Taliban

Stories 1021 - 1040 | << Prev   Next >>

Pakistan Condemns US Air Strike That Killed 11 Troops

...which were reportedly working with the Taliban

(Newser) - At least 11 Pakistani soldiers and 10 other people were killed today in an ugly border incident that could strain US/Pakistani ties. US fighters reportedly launched an air strike inside Pakistan’s mountainous tribal area, backing up Afghan troops fighting Taliban forces. The matter was complicated, however, because Pakistani troops...

In Afghanistan, Laura Bush Urges Support

Int'l community dare not pull out during 'crucial' Taliban uprising

(Newser) - During an unannounced visit to Kabul today, Laura Bush urged the international community not to pull support from Afghanistan, highlighting successes in reconstruction and improved women’s rights, Reuters reports. The first lady's visit came even as Afghan, US, and NATO forces fight to contain a Taliban guerilla war in...

Pakistan Cuts Off Talks With Militant Tribes

US saw increase in groups' activity in Afghanistan during lull

(Newser) - Pakistan is suspending talks with militant tribes along its lawless border with Afghanistan, the Wall Street Journal reports, a move that could bolster relations with the US. Negotiations won’t resume until the warlords agree to new conditions, including an end to activities within Afghanistan, Pakistani officials told the Bush...

Taliban Frees Kidnapped Pakistan Envoy

Ambassador freed after Pakistan releases over 40 militants

(Newser) - Taliban militants released Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan today soon after the Pakistani government liberated over 40 Taliban fighters, a Pakistan security official said. The government has not yet given official details of Ambassador Tariq Azizuddin’s release. He had been kidnapped February 11, along with his driver and guard,...

Pentagon to Build Giant Prison in Afghanistan

New Bagram complex marks intention to hold prisoners abroad for years to come

(Newser) - The Pentagon is planning to build a huge new detention complex in Afghanistan, reports the New York Times, acknowledging that the US expects to hold prisoners there for many years to come. The 40-acre, $60-million facility at Bagram Air Force Base will replace the existing makeshift prison in a converted...

Taliban 'Narco Terrorist' Convicted in US Court

Afghan plotted to use drug profits to fight US

(Newser) - A Taliban militant has become the first person convicted under a "narco-terrorism" provision of the Patriot Act, Reuters reports. The Afghan man was busted by DEA agents for plotting to ship heroin to the US and use the proceeds to buy weapons to use against American and coalition forces....

18 Afghans Killed by Bomber in a Burka

Taliban claims responsibility for blast

(Newser) - A suicide bomber wearing a burka killed 18 people today in a western Afghanistan bazaar, Reuters reports. A spokesman for the Taliban, which claimed responsibility for the attack, said the bomber was a man. The past two years have been Afghanistan’s bloodiest since 2001, and some Western officials fear...

Pakistan's New Leaders Balk at Giving US Free Rein

Unilateral action against terror targets would be 'counter-productive'

(Newser) - If the US was hoping the new government would give it leeway to strike at al-Qaeda within Pakistan, those hopes were dashed today, as the ruling coalition said such attacks would be “counter-productive.” Pakistan had been a US ally in the war on terror under President Pervez Musharraf,...

Marines Tread Lightly in Opium Poppy Fields

Fighters ignore Afghan crop to avoid alienating locals

(Newser) - The US Marines have been battling the Taliban in the world's largest opium-growing region—and they're taking care not to damage the crop, the AP reports. Troops in Afghanistan are aware that the Taliban makes millions from the poppy harvest, but they also realize that destroying the locals' only source...

Hit-and-Run Tactics Keeping Taliban Afloat
Hit-and-Run Tactics Keeping Taliban Afloat
ANALYSIS

Hit-and-Run Tactics Keeping Taliban Afloat

'Asymmetrical' warfare has casualties down, hopes of prevailing up

(Newser) - The Taliban might hope Sunday's brazen attack on Afghan president Hamid Karzai signaled a new age of potency for the rebels. But although deaths from Taliban violence are on the rise, the Economist argues, the organization has not grown substantially—it has shifted its strategy away from conventional firefights to...

Taliban Bombs Afghan Opium Task Force, Killing 18

41 wounded in attack as authorities target skyrocketing drug production

(Newser) - A suicide bomber struck a meeting today of an Afghan poppy-eradication team, CNN reports, killing at least 18, including 11 police officers and seven civilians. Another 41 were injured in the attack in the eastern Nangarhar province; authorities said the incident was further proof of the rebel Taliban's involvement with...

Afghan Prez Escapes Assassination Attempt

Taliban boasts attack proves group's power

(Newser) - One person was killed and 11 wounded in a Taliban attack this morning in Kabul aimed at assassinating Afghan President Hamid Karzai. The president escaped the rockets and gunfire unhurt. The attack occurred as Karzai, government ministers, foreign diplomats, and military top brass gathered for the 16th anniversary of the...

Pakistan Near Ceasefire Deal With Militants

Leader linked to Bhutto murder calls off attacks amid peace talks

(Newser) - Pakistan’s new government is near a ceasefire deal with militants, the New York Times reports, as a top rebel commander has ordered his forces to stop attacks. Baitullah Mehsud, thought to have organized the December assassination of Benazir Bhutto, ordered a ban on “provocative activities for the sake...

Pakistan Ambassador Held by Taliban
Pakistan Ambassador Held by Taliban

Pakistan Ambassador Held by Taliban

Video surfaces two months after his disappearance

(Newser) - In a video aired today on an Arab channel, Pakistan’s missing ambassador to Afghanistan says he was kidnapped two months ago by Taliban militants, AP reports. In the brief clip, Tariq Azizuddin, seated on the ground with his driver and bodyguard in front of three armed masked men, says...

Pakistan's New Leaders Will Open Talks With Militants

New coalition will defy US, open negotiations

(Newser) - Pakistan's new coalition government says it will negotiate with the militants thought to be behind a wave of recent suicide bombings, the New York Times reports. The change in strategy will alarm US officials, who have recently stepped up strikes on suspected al-Qaeda strongholds using pilotless Predator drones. Pakistanis blame...

Pakistan's Strife Grows as New Gov't Waits in the Wings

Restaurant bomb, airstrikes kill at least 17

(Newser) - A series of airstrikes on a Pakistan compound believed to be sheltering Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters killed at least 16 today, AFP reports, a day before the country's incoming government is to be sworn in. The declining security comes after a bomb exploded last night in an Islamabad restaurant crowded...

Harry Praised by US Pilots
Harry Praised
by US Pilots 

Harry Praised by US Pilots

F-15 flyers note composure of then unknown Brit who called in airstrikes

(Newser) - American F-15 fighter pilots were impressed with the composure of the British soldier who called in air cover on Taliban entrenchments in Afghanistan in December. But for 2 months Capt. Ben Donberg and Col. Dan DeBree had no idea that "Widow Six Seven" was actually Britain's Prince Harry calling...

Former Blair Aide Pushes Qaeda Dialogue

Secret British talks with IRA could serve as example

(Newser) - One of Tony Blair's former top aides has called for Western governments to talk to al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups, the Guardian reports. Jonathan Powell, the former British prime minister's chief of staff for 12 years, is thought to have played a key role in negotiating a settlement in Northern...

Canadian Convoy Bombed in Afghanistan

Attack precedes Canada's vote on unpopular operation

(Newser) - A suicide attack on a Canadian convoy in Afghanistan killed a civilian, injured at least one soldier, and set ablaze a nearby home less than half a mile from the Canadian base of operations in Kandahar. The Taliban took credit for the attack, which comes just as Canada is about...

Afghan Intel Chief Says Only 5% of Territory Is Lawless

Rejects US' more pessimistic 70% figure

(Newser) - Afghanistan controls all but 5% of its territory, insisted its intelligence chief today—contradicting a far more pessimistic US assessment that last week said the Afghan government controls just 30% of its territory, the Taliban holds 10%, and tribal leaders are in charge of the rest. Western governments have chimed...

Stories 1021 - 1040 | << Prev   Next >>