Phillip Walter Wellman

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Afghans brave threats, bombings to vote in long-delayed parliamentary elections

Targeted by bombings and hampered by problems, voters across Afghanistan went to the polls on Saturday to cast their ballots in the country’s long-delayed parliamentary elections. “Yes, there were problems today, but they will be solved,” said voter Habibullah Hayed.

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. James Rainey, left, receives the Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan guidon from U.S. Army Gen. Scott Miller, commander, Resolute Support. Rainey assumed command of CSTC-A during a change of command ceremony today in Kabul, Afghanistan.<br>Jordan Belser/Resolute Support

Rainey takes the lead of key coalition command in Afghanistan

Army Lt. Gen. James Rainey became one of the most important leaders of NATO’s Resolute Support mission Friday when he assumed command of Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan.

Ghulam Qadir, 60, speaks of the parliamentary candidates he supports, whose election posters adorn his carpentry shop in Kabul, on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018. <br> Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes

UN sees progress in securing Afghan elections but 'significant' challenges remain

The United Nations on Thursday said NATO-trained, local security forces are creating conditions for most eligible Afghans to vote, as Afghanistan braces for a spike in violence ahead of parliamentary elections next week.

An Afghan security official looks at blood on the walls of the Imam Zaman mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Oct. 21, 2017, a day after an Islamic State suicide bomber launched a deadly attack on the mosque.<br>Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes

UN: Insurgents spur rise in civilian Afghan deaths, but US airstrike casualties also up

The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan documented 8,050 total civilian casualties from January through September. Nearly half — 3,634, including 1,065 deaths — were caused by improvised explosive devices, the weapon of choice for militant groups.

Afghan Security personnel inspect the site of a suicide attack in the Kama district of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday, Oct. 2, 2018. The suicide bomber struck an election rally on Tuesday, killing at least 13 people and wounding more than 30, a provincial official said. <br>AP

UN: IED casualties reach 'extreme levels' in Afghanistan

The United Nations on Sunday called on militants in Afghanistan to stop using improvised explosive devices in civilian areas, after it documented a sharp rise in civilian casualties caused by the explosives this year.

Maj. General Robin Fontes speaks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan's new headquarters Sept. 8, 2018, in Kabul, Afghanistan. After 15 months, Fontes is being replaced as the CSTC-A commander.<br>Debra Richardson/U.S. Army

Highest-ranking female officer in Afghanistan to leave key coalition command

Army Maj. Gen. Robin Fontes, who last year assumed the highest post of any female servicemember in the war in Afghanistan, is being replaced as commander of Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan. She was earlier expected to remain at the command's helm until next summer.

A Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II assigned to the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, receives fuel on Sept. 15, 2018. The Marine Corps' F-35B could fly its first ever combat mission over Afghanistan in the coming days, according to CNN. <br>Keith James/U.S. Air Force

Marine Corps F-35Bs could make debut in Afghanistan, report says

The stealth aircraft were traveling from the Gulf of Aden to the Persian Gulf aboard the USS Essex amphibious assault ship on Wednesday morning, CNN reported.

A federal jury on Monday found Azam Doost, the former owner of a now-inoperative mining company in Afghanistan, guilty of multiple counts of fraud against the U.S. government and defaulting on a nearly $16 million loan.<br>file

Businessman bilked US government of millions for mine in Afghanistan, court says

A California business owner defrauded the U.S. government of nearly $16 million by misusing an American loan intended to help develop a marble mine in western Afghanistan, a U.S. court ruled on Monday.

Medical team members rush toward an Afghan Mi-17 helicopter with wounded soldiers aboard in Faryab province, Afghanistan, August 27, 2018. The U.S.-led coalition is adjusting tactics in light of mounting casualties among local security forces, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Monday at the Pentagon.<br>Nicholas Dutton/U.S. Air Force

Coalition alters tactics in Afghanistan as casualties among local forces mount

The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan is adjusting tactics to address mounting casualties among local security forces, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said this week.

A woman peeks through her burqa to witness events at an International Women's Day celebration in Ghazni City, Afghanistan, March 8, 2011.<br>Courtney Witt/U.S. Air Force

Multi-million US program finds jobs for just 55 Afghan women, new report says

After spending nearly $90 million on an ambitious program designed to provide employment for women and promote gender equality in Afghanistan, the U.S. development agency could find jobs for just 55 women, said a new report by a government watchdog.

Afghan men stand near a damaged house following a Taliban attack in Ghazni, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2018. A Taliban assault on two adjacent checkpoints in northern Afghanistan killed at least 30 soldiers and police, officials said Wednesday.
<br>Rahmatullah Nikzad/Associated Press

Taliban capture another district on the eve of expected cease-fire

Afghan security forces had been battling the Taliban in Faryab province’s Bulcheragh district for a week, before about 100 government employees — mostly police officers — surrendered to the insurgents.

A U.S. Special Operations soldier returns fire while conducting Afghan-led offensive operations against the Taliban in Logar province, Afghanistan, on July 28, 2018. Logar borders Ghazni province, whose capital was stormed by the Taliban on Aug. 10, 2018, part of a string of attacks in the run-up to an expected cease-fire.<br>Nicholas Byers/U.S. Air Force

30 Afghan soldiers killed in latest battlefield reversal

The Taliban stormed two small bases in northern Baghlan province on Wednesday, killing dozens of Afghan troops and police officers — the latest in a string of battlefield successes by the guerrillas, officials said.

An aerial photograph of Highway1 in Ghazni, Afghanistan, on Sunday, Aug. 12, 2018. U.S. Forces-Afghanistan says the road was open to traffic after Taliban militants stormed the city. <br>U.S. Forces-Afghanistan

Battle for Ghazni ebbs as Taliban capture base in northern Afghanistan

The U.S. military appears to have ended its bombing campaign in the embattled city of Ghazni, which was the scene of heavy fighting after the Taliban tried to storm it on Friday.

Afghan media and community members document the arrival of U.S. Army Gen. John Nicholson, Resolute Support Mission commander, during his visit to the provincial governor's compound in Kunduz Province, Afghanistan, July 5, 2018. Resolute Support released a statement Friday, Aug. 10, dismissing claims that a U.S. airstrike in Kunduz last month caused civilian casualties.<br>Sharida Jackson/U.S. Air Force

US says Kunduz airstrike did not kill civilians

U.S. airstrikes in northern Kunduz province last month did not result in civilian casualties despite allegations to the contrary, the U.S. military said on Friday.

A U.S. airstrike supporting in eastern Logar province killed a number of Afghan police officers on Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018, officials claimed.<br>Bev Schilling/Stars and Stripes

US says airstrike did not kill Afghan forces

A U.S. airstrike in eastern Afghanistan this week did not kill any Afghan security forces despite contrary claims by local officials, the U.S. military said in a statement on Wednesday.

US airstrike mistakenly kills Afghan security forces, local officials say

A U.S. airstrike on Tuesday in eastern Logar province mistakenly hit friendly forces and killed several Afghan police officers, local officials said.

Raider soldiers from 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division and soldiers from the Czech Army conduct a patrol in Eastern Afghanistan on July 25, 2018. Three Czech soldiers were killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan on Sunday, Aug. 8, 2015.

(U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Lerone Simmons)<br>Lerone Simmons/U.S. Army

3 Czech troops killed in Afghanistan attack

Three Czech soldiers were killed by a suicide bomber in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday in an attack that also injured one American and two Afghan troops, officials said.

Coalition airstrikes hit ISIS fighters in Afghanistan's Nangarhar and Jawzjan provinces on Feb. 6, 2018. More than 150 ISIS fighters surrendered to the Afghan government on Tuesday, July 31, 2018, after their Taliban enemies recently launched an offensive against them.<br>Jacob Krone/U.S. Army

ISIS flees Taliban onslaught, surrenders to Afghan government forces

The allied coalition’s battle against the Islamic State in Afghanistan received a boost from another enemy Wednesday, when Taliban guerrillas drove ISIS fighters out of northern Jawzjan province.

Street art at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan on Nov. 30, 2016. A group of Georgian soldiers is suspected of stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from an exchange store recently at Bagram, according to preliminary investigation results, military officials said.<br>

Georgian soldiers accused of stealing from Bagram base store

A group of Georgian soldiers is suspected of stealing about $3,600 worth of merchandise from a shop at Bagram Air Field, military officials said Tuesday.

Afghan soldiers move as a squad during training at Camp Shorabak in June, 2018. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, says the country's forces are preventing the Taliban from capturing more territory, but are finding it difficult to extend their own area of control.<br>Luke Hoogendam/U.S. Marine Corps photo

Afghan forces struggling to reclaim lost territory, watchdog says

Recent figures provided by U.S. Forces-Afghanistan indicate the number of people living under government and insurgent control remained the same over the last quarter — despite an intense aerial campaign by U.S. and Afghan forces.

Boys walk in Khak-e-Jabar district, Kabul province on Wednesday, July 18, 2018. The Taliban are said to have taken control of dozens of villages in the district since a U.S.-backed cease-fire by the Afghan government last month.<br>Phillip Walter Wellman/Stars and Stripes

Taliban gaining upper hand in Afghan district after government cease-fire

A steady stream of locals have been lodging complaints about the tangible effects of a U.S.-backed cease-fire by the Afghan government. They fear another truce could help the Taliban take full control of the district.

An airman salutes his fallen comrades on Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015, at Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, during a memorial service for six airmen killed in a suicide bombing two days earlier. One of those killed was Staff Sgt. Peter Taub. A post office in Wyncote, Pa., was renamed for Taub on Monday.

Stars and Stripes<br>Stars and Stripes

Pennsylvania post office is renamed for airman killed in Afghanistan

Air Force Staff Sgt. Peter Taub, who grew up near the post office in Wyncote, Pa., was killed in a suicide attack while on patrol near Bagram Air Field.

Two coalition airstrikes eliminated ISIS-K fighters and facilities in the Nangarhar and Jowzjan provinces of Afghanistan, Feb. 6, 2018. In this photo, an airstrike destroys an ISIS-K fighting position during Afghan Commando offensive operations in Mohmand Valley, Nangarhar province, on Feb. 4.<br>Jacob Krone/U.S. Army

US munition drops on Afghanistan on pace to set record this year

U.S. Air Force data released Friday showed that aircraft released 2,911 bombs and missiles over Afghanistan during the first half of 2018 — a higher number for that period than during the surge of 2010, when about 100,000 American troops were in the country.

Abdul Basir poses for a photo before a January 2018 attack by the Taliban in Kabul took his life. He was 21 at the time of his death.
<br>Photo provided by the family

Afghan civilian deaths up by 1 percent this year

As Abdul-Basir visited the Ministry of Interior, an ambulance packed with explosives killed him and about 100 other people. The former refugee's death is among the toll of civilians killed in the first half of 2018, which is more than any other six-month period since recording began 10 years ago.

Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Andrew Celiz<br>75th Ranger Regiment/Facebook

Pentagon IDs second US soldier killed in Afghanistan within a week

Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Andrew Celiz, 32, from Summerville, S.C., was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga. He died of a wound suffered while fighting in support of a medevac landing zone in eastern Paktia province.

Members of the British Royal Air Force prepare to load a Puma HC Mk2 medium support helicopter on board a Royal Air Force C-17 Globemaster III at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, May 20, 2018. British Prime Minister Theresa May announced on Wednesday, July 11, 2018, that the U.K. would nearly double the number of troops it deploys to Afghanistan.<br>Jordan Belser/Resolute Support

UK to nearly double troops in Afghanistan after Trump request

British Prime Minister Theresa May said Tuesday that 440 more British servicemembers would deploy to the country, bringing the U.K.’s total contribution to about 1,100 troops.