Afghanistan - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Latest Afghanistan News

A spokesman for the Pakistani president quoted Asif Ali Zardari as reiterating Pakistan's support for the Afghan peace process.

Afghan, Pakistani Leaders Talk Peace

Pakistan's president has publicly backed efforts to seek reconciliation with the Taliban in a bid to end the war in Afghanistan, now in its 11th year. More

Kabul, Washington 'In Contact With Taliban'

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been quoted as saying there have been secret contacts between the United States and Afghan governments and the Taliban. More

Efforts to curb Afghanistan's opium crop have had little impact.

UN: Afghan Opium Trade Strengthens

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says the world is failing to eradicate the drug trade in Afghanistan, where opium production has grown by 61 percent in the past year. More

NATO Regrets Deaths Of 8 Youths

The U.S.-led NATO force in Afghanistan says it regrets that eight young Afghan males were killed in a NATO air strike in the northeastern province of Kapisa on February 8. More

An Afghan man watches an Indian soap opera at his TV shop in Kabul. The Afghan culture minister said that female newsreaders should appear different from actresses in movies and soap operas.

Afghan Minister Backs TV Head Scarves

Afghanistan's Culture and Information Ministry has defended its request that female television presenters wear head scarves and avoid heavy makeup, which one newscaster has warned will contribute to her feeling of "being caged." More

More Afghanistan News

Gandhara -- Blogging Afghanistan

Family members of missing Baluchs, mostly political activists, rally in protest on the eve of international Human Rights Day in Quetta, Balochistan, on December 10, 2011.

U.S. Hearing On Balochistan Raises Hackles, Awareness

The U.S. Congressional hearing last week on Balochistan, the largest of Pakistan's four provinces, though it was firmly rejected by Islamabad, is being seen in Pakistan as any eye-opener for the state and its security agencies. More

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

Blog Archive

Features & Commentary

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs.

With no domestic ID system in place, passports are essentially Afghanistan

Afghans Accuse Authorities Of Passport Scam

A shortage of blank passports in Afghanistan has led to a flourishing black market for the little blue books, according to Afghans who say they have had to go underground to obtain them.

The Mes Aynak archaeological site in Afghanistan

Afghanistan's Cultural Riches Threatened By Mineral Wealth

More than 10 years ago, the Taliban blew up Afghanistan's ancient Buddha statues of Bamiyan, sparking international outcry. Now, the country's diverse cultural heritage is facing a new threat as a Chinese mining company prepares to destroy another ancient archaeological site.

A midwife helps a mother with her newborn baby at the Razai Foundation Maternity Hospital in Herat. In Afghanistan, not having a son can doom a mother

Baby Girls Seen As Mixed Blessing In Afghanistan

Many Afghan families put a premium on sons, rather than daughters, as chillingly highlighted by a recent report that a woman may have been killed by her husband for the crime of not delivering a boy.

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.