Topic: Afghan Northern Alliance

Why Afghanistan's intelligence agency has a major blind spot

Afghanistan's intelligence service is dominated by men from one small province of the country. Has this hampered the Afghan government's ability to infiltrate the insurgency? 

What is a loya jirga? Afghanistan's most pivotal jirgas since 2002.

Afghanistan has had fewer than 20 loya jirgas in the past 300 years, about a quarter of which have taken place in the past 10 years. Here are the top four most pivotal jirgas of the past decade.

Good Reads: America's longest war, in Afghanistan, and Liberia's Nobel Laureate

On the 10th anniversary of the Afghanistan war, today's papers detail the lessons still to be learned. And in good news, Liberia's first female president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, wins a Nobel Peace Prize.

Rabbani killing sparks fresh concerns about civil war in Afghanistan

Yesterday's killing of former President Burhanuddin Rabbani has intensified ethnic divisions and is fueling fears that a civil war might break out once US-led forces leave Afghanistan.

Good Reads: Why the assassination of former Afghan president Rabbani matters

The assassination of former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani scuppers any further chance of negotiation with the Taliban, which could mean a grinding war until the US withdrawal in 2014.

Killing of former Afghan President Rabbani imperils Taliban peace talks

Former Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani, a prominent peace council official trying to negotiate a reconciliation deal with the Taliban, was assassinated Tuesday.

Before 9/11: The tale of an Afghan 'lion'

Journalist Ed Giradet met the remarkable Ahmed Shah Massoud during the Afghan insurgency against the Red Army. Twenty years later, on the eve of 9/11, he tried to see him one last time.

Afghanistan, the Taliban, and the US deficit

A series of Taliban assaults left at least 22 people dead in southern Afghanistan today, a reminder that as Congress looks for spending cuts, the US remains far from a 'mission accomplished' moment.

Afghanistan and Libya point NATO to five lessons

Both the wars in Afghanistan and Libya reveal serious flaws in the alliance. If they can’t be fixed, perhaps it's time for a 'back to basics' NATO and a return to coalitions of the willing.

After bin Laden: India sees opportunity in Afghanistan

India's prime minister is in Kabul to argue for an Indian role in the Afghan peace process. Pakistan could be worried that the mood in Kabul may have tipped in India's favor after bin Laden's death

Can US and Taliban cut a deal in Afghanistan?

Even before Osama bin Laden's killing, the Taliban were softening their image while the US, Pakistan, and Afghanistan set the stage for talks. Now the US must decide if it's worth years of further military and diplomatic effort to hammer out an agreement.

Supreme Court rejects Guantánamo detainees' appeals for better protections

The appeals of three Guantánamo detainees are among the first dealing with this issue to emerge from the Washington federal appeals court. The Supreme Court refused the cases without comment.

Obama's dilemma: Is Libya mission a success if Qaddafi stays?

President Obama wants Qaddafi out, but doesn't want to use military operations to do it. How that tension plays out could determine the success of the mission.

How a philosopher swayed France's response on Libya

After meeting March 4 with Libyan rebels leaders in Benghazi, the French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy arranged for them to speak with President Sarkozy at the Élysée Palace.

The change in regional mood after Tunisia

5 reasons the US wanted Viktor Bout

Accused Russian arms trader Viktor Bout is to appear in court in New York on Wednesday. Bout has been indicted for conspiring to sell weapons to a terrorist organization and of conspiring to kill US nationals. He has denied the charges.

Why Karzai readily admits receiving bags of Iranian cash

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he accepts bags of cash from Iran. What do the Iranians want in return?

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.

Gary Brooks Faulkner: Was 'American ninja' working for CIA?

Gary Brooks Faulkner, the man arrested in the hinterlands of Pakistan who says he was hunting Osama bin Laden, seems to have more in common with Chuck Norris movies than with any US intelligence activity.

Qayyum Zakir: the Afghanistan Taliban's rising mastermind

Mullah Abdul Qayyum Zakir, a former Guantánamo detainee, is considered to be the day-to-day leader of the Afghanistan Taliban insurgency. A look at his rise to power based on interviews with more than a dozen current and former associates.

Top Picks: 'Food, Inc.,' 'SpongeBob's Last Stand,' 'Burma VJ: Reporting From a Closed Country,' and other recommendations

'Food, Inc.' on PBS, 'SpongeBob's Last Stand' to save Bikini Bottom, 'Burma VJ' harrowing documentary on HBO, and more top picks.

Q&A: Who else could help in Afghanistan?

The US and Europe play a leading role in working for Afghanistan's stability. Can the interests of China, India, Iran, Pakistan, and Russia also aid in the nation's success?

In Yemen, a university tied to 'American Taliban' and underwear bomber

Iman University, a Sunni religious school in Yemen, educated US Taliban member John Walker Lindh and gave a teaching post to militant American preacher Anwar al-Awlaki. The school denied rumors that it hosted "underwear bomber" Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, but concern over its militant ties are growing.

Obama agenda in Afghanistan: Don't forget about Pakistan

If the US wants fundamental change, it must alleviate Pashtun frustration in Afghanistan and get Pakistan to give up supporting Islamists and the Taliban.