BRUSSELS — NATO could pay a heavy price for leaving Afghanistan too early, its chief warned Tuesday after a U.S. official said President Donald Trump is expected to withdraw a significant number of American troops from the conflict-ravaged country in the coming weeks. NATO has fewer than 12,000 troops from...
IS Attack on Afghan University Leaves 22 Dead, 22 Wounded
KABUL, Afghanistan — Islamic State militants in Afghanistan stormed the Kabul University on Monday as it hosted a book fair attended by the Iranian ambassador, sparking an hours-long gun battle and leaving at least 22 dead and 22 wounded at the war-torn country's largest school. Most of the casualties were...
Trump Bestowing Medal of Honor on Soldier for Hostage Rescue
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will bestow the Medal of Honor on a U.S. soldier Friday for his role in a daring 2015 mission to rescue dozens of hostages who were set to be executed by Islamic State militants in Iraq. Trump picked the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks...
Taliban Make Big Changes Ahead of Expected Talks With Kabul
ISLAMABAD — The Taliban have put the son of the movement's feared founder in charge of their military wing and added several powerful figures to their negotiating team, Taliban officials said. The shake-up, one of the most significant in years, comes ahead of expected talks with Kabul aimed at ending...
Russian Bounties Further Strain Trump's Bond With Veterans
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — They didn't like it when then-candidate Donald Trump criticized John McCain for being captured in combat. They were angrier when Trump, as commander in chief, abandoned Kurdish allies in the Middle East. And they were upset again last month when he threatened to deploy troops against American protesters....
Death Toll From Attack on Kabul Maternity Clinic Rises to 24
KABUL, Afghanistan — Officials on Wednesday raised the death toll from a militant attack on a maternity hospital in Kabul to 24, including mothers, nurses and two babies. A day after the shooting rampage, 20 infants were under medical observation, lying swaddled in blankets in hospital cribs. Militants had stormed...
Militants Kill 2 Babies, 12 Others in Afghan Maternity Clinic
KABUL, Afghanistan — Militants stormed a maternity hospital in the western part of Kabul on Tuesday, setting off an hours-long shootout with the police and killing 14 people, including two newborn babies, their mothers and an unspecified number of nurses, Afghan officials said. While the battle was underway, Afghan security...
Political Turmoil in Kabul Dogs Negotiations With Taliban
KABUL, Afghanistan — After months of deliberation, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Friday announced his 21-member team to negotiate peace with the Taliban, only to have his political opponent reject it as not inclusive enough. Afghanistan's political turmoil has impeded each tentative step toward negotiations with the Taliban — negotiations...
Aid Group Says Mideast Lockdowns Hinder Humanitarian Efforts
CAIRO — An international aid group said Wednesday that closures aimed at containing the coronavirus pandemic are preventing it from reaching 300,000 people in conflict zones across the Middle East, as the coronavirus arrived in war-torn Libya and three more cases were detected in Syria. The Norwegian Refugee Council said...
US, Taliban Set Peace Signing for America's Longest War
WASHINGTON — America's longest war may finally be nearing an end. The United States and the Islamists it toppled from power in Afghanistan are poised to sign a peace deal Saturday after a conflict that outlasted two U.S. commanders in chief and is now led by a third eager to...