MASON CITY, Iowa — Pete Buttigieg strides past an oversized photograph of himself dressed in fatigues, the Afghan horizon behind him, as he enters a Des Moines arena for an Iowa Democratic Party gala. In his first Iowa television ad, he holds a rifle and points it toward the rubble...
US May Now Keep Some Troops in Syria to Guard Oilfields
KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.S. may leave some forces in Syria to secure oilfields and make sure they don't fall into the hands of a resurgent Islamic State, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Monday, even though President Donald Trump has insisted he is pulling troops out of the country and...
Officials: Blast at Afghan Mosque Kills 62 During Prayers
KABUL, Afghanistan — An explosion rocked a mosque in eastern Afghanistan as dozens of people gathered for Friday prayers, causing the roof to collapse and killing 62 worshippers, provincial officials said. The attack underscored the record-high number of civilians dying in the country's 18-year war. Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the...
Taliban Send High-Level Delegation to Islamabad
ISLAMABAD — The Taliban announced Wednesday they are sending a high-level delegation to Pakistan's capital as part of a tour that has included Russia, China and Iran in a push to resurrect an Afghanistan peace deal with Washington that seemed imminent just a month ago. Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said...
Is America Ready for Gay President? Iowa Casts First Votes
DES MOINES, Iowa — The question posed to Pete Buttigieg — gay, married and running for president — came from a supporter at an Iowa campaign stop: What should he tell friends who say America isn't ready to elect a gay man as president? That prompted a woman in the...
18 Years Later, America Vows to ‘Never Forget’ 9/11
NEW YORK — Americans commemorated 9/11 with solemn ceremonies and vows Wednesday to "never forget" 18 years after the deadliest terror attack on American soil. Victims' relatives assembled at ground zero, where the observance began with a moment of silence and the tolling of bells at 8:46 a.m. — the...
Afghans Brace for Fresh Violence After US-Taliban Talks Halt
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghans braced for a possible new wave of Taliban violence on Monday after President Donald Trump abruptly called off talks with the insurgent group, which vows to continue its fight against what it calls "foreign occupation." Trump's surprise weekend announcement came shortly before a string of highly sensitive days in Afghanistan,...
Dozens Dead or Hurt in Wedding Party Blast in Afghan Capital
KABUL, Afghanistan — A suicide-bomb blast ripped through a wedding party on a busy Saturday night in Afghanistan's capital and dozens of people were killed or wounded, a government official said. More than 1,000 people had been invited, one witness said, as fears grew that it could be the deadliest...
Taliban Suicide Blast in Kabul Kills 14, Wounds 145
KABUL, Afghanistan — A Taliban car bomb aimed at Afghan security forces ripped through a busy Kabul neighborhood on Wednesday, killing 14 people and wounding 145 — most of them women, children and other civilians — shortly after the extremist group and the United States reported progress on negotiating an...
Death Toll in Attack at Afghan Political Office Rises to 20
KABUL, Afghanistan — The death toll from an attack against the Kabul office of the Afghan president's running mate and former chief of the intelligence service climbed to at least 20 people Monday, an official said. Around 50 other people were wounded in Sunday's attack against the Green Trend party...