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J.P. Lawrence

J.P. Lawrence is a downrange reporter covering Afghanistan and Iraq.

Lawrence joined Stripes in 2018. He previously reported for the San Antonio Express and Albany Times Union. He has written in the U.S. and Africa for the New York Review of Books, Vice, the Intercept and the Associated Press. He served in the U.S. Army and went to Bard College and Columbia University in New York.

Email: lawrence.jp@stripes.com

Sayed Jafar, a carpet salesman in Kabul, sells rugs commemorating the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. As Americans commemorate 9/11, many Afghans either don't know much about it or do not believe the attack happened. <br>J.p. Lawrence / Stars and Stripes
Sayed Jafar, a carpet salesman in Kabul, sells rugs commemorating the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. As Americans commemorate 9/11, many Afghans either don't know much about it or do not believe the attack happened. <br>J.p. Lawrence / Stars and Stripes

Among many Afghans, 9/11 remains unfamiliar or poorly understood

Several Afghans interviewed across the country told Stars and Stripes they either didn’t know why the private memorial was taking place or didn’t believe the terror attacks happened the way they did.

Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy A. Bolyard was identified as the soldier killed in an insider attack in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, Sept. 3, 2018.<br>U.S. Army
Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy A. Bolyard was identified as the soldier killed in an insider attack in eastern Afghanistan on Monday, Sept. 3, 2018.<br>U.S. Army

Decorated soldier killed in Afghanistan attack remembered as leader, mentor

Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy Bolyard, who was killed in an apparent insider attack on Monday, had a calm demeanor and a gift for seeing what needed to be done in a difficult situation, fellow soldiers said.

U.S. Army Lt. Col. Christopher S. Mahaffey, commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Tim Bolyard (center), senior enlisted advisor, of 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, stationed at Fort Stewart, Ga., finish casing their squadron colors Sep. 9, 2016, at Coleman Barracks in Mannheim, Germany.<br>Micah VanDyke/U.S. Army
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Christopher S. Mahaffey, commander, and Command Sgt. Maj. Tim Bolyard (center), senior enlisted advisor, of 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, stationed at Fort Stewart, Ga., finish casing their squadron colors Sep. 9, 2016, at Coleman Barracks in Mannheim, Germany.<br>Micah VanDyke/U.S. Army

Soldier killed in Afghanistan insider attack was on seventh deployment

Command Sgt. Maj. Timothy A. Bolyard died of wounds sustained in the attack at at Camp Maiwand in Logar province.

Image released by the Taliban of Jalaluddin Haqqani, founder of the Haqqani network, on May 25, 2016. <br>Tp/Ropi/Zuma Press/TNS
Image released by the Taliban of Jalaluddin Haqqani, founder of the Haqqani network, on May 25, 2016. <br>Tp/Ropi/Zuma Press/TNS

Deaths of two Afghanistan insurgent group leaders announced in separate incidents

The founder of the Haqqani network, an insurgent group known for high-profile attacks on both military and civilian targets in Afghanistan, has died after a long illness, according to a Taliban spokesman.airstrike.

Gen. Austin Scott Miller assumes command of NATO forces in Afghanistan in a ceremony Sunday at Resolute Support Headquarters in Kabul. <br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
Gen. Austin Scott Miller assumes command of NATO forces in Afghanistan in a ceremony Sunday at Resolute Support Headquarters in Kabul. <br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

Miller replaces Nicholson as US, allied commander in Afghanistan

He takes command of NATO forces in Afghanistan as the country suffers from continued warfare, a devastating drought, and concerns over upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.

Gen. Austin Scott Miller assumes command of NATO forces in Afghanistan in a ceremony Sunday at Resolute Support Headquarters in Kabul. <br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
Gen. Austin Scott Miller assumes command of NATO forces in Afghanistan in a ceremony Sunday at Resolute Support Headquarters in Kabul. <br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

Miller replaces Nicholson as US, allied commander in Afghanistan

He takes command of NATO forces in Afghanistan as the country suffers from continued warfare, a devastating drought, and concerns over upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.

Two Balangiga bells are displayed at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyo.<br>U.S. Army
Two Balangiga bells are displayed at the F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyo.<br>U.S. Army

Two largest veterans’ groups support return of Philippine-American War bells

The nation’s largest veterans organization passed a resolution during a weeklong national conference in favor of returning church bells that were seized by U.S. troops after a battle with Philippine rebels in 1901.

Don Baumgartner, director of Morale, Welfare and Readiness for Area Support Group-Afghanistan, picks up a spin bike he had repaired after finding parts at a scrapyard at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. <br>J.P. Lawrence / Stars and Stripes
Don Baumgartner, director of Morale, Welfare and Readiness for Area Support Group-Afghanistan, picks up a spin bike he had repaired after finding parts at a scrapyard at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan. <br>J.P. Lawrence / Stars and Stripes

Dearth of dumbbells an unexpected result of more troops in Afghanistan

More equipment should be arriving in Afghanistan this fall. Until then, gear for Morale, Welfare and Recreation is coming from an ad hoc scrounging process, finding one set of dumbbells here, digging up an ab machine there.

Staff Sgt. John Sikora tightens bolts on a framework for a new hangar at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 27, 2018. Sikora is with the 557th Expeditionary Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.<br>Kristin High/U.S. Air Force
Staff Sgt. John Sikora tightens bolts on a framework for a new hangar at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, Monday, Aug. 27, 2018. Sikora is with the 557th Expeditionary Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers, Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar.<br>Kristin High/U.S. Air Force

Air Force engineers do the heavy lifting for new Bagram repair shop

Members of the 557th Expeditionary Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operations Repair Squadron Engineer — or “Red Horse” Squadron — have spent the past four months building a new home for Bagram Air Field's top hospital for damaged aircraft.

A crowd flying both Taliban and Afghan flags climbed aboard military vehicles for impromptu parades last June in Logar province during an unprecedented truce between the Taliban and the Afghan government.The Taliban have not yet responded to a three-month cease-fire offer by Kabul.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
A crowd flying both Taliban and Afghan flags climbed aboard military vehicles for impromptu parades last June in Logar province during an unprecedented truce between the Taliban and the Afghan government.The Taliban have not yet responded to a three-month cease-fire offer by Kabul.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

Taliban mum on cease-fire offer by Ghani

The Taliban did not respond as of Monday afternoon to a three-month cease-fire offer, a deal put forward by the Afghan government amid insurgent offensives throughout the country.

In this June 16, 2018 file photo, Taliban fighters gather with residents to celebrate a three-day cease fire marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr, in Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan. On Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a conditional cease-fire with Taliban insurgents for the duration of the Eid al-Adha holiday. Ghani made the announcement Sunday during celebrations of the 99th anniversary of Afghanistan's independence.<br>Rahmat Gul/AP Photo, File
In this June 16, 2018 file photo, Taliban fighters gather with residents to celebrate a three-day cease fire marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Fitr, in Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan. On Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani announced a conditional cease-fire with Taliban insurgents for the duration of the Eid al-Adha holiday. Ghani made the announcement Sunday during celebrations of the 99th anniversary of Afghanistan's independence.<br>Rahmat Gul/AP Photo, File

Ghani offers conditional second cease-fire with an increasingly emboldened Taliban

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Sunday announced a three-month-long cease-fire with the Taliban beginning Monday – but only if the Taliban reciprocate.