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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

Spc. Miguel Angel Villalon, left, and Staff Sgt. Ian Paul McLaughlin<br>U.S. Army
Spc. Miguel Angel Villalon, left, and Staff Sgt. Ian Paul McLaughlin<br>U.S. Army

Two soldiers killed in Afghanistan were paratroopers on first combat deployment

Staff Sgt. Ian Paul McLaughlin, 29, of Newport News, Va., and Pfc. Miguel Angel Villalon, 21, of Joliet, Ill., died after an improvised explosive device struck their vehicle, said a news release from the 82nd Airborne Division.

Resolute Support logo.<br>
Resolute Support logo.<br>

21-year-old soldier killed in Afghanistan was from Illinois, city says

Two U.S. service members were killed and two U.S. service members were wounded in action Saturday when their vehicle struck an IED in Kandahar province, Afghanistan.

Afghan members of an elite police special forces unit in Herat gather for a drill prior to a raid to capture a Taliban leader on Oct. 28, 2018. The leader of a Taliban splinter faction in the area, Mullah Mohammad Nangyalai, was killed in a drone strike Jan. 8, 2019, the breakaway militant group said.<br>
Afghan members of an elite police special forces unit in Herat gather for a drill prior to a raid to capture a Taliban leader on Oct. 28, 2018. The leader of a Taliban splinter faction in the area, Mullah Mohammad Nangyalai, was killed in a drone strike Jan. 8, 2019, the breakaway militant group said.<br>

Airstrike in western Afghanistan kills leader of Taliban splinter group, may have killed civilians

A U.S. drone strike killed a regional leader of a breakaway faction of the Taliban in western Afghanistan Wednesday and may have killed several civilians, officials and militants said.

Afghan and American musicians assemble on Oct. 23, 2016, at Bagram Airfield. The two groups of musicians closed the show in a joint performance of two traditional Dari folk songs.<br>Courtesy of Capt. Philip D. Tappan
Afghan and American musicians assemble on Oct. 23, 2016, at Bagram Airfield. The two groups of musicians closed the show in a joint performance of two traditional Dari folk songs.<br>Courtesy of Capt. Philip D. Tappan

Bagram’s Afghan music night is the American base’s other ‘sound of freedom’

American troops often dub the deafening roar of fighter jets taking off from the nearby flight line “the sound of freedom,” but in the small auditorium off the base’s Disney Drive where Kaderi and a rotating cast of three to four contract interpreters gather each week, the strains of the stringed rabab and the rhythmic beat of the tabla drums make for a humbler celebration of the concept.

A soldier deployed to the central NATO and international coalition base in Kabul, Afghanistan celebrates Christmas of 2019 by posing for a picture with a Santa in the base cafeteria. <br>J.P. Lawrence / Stars and Stripes
A soldier deployed to the central NATO and international coalition base in Kabul, Afghanistan celebrates Christmas of 2019 by posing for a picture with a Santa in the base cafeteria. <br>J.P. Lawrence / Stars and Stripes

Troops in Afghanistan find ways to cope with Christmas away from home

Contact with families, decorations and camaraderie help troops and civilians deployed to America’s central base in Afghanistan’s capital.

A soldier deployed to the central NATO and international coalition base in Kabul, Afghanistan celebrates Christmas of 2019 by posing for a picture with a Santa in the base cafeteria. <br>J.P. Lawrence / Stars and Stripes
A soldier deployed to the central NATO and international coalition base in Kabul, Afghanistan celebrates Christmas of 2019 by posing for a picture with a Santa in the base cafeteria. <br>J.P. Lawrence / Stars and Stripes

Troops in Afghanistan find ways to cope with Christmas away from home

Contact with families, decorations and camaraderie help troops and civilians deployed to America’s central base in Afghanistan’s capital.

Resolute Support logo.<br>
Resolute Support logo.<br>

US service member killed in action in Afghanistan, Taliban claim responsibility

A U.S. service member was killed in action Monday in Afghanistan, according to a brief statement from U.S. Forces Afghanistan.

Sgt. David Stanfield from the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade demonstrates his fandom with a Star Wars themed tattoo ahead of the Star Wars movie premiere on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.<br>Victoria Goldfedib/U.S. Army
Sgt. David Stanfield from the 10th Combat Aviation Brigade demonstrates his fandom with a Star Wars themed tattoo ahead of the Star Wars movie premiere on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.<br>Victoria Goldfedib/U.S. Army

Troops overseas catch early premiere of new Star Wars movie

Troops howled their best Chewbacca impressions as they waited for the latest Star Wars movie, which premiered in a special showing for troops in Afghanistan on Thursday — several hours before service members deployed across the world had a chance to see the film.

Staff Sgt. Daniel Swensen and Tech Sgt. Gavin Fisher were awarded Silver Stars.<br>U.S. Air Force
Staff Sgt. Daniel Swensen and Tech Sgt. Gavin Fisher were awarded Silver Stars.<br>U.S. Air Force

Pararescuemen receive Silver Stars after saving dozens of lives in Afghanistan

Two airmen who were lauded for their actions in separate clashes received the third-highest military award for bravery.

Zabihullah Bayan, 29, a former Afghan interpreter for the U.S. military, prepares to leave Kabul, Afghanistan, with his family on a special immigrant visa, on Oct. 10, 2019. The program, which was due to expire, is slated to be extended by Congress.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes
Zabihullah Bayan, 29, a former Afghan interpreter for the U.S. military, prepares to leave Kabul, Afghanistan, with his family on a special immigrant visa, on Oct. 10, 2019. The program, which was due to expire, is slated to be extended by Congress.<br>J.P. Lawrence/Stars and Stripes

Afghan interpreters for US military get additional shots at US visas under defense bill

A program that provides visas to interpreters who worked with the U.S. military in Afghanistan has gone from endangered to potentially expanded following House passage of a $738 billion defense policy bill.

U.S. Air Force airmen from the 405th Expeditionary Support Squadron dispose of debris into a dump truck the day after a Taliban attack on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Dec. 12, 2019.<br>Brandon Cribelar/U.S. Air Force
U.S. Air Force airmen from the 405th Expeditionary Support Squadron dispose of debris into a dump truck the day after a Taliban attack on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Dec. 12, 2019.<br>Brandon Cribelar/U.S. Air Force

Cleanup at Bagram begins following Taliban battle at nearby hospital

A pair of Taliban bombs detonated by suicide attackers at a nearby hospital shattered windows and damaged buildings at Bagram Airfield, spurring cleanup efforts after Wednesday’s failed attempt by the insurgents to breach the base.