ISLAMABAD — The countdown to the signing of a peace agreement between the Taliban and the United States on Feb. 29 to end the 18 years of war in Afghanistan will begin at midnight Friday, when a seven-day “reduction of violence" promised by the Taliban goes into effect, an Afghan...
Devices Found in Missiles, Yemen Drones Link Iran to Attacks
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A small instrument inside the drones that targeted the heart of Saudi Arabia's oil industry and those in the arsenal of Yemen's Houthi rebels match components recovered in downed Iranian drones in Afghanistan and Iraq, two reports say. These gyroscopes have only been found inside...
Suicide Bombing Near Military Academy in Kabul Kills 6
KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide bomber targeting a military academy in the Afghan capital on Tuesday killed at least six people, including two civilians and four military personnel, the Interior Ministry said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing in Kabul, but both the Taliban and militants from the...
US Says 2 Soldiers Killed, 6 Wounded in Afghanistan Attack
KABUL, Afghanistan — Two U.S. soldiers were killed and six wounded in a so-called insider attack in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province late Saturday when an Afghan dressed in an Afghan army uniform opened fire, the U.S. military said. Afghanistan's defense ministry said one Afghan soldier was also killed and three...
Top Commander Sees Increased Iran Threat in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan — There has been an increase in Iranian activity in Afghanistan that poses a risk to American and coalition troops there, a senior U..S. commander said, as the threat from Tehran continues to churn across the Middle East. Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the top U.S. commander for the...
Lemoore Navy Fighter Squadrons Return After Historic Deployment
Two U.S. Navy fighter squadrons based in Lemoore returned home to loved ones Saturday following nearly 10 months away in the Mediterranean and Middle East. The squadrons were assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which just completed a 294-day deployment — the longest since the end of the Cold...
Opinion: The U.S.-Iran Relationship? Well, It's Complicated.
As President Trump and his advisers contemplate the next steps to take in the conflict he instigated with Iran, they are focused primarily on two historical events. First, the seizure of the 52 American hostages at our embassy in Iran in 1979 and Iran’s role in killing hundreds of our...
In Afghanistan, Jailed Taliban Await Peace, Their Freedom
PUL-E-CHARKHI, Afghanistan — Thousands of Taliban prisoners jailed in Afghanistan as insurgents see a peace deal being hammered out between the United States and the Taliban as their ticket to freedom. They know a prisoner release is a key pillar of any agreement that brings an end to Afghanistan’s 18-year...
AP Photos: Unexploded Land Mines Awful Legacy of Afghan Wars
KABUL, Afghanistan — When 9-year-old Eimal stepped out of his home in the Panjshir Valley in northeastern Afghanistan, he had no way of knowing that his life was about to change. He was playing in a field near his home when he stumbled upon what looked to him like a...
A Tattoo at a Time, Afghan Woman Takes on Society’s Taboos
KABUL, Afghanistan — A female tattoo artist, a rarity in ultra-conservative Afghanistan, is taking a big risk with every customer she takes on. It’s been 18 months since Suraya Shaheedi started her mobile tattoo shop in the capital, Kabul. She’s received death threats for taking on the taboo of the...