Taliban

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Man in Army Uniform Kills 2 in Afghanistan

Taliban claims responsibility; gunman thought to be infiltrator

(Newser) - A man wearing an Afghan army uniform opened fire inside the Defense Ministry today, killing at least two soldiers before being gunned down himself. A Defense Ministry spokesperson first called the attacker an Afghan soldier, then backtracked; he may have been a Taliban infiltrator, the AP reports. The Taliban claimed...

Taliban Weakens in Afghanistan's South

But progress is 'fragile and reversible,' says Petraeus

(Newser) - Rare good news from Afghanistan: The Taliban is losing ground in the south, meaning that “we start this year in a very different place from last year,” Gen. David Petraeus says. For the first time since the beginning of the war, the Taliban’s summer fighting season begins...

Taliban Infiltrator Kills 10 at Afghan NATO Base

Five NATO troops and five others are dead in suicide bombing

(Newser) - The Taliban seems to have settled on a deadly new strategy: A suicide bomber who infiltrated the military killed five NATO troops today, four Afghan soldiers, and an interpreter, reports the AP . It's not clear yet if any of the NATO victims were Americans. The bomber, apparently a recruit...

Pakistan Forces Kill 54 Militants

Three troops also killed in firefight near Afghan border

(Newser) - Pakistani security forces backed by helicopter gunships and jets killed 54 alleged militants in a much-contested region near the Afghan border, a government official said today. Three troops also died in the clashes. Pakistani troops were doing routine patrolling in the Mohmand tribal region when they came under attack, according...

Al-Qaeda Returns to Afghanistan

Senior al-Qaeda members killed in September attack

(Newser) - The US has been conducting an increasing number of Special Ops raids in northeastern Afghanistan to deal with threats that haven’t been seen in years: al-Qaeda training bases. Over the past six to eight months, al-Qaeda has been trickling back into Afghanistan from Pakistan, setting up camp in the...

Taliban: We Kidnapped 50 Afghan Cops

Ambush new grads traveling in Kunar province

(Newser) - The Taliban claimed today that it kidnapped 50 Afghan policemen in northeastern Afghanistan—part of the insurgents' murder and intimidation campaign against anyone affiliated with the US-backed government. Militants ambushed the policemen yesterday afternoon after being tipped off that they would be traveling in Kunar province, a Taliban spokesman said....

US Raids Have Captured, Killed 900 Taliban Leaders

Military says insurgency is having trouble finding replacements

(Newser) - If the body count is any indication, coalition forces are making progress in Afghanistan: US-led military forces have captured or killed more than 900 Taliban leaders over the past 10 months, say military leaders. Special forces stepped up operations to decapitate the insurgent force by focusing on leadership as part...

Gates: After 2014, US Should Stay Involved in Afghanistan

Officials agree on engagement beyond deadline, says defense secretary

(Newser) - Both the US and Afghanistan agree that the US military should maintain its involvement with Afghanistan past 2014 by continuing to train and advise Afghan troops, said Defense Secretary Robert Gates. “Obviously it would be a small fraction of the presence that we have today, but I think we're...

In Video, Boys Practice Being Suicide Bombers

Taliban says it's not behind video, but approves of it

(Newser) - A disturbing new video has emerged of young boys play-acting the last moments of a suicide bomber's life. The 84-second video features a group of Afghan or Pakistani Pashtun children; one, dressed with a black scarf over his face, hugs each boy, then walks toward a boy dressed in white,...

Taliban's Middle Managers 'Tired of Fighting'

New US raid strategy may be taking its toll

(Newser) - Many mid-level Taliban commanders are increasingly unhappy at the prospect of returning to battlefield in Afghanistan, putting them at odds with the top-level commanders in Pakistan, one commander tells the New York Times. “I have talked to some commanders, and they are reluctant to fight,” he says. “...

US Holding Direct, Secret Talks With Taliban

New Yorker: They're preliminary but mark a shift in strategy

(Newser) - The US is for the first time holding direct talks with senior Taliban officials in Afghanistan, reports Steve Coll in the New Yorker . He characterizes them as "exploratory" and not as formal peace negotiations, noting that supreme leader Mullar Omar is not a participant. The intent is to pave...

US Busts 7 Would-Be Drug Runners for Taliban

Men also tried to sell weapons, face extradition to US

(Newser) - The US is slapping seven men with charges of trying to peddle weapons and drugs to the Taliban, Reuters reports. In a global sting, agents posing as Taliban operatives arrested five men in Liberia and and two in Romania after the men went through on what they believed were legitimate...

Pakistan Bomber Kills 31
 Pakistan Bomber Kills 31 
Feb 10, 2011 8:59 AM CST

Pakistan Bomber Kills 31

Taliban take credit for blast at military training grounds

(Newser) - A suicide bomber linked to the Pakistani Taliban attacked soldiers during morning exercises at an army training camp in the northwest today, killing 31 troops and wounding 42 others. There were conflicting accounts about the identity of the bomber: An examination of the body parts at the scene indicated the...

Taliban Mentor Dies in Captivity

Sultan Amir Tarar was US ally against Soviets in Afghanistan

(Newser) - A former Pakistani spy who helped the Taliban rise to power in Afghanistan has died in militant captivity 10 months after he was seized in northwest Pakistan, a top official said today. Sultan Amir Tarar, who as an American ally against Soviet rule in Afghanistan in the 1980s trained at...

Afghan Amnesty Deal Has Won Just 3% of Taliban

So much for Anbar Awakening II

(Newser) - It’s been a year since NATO launched the Afghan Peace and Reintegration Program, hoping to win over Taliban fighters in much the same way it won over Sunni fighters in Iraq. But so far, it ain’t going so well. Fewer than 800 insurgents have signed up—which is...

Pakistan 'Disappearing' Thousands of Separatists

US fears some may have been tortured, killed

(Newser) - In Pakistan, thousands are missing—and the US fears the country may be using the war as an excuse to round up and disappear political separatists. For years, human rights groups have reported on Pakistan’s security forces holding prisoners incommunicado, without charges; there are also concerns that some have...

Taliban Attacks Afghan Military, Kills 13

Attackers wore army uniforms

(Newser) - Taliban suicide squads launched two attacks against Afghan security forces today, killing 13. At least four suicide bombers dressed in Afghan army uniforms stormed a recruitment center in Kunduz, setting it on fire amidst a lengthy gun battle. “There are gun shots, heavy machine guns fire and RPGs,”...

Troops on Course to Leave Afghanistan in July: Report

White House cites 'fragile' gains in region

(Newser) - The US is “setting conditions” to begin an Afghanistan troop withdrawal in July as planned, says a White House report. While President Obama’s strategy in the region is “showing progress,” the document says, “the challenge remains to make our gains durable and sustainable,” the...

Afghan Intelligence Report: We're Screwed

Reports contradict military's more upbeat view

(Newser) - The US is faring poorly in the Afghan war, with large areas of the country on the verge of falling to the Taliban, according to the latest National Intelligence Estimates on Afghanistan and Pakistan. The classified reports, which represent the collective wisdom of a dozen intelligence agencies, also say that...

New Taliban Video Shows Captive US Soldier

Bowe Bergdahl spotted in propaganda video

(Newser) - The Taliban's only known American captive appears in a new propaganda video posted online. Bowe Bergdahl, who was captured in Afghanistan nearly 18 months ago, was last seen in a Taliban video released in April . There is no indication when the scenes in the video were recorded, but Bergdahl's family...

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