Opium use booms in Afghanistan, creating a ‘silent tsunami’ of addicted women

One recent morning, three figures in white lab coats descended cautiously into a pitch-black netherworld beneath a crumbling bridge in the Afghan capital. They picked their way through garbage and sprawled limbs, passing hundreds of huddled men whose gaunt, wary faces were briefly illuminated by the flare of matches and drug pipes. The doctors were […]

SOF Imperative #1 Understand the Operational Environment

The Special Operations community under their command element at USASOC were developed back in the 1990s. The joint command looked to define what was a successful Special Operations mission and what factors played a key role in the conducting of their missions. They published a list of 12 SOF (Special Operations Forces) Imperatives to aid […]

Multiple US Soldiers wounded, not killed in a suspected insider attack in Afghanistan

Mazar-e- Sharif, Afghanistan- Several US soldiers were reportedly wounded when an Afghan soldier opened fire on NATO troops. Initial reports indicated that the US soldiers were killed but Operation Resolute Support confirmed there were no US or NATO fatalities. At least one Afghan soldier was killed and several American soldiers were wounded in an incident at a […]

Suicide blast at Shiite mosque in Kabul kills at least 2, Afghan officials say

KABUL — A suicide attack outside a mosque filled with worshipers in the Afghan capital Thursday killed at least two people, officials reported, in the latest attack of its kind against Shiite Muslims. The attack, part of wave of deadly strikes in Kabul in recent weeks, puts further pressure on President Ashraf Ghani’s U.S.-backed government, […]

Jim Mattis: Obama admin’s missteps undercut Afghanistan’s stability

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis placed the blame for the current mess in Afghanistan squarely on the Obama administration, telling Congress Wednesday that by cutting support for the Afghan forces prematurely, President Obama allowed the Taliban to regroup and recover.  “I believe that we pulled out forces at a time, as you know, when the violence […]

Trump gives U.S. military authority to set Afghan troop levels: U.S. official

U.S. President Donald Trump has given Defense Secretary Jim Mattis the authority to set troop levels in Afghanistan, a U.S. official told Reuters on Tuesday, opening the door for future troop increases requested by the U.S. commander. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said no immediate decision had been made about the troop […]

US troops kill 3 Afghan civilians, spokesman says

KABUL, Afghanistan — American troops opened fire after a roadside bomb hit their convoy in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province on Monday, killing three civilians, a spokesman for the provincial government claimed. “After the explosion, the foreign forces started shooting and killed a man and his two sons,” Attaullah Khogyani said. U.S. Forces-Afghanistan confirmed that a convoy […]

Reported insider attack in Afghanistan, 2 US Soldiers killed by an Afghan soldier

Two US Soldiers have reportedly been killed in an insider attack in Afghanistan. According to AP, the soldiers were killed when an Afghan soldier opened fire on them in Nangarhar province. Two other soldiers are were also wounded in the attack. Two U.S. soldiers were killed Saturday when an Afghan army solider opened fire on them […]

Taliban territory: Life in Afghanistan under the militants

Sixteen years after they were ousted in the US-led invasion, the Taliban have fought their way back to control swathes of Afghanistan. The country remains mired in conflict, and recent months have seen a series of bloody attacks. In the south, key towns are now Taliban territory. The BBC’s Auliya Atrafi was invited by the […]