WASHINGTON — It's a difficult time for the Pentagon to be without a permanent U.S. defense secretary. The Trump administration is grappling with an escalating crisis with Iran, an unusual and controversial deployment of troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, the nearly two-decade-old war in Afghanistan and stalled talks with North...
“American Taliban” John Walker Lindh Is Released From Prison
John Walker Lindh, the Californian who took up arms for the Taliban and was captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2001, got out of prison Thursday after more than 17 years, released under tight restrictions that reflected government fears he still harbors radical views. President Donald Trump reacted by...
‘American Taliban’ John Walker Lindh to be Released
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — John Walker Lindh, the young Californian who became known as the American Taliban after he was captured by U.S. forces in the invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, is set to go free after nearly two decades in prison. But conditions imposed recently on Lindh's release, slated...
Taliban Attack U.S.-Based Aid Group Office in Afghan Capital, Kill 5
KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban fighters attacked the offices of a U.S.-based aid organization in the Afghan capital Wednesday, setting off a huge explosion and battling security forces in an assault that lasted more than six hours and killed at least five people, the Interior Ministry said. Dozens of civilian vehicles...
Afghan Leader Holds Council to Set Agenda for Taliban Talks
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan's president opened a grand council on Monday of more than 3,200 Afghans seeking to agree on a common approach to peace talks with the Taliban, but the gathering may further aggravate divisions within the U.S.-backed government. President Ashraf Ghani hopes to showcase unity at the four-day...
Marine Running Marathon for Fallen Friends Crawls to Finish
A Marine veteran said all he was thinking about as he crawled to the finish of the Boston Marathon was the men who died after an attack on their convoy in Afghanistan nine years ago. Their names were written on his hand, his shoes and his race bib. They were...
3 American Soldiers, 1 US Contractor Killed in Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan — Three American service members and a U.S. contractor were killed when their convoy hit a roadside bomb on Monday near the main U.S. base in Afghanistan, the U.S. forces said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack. The U.S. and NATO Resolute Support mission said the four...
Pelosi Cancels Afghanistan Trip, Cites Trump 'Leak'
WASHINGTON — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday canceled her plans to travel by commercial plane to visit U.S. troops in Afghanistan, saying President Donald Trump had caused a security risk by talking about the trip. It was the latest twist in what has become a Washington game of brinkmanship...
Have You Read President Trump's Letter to Speaker Pelosi?
The tit-for-tat games play on in Washington, D.C., amid a partial government shutdown over border wall funding that is causing financial hardships for many federal employees. On Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent President Donald Trump a letter asking him to postpone his Jan. 29 State of the Union speech....
Trump in Iraq on First Visit to Troops in Troubled Region
AL-ASAD AIRBASE, Iraq — President Donald Trump made an unannounced visit to Iraq on Wednesday, leaving behind a partially shuttered U.S. government to greet American troops helping hold off extremists in a country where thousands of Americans died during the recent war. It comes a week after Trump stunned his...