NEWSWORTHY
Thousands of Shiites flee as Taliban attack Afghanistan's 'safe' districts
Thousands of members of Afghanistan's mainly Shiite Hazara ethnic minority have fled their homes in the central province of Ghazni as the Taliban have pressed into two previously safe districts, officials and witnesses said on Wednesday. In heavy fighting over recent days, hundreds of Taliban ...
Pakistan frees two Taliban officials as U.S. envoy visits region
Pakistan released two Taliban officials on Monday during U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad's latest visit to the region, in what could be part of American efforts to revive peace talks with the insurgent group, which now controls nearly half of Afghanistan. Abdul Samad Sani, a U.S.-designated ...
U.S. 'war on terror' has killed 500,000 people, study estimates
About half a million people have died violently in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan due to the U.S. "war on terror" that was launched following the Sept. 11 attacks in 2001, according to a study released Thursday. The report, by Brown University's Watson Institute for International ...
California bar massacre shooter was Marine combat vet, had mental health check after disturbance
The gunman who shot and killed 12 people at a country music bar in a Los Angeles suburb was a former military machine gunner who was interviewed by mental health specialists earlier this year after a neighbor reported a disturbance. Ian David Long, 28, served ...
Mayor of Utah city killed in 'insider attack' in Afghanistan
The mayor of a Utah city was killed during an attack in Afghanistan while he was serving with the state's National Guard, authorities said. North Ogden Mayor Brent Taylor died Saturday in an apparent "insider attack" in Kabul, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. Another U.S. service ...
Afghanistan probes claims that at least 14 civilians were killed in raid on Islamic State
Afghan officials launched an investigation Wednesday into claims at least 14 civilians were killed in a military ground operation targeting the Islamic State group in their stronghold in eastern Afghanistan. Following Tuesday night's raid by Afghan special forces in the Rodat district of Nangarhar province, ...
Multiple blasts rock Kabul polling centers; errors mar voting process
Multiple explosions rocked polling centers across Kabul on Saturday, causing dozens of casualties, amid growing anger among voters as they waited hours to cast their ballots in long-delayed legislative elections. At least 30 people have been taken to a trauma hospital run by the Italian ...
Taliban takes credit as bodyguard kills top Afghan police chief; U.S. general unhurt
Gen. Abdul Razeq, one of Afghanistan's most powerful security commanders, was killed on Thursday in a shooting attack by a bodyguard that dealt a severe blow to the Afghan government ahead of parliamentary elections on Saturday, officials said. Gen. Scott Miller, the top U.S. commander ...
Taliban statement confirms meeting with U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad held in Qatar
A Taliban delegation has met with U.S. envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in Qatar to discuss ending the Afghan conflict, the militant group said Saturday, in the first official confirmation of talks between the two sides. The landmark meeting was held as Khalilzad seeks to coordinate efforts ...
U.S. soldier killed in action in Afghanistan, bringing toll to seven this year
A U.S. soldier was killed in action in Afghanistan on Thursday, NATO said, marking the seventh American service member to die in the war-torn country this year. The soldier had been assigned to NATO's Resolute Support mission, which trains and assists Afghan security forces. An investigation ...
Islamic State takes credit as suicide attack kills at least 13 at Afghan election rally
A suicide attack on a political rally in eastern Afghanistan killed at least 13 people on Tuesday, officials said, as the country braces for an escalation in violence ahead of this month's parliamentary election. The attack is the first suicide assault since campaigning officially began ...
U.S. threatens to arrest ICC judges who probe Americans for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan
The United States threatened Monday to arrest and sanction judges and other officials of the International Criminal Court if it moves to charge any American who served in Afghanistan with war crimes. White House National Security Adviser John Bolton called the Hague-based rights body "unaccountable" ...
