Al Qaeda

White House Giving Karzai Six Months To Shape Up

New York Times | David E. Sanger | Posted 11.02.2009 | Politics


With the White House's reluctant embrace on Sunday of Hamid Karzai as the winner of Afghanistan's suddenly moot presidential runoff, President Obama n...

Hillary Clinton Has Intense Exchange With Students In Pakistan

news.aol.com | Posted 10.29.2009 | Politics


U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Thursday that Pakistan squandered opportunities over the years to kill or capture leaders of the a...

Afghanistan, Again: The Thicket Obama's Not Getting Out Of

William Bradley | Posted 10.29.2009 | World


William Bradley

We can't afford to build a nation in Afghanistan. We have one reasonable goal there, and everything else, no matter how seemingly noble it may or may not be, is a luxury.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee Wants an Exit Strategy out of Afghanistan

Kathleen Wells, J.D. | Posted 10.30.2009 | Politics


Kathleen Wells, J.D.

Congresswoman Barbara Lee gained international acclaim for being the only member in Congress who courageously voted against the authorization of the use of force following the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Redefining the War in Afghanistan: The Case for a Change in Mission

Rahim Kanani | Posted 10.28.2009 | World


Rahim Kanani

With no end in sight, the U.S. must realize the limits of intervention, both in tanks and treasure, and integrate the implications of their actions over the last 8 years into their policy towards the region.

US Contractor, John Christopher, Claims To Have Fought Off UN Hostel Attack With AK-47

AP | HAMZA HENDAWI | Posted 10.28.2009 | World


KABUL — Armed with an AK-47, an American contract worker said Wednesday he held off militants attacking a guest house in Kabul, allowing about t...

Osama Bin Laden Revealed In New Video? See The Screengrabs And Vote (PHOTOS, POLL)

Posted 10.28.2009 | Home


On Tuesday night, Al Qaeda's media unit released a video of a sermon by Abu Yahya al-Libi, the terrorist group's star proselytizer. As Wired's Danger...

Afghanistan UN Security Lapse Is Inexcusable: Foreign Correspondent

True/Slant | Michael Hastings | Posted 10.28.2009 | Politics


I try to avoid posts like this, weighing in with a strongly held opinion about something I have no first hand information of. The initial reports are ...

The Bombings in Iraq: Mission Definitely Not Accomplished

Andy Ostroy | Posted 10.27.2009 | World


Andy Ostroy

Sunday's bombings, and those in August at the Foreign and Finance Ministries, prove that there is no victory in Iraq any more than there were WMD and ties to al-Qaeda.

Omar Bin Laden, Osama's Son: I Don't Know Where Dad Is

TIME | Andrew Lee Butters Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2009 | Posted 10.27.2009 | World


For Omar Bin Laden, the fourth eldest of Osama bin Laden's 20 known children, the awful realization that his own father was a terrorist mastermind plo...

Who Are the Taliban?

Gilles Dorronsoro | Posted 10.28.2009 | World


Gilles Dorronsoro

Most do not join the Taliban for money, but because the Afghan government is unjust, corrupt, or simply not there; or the Americans have bombed their houses or shown disrespect for their values.

My Exclusive Interview With Ken Guest -- Journalist and Analyst on Afghanistan (Part 1)

Kathleen Wells, J.D. | Posted 11.26.2009 | World


Kathleen Wells, J.D.

Ken Guest has acquired his credentials as an expert on Afghanistan, its people and their struggles the old fashioned way -- by earning them.

Pakistan Takes Taliban Chief's Hometown Of Kotkai

AP | ASIF SHAHZAD and ASHRAF KHAN | Posted 10.25.2009 | World


ISLAMABAD — Pakistani soldiers captured the hometown of the country's Taliban chief Saturday, a strategic and symbolic initial prize as the army...

Can the UN Save Afghanistan?

Stephen Schlesinger | Posted 10.24.2009 | World


Stephen Schlesinger

Given the UN's extraordinary and continuing role in Afghanistan, it would seem appropriate at this time that it might consider guiding President Obama toward a resolution of the dilemma he now faces.

It's a Runoff, Now What? Parsing the Impacts of the Presidential Rematch in Afghanistan

Vikrum Aiyer | Posted 10.23.2009 | World


Vikrum Aiyer

A coalition government in Afghanstan, while supposedly offering the best of both worlds, tacitly condones an illegitimate election and would require America to broker power among competing personalities.

Obama in the Thicket of "Afghaniranistan"

William Bradley | Posted 10.21.2009 | World


William Bradley

Obama is in a multi-faceted complex of geopolitical crises. He is actively using military force in two of the countries, and has threatened, at the least, tough sanctions in the third.

Mohammed Zazi Trial Set For December

AP | Posted 10.20.2009 | Denver


DENVER — A Colorado man whose son is accused of plotting a terror attack in New York City is scheduled to go to trial in December on a charge of...

Vietnamistan?

Ian Gurvitz | Posted 10.20.2009 | Politics


Ian Gurvitz

Are we fighting to deny Al Qaeda a base of operations and to keep American safe? This is not a Bond movie. It's not like we can destroy their secret base of operations in time to stop them from bombing the Super Bowl.

To al-Qaeda's Cheers: Dick Cheney Is Running, Will Be the 2012 Republican Nominee

Paul Abrams | Posted 10.19.2009 | Politics


Paul Abrams

Barring illness, Dick Cheney will be the Republican Presidential nominee in 2012. Of course, the media will yap away about the chances of anyone in the Republican Party who does not cheat on their spouse or have gay sex.

Pakistan And Taliban Both Claim Success In Second Day Of Military Assault

AP | ISHTIAQ MAHSUD | Posted 10.19.2009 | World


DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan — Pakistani troops and the Taliban fought fierce battles in a militant sanctuary near the Afghan border, with both si...

NYT Journalist David Rohde Recounts 7 Months In Taliban Captivity

nytimes.com | David Rohde | Posted 10.18.2009 | Media


The car's engine roared as the gunman punched the accelerator and we crossed into the open Afghan desert. I was seated in the back between two Afghan ...

13 Killed In Latest Pakistan Bomb

AP | KATHY GANNON | Posted 10.17.2009 | World


ISLAMABAD — The Pakistani military is setting its sights on the Taliban's remote sanctuary after nearly two weeks of big bombings across the cou...

Is Defeating Taliban Key to Stopping Al Qaeda?

Nathan Gardels | Posted 10.15.2009 | World


Nathan Gardels

Some senior advisers fully aware of the risk of quagmire have concluded that to allow a Taliban victory in Afghanistan will amount to a "second Iranian revolution," but a Sunni one.