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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.




Topics

US forces pack up
An Afghan security personnel stand guard in the checkpoint of airport after a suicide attack in Jalalabad province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, March 6, 2019. Militants in Afghanistan set off a suicide blast on Wednesday morning and stormed a construction company near the airport in Jalalabad, the capital of eastern Nangarhar province, officials said. <br>Mohammad Anwar Danishyar/AP

UN chief urges speedy Afghan government and Taliban talks

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is calling for immediate talks between Afghanistan's government and the Taliban, saying the current moment represents "perhaps the most significant chance" to find a negotiated resolution of the country's 17-year war.




Reports from SIGAR
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Transatlantic Afghanistan District wall outside their headquarters at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan.<br>Catherine Lowrey/U.S. Army

Afghan troops accused of abusing contractors and confiscating equipment, US watchdog says

Afghan security forces have been harassing contractors and confiscating their equipment at military bases across the country, costing the U.S. hundreds of thousands of dollars, a government watchdog said.

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

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Transatlantic Afghanistan District wall outside their headquarters at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan.<br>Catherine Lowrey/U.S. Army
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Transatlantic Afghanistan District wall outside their headquarters at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan.<br>Catherine Lowrey/U.S. Army

Afghan troops accused of abusing contractors and confiscating equipment, US watchdog says

Afghan security forces have been harassing contractors and confiscating their equipment at military bases across the country, costing the U.S. hundreds of thousands of dollars, a government watchdog said.

From Left: Navy Chief Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) Shannon M. Kent, 35, of New York; Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan R. Farmer, 37, of Boynton Beach, Fla.; and Former Navy SEAL Scott A. Wirtz, of St. Louis, Mo.<br>
From Left: Navy Chief Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) Shannon M. Kent, 35, of New York; Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan R. Farmer, 37, of Boynton Beach, Fla.; and Former Navy SEAL Scott A. Wirtz, of St. Louis, Mo.<br>

US-backed force says it captured suspects in bombing that killed 4 Americans

Navy Chief Petty Officer Shannon M. Kent, Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Jonathan R. Farmer, Defense Intelligence Agency civilian Scott A. Wirtz and interpreter Ghadir Taher were among 16 people killed in the January incident at a restaurant in northern Syria.

U.S. soldiers move toward a village near Forward Operating Base Zangabad in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, in 2013. The U. S. and the Taliban have drafted an agreement in principle on two of four core issues at the center of peace talks intended to end America's longest war.<br>Stars and Stripes
U.S. soldiers move toward a village near Forward Operating Base Zangabad in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, in 2013. The U. S. and the Taliban have drafted an agreement in principle on two of four core issues at the center of peace talks intended to end America's longest war.<br>Stars and Stripes

ANALYSIS

Afghan government short on options after being shut out of US-Taliban peace talks

President Ashraf Ghani, who once hoped to win re-election as a champion and orchestrator of peace after 17 years of grueling conflict, has been denied that role at Taliban insistence.

In this image from video released by the CIA on Nov. 1, 2017, Hamza bin Laden is shown at his wedding. Years after the death of his father at the hands of a U.S. Navy SEAL raid in Pakistan, Hamza bin Laden finds himself clearly in the crosshairs of world powers. <br>CIA via AP
In this image from video released by the CIA on Nov. 1, 2017, Hamza bin Laden is shown at his wedding. Years after the death of his father at the hands of a U.S. Navy SEAL raid in Pakistan, Hamza bin Laden finds himself clearly in the crosshairs of world powers. <br>CIA via AP

Born into al-Qaida: Hamza bin Laden's rise to prominence

Years after the death of his father at the hands of a U.S. Navy SEAL raid in Pakistan, it is now Hamza bin Laden who finds himself squarely in the crosshairs of world powers.

In this Oct. 31, 2018, photo, Afghan National Army soldiers carry out an exercise during a live firing at the Afghan Military Academy in Kabul, Afghanistan. <br>Rahmat Gul/Associated Press
In this Oct. 31, 2018, photo, Afghan National Army soldiers carry out an exercise during a live firing at the Afghan Military Academy in Kabul, Afghanistan. <br>Rahmat Gul/Associated Press

Taliban kill 22 Afghan forces in attack on checkpoints

Battles mark the latest setbacks for the country's battered security forces, who come under daily attack by the insurgents and have suffered staggering casualties in recent years.

U.S. Army Gen. Scott Miller, NATO-led Resolute Support mission and United States Forces-Afghanistan commander. <br>Courtesy Resolute Support
U.S. Army Gen. Scott Miller, NATO-led Resolute Support mission and United States Forces-Afghanistan commander. <br>Courtesy Resolute Support

US military officials say commander did not visit Mazar-e-Sharif

The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan did not travel to the northern city, according to the U.S.-led NATO Resolute Support mission. An Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman said Friday that Army Gen. Scott Miller had made the trip.

Chinese soldiers visit the Murghab bazaar. <br>Gerry Shih/ The Washington Post
Chinese soldiers visit the Murghab bazaar. <br>Gerry Shih/ The Washington Post

US and China clash over 'belt and road' in Afghan resolution

The United States and China clashed Friday over Beijing's $1 trillion "belt and road" global infrastructure program after the Security Council unanimously approved a bare bones resolution extending the mandate of the U.N. political mission in Afghanistan for six months.

An aerial view of the Pentagon is seen outside Washington, D.C. on Aug. 24, 2018. President Donald Trump met with top national security officials at the Pentagon on Friday, March 15, 2019, to discuss Afghanistan.<br>Jason Robertson/U.S. Air Force
An aerial view of the Pentagon is seen outside Washington, D.C. on Aug. 24, 2018. President Donald Trump met with top national security officials at the Pentagon on Friday, March 15, 2019, to discuss Afghanistan.<br>Jason Robertson/U.S. Air Force

Trump, top national security officials meet at Pentagon to discuss Afghanistan

President Donald Trump had an hour-long, classified meeting with top national security officials on Afghanistan Friday a day after an Afghan official complained that the Trump administration was keeping his government in the dark about its negotiations with the Taliban.

In a still from ''Combat Obscura,'' a film that uses footage shot in Afghanistan by a Marine, a U.S Marine appears to smoke marijuana out of a makeshift bong while deployed to Afghanistan in 2011-12.<br>Courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories
In a still from ''Combat Obscura,'' a film that uses footage shot in Afghanistan by a Marine, a U.S Marine appears to smoke marijuana out of a makeshift bong while deployed to Afghanistan in 2011-12.<br>Courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories

‘Stop looking at these kids as heroes,’ says veteran who made documentary featuring wartime footage of Marines

Former Marine Miles Lagoze hopes his film “Combat Obscura” will alter the “sanitized and sanctified view of the military” many Americans hold by showing them his view of what combat is actually like.

Soldiers with the 3rd Infantry Division provide extra security for a 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade advisor mission during an Afghan-led operation near Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 16, 2018. <br>Sean Kimmons/U.S. Army
Soldiers with the 3rd Infantry Division provide extra security for a 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade advisor mission during an Afghan-led operation near Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 16, 2018. <br>Sean Kimmons/U.S. Army

Afghan official says any US deal with Taliban would 'dishonor' American troops

The Afghan national security adviser, Hamidullah Mohib, charged that any U.S. deal with the Taliban would "dishonor" American troops who have fought and died in the war.

U.S. servicemembers wait on the tarmac in Logar province, Afghanistan, on Nov. 30, 2017.<br>Rahmat Gul/AP
U.S. servicemembers wait on the tarmac in Logar province, Afghanistan, on Nov. 30, 2017.<br>Rahmat Gul/AP

Afghans probe US mistaken airstrike of Afghan army base

Authorities are investigating an errant U.S. strike on an Afghan military base in the country's south that killed at least five Afghan troops, a lawmaker said Thursday.

U.S. soldiers move toward a village near Forward Operating Base Zangabad in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, in 2013. The U. S. and the Taliban have drafted an agreement in principle on two of four core issues at the center of peace talks intended to end America's longest war.<br>Stars and Stripes
U.S. soldiers move toward a village near Forward Operating Base Zangabad in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, in 2013. The U. S. and the Taliban have drafted an agreement in principle on two of four core issues at the center of peace talks intended to end America's longest war.<br>Stars and Stripes

US-Taliban peace talks see progress, but no breakthrough

The United States and the Taliban have drafted an agreement in principle on two of four core issues at the center of peace talks intended to end the U.S.’s longest war, but officials and experts say much work remains.

A U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter prepares for liftoff during offensive operations against the Taliban in Tarin Kot district, Uruzgan province, August 18, 2018. <br>Anthony Martinez/U.S. Army
A U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter prepares for liftoff during offensive operations against the Taliban in Tarin Kot district, Uruzgan province, August 18, 2018. <br>Anthony Martinez/U.S. Army

Friendly fire between Afghan, American forces leaves five dead

The firefight was a result of a lack of communication between Afghan forces, a senior Defense Ministry official said. No Americans were killed or wounded in the incident, said a spokesman for NATO’S Resolute Support mission.

In this Feb. 25, 2019 file photo, representatives of the Taliban and the U.S. take part in talks in an undisclosed place in Doha, Qatar.<br> Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP
In this Feb. 25, 2019 file photo, representatives of the Taliban and the U.S. take part in talks in an undisclosed place in Doha, Qatar.<br> Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs via AP

Afghan journalist wounded in bombing; 10 troops killed

The attacks were the latest violence in war-torn Afghanistan even as the Taliban and the U.S. concluded another round of negotiations held in Qatar, with both sides reporting progress in the talks.

Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, left, meets with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, March 12, 2019. Qureshi said Tuesday that "progress has been made" at ongoing peace talks in Qatar between the Taliban and the U.S. that have stretched over two weeks.<br>Pakistan Foreign Office/AP
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, left, meets with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in Islamabad, Pakistan, Tuesday, March 12, 2019. Qureshi said Tuesday that "progress has been made" at ongoing peace talks in Qatar between the Taliban and the U.S. that have stretched over two weeks.<br>Pakistan Foreign Office/AP

Longest US-Taliban peace talks see 'progress' in Qatar

The longest peace talks between the U.S. and the Taliban to end America's 17-year war in Afghanistan concluded Tuesday night in Qatar, with both sides saying progress had been made.


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