Afghanistan - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Latest Afghanistan News

A police officer stands guard near bloodstains on the ground at the site of the bomb blast in Ghazni Province.

Suicide Bomber Kills Anti-Taliban Elder

A suicide bomber has killed an anti-Taliban village elder and at least three other people in Afghanistan's central Ghazni Province. More

U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron had opposed calls to allow interpreters and their families to settle in Britain, but backed down following a campaign.

Afghan Interpreters Can Live In Britain

Some 600 Afghan interpreters who worked for British forces in Afghanistan will be given the right to live in Britain. More

Indian President Pranab Mukherjee (left) greets his Afghan counterpart, Hamid Karzai, at the presidential palace in New Delhi.

India Offers More Aid To Afghanistan

India has offered more aid to Afghanistan after international forces withdraw next year. More

Media Watchdog Calls For Probe Into Afghan Journalist's Murder

A leading press freedom organization in Afghanistan has demanded an investigation into the killing of a journalist who was found dead after being missing for weeks. More

A prisoner looks out from a fenced window at the Female Detention Center in Kabul. (file photo)

HRW: More Afghan Women Jailed For 'Moral Crimes'

Human Rights Watch says the number of Afghan women and girls jailed for "moral crimes" has risen by 50 percent in the past 18 months. More

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Latest Blog Posts

Afghan President Hamid Karzai appears before the Afghan parliament in Kabul. (file photo)

Afghan Effort To Boost Protection For Women An Uphill Battle

The rapid withdrawal over the weekend of proposed legislation to expand protections for Afghan women has highlighted obstacles facing elected representatives and others who want to bolster institutional protections for a vulnerable segment of society. More

Incoming Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wipes his brow during a meeting with journalists at his house on the outskirts of Lahore on May 13.

Rashid On Sharif: 'I Don't Think The Military Will Be A Hindrance To Him'

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. More

Blog Archive

Features & Commentary

President Barack Obama said the U.S. now has stricter standards for targeting suspected terrorists with drone strikes.

Intelligence Analyst: Obama Made 'A Promise He Can't Keep'

Anthony Cordesman is a former director of intelligence assessment for the U.S. secretary of defense’s office and a recipient of the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal. He now holds the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He gave RFE/RL Washington Bureau Chief Heather Maher his thoughts about President Barack Obama’s May 23 national security speech.

A map showing the rights of homosexuals around the world (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Interview: In 78 Countries, 'Blind Hatred' Persists Against Homosexuals

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.

Airing Of Dirty Laundry Raises Afghan Hopes That Corruption Will Be Tackled

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.

Sharif Seen As Trying To Reorient Pakistan's Foreign Policy

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.

Changing Americans' Perception Of U.S. Adversaries, One Dish At A Time

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.

Afghan pilots receive training from their NATO allies at the Shindad Air Base in Herat Province. (from NATO video)

Afghan Air Force Struggles To Take Off

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.

The site of a suicide attack in Jalalabad that killed five police officers in March.

Survey On Afghan Suicide Attacks Hits Raw Nerve

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.

Afghan border police hold their positions in the Goshta district of Nangarhar Province, where Afghanistan shares a frontier with Pakistan.

Explainer: What Lies Behind Latest Afghan-Pakistani Tensions?

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.

WATCH: Afghan driver Faiz Ahmad tells RFE/RL about his brutal double amputation at the hands of the Taliban.

Target Of Taliban Justice Tells Of Brutal Amputations

The Taliban has called them "thieves." But other Afghans say they are victims of a brutal example of Taliban justice. RFE/RL takes a closer look at the case of two Afghan private-security-firm employees who each had a hand and foot cut off by the Taliban.

A British soldier shows his rifle to Afghan children during a patrol near the town of Lashkar Gah in Helmand Province. Most U.S. and British troops will be leaving the province by the end of 2014.

Despite Gains Against Taliban, Helmand Residents Feel Insecure

Once the center of the Taliban insurgency, Afghanistan's Helmand Province has seen improved security in recent years. But as the withdrawal date for international troops nears, locals are increasingly pessimistic about their future.

RFE/RL's Radio Azadi is the leading media outlet in Afghanistan today, reaching more than 60 percent of the Afghan population across the country with its radio and Internet programs.