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...
Trump Names Hostage Envoy O’Brien National Security Adviser
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Wednesday named Robert O'Brien, his chief hostage negotiator and an established figure in Republican policy circles, as his new national security adviser. I am pleased to announce that I will name Robert C. O’Brien, currently serving as the very successful Special Presidential Envoy for...
Did Reagan Meet With Taliban?
NOT REAL NEWS: A Look at What Didn't Happen This Week A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these is legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are...
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...
“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...