Afghanistan - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Saturday, February 04, 2012

Latest Afghanistan News

NATO: Afghan Troops To Take Lead By 2013

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says he expects Afghan forces to take full responsibility for security in the country by mid-2013, allowing NATO to gradually phase out combat troops from that time. More

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar

Pakistan To Push Afghan Peace Talks

Pakistan's foreign minister says her country is ready to push the Taliban and other insurgent groups to enter negotiations to end the war in Afghanistan -- but only after the Afghan people agree on the outline of a solution to the conflict. More

NATO Soldier Killed In Afghanistan

The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan says a man wearing an Afghan army uniform has shot and killed a NATO soldier in the south of the country. More

Afghan Militant Confirms Talks

A representative from the Hizb-i-Islami militant group has confirmed talks are in progress with representatives from the U.S. and Afghan governments as well as military officials from the U.S. and the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). More

The leaked report alleges that Pakistan's intelligence service is touting the need for continued jihad against "foreign invaders" in Afghanistan.

Pakistan 'Helping' Afghan Taliban

A leaked NATO report says Pakistani secret services are helping Afghanistan's Taliban militants. More

More Afghanistan News

Gandhara -- Blogging Afghanistan

A policeman, rescue workers, and security officials collect evidence from the site of a bomb attack in western Pakistan in January.

Strong Criticism Of Pakistan Practices On Rights

Human Rights Watch suggests Pakistan is a state where a democratic government under considerable pressure from the army is failing to hold those responsible for serious abuses accountable. More

The Swede Who Convinced Taliban To Allow Girls Schools

These days Anders Fange, 65, lectures on Afghanistan around his native Sweden. His main challenge is to convince skeptical audiences to shed preconceptions when they think about Afghanistan. He hones this point by drawing on nearly three decades of experience in that mountainous country. More

Blog Archive

Features & Commentary

Afghan President Hamid Karzai meets with Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar in Kabul on February 1.

Interview: Rashid On 'Bad Timing' Of NATO Report On Pakistan And Taliban

Ahmed Rashid, a journalist and the well-respected author of several books on the Taliban and militant Islam, answers questions about the impact of a leaked NATO report that alleges that Pakistan's ISI intelligence agency is "intimately involved" with the Afghan insurgency. Rashid spoke with RFE/RL correspondent Abubakar Siddique.

The sextuplets were born prematurely and are being kept in incubators.

In Afghanistan, Worried Mother Of Sextuplets Gets Help

Local authorities in the northern Afghan province of Balkh have stepped in to provide assistance to a young mother who had expressed dismay at how she would be able to care for her six newborns. Sara Gul delivered three boys and three girls early on January 24.

NATO tankers are parked near oil terminals in the port city of Karachi after Pakistani authorities shut vital NATO supply routes into Afghanistan.

Pakistan Keep Afghan Border Shut

For six weeks, Pakistan has blocked NATO supply trucks from entering Afghanistan. Now, as Islamabad looks to reset ties with NATO, there is still no certainty about when the border will reopen.

Afghan Girls Throw Punches, Aim For Olympic Gold

Once, Kabul's Ghazi stadium was used by the Taliban for public punishment, like stoning women for adultery. Now it's where Afghanistan's first team of female boxers trains, aiming for gold in this summer's Olympic Games.

Fifteen-year-old Sahar Gul is seen after her rescue from imprisonment and torture, allegedly at the hands of her husband and in-laws.

Afghan Newlywed Girl Rescued From Torture

The torture endured by a 15-year-old newlywed allegedly at the hands of her husband and in-laws has shocked Afghan officials and the world alike.

An Afghan rape victim, who calls herself ″Gulnaz,″ was jailed for the crime of "forced adultery" after she was attacked.

Afghan Victim 'Wants To Marry' Attacker

An Afghan woman, who was jailed for "forced adultery" after a relative raped her before subsequently being pardoned amid an international outcry over the case, says she wants to marry her attacker to avoid "hostility" and so her baby daughter does not grow up "as an orphan."

Pakistani students of the Islam-e Jamiat party rally to condemn a meeting organized by the U.S. Embassy supporting gay rights in Islamabad in July.

Will U.S. Move On Global Gay Rights Hurt, Or Help?

Gay-rights activists have welcomed a U.S. move to call on government agencies to lead the fight to combat antigay discrimination abroad. But others have warned it may make the struggle for gay rights even harder in parts of the world where anti-American sentiment is rising.

People react seconds after a suicide blast targeting a Shi

Pakistani Extremist Group In Focus After Unprecedented Attack On Afghan Shi'a

A Sunni militant group with a long history of attacks against Shi'a in Pakistan has taken responsibility for the unprecedented attack on Shi'a marking the Day of Ashura in Afghanistan.

RFE/RL's Radio Azadi is the leading media outlet in Afghanistan today, reaching 50 percent of the Afghan population across the country with its radio and Internet programs.