The US military said Nov. 5 that it will investigate a report that an air-strike hit a wedding party in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, killing dozens of civilians and prompting new protests from President Hamid Karzai. “We cannot… Read moreUS to investigate air-strike on Afghan wedding party
More than 20 people were killed in two apparent US missile strikes in northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border Oct. 31. An al-Qaeda leader identified as Abu Kasha or Abu Akash, previously believed to be in Iraq, was reported killed… Read moreUS bombs Pakistan —again?
Australia has ordered an investigation into claims that up to 20 Afghan asylum-seekers were killed by the Taliban after being forcibly returned to their country. A TV documentary reports that those who died were among 400 Afghan asylum-seekers denied entry… Read moreAfghanistan: repatriated refugees killed by Taliban
Suspected US drones fired missiles into an alleged Taliban compound near Wana village in Pakistan’s South Waziristan, killing at least seven people, local security officials said Oct. 26. There was no immediate confirmation of the strike from Pakistan’s military or… Read moreUS bombs Pakistan —again?
The death sentence of Afghan journalism student Sayad Parwaz Kambaksh was reduced Oct. 21 to 20 years imprisonment by an Afghan appeals court. Kambaksh was sentenced to death in January for distributing papers questioning gender roles under Islam. In May,… Read moreAfghan journalist gets 20 years for blasphemy
Pakistan’s parliament held a heated debate Oct. 20 on how to fight the Islamist militants in the northwest, who are now extending their reach to suicide attacks in the capital. Calls for dialogue with the Taliban, punctuated by opposition to… Read morePakistan: cleric offers peace for sharia
A suicide bomber struck a NATO patrol in northern Afghanistan’s Kunduz province, killing at least two soldiers and five children Oct. 20. NATO’s International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) did not reveal the soldiers’ nationality, but Kunduz governor Mohammad Omar said… Read moreAfghanistan: dialectic of terror escalates
Saudi Arabia is mediating between Taliban and Afghan officials to prevent Pakistan from sliding into civil war and to wean the Taliban away from al-Qaeda, anonymous diplomats told Reuters. “They want to help because Pakistan is frightening. They fear what… Read moreSaudis in secret talks with Taliban?
A suicide bomber rammed an explosives-packed vehicle into a police station in Pakistan’s northwestern Swat valley Oct. 16, killing three officers and wounding 15. (Reuters, Oct. 16). Later that day, a suspected US missile struck a house in Tapargai, South… Read moreUS bombs Pakistan —again?
Days after a US missile strike reportedly killed 20 in Pakistan’s northwest, Islamabad’s Foreign Ministry warned that such attacks are counter-productive. “We want them to realize that these attacks are destabilizing the situation, and they are not helping them or… Read morePakistan: US strikes are “helping the terrorists”
Afghan peace activists arrived in Kabul after trekking some 700 kilometers on foot to call for an end to Afghanistan's long internal war. The Helmand Peace Convoy reached the national capital after traveling for almost 40 days from Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold. It began with a group of nine men and picked up around 40 supporters during the journey. The arrival in Kabul followed a three-day ceasefire between the Taliban and government forces coinciding with the Eid al-Fitr holiday that ends the holy month of Ramadan. The Kabul government extended its ceasefire by 10 days, but the Taliban said that they would resume their attacks. ISIS meanwhile carried out two deadly suicide attacks in Jalalabad targeting public Eid celebrations. (Photo: RFE/RL,)
