Threats

Have U.S. Troops Overstayed Their Welcome in Afghanistan?

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has hosted U.S. troops for more than a decade, but now his hospitality is running out, putting a post-2014 deal at risk. By Stephanie Gaskell

Threats

What Does Nasiruddin Haqqani’s Death Mean?

Remember the Haqqani Network? Once more feared than the Taliban, brother Nasiruddin Haqqani’s drive-by killing in Pakistan on Monday is unusual in many ways -- the biggest being the method. By Joshua Foust

Ideas

Afghanistan: Through the Lens

Stunning images from the war in Afghanistan by Associated Press photographer and Pulitzer Prize winner Anja Niedringhaus.

Business

Will Corruption Force U.S. Troops to Abandon Afghanistan?

There’s growing concern that the number of U.S. and NATO troops that remain past 2014 might be too small to oversee billions of aid money to Afghanistan. By Stephanie Gaskell

Business

Each U.S. Troop In Afghanistan Now Costs $2.1 Million

The average U.S. troop cost will nearly double in the final year of the war. By Kevin Baron

Business

Afghan War Waste Revealed: Coalition Lost $230 Million in Spare Parts

One year ago, ISAF learned it had lost track of more than $300 million in taxpayer funded vehicle parts for the Afghan army. Now, the inspector general let the public know. By Kevin Baron

Policy

Shutdown Creates Training ‘Gap’ for Afghanistan-Bound Troops

Commanders halt training for National Guard units deploying to Afghanistan next year, amid shutdown's pay freeze. By Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

Policy

U.S. Has Already Defaulted – On Its Promise to the Troops

Congress and the White House continue to argue over the debt ceiling, but they’ve already defaulted on their obligations to the military. By Alexander Nicholson

Ideas

America’s Longest War

America’s longest war has become its forgotten war. If there was ever a time to pay attention to Afghanistan, it’s now. By Stephanie Gaskell

Threats

Can Taliban Founder’s Release Spark Afghan Peace?

Pakistan released Taliban founder Mullah Baradar, as President Karzai requested. But does Baradar still have the clout to bring peace to Afghanistan? By Carmen Gentile

Policy

Afghanistan Wants Post-2014 Troops to Battle the Taliban, not al Qaeda

The Afghan Foreign Minister says the core of al Qaeda has been defeated in Afghanistan, but the country still needs U.S. troops to help battle the Taliban. By Stephanie Gaskell

Business

Did the Taliban Get the U.S. To Revoke an Afghan Interpreter’s Visa?

After years of working as an interpreter for the U.S. military in Afghanistan, Janis Shenwary was set to bring his family to the United States. Now his visa is on hold. By Stephanie Gaskell

Business

One Veteran’s Battle to Bring His Afghan Interpreter to the United States

It took five years, amid constant death threats from the Taliban, to get one Army unit’s Afghan interpreter and his family to the United States. There has to be a better way. By Matt Zeller

Ideas

Just 75 Al Qaeda, Room for the Taliban and Organized Crime. Is This How It Ends in Afghanistan?

The enemy in Afghanistan is “a complex mosaic” and "may continue this fight for many, many years.” By Stephanie Gaskell

Threats

Close to a Deal: U.S., Afghans Agree on Single Text

A bilateral security agreement is reachable by October, insiders say. But then what? By Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

Policy

China is Building a 'New Silk Road' in Afghanistan

Meanwhile, the Pentagon and State Department's plans for a similar transportation network remains in the idea phase. By Steve LeVine

Threats

Dunford Says 8,000 to 12,000 Troops May Be Needed Through 2017 in Afghanistan

The top ISAF commander says US. troops will be needed for many functions in Afghanistan past 2014, but it will be the Afghans doing the fighting – and dying. By Defense One Staff

Policy

More Americans Are Questioning Why We Went to Afghanistan in the First Place

A new poll shows an overwhelming majority of Americans are tired of the war in Afghanistan. By Matt Vasilogambros

Threats

Dispatch from Afghanistan: They Don't Want to Fight, Neither Do We

In Nangarhar Province, with the war clock ticking, commanders know the Afghans cannot fight on their own -- or simply will not. “There is no commitment to victory.” By Carmen Gentile

Threats

The Rise of Al-Qaeda 2.0

The terrorism network is now diffuse and lacks a coherent center, but it is still just as deadly. By Frud Bezhan