Business
After $18M, US Halts Work on Half-Renovated Prison in Afghanistan
The State Department paid a contractor $18 million to renovate the aging facility, but canceled the contract with only half of the work completed. By Charles Clark
Threats
US Troops Leave Helmand Province in Afghanistan
American and British forces pulled out of the province, effectively ending operations in one of most violent parts of the country. By Adam Chandler
Ideas
More Than 6,000 Afghan Interpreters Are Stuck in Bureaucratic Limbo
Unless lawmakers act soon, the U.S. program to get Afghan translators to safety will end on Dec. 31. By Emerson Brooking and Janine Davidson
Business
Afghanistan's Opium Trade Is at an All-Time High
After nearly a decade and $7.6 billion to eradicate Afghanistan's poppy fields, farmers grew an unprecedented 209,000 hectares of opium last year. By Charles S. Clark
Policy
How Long Do US Troops Need To Stay in Afghanistan?
The debate over post-2014 troop levels is getting almost no attention in the media. That's a big problem for America. By Peter Beinart
Business
The Pentagon Scrapped $500 Million Worth of Afghan Planes for Pennies on the Dollar
Officials from the Defense Logistics Agency destroyed the planes after Afghan military personnel proved unable to service the vehicles. By Katherine Peters
Policy
Will Afghanistan Become the ‘Forgotten War’ Again?
As the U.S. military draws down in Afghanistan after 13 years of war, history shows it can’t take anything for granted. By Stephanie Gaskell
Threats
Gen. Campbell Will Recommend a Slower Drawdown in Afghanistan, If Needed
The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan says he’s staying flexible when it comes to drawing down troops. By Gordon Lubold
Threats
Afghanistan Signs Deal To Keep 10,000 US, NATO Troops
The new Afghanistan president signed a bilateral security agreement that will keep international troops in the country well beyond 2014. By Jordain Carney
Threats
With a New Afghan Leader in Place, Is a US Troop Deal Next?
There’s a new president in Afghanistan. Now U.S. military leaders need his signature on a deal to allow U.S. troops to stay. By Stephanie Gaskell
Business
Afghanistan's Reconstruction Future Looks Very Bleak, IG Warns
The IG for Afghanistan reconstruction says the financial and operational burdens of rebuilding that nation are still well beyond anything Kabul can manage by itself. By Charles S. Clark
Threats
At the NATO Summit, Afghanistan Takes a Back Seat
As the war in Iraq showed, the durability of NATO’s commitment to Afghanistan must not be overshadowed by crises in Europe or elsewhere. By Janine Davidson and Emerson Brooking
Threats
U.S. General Killed in Brazen Insider Attack in Afghanistan
A U.S. Army major general killed by an Afghan soldier is the highest-ranking American casualty in the war in Afghanistan. By Stephanie Gaskell
Policy
Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans Target the Senate
Three Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are hoping to be the first candidates elected to the upper chamber. By Zach C. Cohen
Threats
Why India and China Matter to America's Afghanistan Drawdown Plan
How New Delhi and Beijing plan to cope with an increasingly independent Afghanistan. By Daniel Markey
Policy
Dunford Didn’t Endorse Plan to Pull Troops from Afghanistan by 2017
The president’s plan for withdrawing from Afghanistan can’t escape comparisons to Iraq – even from his top commander. By Molly O’Toole
Science & Tech
Could a Brain Scan Protect U.S. Troops from Insider Attacks?
U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan often don’t know who to trust. Brain scans to the rescue? By Patrick Tucker
Policy
Afghans Will Learn Who Their New President Is, Probably, In Two Weeks
Former finance minister Ashraf Ghani looks to be leading, but 30 million Afghans will have to wait at least two weeks to learn who succeeds President Hamid Karzai. By Ben Watson
Ideas
Everything You Need to Know About the Taliban in Afghanistan
With their summer offensive well under way in southern Helmand province, the Council on Foreign Relations' Zachary Laub retraces the Taliban's evolution over the past two decades. By Zachary Laub
Ideas