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Afghanistan

Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Prime Minister David Cameron pledged to work toward lasting stability in Afghanistan in talks Saturday in the United Kingdom.

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Allies see day of heavy loss in Afghanistanupdated: Fri Jan 20 2012 10:12:00

Allied forces suffered a day of heavy losses in Afghanistan Friday after a helicopter crash killed six U.S. Marines and an attack killed four French soldiers, prompting Paris to consider an early troop withdrawal.

Suicide bomber kills seven near Afghan airport updated: Thu Jan 19 2012 07:28:00

A suicide bomber in a car blew himself up in front of an airport in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least seven civilians, police said.

Afghanistan condemns 'urinating' videoupdated: Thu Jan 12 2012 15:15:00

Nick Paton Walsh has reaction from Afghanistan on the video purporting to show Marines urinating on corpses.

Bomb kills Afghan government official and his 2 sonsupdated: Thu Jan 12 2012 10:02:00

A terrorist attack in Afghanistan Thursday killed five people, including a government official and his two sons, officials said.

Taliban: Peace talks don't signal end to hostilitiesupdated: Thu Jan 12 2012 04:46:00

Afghanistan's Taliban on Thursday cautioned that its recent support of peace talks doesn't mean that its militants will stop fighting or accept "the constitution of a stooge Kabul administration."

Taliban's Qatar Officeupdated: Thu Jan 12 2012 04:46:00

The Taliban is opening an office in Qatar, which may lead to negotiations with the U.S. CNN's Jill Dougherty reports.

Suicide attack in Afghanistan leaves 7 deadupdated: Tue Jan 10 2012 14:23:00

A shoot-out at a government building in Afghanistan has left seven people dead, including three police officers, Afghan's interior ministry said Tuesday.

Official: Beheaded bodies of 10 Pakistani soldiers foundupdated: Mon Jan 09 2012 03:55:00

The beheaded bodies of 10 Pakistani soldiers were found in a tribal region bordering Afghanistan on Monday, a senior government official said.

5 troops killed in Afghanistan Fridayupdated: Fri Jan 06 2012 04:53:00

At least five coalition troops were killed in southern Afghanistan Friday, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said.

Karzai speeding up transfer of U.S.-run prisonupdated: Thu Jan 05 2012 17:11:00

Afghanistan's president is speeding up the transfer of the U.S.-run prison at Bagram to Afghan control within a month after hearing a report citing problems at the facility, including human rights issues.

U.S. to have reduced Afghanistan role?updated: Tue Jan 03 2012 05:34:00

U.S. military leaders say the situation on the ground in Afghanistan is improving. CNN's Barbara Starr reports.

4 killed in Afghanistan roadside bomb attackupdated: Fri Dec 30 2011 09:31:00

Four people were killed in Afghanistan's southern Uruzgan province Friday when a civilian vehicle hit a roadside bomb, according to the country's Interior Ministry.

Police: Afghan girl, 15, locked in basement, starved, torturedupdated: Thu Dec 29 2011 13:18:00

Police in Afghanistan say they have rescued a 15-year-old girl who was locked up in the basement of her in-laws' house, starved and had her nails pulled out.

CNNMoney: Afghanistan signs first oil deal -- with Chinaupdated: Wed Dec 28 2011 14:19:00

China National Petroleum Corp. won the first oil deal in Afghanistan earlier this week, signing a contract with the Afghan government to develop a small oil field in the northern part of the country.

Suicide bomber targets Afghan funeral processionupdated: Sun Dec 25 2011 08:51:00

A suicide bomber targeted a funeral procession Sunday in the northeastern Afghan city of Taloqan, killing about 20 people, police said.

British PM visits troops in Afghanistanupdated: Tue Dec 20 2011 18:10:00

Prime Minister David Cameron met with British troops in Afghanistan in a previously unannounced visit to Kandahar, his office announced late Tuesday.

Jailed Afghan rape victim freedupdated: Fri Dec 16 2011 11:52:00

An Afghan woman imprisoned for adultery after a relative raped her has been freed after President Hamid Karzai intervened on her behalf.

Karzai to U.S.: Keep us out of your Iran messupdated: Wed Dec 14 2011 12:51:00

When it comes to the fight between the United States and Iran over the downed U.S. drone, keep Afghanistan out of it.

Afghan general barely escapes assassination updated: Fri Dec 09 2011 10:34:00

The highest-ranking Afghan military officer in southern Afghanistan, Gen. Abdul Hameed, has survived an assassination attempt -- but just barely.

Five killed in Afghanistan bomb attackupdated: Fri Dec 09 2011 08:15:00

Five people -- including a local police chief and two bodyguards -- were killed Friday in a bomb attack in Afghanistan's northeastern Kunar province, according to the province's governor.

U.S., allies must stay committed to Afghanistanupdated: Fri Dec 09 2011 03:13:00

Ten years after the fall of the Taliban, the horrific attack in Kabul on Shiite worshippers, in which nearly 60 people were killed, bolsters the prevailing perception that the Afghan War is a hopeless conflict with no end in sight. Politicians from across the political spectrum in the United States and other states that supported the mission are rushing to the exit door amid mounting public opposition and deteriorating economies. 

Uncommon attacks target Shiite Muslimsupdated: Wed Dec 07 2011 14:40:00

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh explains why today's suicide bomber attacks in Kabul are unprecedented.

Attack on shrine signals new nexus of Afghan strifeupdated: Wed Dec 07 2011 10:59:00

The deadly attack in Kabul on Shi'ite worshippers celebrating the feast of Ashura adds one more layer to the country's overlapping security crises. And they evoke violent sectarian rivalries in Iraq and Pakistan, where animosity between Sunni and Shia runs deep. Afghanistan has its own cultural rifts -- between ethnic Pashtun and Tajik, for example -- but it's rare to see such an explosion of religiously motivated violence.

Video shows moment of Kabul blastupdated: Wed Dec 07 2011 10:59:00

A suicide bomber detonated a device at a Shiite shrine in Kabul. Today is the Shiite holy day of Ashura.

Rare Kabul attack: Who did it and why?updated: Wed Dec 07 2011 07:11:00

Tuesday's deadly suicide attack targeting Afghan Shia just didn't fit the pattern of what had come before in this troubled country.

Holy day turns deadly in Afghanistanupdated: Wed Dec 07 2011 07:11:00

Bomb blasts across Afghanistan kill dozens. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports.

4 civilians killed in northern Afghanistan blastupdated: Tue Dec 06 2011 03:23:00

An explosion in Afghanistan's northern Balkh province Tuesday killed four civilians, police said.

Karzai: 'Fully determined' on transitionupdated: Mon Dec 05 2011 22:17:00

Delegations from various countries and international organizations meet in Germany to discuss Afghanistan's future.

Taliban could return, Karzai warns Bonn conferenceupdated: Mon Dec 05 2011 22:17:00

The Taliban could make a comeback and take over Afghanistan again, the country's President Hamid Karzai warned Monday at an international conference on Afghanistan's future.

Woman, 4 children die in Afgan bomb incidentupdated: Mon Dec 05 2011 08:16:00

Four children and a woman were killed by a roadside bomb in restive central Afghanistan on Monday afternoon, according to police.

Conference aims to take stock, recommit to Afghanistan's futureupdated: Mon Dec 05 2011 00:03:00

Ten years ago, Afghan leaders met outside Bonn, Germany, to lay out a road map to establish and sustain Afghanistan's government after the fall of the Taliban.

Pakistani family mourns soldier's deathupdated: Mon Dec 05 2011 00:03:00

CNN's Reza Sayah talks to one family who suffered a loss in a NATO airstrike on Pakistan.

7 Afghan militants killed in cross-border skirmishupdated: Fri Dec 02 2011 08:14:00

Seven Afghan militants were killed and five Pakistani security forces injured in a cross-border skirmish Friday, officials said.

Afghanistan, Pakistan tension risingupdated: Fri Dec 02 2011 08:14:00

A top advisor to Afghan President Hamid Karzai tells CNN that his country may be on course toward conflict with Pakistan.

Listen to women in a new Afghanistanupdated: Fri Dec 02 2011 06:14:00

As a writer, one of my most important responsibilities is listening. I try to do so with an open mind, so I can hear the voices of the characters whose stories I will tell. When I wrote about Afghan women in my second novel, I thought about the brave women I had met in Kabul and about their stories. Their voices came to me in hushed whispers. At times they woke me in the night with the urgency of what they had to say. I am indebted to those women, because without them, my novels would lack authenticity and would also be far less likely to resonate with readers.

Activist: Afghan women face violenceupdated: Fri Dec 02 2011 06:14:00

CNN talks to Zainab Salbi, founder and CEO of Women for Women Intl., about the lack of women's rights in Afghanistan.

Pakistan to shun Afghan conferenceupdated: Tue Nov 29 2011 12:52:00

Afghanistan's president asked Pakistan to reconsider its decision on Tuesday to boycott an upcoming conference on the future of Afghanistan.

To Afghanistan, on the slow train updated: Tue Nov 29 2011 12:40:00

Call it the ultimate in military logistics. As land routes from Pakistan into Afghanistan are cut, sabotaged or otherwise interrupted, the U.S. military has developed alternative railroad routes that make the Orient Express look like a branch line.

Mistaken air attack under investigationupdated: Tue Nov 29 2011 12:40:00

Chris Lawrence reports on the mistaken NATO air attack on Pakistani military outposts in which 24 soldiers were killed.

Rockets fired into Kabul as national assembly continuesupdated: Thu Nov 17 2011 05:23:00

Two rockets were fired into the Afghan capital on Thursday as President Hamid Karzai met tribal elders to discuss the future of U.S. military presence in the nation, authorities said.

Afghanistan prepares for U.S. exitupdated: Wed Nov 16 2011 02:47:00

Some Afghan officials worry conditions might worsen soon after U.S. troops leave, as CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports.

Security forces kill suicide bomber near meeting siteupdated: Mon Nov 14 2011 10:08:00

Afghan security forces on Monday killed a suicide bomber near where an important meeting of tribal elders will be held in the capital, Kabul, this week, the nation's Interior Ministry said.

Serving in Afghanistan under 'don't ask'updated: Fri Nov 11 2011 17:05:00

Earlier this year CNN's Arwa Damon spoke to a gay serviceman about the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Suicide attack after Eid prayers kills 7 in Afghanistanupdated: Sun Nov 06 2011 03:59:00

A suicide attack near a mosque in northern Afghanistan killed at least seven people Sunday, the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, the interior ministry said.

New frontier for military women: Serving with elite unitupdated: Thu Nov 03 2011 16:17:00

There's plenty of grunting and groaning during the early morning workouts in the gym at the JFK Special Warfare Center at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. But suddenly among the young men in special forces units doing pull-ups and lifting weights, there are dozens of young female troops -- running an obstacle course, pushing and pulling hundreds of pounds of kettlebells, running laps.

Afghan official ties Haqqani network to bombingupdated: Mon Oct 31 2011 10:54:00

The investigation into the suicide bombing that killed 17 people on Saturday suggests it was the work of the Pakistan-based Haqqani network, an Afghan official said Monday.

8 civilians, 5 troops die in Afghanistanupdated: Sun Oct 30 2011 15:55:00

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports NATO has confirmed 8 civilians and 5 troops were killed in a suicide attack in Kabul.

Western diplomat: 9 Americans among Kabul suicide blast victimsupdated: Sun Oct 30 2011 15:55:00

Nine Americans, including four U.S. troops, were among those killed in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan's capital this weekend, a western diplomat told CNN Sunday.

At least 17 killed in Kabul suicide bomb attackupdated: Sat Oct 29 2011 23:09:00

At least 17 people were killed in central Kabul on Saturday when a suicide bomber struck a vehicle in a military convoy, according to officials.

Advisory CNN Wire Outlookupdated: Fri Oct 28 2011 18:36:00

Supervising News Editor Maggie Leung -- 404-827-1401

Insurgents attack bases in Afghanistanupdated: Thu Oct 27 2011 21:10:00

Insurgents launched attacks Thursday on a Provincial Reconstruction Team base and a military outpost in Afghanistan, Afghan and NATO officials said.

Embassy: McChrystal to visit Afghanistanupdated: Thu Oct 27 2011 11:32:00

More than a year after remarks he made in a controversial Rolling Stone article cost him his job, retired Gen. Stanley McChrystal is heading back to Afghanistan -- at the invitation of the country's presidential palace.

Tanker explodes near U.S. base in Afghanistan, killing 10updated: Wed Oct 26 2011 04:24:00

At least 10 people died and 35 others were injured Wednesday when a tanker filled with tons of fuel and strapped with a mine exploded near a U.S. military base in eastern Afghanistan, a government official said.

Afghan minister dodges assassination attemptupdated: Sun Oct 23 2011 21:17:00

An assassination attempt on Afghanistan's interior minister failed when a suicide bomber was shot dead by body guards Sunday, an Interior Ministry spokesman said.

Kabul's 'unnoticed' child workersupdated: Tue Oct 18 2011 07:55:00

From dusk until dawn, 12-year-old Fayaz toils at his uncle's blacksmith shop in Kabul.

Children forced to work in Afghanistanupdated: Tue Oct 18 2011 07:55:00

A talk with the filmmakers of "Unnoticed: Children of Kabul" -- a film about child labor in Afghanistan.

Military confirms RPG downed helicopter in Afghanistan, killing 38updated: Wed Oct 12 2011 21:34:00

The August downing of a Chinook helicopter in Afghanistan that killed 38 people, including 17 U.S. Navy SEALs, was caused by a rocket-propelled grenade, fired by insurgents, that struck the aircraft's aft rotor blade, the U.S. Central Command officially confirmed on Wednesday.

Kidnapped aid workers freed in Afghanistanupdated: Tue Oct 11 2011 11:49:00

Four kidnapped Afghans who worked for a French aid agency have been released, the group said Tuesday.

At least 5 Afghan militants reported killed in cross-border attackupdated: Mon Oct 10 2011 14:46:00

At least five Afghan militants and one Pakistani soldier were killed Sunday night when scores of militants crossed into Pakistan and attacked a military checkpoint, a Pakistani military spokesman said Monday.

Execution video shows Afghan tribal justice still enforcedupdated: Mon Oct 10 2011 08:38:00

On his knees, Nawroz prays. He is a condemned man about to die in a brutal way.

Witness recalls start of Afghan warupdated: Mon Oct 10 2011 08:38:00

CNN's Nick Paton Walsh talks to a man who, at age 16, watched the first bombs fall in Afghanistan 10 years ago.

5 voices: What is needed for success in Afghanistan?updated: Thu Oct 06 2011 08:13:00

The Taliban have been forced out of power, Osama bin Laden is dead, and al Qaeda, by many accounts, is not nearly as powerful as it once was.

Survey: Veterans say Afghanistan, Iraq wars not worth itupdated: Wed Oct 05 2011 13:51:00

America's veterans are proud of their military service, but in a new report published Wednesday, they expressed ambivalence about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

8 NATO troops die in Afghanistan during past 2 daysupdated: Thu Sep 29 2011 14:41:00

Eight NATO troops have died in Afghanistan over the past two days, seven of them from war-related causes, the International Security Assistance Force said.

Pakistani PM denies terror network linksupdated: Thu Sep 29 2011 13:21:00

Pakistan's prime minister Thursday rejected accusations made by a top U.S. military official last week that the Haqqani terrorist network is a "veritable arm" of Pakistan's intelligence services.

How to leave a strong Afghanistanupdated: Tue Sep 27 2011 10:38:00

The first CIA agents landed in Afghanistan on September 26, 2001, beginning direct American efforts to overthrow the Taliban. Ten years later, the United States is still fighting the Taliban, and the recent assassination of Burhanuddin Rabbani, leader of Afghanistan's High Peace Council, shows that we are far from total victory.

2 killed, 25 hurt in Afghanistan suicide attackupdated: Tue Sep 27 2011 03:34:00

A suicide attacker detonated explosives packed in his car outside a police station in southern Afghanistan on Tuesday.

Afghan official killed by bomberupdated: Wed Sep 21 2011 08:06:00

A key Afghan leader was killed by a militant suicide bomber. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports.

Roadside bomb kills 9 civilians in northern Afghanistanupdated: Sat Sep 17 2011 12:58:00

A roadside bomb has killed nine civilians, including five children in Afghanistan's northern Faryab province, an area often considered to be among the country's more stable regions.

What do Kabul attacks signal in the fight for Afghanistan's future?updated: Thu Sep 15 2011 07:28:00

After a 20-hour battle, a Taliban assault on the U.S. Embassy and NATO command center in central Kabul was brought to a bloody end Wednesday with the deaths of half a dozen militants.

Retracing steps of Kabul terror attackupdated: Thu Sep 15 2011 07:28:00

CNN's Suzanne Malveaux walks through the building where terrorists tried to launch an attack against the U.S. Embassy.

High profile Kabul assaultsupdated: Wed Sep 14 2011 21:58:00

CNN's Jim Clancy reports on recent militant attacks on coalition targets in Kabul.

Brazen attack in Kabulupdated: Wed Sep 14 2011 01:47:00

The U.S. embassy and other centers of power in Kabul come under attack by insurgents. CNN's Barbara Starr reports.

In central Kabul, tension ripples amid Taliban assaultupdated: Wed Sep 14 2011 01:47:00

Fighting that raged for hours in Kabul Tuesday afternoon after a dramatic Taliban attack on the U.S. Embassy and NATO's command calmed down greatly during the evening hours, a military spokesman told CNN

Pentagon: Afghan insurgency 'less effective' this yearupdated: Tue Sep 13 2011 15:01:00

Explosions and gunfire in the heart of Kabul got plenty of attention Tuesday as insurgents attacked the heart of the U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

Rights group's report slams local Afghan policeupdated: Tue Sep 13 2011 07:15:00

A push to build local police forces in Afghanistan has been "plagued by failures of vetting and oversight," according to a report released Monday.

Deadly insurgent attack in Afghanistanupdated: Sun Sep 11 2011 19:34:00

At least two people died after Taliban militants struck a coalition base in Afghanistan on eve of the 9/11 anniversary.

The effect of 9/11 on Afghanistanupdated: Sat Sep 10 2011 06:09:00

CNN's Jim Clancy recalls his first encounter with the Taliban in Afghanistan and the effect of 9/11 on the world.

How do I tell my kids about 9-11?updated: Fri Sep 09 2011 19:28:00

Our neighbors have a dog. I'm not sure what breed it is, but it's big and barks a lot. I don't pay it much attention, but my kids are scared of it. Once the dog was allowed outside the yard, and it knocked my daughter over. She wasn't hurt, but the memory has never left her, and to this day she gives the dog and the neighbor's yard a wide berth.

3 international troops killed in Afghanistanupdated: Fri Sep 09 2011 13:33:00

Three NATO-led service members died following an insurgent attack Friday in eastern Afghanistan, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said.

Report: Billions spent in Afghanistan with little knowledge of costsupdated: Thu Sep 08 2011 18:26:00

Billions of dollars in U.S. taxpayer funds are being spent to send diplomats and other civilians to Afghanistan without proper understanding of how the money is spent and how expenses may keep going up, a new report concludes.

Index: Which countries are perceived to be the most corrupt?updated: Fri Sep 02 2011 07:54:00

Somalia, Myanmar and Afghanistan have the lowest scores on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, which measures how people in 178 countries and territories view corruption in their public sectors.

Report: $1 of every $6 wasted in warsupdated: Wed Aug 31 2011 20:07:00

According to the Commission on Wartime Contracts, the Pentagon wasted at least $60 billion in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Panel tallies massive waste and fraud in wartime U.S. contractsupdated: Wed Aug 31 2011 20:07:00

A nonpartisan panel reporting to Congress says the United States is wasting $12 million a day among contracts issued in support of American efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.

British minister's gaffe reveals position on Afghanistanupdated: Wed Aug 31 2011 03:34:00

A senior British Cabinet Minister risked an embarrassing diplomatic row Tuesday after accidentally revealing confidential documents that appeared to welcome the departure of Afghanistan's president.

4 killed in attack in Afghanistanupdated: Sat Aug 27 2011 05:36:00

A suicide bomber detonated a car bomb near a bank in southwest Afghanistan on Saturday, killing four people, a governor's spokesman said.

Teen suicide bomber arrested in Afghanistan, authorities sayupdated: Sat Aug 27 2011 04:17:00

Police arrested a 16-year-old boy who was planning a suicide attack at a mosque in northeastern Afghanistan, the Interior Ministry said Saturday.

Funeral for U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan set for Fridayupdated: Fri Aug 26 2011 01:25:00

Some of the 30 service members killed in the August 6 helicopter attack in Afghanistan will be buried during a funeral service Friday in Virginia, officials said.

Suicide bombers hit UK council in Kabulupdated: Fri Aug 19 2011 13:49:00

The Taliban is taking credit for suicide bombings at the British Council in Kabul. David Ariosto reports.

Bomb attacks in Afghanistan kill 26updated: Thu Aug 18 2011 22:48:00

A truck bomb ripped through the main security gate of a U.S. military base in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least two local guards and injuring nine others, the International Security Assistance Force said.

U.S. strategy in Afghanistanupdated: Thu Aug 18 2011 22:48:00

The U.S. amb. to Afghanistan talks to CNN's Kristie Lu Stout about the handover of security operations to Afghan forces.

U.S. troops to get better helmets and 'ballistic boxers'updated: Thu Aug 18 2011 21:11:00

Whether it's an Army helmet with a thicker shell and better padding, or underwear that can protect a Marine private's privates, the U.S. military is looking at sending the latest gear to Afghanistan so the troops can come home safe and sound.

Tackling climate change still a luxury in developing worldupdated: Wed Aug 17 2011 06:23:00

A few years ago I came across a newspaper article about illegal human trafficking into the EU.

5 American service members killed in southern Afghanistanupdated: Thu Aug 11 2011 15:30:00

Five American service members were killed Thursday after an improvised explosive device detonated in southern Afghanistan, officials said.

People.com: Inside President Obama's Visit with Grieving Navy SEAL Familiesupdated: Thu Aug 11 2011 09:33:00

The names of the soldiers and inside President Obama's visit with their grieving families

SEALs killed were on rescue missionupdated: Mon Aug 08 2011 05:40:00

CNN's Barbara Starr reports, Navy SEALs killed in a chopper crash in Afghanistan were en route to rescue other troops.

Afghan crash highlights critical, dangerous role of special forcesupdated: Mon Aug 08 2011 05:39:00

The shooting down of a Chinook helicopter in central Afghanistan with the loss of 38 lives -- most of them U.S. Navy SEALs -- highlights two crucial aspects of the conflict in Afghanistan, as U.S. forces begin to draw down and Afghan security forces start taking the lead.

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