycles opened fire on his vehicle in western Afghanistan. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-assassination-police-chief/24989824.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-assassination-police-chief/24989824.html Sat, 18 May 2013 08:26:33 +0000 Afghanistan Afghan officials say at least nine people were killed and dozens injured after twin car bombs exploded inside a barricaded housing complex in the country's restive south. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-bombing/24989565.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-bombing/24989565.html Fri, 17 May 2013 18:15:25 +0000 Afghanistan What is the state of LGBT rights in the world today? To mark International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) has released a map charting the rights of homosexuals around the world. The co-secretary general of ILGA, Renato Sabbadini, spoke to RFE/RL's Claire Bigg. http://www.rferl.org/content/homosexuals-rights-worldwide-interview/24988901.html http://www.rferl.org/content/homosexuals-rights-worldwide-interview/24988901.html Fri, 17 May 2013 09:44:09 +0000 Features Cars, liquor, and nepotism. Not subjects often discussed in the Afghan parliament. But this week's hearings were different and they have caused a sensation in Kabul. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-corruption-minister-zakhilwal/24988296.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-corruption-minister-zakhilwal/24988296.html Thu, 16 May 2013 15:34:08 +0000 Afghanistan Abubakar Siddique NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan says two of its military personnel and four civilian contractors have been killed in a suicide car bombing in Kabul. http://www.rferl.org/content/suicide-bomber-attacks-convoy-in-kabul/24987591.html http://www.rferl.org/content/suicide-bomber-attacks-convoy-in-kabul/24987591.html Thu, 16 May 2013 06:43:38 +0000 Afghanistan RFE/RL The Afghan Finance Minister has rejected a report by a U.S. government watchdog that Kabul has levied nearly $ 1 billion in illegitimate taxes on contractors working on U.S.-funded reconstruction projects, http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-foreign-minister-zakhilwal-rejects-us-tax-claims-contractors/24987339.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-foreign-minister-zakhilwal-rejects-us-tax-claims-contractors/24987339.html Wed, 15 May 2013 19:32:34 +0000 Afghanistan RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan The Taliban says it has released the four remaining Turks held hostage since their helicopter crashed in eastern Afghanistan last month. http://www.rferl.org/content/taliban-release-remaining-turkish-engineers/24986125.html http://www.rferl.org/content/taliban-release-remaining-turkish-engineers/24986125.html Tue, 14 May 2013 16:45:30 +0000 Afghanistan NATO has lowered the death toll in a roadside bombing in Afghanistan, saying three U.S. service personnel were killed instead of four, as was earlier reported. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-us-soldiers-killed-south/24986112.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-us-soldiers-killed-south/24986112.html Tue, 14 May 2013 16:32:26 +0000 Afghanistan The U.S. government's leading oversight authority on Afghanistan's reconstruction says the Afghan government has levied nearly $1 billion in taxes on contractors supporting Washington's efforts in the war-torn country. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-contractors-taxes-one-billion/24986044.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-contractors-taxes-one-billion/24986044.html Tue, 14 May 2013 15:33:22 +0000 Afghanistan RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan Pakistan's Prime Minister-designate Nawaz Sharif is seen as keen on improving relations with the country's neighbors. In an interview with RFE/RL correspondent Abubakar Siddique, Pakistani author Ahmed Rashid weighed in on Sharif's likely approach to relations with Pakistan's neighbors and the United States. http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-sharif-interview-rashid/24985934.html http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-sharif-interview-rashid/24985934.html Tue, 14 May 2013 14:25:15 +0000 Gandhara http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-sharif-interview-rashid/24985934.html#relatedInfoContainer Pakistan's neighbors and global powers have welcomed Nawaz Sharif's victory in the country's May 11 general elections, in the hope that he will stabilize the country and change its external outlook. RFE/RL looks at Sharif's potential foreign policy moves. http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-sharif-foreign-policy/24985790.html http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-sharif-foreign-policy/24985790.html Tue, 14 May 2013 12:54:17 +0000 Pakistan Abubakar Siddique An Afghan official says a motorcycle bomb has exploded in a crowded market in the southern province of Helmand, killing at least three people and injuring seven. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-market-bombing-motorcycle/24985673.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-market-bombing-motorcycle/24985673.html Tue, 14 May 2013 11:40:42 +0000 Afghanistan Afghanistan's finance minister has leveled detailed corruption allegations at several lawmakers during a televised session of the parliament's lower house. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-finance-minister-zakhilwal-corruption/24984671.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-finance-minister-zakhilwal-corruption/24984671.html Mon, 13 May 2013 13:07:52 +0000 Afghanistan A roadside bombing in Afghanistan's Kandahar Province has killed at least 10 civilians and injured at least 12. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghan-finance-minister-accuses-corrupt-lawmakers/24984621.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghan-finance-minister-accuses-corrupt-lawmakers/24984621.html Mon, 13 May 2013 12:37:44 +0000 Afghanistan Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan say they will soon release the remaining four of eight Turks they captured last month. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-taliban-soon-free-turkish-hostages/24984363.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-taliban-soon-free-turkish-hostages/24984363.html Mon, 13 May 2013 09:44:24 +0000 Afghanistan Iran's ambassador to Afghanistan has visited the Foreign Ministry in Kabul after being summoned by the Foreign Ministry in Kabul over the reported killing of Afghan migrants by Iranian border guards. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-iranian-ambassador-summoned-border-killings/24984341.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-iranian-ambassador-summoned-border-killings/24984341.html Mon, 13 May 2013 09:25:21 +0000 Afghanistan RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced that the Taliban has freed four Turkish engineers in Afghanistan. http://www.rferl.org/content/taliban-turkish-engineers-freed-afghanistan/24983881.html http://www.rferl.org/content/taliban-turkish-engineers-freed-afghanistan/24983881.html Sun, 12 May 2013 15:51:35 +0000 Afghanistan Deputy Secretary of State William Burns says the United States expects that Afghan forces will lead all combat operations in Afghanistan before the end of this year. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-william-burns-security-control/24983618.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-william-burns-security-control/24983618.html Sun, 12 May 2013 09:46:06 +0000 Afghanistan White House spokesman Jay Carney said on May 9 that any U.S. military presence in Afghanistan after most foreign troops withdraw in 2014 would "only be at the invitation of the Afghanistan government." http://www.rferl.org/content/afghan-american-military-bases-carney/24982129.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghan-american-military-bases-carney/24982129.html Fri, 10 May 2013 09:27:10 +0000 Afghanistan German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere flew into Mazar-e Sharif, the northern Afghan city where German forces are based, on May 10. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-merkel-visit-germany/24981968.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-merkel-visit-germany/24981968.html Fri, 10 May 2013 06:45:48 +0000 Afghanistan Afghan President Hamid Karzai says the United States wants to keep nine military bases in Afghanistan after the planned withdrawal of most foreign troops from the country by the end of 2014. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-us-bases/24981122.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-us-bases/24981122.html Thu, 09 May 2013 10:14:44 +0000 Afghanistan Violence has broken out at an anti-Pakistan demonstration in southern Afghanistan, with reports of at least 11 dead. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-deaths-pakistan-protest/24980726.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-deaths-pakistan-protest/24980726.html Wed, 08 May 2013 20:38:13 +0000 Afghanistan RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan President Vladimir Putin says Russia must strengthen security in its southern regions and work with Central Asian allies to protect itself against the threat of extremist violence emerging from Afghanistan. http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-putin-afghanistan-threat/24980725.html http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-putin-afghanistan-threat/24980725.html Wed, 08 May 2013 20:30:35 +0000 Russia RFE/RL A restaurant in Pittsburgh is serving up dishes from places like Iran and Cuba as a way to give Americans a new way to think about countries they might fear or distrust. http://www.rferl.org/content/americans-conflict-kitchen/24980086.html http://www.rferl.org/content/americans-conflict-kitchen/24980086.html Wed, 08 May 2013 10:03:00 +0000 Features Heather Maher Afghanistan's nascent air force is being groomed to replace NATO's huge fleet of jets, helicopters, and cargo planes as the coalition prepares to withdraw next year. But a chronic shortage of aircraft and pilots has seen the Afghans struggle to get airborne. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-air-force/24978158.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-air-force/24978158.html Mon, 06 May 2013 12:43:01 +0000 Afghanistan Frud Bezhan The clash was in the same district as a bloody skirmish last week in which Afghan forces destroyed a border gate and checkpoint installed recently by Pakistan near the Durand Line. http://www.rferl.org/content/border-durand-line-afghanistan-pakistan-fighting/24977795.html http://www.rferl.org/content/border-durand-line-afghanistan-pakistan-fighting/24977795.html Mon, 06 May 2013 07:48:40 +0000 Afghanistan RFE/RL Eight NATO soldiers, including seven Americans and one German, have been killed in three separate incidents in one of the deadliest days for Western troops in Afghanistan for months. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-nato-troops-killed/24976930.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-nato-troops-killed/24976930.html Sun, 05 May 2013 00:23:38 +0000 News RFE/RL The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) says five of its soldiers have been killed in a roadside bomb attack in southern Afghanistan. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-nato-killed/24976769.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-nato-killed/24976769.html Sat, 04 May 2013 13:34:52 +0000 Afghanistan Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called on the Taliban to "turn their weapons" against those who "plot" against Afghanistan. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-karzai-taliban-enemies/24976659.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-karzai-taliban-enemies/24976659.html Sat, 04 May 2013 11:32:21 +0000 Afghanistan RFE/RL The United Nations is warning of massive population displacements due to military operations and ongoing fighting between rival armed groups in northern Pakistan, near the Afghan border. http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-afghanistan-border-displaced/24976471.html http://www.rferl.org/content/pakistan-afghanistan-border-displaced/24976471.html Sat, 04 May 2013 08:22:41 +0000 Pakistan RFE/RL Three Afghans who worked as interpreters for British troops in Afghanistan have launched a legal bid in London to overturn a government decision not to give them the same benefits Britain gave to Iraqi interpreters. http://www.rferl.org/content/uk-afghan-interpreters-sue/24976292.html http://www.rferl.org/content/uk-afghan-interpreters-sue/24976292.html Fri, 03 May 2013 18:08:23 +0000 Afghanistan U.S. President Barack Obama has named veteran diplomat James Dobbins as his special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan. http://www.rferl.org/content/us-envoy-afghanistan-pakistan/24976286.html http://www.rferl.org/content/us-envoy-afghanistan-pakistan/24976286.html Fri, 03 May 2013 17:56:13 +0000 News A global survey of Muslims has found more support in Afghanistan for suicide bombing than among Muslims anywhere else in the world except the Palestinian Territories. That has fueled a debate about whether the findings are accurate and whether they reflect a shift in opinion. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-suicide-attacks-survey/24976168.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-suicide-attacks-survey/24976168.html Fri, 03 May 2013 15:34:18 +0000 Afghanistan Ron Synovitz http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-suicide-attacks-survey/24976168.html#relatedInfoContainer May 3 was proclaimed World Press Freedom Day by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993. http://www.rferl.org/content/world-press-freedom-day/24975281.html http://www.rferl.org/content/world-press-freedom-day/24975281.html Fri, 03 May 2013 01:12:36 +0000 News RFE/RL Afghan President Hamid Karzai has again called for the United States to close down its detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. http://www.rferl.org/content/karzai-guantanamo/24975614.html http://www.rferl.org/content/karzai-guantanamo/24975614.html Thu, 02 May 2013 22:40:50 +0000 Afghanistan Clashes have broken out between Afghan and Pakistani security forces along the countries' disputed border. RFE/RL looks at the history behind the latest skirmishes. http://www.rferl.org/content/explainer-afghanistan-pakistan-bordee-tensions/24975170.html http://www.rferl.org/content/explainer-afghanistan-pakistan-bordee-tensions/24975170.html Thu, 02 May 2013 16:31:58 +0000 Afghanistan Frud Bezhan Local officials say eight police officers have been killed in a roadside bomb attack in the eastern Afghan province of Logar. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-bomb-police-killed-logar/24974730.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-bomb-police-killed-logar/24974730.html Thu, 02 May 2013 11:09:09 +0000 Afghanistan RFE/RL An Afghan border guard has reportedly been killed and three others injured during a six-hour clash with Pakistani troops along a disputed border line between the two countries. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-pakistan-border-clash/24974495.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-pakistan-border-clash/24974495.html Thu, 02 May 2013 07:58:56 +0000 Afghanistan RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan Media freedom throughout the world declined last year to its lowest point in almost a decade, according to a new report from Freedom House, a U.S.-based democracy-monitoring organization. http://www.rferl.org/content/freedom-house-media-freedom-low-point/24974229.html http://www.rferl.org/content/freedom-house-media-freedom-low-point/24974229.html Wed, 01 May 2013 18:16:04 +0000 News RFE/RL A number of girls appear to have been poisoned at a school in the Afghan capital, Kabul. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-schoolgirls-poisoned-peace-council-member-killed/24973803.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-schoolgirls-poisoned-peace-council-member-killed/24973803.html Wed, 01 May 2013 11:53:55 +0000 Afghanistan RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan Three NATO soldiers killed in the southern Afghan province of Helmand have been identified as British. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-british-soldiers-afghans-killed-roadside-bombs/24973596.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-british-soldiers-afghans-killed-roadside-bombs/24973596.html Wed, 01 May 2013 08:37:16 +0000 Afghanistan Pakistan has closed its main border crossing with Afghanistan along the highway linking Kabul and Islamabad. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-pakistan-border-problem/24973018.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-pakistan-border-problem/24973018.html Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:35:47 +0000 Pakistan RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan Afghan President Hamid Karzai has confirmed his office received money from the U.S. government. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-karzai-confirms-cia-funds/24971981.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-karzai-confirms-cia-funds/24971981.html Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:37:46 +0000 Afghanistan The international coalition in Afghanistan says a cargo plane crashed on April 29 at Bagram Airfield, about 60 kilometers north of Kabul. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-civilian-cargo-plane-crashes-bagram-airfield/24971866.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-civilian-cargo-plane-crashes-bagram-airfield/24971866.html Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:00:24 +0000 Afghanistan Alliance officials said there was no insurgent activity when the plane went down in the province of Zabul. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-plane-crash/24970591.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-plane-crash/24970591.html Sat, 27 Apr 2013 22:36:12 +0000 Afghanistan RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan Taliban militants in Afghanistan have declared the start of their annual spring offensive, saying they will carry out attacks nationwide as foreign troops prepare to withdraw. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-taliban-spring-offensive/24970107.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-taliban-spring-offensive/24970107.html Sat, 27 Apr 2013 08:36:48 +0000 Afghanistan Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov is warning that Afghanistan will face new challenges because of the country's "degrading political and military situation." http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-afghanistan-warning/24969403.html http://www.rferl.org/content/russia-afghanistan-warning/24969403.html Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:18:57 +0000 Russia Afghan officials say 45 people have been killed in a road incident near the southern city of Kandahar. http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-bus-crash-kandahar/24969092.html http://www.rferl.org/content/afghanistan-bus-crash-kandahar/24969092.html Fri, 26 Apr 2013 07:34:11 +0000 Afghanistan RFE/RL's Radio Free Afghanistan