Afghanistan’s New First Lady By Aarya Nijat, Foreign Policy 9 October 2014 Afghanistan has entered a new chapter of her life. Government of National Unity has been formed. The Bilateral Security Agreement and the Status of Forces Agreement have been signed with the United States and NATO. And, following the footsteps of King Amanullah Khan, in his Sept. 29 inaugural speech, President Ashraf Ghani acknowledged his wife Rula Ghani for her support

Britain's Cameron on Surprise Visit to Afghanistan By Amir Shah, Associated Press 3 October 2014 Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday pledged support for Afghanistan's newly sworn-in president and the country's new unity government, saying during a surprise visit to Kabul that Britain is committed to helping Afghans build a more secure and prosperous future. Cameron was the first of world leaders to meet Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai since his

From the archive, 30 September 1980: Afghanistan border refugee camps embarrass UN By Peter Niesewand, The Guardian 30 September 2014 A few weeks ago, the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees in Pakistan paid an embarrassed official call on the Soviet Ambassador here. His mission was to announce that 1,400 tents, clearly stamped UNHCR, had been pitched across the border inside Afghanistan, and that it was none of his doing. He was deeply sorry,

September X, 2014 The Honorable Robert P. Casey, Jr.                                          The Honorable Kelly Ayotte United States Senate                                                                  United States Senate 393 Russell Senate Office Building                                            144 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510        

Taliban Attack Intelligence Base in Eastern Afghanistan By Rod Norland and Fazal Muzhary, The New York Times 4 September 2014 At least 14 Afghans, 12 of them security personnel, were killed Thursday in a Taliban attack in the southeastern city of Ghazni, Afghan officials said. For the second time in less than a week, the insurgents struck at a provincial headquarters of the National Directorate of Security, Afghanistan’s domestic intelligence service,

Afghan militants Hezb-e-Islami 'may join Islamic State' By John Simpson, BBC News 2 September 2014 Fighters from a militant Islamic group in Afghanistan, allied to the Taliban, have told the BBC they are considering joining forces with Islamic State (IS). Their commander also said they would still fight the Afghan government, even after Nato forces left in 2014. Commander Mirwais said that if IS, which he called by its Arabic acronym Daish, proved

War of all against all should be prevented in Afghanistan By Vestnik Kavkaza August 13, 2014   On Monday Georgian Minister of Defense Irakli Alasania and his Afghan counterpart Bismillah Khan Mohammadi signed a joint memorandum calling for enhancement of mutual cooperation. According to the document, Georgia is expected to share its experience in conducting military reform and take part in the modernization of the Afghan military forces. "We have

Struggling to Keep Afghan Girl Safe After a Mullah Is Accused of Rape By Rod Norland, The New York Times July 20, 2014   KUNDUZ, Afghanistan — It was bad enough that the alleged rape took place in the sanctity of a mosque, and that the accused man was a mullah who invoked the familiar defense that it had been consensual sex. But the victim was only 10 years old. And there was more: The authorities said her family members openly planned to

By Matthew Rosenberg and Farooq Jan Mangal The New York Times 15 July 2014 KABUL, Afghanistan — A huge blast from a Toyota sport utility vehicle packed with explosives tore through a market in eastern Afghanistan on Tuesday, bringing down shops on the heads of shopkeepers and leaving the bloodied remains of men, women and children strewn in rubble. By late afternoon, at least 89 people were known to have been killed, the Defense Ministry said.

By Mirwais Harooni and Maria Golovnina Reuters 15 June 2014  The euphoria over a U.S.-brokered deal between Afghanistan's rival presidential candidates at the weekend was a sign of how close some people believe the country came to a split along ethnic lines that could quickly turn violent. The speed at which that relief has evaporated suggests the political crisis, playing out as foreign troops prepare to withdraw after more than a decade policing