When Information Conflicts About Violence In Afghanistan
Reporting in Afghanistan isn't just challenging because of the security concerns and the complexity of society and the stories here; it's challenging because "facts" are often in the eye of the...
View ArticleAfghan Army Seeks Better Equipment, But Lacks Basic Skills
One of the most common complaints from Afghan forces and officials is that they don't have the equipment they need to lead the fight in Afghanistan. They routinely call on NATO to provide more...
View ArticleNot Exactly A Boxing Capital, Kabul Stages A Championship Bout
It wasn't Caesar's Palace. It was the Loya Jirga Hall at Kabul Polytechnic University -– a building where Afghanistan's elders gather to discuss matters of national importance. But for one night, there...
View ArticleU.S. Handoff In Afghanistan Includes Radio Training
From the outside, this white metal container looks like all the other mobile structures at Forward Operating Base Shank, the main NATO base in Afghanistan's Logar province. But rather than housing...
View ArticleAs The Clock Ticks, U.S. Trains Afghan Troops
As NATO prepares to withdraw combat troops from Afghanistan in 2014, Afghan forces are increasingly taking the lead against the Taliban and other insurgents. But the results are mixed. In parts of...
View ArticleAfghans Brace For U.S. Departure In 2014
Uncertainty is gripping Afghanistan as the clock ticks toward the withdrawal of NATO combat troops by the end of 2014. People and money are leaving the country. Housing prices are falling. Construction...
View ArticleMost Afghans Now Optimistic, Survey Signals; How Real Is That Result?
According to a new survey by the Asia Foundation, 52 percent of the 6,300 Afghans it surveyed in June feel the country is heading in the right direction. It's the first time in eight years of...
View ArticleAfghans Wary Of Pakistan's Overture To Taliban
Afghan officials welcomed the release of Taliban prisoners by Pakistan in an attempt to jump-start a shaky peace process with the militant group. But many Afghans are wondering about the timing and the...
View ArticleAfghan Women Make Their Mark On The Soccer Field
Afghanistan first established a national women's soccer team just five years ago, and while they aren't yet World Cup material, they are making strides. Last week, they got a little help from former...
View ArticleAfghans Begin New Exodus, Often At Great Cost
Convulsed by war and civil strife for decades, Afghanistan has experienced some of the largest ebbs and flows of migration anywhere in the world. It began with the Soviet invasion in 1979, which sent...
View ArticleKabul's Roads, Paved With Good Intentions
Sometimes, you don't have to go far to find a story. For the past few months, just stepping outside NPR's Kabul office has been a drama. The neighborhood is in the midst of a major road and sewer...
View ArticleAfghan Contractors Feel Pinch Of Drawdown
The Afghan construction industry has been one of the big winners since the fall of the Taliban. NATO and the international community have pumped billions of dollars into building roads, schools and...
View ArticleAfghan Woman Carves Out An Entrepreneurial Niche
Behind a tall metal gate in a nondescript nook of Kabul sits the Bamboo Wood Industries factory. It's not a place you're likely to stumble across by accident. Inside, a handful of men are cutting,...
View ArticleAs Karzai Visits U.S., What Are The Prospects For Afghan Peace?
As Afghan President Hamid Karzai comes to Washington to meet with President Obama and other U.S. officials this week, there is renewed discussion in Afghanistan about the possibility of a negotiated...
View ArticleOne Small Step For Democracy: Afghan Governors Chosen On Merit
Regularly ranked as one of the most corrupt countries in the world, Afghanistan has implemented what for it is a novel new program: selecting provincial and district officials on the basis of their...
View ArticleWomen In Combat: What Do Troops In Afghanistan Think?
The new U.S. military policy on women serving in combat roles was crafted in Washington, but it will play out in places like Afghanistan.And sitting outside at the military base at the Kabul airport,...
View ArticleFrom A Land Where Music Was Banned — To Carnegie Hall
In Afghanistan, there was no sound of music when the Taliban ruled from 1996 to 2001. The Islamist militants destroyed music CDs and instruments and even jailed musicians.Today, there are music schools...
View ArticleU.S., Afghanistan At Odds Over Weapons Wish List
The U.S. and the international community have pledged $16 billion to support Afghan security forces after NATO troops complete their drawdown at the end of 2014. That money covers the cost of troops...
View ArticleAfghanistan, Pakistan Seek A Fatwa Against Suicide Attacks
The Muhammad Mustafa mosque sits in a fairly well-off part of Kabul where government employees and some high-ranking officials live. Muhammad Ehsan Saiqal, a moderate, 54-year-old Muslim who welcomes...
View ArticleAirstrike In Afghanistan Renews Concerns Over Civilian Casualties
Gen. Joseph Dunford, the new U.S. and International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF, commander in Afghanistan, has only been in charge for a few days, and already he's been summoned to Afghan...
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