Taliban news stories on Newser

Taliban Moderate: Most of Us Want Peace

Kevin Spak — Mon, 14 May 2012 09:59:05 CDT

Most Taliban fighters want peace, with only "a few" hardliners holding out against it, a member of the Quetta Shura leadership council tells the AP —and he's got the bullet wounds to prove his sincerity. "The majority of the Taliban and the Taliban leadership want a broad-based government for all...

For 20th Time This Year, Afghan Soldier Strikes NATO

Fri, 11 May 2012 15:21:42 CDT

A man wearing an Afghan army uniform shot dead a US service member in the east of the country, one of two NATO troops killed today, military officials said. NATO didn't officially disclose the nationality of the victim, but a senior US defense official said he was an American soldier....

POW's Parents Break Silence on Potential Taliban Swap

John Johnson — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:16:59 CDT

The US has been considering a prisoner swap with the Taliban that would free the only American prisoner of war in Afghanistan, reports the New York Times . The negotiations have apparently stalled, however, and Bowe Bergdahl's father is so fed up with the lack of progress that he's going public...

Blasts Hit Kabul After Obama Leaves

Rob Quinn — Wed, 02 May 2012 00:04:18 CDT

At least seven people were killed as suicide bombers hit targets in Kabul just hours after the departure of President Obama. A suicide car bomber killed a guard and several passers-by at the gates of the "Green Village" compound that houses hundreds of international workers, Reuters reports. Other attackers then...

New York Man Convicted in Subway Bomb Plot

Matt Cantor — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:20:52 CDT

A New York man has been found guilty in a 2009 subway bomb plot . Adis Medunjanin, who was also convicted of training with al-Qaeda and seeking to join the Taliban, could receive life in prison, the New York Daily News reports. The conviction comes after fellow plotters Zarein Ahmedzay and...

Taliban Commander Turns Self In, Asks for Reward

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:19:05 CDT

Last week, mid-level Taliban commander Mohammad Ashan walked up to a police checkpoint, pointed to the wanted poster featuring his face, and asked for the $100 finder's fee noted on the poster. For some reason, officials arrested him rather than delivering the reward, the Washington Post reports. US troops couldn't...

150 Schoolgirls Poisoned in Afghan Attack

Kevin Spak — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:19:44 CDT

About 150 Afghan girls were poisoned today after drinking the water at their Takhar province school, in what officials believe was a deliberate attack by Islamist militants opposed to educating girls. "We are 100% sure that the water they drunk … was poisoned," an education department spokesperson tells Reuters , speculating...

Karzai Blames Taliban Blitz on NATO 'Failure'

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 07:51:00 CDT

Yesterday's 18-hour assault on Kabul is finally over after the last gunman was killed this morning, and Afghan President Hamid Karzai said today that the attack proves the "failure" of NATO and intelligence services. In his first statement after the assault, Karzai added that Afghanistan displayed its ability to defend...

At Least 35 Dead in Afghan Attacks

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 13:38:20 CDT

Brazen attacks on government buildings in Kabul and various locations in eastern Afghanistan claimed at least 35 lives today, the Los Angeles Times reports. Five civilians, 11 police officers, and 19 insurgents are reported dead after attacks on buildings in Kabul, including US, British, and German embassies, the parliament building,...