Pashtun news stories on Newser

Afghan Army to Soldiers: Cut Ties to Pakistan, or Quit

Kevin Spak — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 07:56:30 CST

Afghan military officials have begun ordering soldiers to move any family they have in Pakistan out of the country, or else leave the military, in a desperate attempt to rid their ranks of Taliban infiltrators. While those orders haven't yet been translated into an official nationwide policy, they represent just...

Afghan Tribe to Fight Taliban in Deal for US Aid

Jane Yager — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:31:31 CST

In a groundbreaking pact, an entire Afghan tribe has pledged to join with the US-backed government to fight the Taliban. The 400,000-strong Shinwari tribe, which controls key areas on the Pakistan border, will battle insurgents, burn down homes harboring Taliban fighters, and contribute one military-aged male from each family...

Obama Takes Fight to Pashtuns

Kevin Spak — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:44:00 CST

Barack Obama’s new strategy will result in an immediate spike in combat clashes, as the US directly advances on the ethnic Pashtuns in eastern and southern Afghanistan. The first wave of reinforcements is already moving, reports David Wood in Politics Daily, with marines expected to begin landing in the south...

Musharraf: Don't Abandon Afghanistan Again

Rob Quinn — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:20:51 CST

Pervez Musharraf comes out of retirement with an op ed piece today, arguing that a time limit on American involvement in Afghanistan is repeating the mistakes that put the country in the hands of al-Qaeda and the Taliban. A political strategy needs to be found that will stabilize the country...

More Troops in Afghanistan = Angrier Insurgents

Harry Kimball — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:56:59 CDT

The United States was born from a nationalist insurgency. “Given that history, you’d think we might be more sensitive to nationalism abroad,” writes Nicholas Kristof. “Yet the most systematic foreign-policy mistake we Americans have made in the post-World War II period has been to underestimate its potency.” It was true...

Karzai Set Up 800 Fake Poll Sites, Say Diplomats

Jason Farago — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 07:56:00 CDT

Hamid Karzai's supporters set up hundreds of fake polling stations that delivered hundreds of thousands of votes to the Afghan president, even though nobody voted there, diplomats tell the New York Times . The incumbent's team created as many as 800 fake sites, existing only on paper. Karzai allies also occupied...

US Still Lacks Translators in Vital Languages

Kevin Spak — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:03:02 CDT

Nearly eight years have passed since 9/11, but national security agencies remain disturbingly low on translators for crucial dialects, the Washington Times reports. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, al-Qaeda and Taliban operatives email and text-message each other freely in languages the CIA largely ignored before 2001. "I can't explain it," says...

Taliban Threaten to Mutilate Afghan Voters

Jason Farago — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 06:38:00 CDT

Hamid Karzai's battle for reelection on Thursday is facing a significant hurdle: threats by the Taliban to mutilate anyone who shows up at the polls. Insurgents are strongest in Pashtun regions, normally a Karzai stronghold, and in one town a group of Taliban fighters told citizens anyone who votes will...

Al-Qaeda Militants Leaving Pakistan for Yemen, Somalia

Sarah Quinn — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:48:54 CDT

Al-Qaeda fighters from Pakistan have started leaving isolated tribal areas and moving far afield to Somalia and Yemen, the New York Times reports. Some US officials point to stepped up drone attacks against militants in Pakistan for the development, which involves relatively small numbers so far. But the growth of...