Tillerson makes unannounced side trip to Afghanistan
Middle East / National / Politics / U.S. News

Tillerson makes unannounced side trip to Afghanistan

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has made an unannounced trip to Afghanistan. Tillerson visited Bagram Air Base for talks with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and other senior officials to outline for them the Trump administration’s new South Asia policy. He also underscored the ongoing … Continue reading

Army Sgt. Bergdahl pleading guilty to desertion, misbehavior
Middle East / National / Politics

Army Sgt. Bergdahl pleading guilty to desertion, misbehavior

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl told a military judge on Monday that he’s pleading guilty to desertion and misbehavior before the enemy. “I understand that leaving was against the law,” said Bergdahl, whose decision to walk off his remote post in Afghanistan in 2009 prompted intense search and recovery missions, during … Continue reading

Family held captive by Taliban-linked group released
International News / U.S. News

Family held captive by Taliban-linked group released

ISLAMABAD (AP) — An American woman, her Canadian husband and their three young children have been released after years of being held captive by a network with ties to the Taliban, U.S. and Pakistani officials said Thursday. U.S. officials say Pakistan secured the release of Caitlan Coleman of Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, and her husband, Canadian Joshua … Continue reading

Afghanistan wants more US help in fight against Taliban, IS
International News / National / Politics / U.S. News

Afghanistan wants more US help in fight against Taliban, IS

WASHINGTON (AP) — Afghanistan wants the United States to send more forces to help meet shortfalls in the battle against the Taliban and the Islamic State group, the nation’s top diplomat said Tuesday. Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani welcomed a recent call by U.S. Gen. John Nicholson, the top American commander in Afghanistan, for a few … Continue reading

Canadian man and his wife kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2012
Canada & the Atlantic / Europe

Canadian man and his wife kidnapped in Afghanistan in 2012

WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department said Tuesday it is evaluating a video released by the Afghan Taliban showing a Canadian man and his American wife warning that their Afghan captors will kill them and their children unless the Kabul government ends its executions of Taliban prisoners. The video, which has not been independently verified … Continue reading

Militants attack American University in Afghanistan, 1 dead
Asia / Campus Life / Education / Middle East / National

Militants attack American University in Afghanistan, 1 dead

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Militants attacked the American University of Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least one person and wounding another 18, officials said. AP photographer Massoud Hossaini was in a classroom with 15 students when he heard an explosion on the southern flank of the campus. “I went to the window to see what … Continue reading

Change in command of US-NATO forces in Afghanistan
Asia / International News / Politics / U.S. News

Change in command of US-NATO forces in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — U.S. Army General John W. “Mick” Nicholson took command Wednesday, Mar. 2, of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, inheriting America’s longest war and a vicious Talban-led insurgency. Nicholson, 58, took over from U.S. Army General John F. Campbell, who oversaw the end of the international combat mission in 2014 and a … Continue reading

Top US commander says war in Afghanistan is not a lost cause
Asia / International News / National / Politics / U.S. News

Top US commander says war in Afghanistan is not a lost cause

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top American commander in Afghanistan told lawmakers on Tuesday, Feb 2.,  that the war is not a lost cause and underscored his optimism with a personal story about his son, an Army sergeant preparing for his third deployment to the war-torn country. In sobering testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, … Continue reading