Bagram Air Force Base news stories on Newser

US Agrees to Hand Prisoners Over to Afghans

Kevin Spak — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 08:50:36 CST

The US has agreed to hand over all of its Afghan detainees to the country's government, on the condition that it will retain the right to veto any releases, officials announced today. Officially, the agreement is effective immediately, but it allows for a six-month transition to full Afghan control, and...

2 US Troops Shot Dead Over Koran Burning

Kate Schwartz — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 07:39:00 CST

The Koran-burning protests sweeping Afghanistan have claimed American lives, a source tells CBS News, which reports that two US troops were shot dead this morning by "an individual wearing an Afghan National Army uniform." Four more were wounded in the attack, which occurred in the eastern Nangahar province near the...

4 Dead as Koran Protests Rage

Kevin Spak — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 07:08:07 CST

At least four people were killed and dozens wounded today as protests over the burning of copies of the Koran at Bagram Air Force Base swept across Afghanistan. Police shot and killed two demonstrators outside of Bagram, and one each in Logar Province and Kabul, Reuters reports. In the capital,...

Afghans Storm Bagram Over Koran Burning

Kevin Spak — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 07:05:59 CST

Throngs of protesters rushed to the US base in Bagram, Afghanistan, this morning, following a report that troops there had allegedly burned a number of Korans. Police estimate that more than 3,000 took part in the demonstration, hurling rocks through windows and chanting, "long live Islam" and "death to...

Karzai to US: Hand Over Bagram Prison

Kevin Spak — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 13:04:02 CST

Hamid Karzai today demanded that the US give up control of its prison in Bagram by the end of the month, over what his office called "many cases of violations of Afghan Constitution … and human rights." It's a familiar demand—Afghan officials announced they had a deal to transfer...

US Still Holding Terror Suspects in Secret Jails

Kevin Spak — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 08:39:05 CDT

The US military is still detaining terror suspects in a network of around 20 secret prisons spread throughout Afghanistan, interrogating them without charge for weeks at a time, sources tell the AP . For a long time the Pentagon denied the existence of such facilities, even in the face of descriptions...

Live Shell Removed From Soldier's Head

Rob Quinn — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 02:29:46 CDT

When a CT scan turned up a live round of ammo that could explode at any time embedded in a young Afghan soldier, Air Force surgeons knew exactly what to do: don flak jackets, evacuate nonessential personnel, and operate. The shell—part of the shrapnel that had been packed into...

Obama Rallies US Forces in Afghanistan

M. Morris — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 17:13:13 CDT

Wrapping up his 6-hour surprise visit to Afghanistan with a speech before a crowd of service members, President Obama said today, "There's no visit that I considered more important than this visit that I'm making right now." After spending the early part of his overnight trip pressing Hamid Karzai to...

Obama Makes Surprise Trip to Afghanistan

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 11:18:15 CDT

President Barack Obama made a surprise visit to Afghanistan today for a firsthand look at the 8-year-old war he inherited and dramatically escalated. After an overnight flight from Washington, the president landed in Afghanistan for a stay of just a few hours, all in darkness. He flew by helicopter from...