Afghan Forces Use Child Soldiers, and the U.S. Still Gives Them Money

Investigators for the United Nations found 48 child soldiers in Afghanistan last year, with more than half working for government-backed forces such as the Afghan National Army and the Afghan Local and National Police. But that news somehow never made an impact in Washington. In an annual report released on June 30 that names 10 foreign countries […]

Kabul’s Northgate Hotel bombed, attacked

The Taliban took credit for an explosion that targeted a Kabul, Afghanistan, hotel early Monday, the latest in a series of bombing attacks seeking to destabilize the nation. After the explosion, three armed suicide attackers tried to gain entry into the hotel, but were engaged by police, Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Afghan Interior […]

Taliban claims truck bomb blast in Afghan capital Kabul

The Taliban claimed responsibility for a truck bomb attack on a military and logistics services compound, mainly used by foreigners, in Kabul early on Monday after a powerful explosion was heard all around the city. A security services official said four heavily armed attackers were fighting on the site of the Northgate Hotel, a secure […]

Afghan Special Forces Are Stretched Thin With Frontline Duties

Morale among some Afghan special forces is wearing thin as they are increasingly called upon to lead the fight against the Taliban, with teams feeling exploited by their leadership and missing U.S. support. Sgt. Peer Khapalwak’s battalion has been operating alone in this western district, one of the most dangerous in the country, since the […]

US general says 5 US troops wounded in Afghan fighting

Five U.S. special operations troops were wounded in combat with Islamic State fighters in eastern Afghanistan, the senior U.S. commander in the country said Thursday. It appeared to be the first reported instance of U.S. troops being wounded in fighting against the Islamic State in Afghanistan. U.S. military spokesmen in Kabul said they were researching […]

Five U.S. troops wounded as Afghanistan operations grow

Five U.S. troops were wounded recently while fighting Islamic State militants in Afghanistan, the latest sign of an expanding U.S. mission in a war that just a few years ago appeared to be winding down. The five American special operations troops were injured by small arms fire and shrapnel while conducting joint operations with Afghans […]

New SOFREP Contributing Editor, Former Army Special Forces

As a new writer to the site, with an extensive, varied, and loyal audience I have to introduce myself. I am Norwood, and I turned thirty last April. That being said, I left the military last August and am completely out of service after eight years of active duty. I’m sure those will prove to […]

Islamic State attack shows growing capability in Afghanistan

President Ashraf Ghani’s claim four months ago to have wiped out Islamic State in Afghanistan was shattered Saturday when the militant group struck the capital, Kabul, the country’s deadliest attack in 15 years of war. More than 80 people were killed and another 231 were wounded when suicide bombers triggered two explosions at a rally […]

Mother of slain Navy SEAL decries ‘ludicrous’ rules of military engagement

Karen Vaughn — whose son, Navy SEAL Aaron Carson Vaughn, was killed in Aug. 2011 when his helicopter was shot down over Afghanistan — called for the U.S. to loosen its military rules of engagement. “There is no adversary the U.S. military cannot defeat if we can unbind them from the restrictive, ludicrous rules of […]

India aid worker freed in Afghanistan rescue operation

An Indian aid worker kidnapped in Afghanistan more than a month ago has been rescued unharmed, officials say. Judith D’Souza, 40, was working for the Aga Khan Foundation when she was abducted at gunpoint near her home in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on 9 June. No details have been given about the rescue operation and officials […]