Afghanistan News

Taliban want to expel foreign troops, not win power

KABUL (Reuters) – The Taliban are fighting not to win power but to push foreign armies out of Afghanistan and U.S. President Barack Obama will only make the country more unstable by sending more troops, a former Taliban official said on Wednesday. “The plan that he had to increase the …

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Suicide bomb kills 2 Afghan soldiers, wounds 3

KABUL (Reuters) – A suicide car bomb killed two Afghan soldiers and wounded three Wednesday in the western province of Herat, the Defense Ministry said. Violence in Afghanistan has surged over the last year to its worst level since 2001, with Taliban militants launching more suicide and roadside bomb attacks …

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Petraeus on Afghan visit after supply routes deal

KABUL (Reuters) – U.S. General David Petraeus met Afghan President Hamid Karzai overnight, U.S. officials said on Wednesday, after the regional military chief said deals had been made on new transport routes into Afghanistan from Central Asia. The U.S. military has had to look at new ways to help supply …

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FACTBOX: Afghan supply routes: problems and possibilities

(Reuters) – Agreements have been reached for new transport routes for Western Forces into northern Afghanistan through Central Asian states and Russia, the Chief of the U.S. Central Command said on Tuesday General David Petraeus said those routes could supplement the shipment of supplies for Western forces in Afghanistan through …

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Avalanches kill at least 10 in Afghanistan: official

KABUL (Reuters) – A series of avalanches have killed at least 10 people in Afghanistan and authorities were still searching for those feared missing, an official said on Sunday. The avalanches hit the southern part of the Salang Tunnel Friday, the main highway linking southern Afghanistan with the north of …

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Britain urges Europe to do more in Afghanistan

LONDON (Reuters) – Britain urged its European NATO partners on Thursday to step up their military contribution in Afghanistan, saying it was wrong to expect the United States to do the lion’s share of the fighting. In Britain’s strongest criticism yet of the effort its European allies are putting into …

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Afghan general dies in helicopter crash: officials

HERAT, Afghanistan (Reuters) – An Afghan army helicopter crashed Thursday in the western province of Herat, killing a top Afghan army general and 12 soldiers, officials said. General Fazl Ahmad Sayar was one of the Afghan army’s key commanders in charge of the western region, the Defense Ministry said in …

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Arrest of Taliban Leaders Raises Hope for Freedom of Iranian Diplomat

TEHRAN (FNA)- The arrest of two key Taliban commanders has raised hopes among the authorities for recovering the Afghan and Iranian diplomats missing since last year, Pakistani officials said. “If the two commanders’ release can help recover the two missing diplomats, the federal government may allow authorities to go ahead …

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Biden in Afghanistan to meet leaders

KABUL (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President-elect Joe Biden arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday to meet political and military leaders in the war-torn country, which will become a top foreign policy priority of the new administration. One of the first decisions U.S. President-elect Barack Obama is expected to make is to …

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Two U.S. soldiers killed in Afghan suicide attack

KABUL (Reuters) – Two U.S. soldiers were killed in a suicide car bomb attack in a market in southern Afghanistan, NATO said Friday, adding the Taliban had claimed responsibility. The attack happened Thursday beside a busy market in the Maywand district of Kandahar province and a district police chief told …

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