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Taliban
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After bin Laden: Why the Taliban won't sever ties with Al Qaeda
Maintaining official ties with Al Qaeda provides the Taliban with important credibility among international jihadist groups, as well as access to military training and Arab funding.
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While world focuses on Osama bin Laden's death, Afghan war heats up
The death of Osama bin Laden is a major victory for the US, but experts say it's unlikely to have any immediate impact on the ground in Afghanistan.
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Osama bin Laden's killing puts Taliban leadership on edge
Senior Afghan Taliban leaders believed to be hiding in Pakistan appear newly concerned that they could be next on America's hit list.
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Taliban tunnel: Five militant escapes under US watch
Taliban sympathizers must surely be heartened by today's spectacular escape of some 500 inmates from a Kandahar prison through a 1,180-foot tunnel. Here's a short list of recent jail breaks (and one near-escape) in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Assassinated Kandahar police chief was optimistic about security
A Taliban suicide bomber on Friday killed the Kandahar police chief, who recently noted to the Monitor gains in creating a 'safe and secure environment' in the restive province.
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Global News Blog
Terry Jones: How his Quran burning helps the Taliban
Many Afghans do not realize that US pastor Terry Jones, who held a Quran burning last month, heads a small church whose beliefs are not widely shared, thus fueling anti-foreigner sentiment that benefits the Taliban.
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Suicide attack in Afghanistan's north signals broader reach of Taliban
An Afghan Taliban suicide bomber killed at least 31 people today in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz Province. The north has long been devoid of the Taliban's influence.
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Teen suicide bomber helps Pakistani Taliban reaffirm potency
A teen suicide bomber killed at least 31 people in northwest Pakistan Thursday, bringing to an end a lull in major strikes by the Taliban.
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How one Afghan village fended off a Taliban advance
Locals who beat back a Taliban advance Saturday now say they fear Taliban retribution and potentially losing control of the area without Afghan government assistance.
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Terrorism & Security
Food aid stalled in northwest Pakistan after female Taliban suicide bomber kills 45
A Pakistani Taliban spokesman said the Christmas Day attack targeted the Salarzai tribe, which has allied itself with the government and formed an anti-Taliban militia.
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In deadly Kandahar, skepticism over gains cited in Afghan war review
The Afghan war review points to military progress against the Taliban. But in one of the most deadly districts in Afghanistan, there are already signs that NATO gains may not hold into next spring.
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Taliban-placed IEDs threaten lives and stability in Kandahar, Afghanistan
US officials are dubious about the prospect of Kandahar’s stability continuing into spring 2011, given ineffective police, poor governance, and Taliban IEDs.
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NATO reads weakness in Taliban leader Mullah Omar's annual Eid statement
Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar denied reports of peace talks with the Afghanistan government, but military officials also saw signs of financial woes in his call for funding from the worldwide Muslim community.
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Afghan convoy security undermines Afghan security
Millions are paid to Afghan private security companies to deliver food and ammunition to NATO troops. But the companies are accused of human rights abuses and paying the Taliban.
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Karzai's acknowledgement of bags of Iranian cash: Why now?
Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s admission that his office has taken 'bags of money' from Iran are part of an effort to undermine Tehran’s role in negotiations with the Taliban, argues a regional analyst.
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Terrorism & Security
Suicide attack on UN begs the question: How safe is Herat, Afghanistan?
Four militants attacked the United Nations compound in Herat, Afghanistan Saturday in the most serious incident on a UN facility since the Oct. 2009 attack on a Kabul guesthouse that killed several employees.
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Want to know how the war in Afghanistan is going? Watch Kandahar.
Progress on firming up security in Afghanistan depends on how US and Afghan troops secure Kandahar province – the nucleus of Taliban resistance.
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Terrorism & Security
Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai says he's talking to the Taliban
Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai confirmed that he's talking to the Taliban, seeking a political settlement with the group that harbored Al Qaeda prior to and just after 9/11.
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Afghan peace council opens as Afghans assess nine years of war
Nine years after US-led airstrikes on Afghanistan began, President Karzai on Thursday inaugurated a new peace council that is tasked with reconciling with the Taliban and other insurgents. Kabul residents say they see no end in sight to the war.
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Taliban in secret talks with Afghan President Karzai
In a significant shift, Taliban representatives and the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai have begun backroom high-level talks to aimed at negotiating the end of the war.
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Terrorism & Security
Fifth NATO tanker attacked in six days since Pakistan sealed border post
Nobody has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's bomb attack on a NATO tanker waiting at the Torkham border post, which Pakistan sealed six days ago.
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Afghanistan opium crop blight sends drug prices soaring
The Afghanistan opium harvest dropped 48 percent this year, the United Nations announced. But analysts say the resulting higher prices could draw more farmers into the business.
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Terrorism & Security
Al Qaeda plot in Europe possibly revealed by German terror suspect
The Al Qaeda plot was reportedly a coordinated Mumbai-style attack on major cities in Britain, France, Germany, and possibly the United States.
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Terrorism & Security
Taliban kidnap British aid worker, demand prisoner swap for Aafia Siddiqui
The Taliban have reportedly claimed responsibility for kidnapping a British aid worker Sunday. They are demanding a prisoner exchange for Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani woman sentenced in New York last week for attacking US soldiers.
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Terrorism & Security
Afghanistan helicopter crash makes 2010 deadliest year in Afghanistan war
Nine NATO soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash Tuesday in Afghanistan. Nearly 2,100 NATO troops have died in the nine-year Afghanistan war, with 529 just this year.
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