Afghanistan

U.S. Worries Afghan Forces Will Divide Along Ethnic Lines

Tom Bowman

The American combat mission in Afghanistan will end in 2014. One concern for U.S. officials is the possibility that Afghan security forces will splinter along ethnic lines. The worry then is that those troops will start taking orders from warlords.

An Afghan National Army Special Forces soldier rides on the back of a Green Beret vehicle near the village of Kasan, in Wardak province. As American forces are drawing down in Afghanistan, they are increasingly relying on Afghan forces to take the lead, especially more elite forces like the ANASF who are trained by U.S. Army Special Forces.

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As U.S. Troops Draw Down, Can Afghans Take The Lead?

Tom Bowman

There are two-dozen Afghan special forces teams in eastern Afghanistan. The Americans want to train six more. Still, they are a small fraction of an Afghan army that is still spotty in its performance.

The gray line in the upper left comes from an aerial view of Afghanistan's crucial Highway 1, the main route between Kabul and Kandahar, the two biggest cities. U.S. forces are still working to secure the route which runs through lush farm valleys and the high desert terrain.

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As The Clock Ticks, U.S. Forces Scale Back Afghan Goals

Tom Bowman

The 12-year U.S. military effort in Afghanistan has sought to drive out extremists and help Afghans rebuild their country. As the American forces prepare to withdraw, the focus is on practical security measures and those ambitious nation-building goals seem to be fading away.

Soldier Accused Of Killing Afghan Civilians To Plead Guilty

Martin Kaste

The U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians last year has agreed to a deal that will spare him the death penalty.

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Bomber Attacks International Red Cross's Afghan Compound

Bill Chappell

A coordinated attack has struck the offices of the International Red Cross in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, Gunmen reportedly assaulted the compound after a suicide bomber detonated a device at the entrance, where a guard was killed.

Novel Examines Afghanistan War From A Pakistani Perspective

NPR Staff

Nadeem Aslam's The Blind Man's Garden explores the consequences of Sept. 11 through the story of two young brothers who go to Afghanistan in late 2001 to help wounded civilians. Aslam says he wrote the book over four and a half years, part of which was spent in total isolation.

Food Entrepreneur Is A New Breed Of Afghan Business Owner

Renee Montagne

Morning Edition has been reporting on young Afghans helping to shape their country's future after the withdrawal of international combat troops in 2014. Shilla Qiyam, 27, is making her way in business despite her family's disapproval.

A wounded Afghan police officer is helped from the scene of Friday's explosion and gunfire in Kabul.

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Explosion, Gunfire Reverberate In Kabul

Mark Memmott

Witnesses say the blast happened in the late afternoon. The sound of shots followed. As night fell, at least two attackers were dead. A small number of civilians had been wounded. Offices of the International Organization for Migration appear to have been targeted.

National

Gazette Excerpt: No Break For The Wounded

Modern medicine saved Sgt. Jerrald Jensen when he was injured in combat. Decades-old disciplinary rules awaited when he returned home.Left Behind: No鈥�

A boy holds the burqa of his mother as they walk down a street in the old city of Kabul on November 1, 2009.

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Afghan Parliament Halts Debate On Women's Rights Bill

Eyder Peralta

The bill would have banned violence against women, child marriages and forced marriages. Detractors said the bill would bring Western values into Afghanistan.