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Afghanistan

Operation Enduring Freedom: A look back in photos

With the curtain coming down on combat operations, Stars and Stripes is looking back at the U.S. troops who have fought in the war, what they encountered, and how they coped. We present three photo galleries featuring the work of our photographers and reporters who have covered the war in Afghanistan.




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US forces pack up
In this Jan. 5, 2009 file photo, then-U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Zalmay Khalilzad, speaks to reporters at the United Nations headquarters. <br>Mary Altaffer/Associated Press

Taliban hold talks with US envoy in Qatar

Khairullah Khairkhwa, the former Taliban governor of Herat, and Mohammed Fazl, a former Taliban military chief, attended the marathon talks. Both were former inmates at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay.




Reports from SIGAR
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani signs a decree in 2016 establishing an independent Anti-Corruption Justice Center in Kabul, responsible for tackling high-level corruption in Afghanistan.<br>Courtesy of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

Afghan anti-corruption program is corrupt, US officials say

An anti-corruption program once seen as a beacon of hope in Afghanistan is failing to accomplish much, according to U.S. officials who say the nation’s top prosecutor is corrupt.

Congress created the Office of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) to provide independent and objective oversight of Afghanistan reconstruction projects and activities.




Election coverage
Supporters of Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah scramble to grab campaign posters and signs before a rally in Panjshir province. The candidate found a frenzied welcome in the fabled Panjshir Valley, where he has a strong base of support.<br> Josh Smith/Stars and Stripes

VIDEO

Politics in Panjshir: Life on the Afghan campaign trail

As Afghanistan's presidential election entered its final week, fears of violence and corruption concerns didn't stop Afghans from reveling in what would be the country's first peaceful, democratic transfer of power.




Recent videos





More recent reports

Roadside bomb kills two local officials in Afghanistan

Spokesman for the Logar provincial police chief, says that the acting district chief and intelligence director in the Baraki Barak district were killed in the blast late Saturday.

In this Jan. 5, 2009 file photo, then-U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Zalmay Khalilzad, speaks to reporters at the United Nations headquarters. <br>Mary Altaffer/Associated Press
In this Jan. 5, 2009 file photo, then-U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Zalmay Khalilzad, speaks to reporters at the United Nations headquarters. <br>Mary Altaffer/Associated Press

Taliban hold talks with US envoy in Qatar

Khairullah Khairkhwa, the former Taliban governor of Herat, and Mohammed Fazl, a former Taliban military chief, attended the marathon talks. Both were former inmates at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay.

Afghan official: Taliban target police checkpoint, killing five

Abdul Aziz Beg, head of the Badghis council, says three other police were wounded and another detained by the Taliban early Saturday morning in the Qadis district.

Security forces inspect the site of a deadly blast near a demonstration by hundreds of minority Shiites, in the center of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Nov. 12, 2018. According to a report on Nov. 15, an overnight attack by the Taliban on an Afghan police outpost in western Farah province killed 30 policemen.<br>Massoud Hossain/AP
Security forces inspect the site of a deadly blast near a demonstration by hundreds of minority Shiites, in the center of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Nov. 12, 2018. According to a report on Nov. 15, an overnight attack by the Taliban on an Afghan police outpost in western Farah province killed 30 policemen.<br>Massoud Hossain/AP

Taliban kill 30 policemen in west province, Afghan officials say

An overnight attack by the Taliban on an Afghan police outpost in western Farah province killed 30 policemen, Afghan officials said Thursday.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, center, arrives at the Presidential Palace in Kabul on Nov. 1, 2018. <br>Jim Huylebroek/Bloomberg
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, center, arrives at the Presidential Palace in Kabul on Nov. 1, 2018. <br>Jim Huylebroek/Bloomberg

Afghan election, Taliban talks may be on collision course

An important upcoming milestone for Afghanistan's Western-backed democracy and a separate, crucial chance to settle the country's 17-year war appear to be crashing into each other.

In this Dec. 10, 2007 file photo, retired Army Gen. John Abizaid, speaks in San Francisco. <br>Ben Margot/AP
In this Dec. 10, 2007 file photo, retired Army Gen. John Abizaid, speaks in San Francisco. <br>Ben Margot/AP

Trump picks retired general for ambassador to Saudi Arabia

John Abizaid, the longest-serving commander of the U.S. Central Command and a retired four-star general, will fill a key diplomatic vacancy at a time when U.S.-Saudi relations are being tested by the slaying of a journalist critical of the Saudi royal family.

In this Nov. 6, 2018, photo, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, listens during a news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, at the presidential palace, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Ghani is denying the Taliban is winning the war in Afghanistan despite a continuing wave of deadly militant attacks and signs the militants are expanding areas under their control. Ghani said the Afghan state is not at risk of collapse and reiterated his government's intent to seek a negotiated peace. Ghani was speaking by video to an audience in Washington.<br>Massoud Hossaini/AP Photo
In this Nov. 6, 2018, photo, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, listens during a news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, at the presidential palace, in Kabul, Afghanistan. Ghani is denying the Taliban is winning the war in Afghanistan despite a continuing wave of deadly militant attacks and signs the militants are expanding areas under their control. Ghani said the Afghan state is not at risk of collapse and reiterated his government's intent to seek a negotiated peace. Ghani was speaking by video to an audience in Washington.<br>Massoud Hossaini/AP Photo

Afghan leader tells US audience that Taliban not winning war

The president of Afghanistan told a U.S. audience Monday that his country is not losing the war to the Taliban and is not at risk of collapse amid escalating attacks by the militant group and an expansion of the territory it controls.

In this Jan. 5, 2009 file photo, then-U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Zalmay Khalilzad, speaks to reporters at the U.N. headquarters. Taliban officials said Monday, Nov. 12, 2018 that Pakistan has released Abdul Samad Sani, a U.S.-designated terrorist, along with a lower-ranking commander named Salahuddin. It came as Khalilzad launched a second tour of the region.<br>Mary Altaffer/AP
In this Jan. 5, 2009 file photo, then-U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Zalmay Khalilzad, speaks to reporters at the U.N. headquarters. Taliban officials said Monday, Nov. 12, 2018 that Pakistan has released Abdul Samad Sani, a U.S.-designated terrorist, along with a lower-ranking commander named Salahuddin. It came as Khalilzad launched a second tour of the region.<br>Mary Altaffer/AP

Pakistan frees 2 Taliban members as US envoy visits region

Pakistan released two Taliban officials on Monday during U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad's latest visit to the region, in what could be part of American efforts to revive peace talks with the insurgent group, which now controls nearly half of Afghanistan.

Security forces inspect the site of a suicide attack in the capital of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. Afghan officials confirm at least three people killed in a blast happened near a high school and the Kabul municipality office while hundreds of people gather to protest against Taliban attacks in Jaghuri and Malistan districts of eastern Ghazni province. <br>Massoud Hossaini/AP
Security forces inspect the site of a suicide attack in the capital of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Nov. 12, 2018. Afghan officials confirm at least three people killed in a blast happened near a high school and the Kabul municipality office while hundreds of people gather to protest against Taliban attacks in Jaghuri and Malistan districts of eastern Ghazni province. <br>Massoud Hossaini/AP

Suicide bomber kills six at protest demanding better security against Taliban

The explosion took place near where hundreds had gathered to denounce the latest Taliban attacks in Ghazni districts of Jaghuri and Malistan.

Taliban destroy Afghan army base, kill 16

The Taliban carry out near-daily attacks, mainly targeting Afghan security forces at rural outposts. Seventeen years after the U.S.-led invasion, the insurgents control nearly half the country.

Maj. Brent Taylor, who died in Afghanistan on Nov. 3, 2018.<br>Utah National Guard
Maj. Brent Taylor, who died in Afghanistan on Nov. 3, 2018.<br>Utah National Guard

Afghan pilot writes touching letter to widow of slain mayor from Utah

When Army National Guard Maj. Brent Taylor, the mayor of North Ogden, Utah, was killed Nov. 3 in an insider attack, his friend and comrade in arms, Afghan Air Force Maj. Abdul Rahman Rahmani, felt he had to send a message to Taylor's family.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani signs a decree in 2016 establishing an independent Anti-Corruption Justice Center in Kabul, responsible for tackling high-level corruption in Afghanistan.<br>Courtesy of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani signs a decree in 2016 establishing an independent Anti-Corruption Justice Center in Kabul, responsible for tackling high-level corruption in Afghanistan.<br>Courtesy of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

Afghan anti-corruption program is corrupt, US officials say

An anti-corruption program once seen as a beacon of hope in Afghanistan is failing to accomplish much, according to U.S. officials who say the nation’s top prosecutor is corrupt.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, second from left, speaks as he attends a conference on Afghanistan bringing together representatives of the Afghan authorities and the Taliban in Moscow, Friday, Nov. 9, 2018.<br>Pavel Golovkin/AP
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, second from left, speaks as he attends a conference on Afghanistan bringing together representatives of the Afghan authorities and the Taliban in Moscow, Friday, Nov. 9, 2018.<br>Pavel Golovkin/AP

Moscow hosting Afghanistan talks between Taliban and Kabul envoys

Sitting between Afghan envoys and their fierce rivals from the Taliban movement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Friday promised to work for a united and peaceful Afghanistan, showcasing his country's return to the diplomatic forefront of the 17-year war.

Afghan members of an elite police special forces unit in Herat gather for a drill prior to a raid to nab a Taliban leader Oct. 28, 2018. <br>J.P. Lawrence / Stars and Stripes
Afghan members of an elite police special forces unit in Herat gather for a drill prior to a raid to nab a Taliban leader Oct. 28, 2018. <br>J.P. Lawrence / Stars and Stripes

gallery

Elite Afghan police begin first missions while regular forces remain undermanned

Herat’s new National Mission Unit is a police force intended for combat missions and advised by NATO instructors. Afghanistan hopes to double the number of crack units such as this one in Herat, a city of about 400,000 and the country’s third-largest.

Mayor Brent Taylor's fundraising site has reached almost $400,000 in two days. <br>Screenshot from GoFundMe
Mayor Brent Taylor's fundraising site has reached almost $400,000 in two days. <br>Screenshot from GoFundMe

Fund drive for family of major killed in Afghanistan approaches $400K

As of Tuesday morning, $362,000 had been raised for the wife and seven children of Maj. Brent Taylor, 39, a Utah National Guardsman who was fatally shot on Nov. 3 by one of his Afghan trainees.


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