Topic: Kabul
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5 national security issues next president must tackle
President Obama and Mitt Romney battle over foreign policy issues in the third and final presidential debate. No matter who wins the presidential election November 6, Mr. Romney or Mr. Obama will have to confront five urgent national security issues in the first weeks of his term.
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Top 3 lessons the US military has learned in Afghanistan
As robust defense budget wranglings continue on Capitol Hill, much of the debate about one of the Pentagon's largest expenses – Afghanistan – centers around just how effective the decade-long fight has been. Here are the top three lessons that US military has learned in Afghanistan.
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Four steps to success in Afghanistan
Now that the United States has committed itself to Afghanistan for another 10 years, the most important policy Washington could adopt in Afghanistan is one that helps the Afghans effectively govern their country on their own. To have any hope for success, the US and Afghanistan must accomplish these four goals.
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Who are the Taliban and what do they want? 5 key points
While Pakistani and Afghan insurgents often get labeled as the 'Taliban,' in reality there are several groups that often act independently and have distinct command structures, ideologies, and strategies.
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International Women's Day: How it's celebrated around the globe
International Women's Day has served for more than a century as a day to honor the achievements of women globally. Here are some ways people are celebrating:
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With blast, Taliban respond to Obama: 'You need to focus on leaving' (+video)
The Taliban detonated a car bomb around dawn, shortly after Mr. Obama gave a speech invoking 'a new dawn' with the signing of a US-Afghanistan strategic partnership agreement.
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Obama: "New day" on horizon for Afghanistan (+video)
The President made a secret trip to the Central Asian country on the anniversary of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
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Obama's secret trip: why he wanted quick signing of pact with Karzai
On the anniversary of the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, Obama flew secretly to Afghanistan to sign the Strategic Partnership Agreement with President Hamid Karzai.
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A Rodney King moment, as US tries to restart talks with the Afghan Taliban
Marc Grossman, US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, met with senior Afghan and Pakistani officials this week. 'The shared goal is to open the door for Afghans to sit down with other Afghans to talk about the future of their country,' Mr. Grossman said.
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Afghan commando kills special forces soldier: US training mission futile?
An American special forces soldier was killed this week by a US-trained Afghan commando, during a joint night raid operation. One-fifth of all NATO losses in 2012 are by Afghan troops.
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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?
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US, Afghanistan agree in private to long-term partnership
Without making the details public, US and Afghan officials announced on Sunday that they both endorsed a final draft of a new strategic partnership.
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Russia urges NATO to stay in Afghanistan beyond 2014
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized the timeline for a NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan. Russia fears a spillover of Islamist militancy into the former Soviet republics on its border.
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Afghanistan attacks: Were signs of improved US-Pakistan ties just a mirage?
Despite optimism relations were rebounding, the attacks bore the signature of a Pakistan-based group, a reminder, as the US plans to exit Afghanistan, that Pakistan is at best a fickle partner.
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Latest photo scandal: US soldiers pose with dead Afghan insurgents
An American soldier gave the Los Angeles Times 18 photos of US soldiers posing with dead Afghan insurgents. US Ambassador in Afghanistan Ryan Crocker called the actions of these American soldiers "morally repugnant."
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Backchannels
Afghanistan: overinterpreting the Kabul attackA coordinated attack in the heart of Kabul - which coincided with attacks in three other provinces - isn't a good thing. But sign of imminent defeat or victory? Hardly.
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Karzai blames NATO and Afghan officials for allowing Kabul attacks
Afghan President Hamid Karzai criticized 'intelligence failures' by his own government but especially faulted NATO for a series of tightly coordinated insurgent attacks that rocked Kabul.
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Assault on Kabul: Taliban claim attacks as show of strength
Teams of insurgents struck within Kabul and three other cities in coordinated attacks on Sunday. A Taliban spokesman called it the opening of their spring offensive.
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Afghanistan night-raid deal: Does it handcuff US forces?
While the deal gives Afghanistan legal and military 'ownership' over the night raids, on a practical level US forces still have leverage and flexibility, especially to react quickly to intelligence.
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Who are the Taliban and what do they want? 5 key points
While Pakistani and Afghan insurgents often get labeled as the 'Taliban,' in reality there are several groups that often act independently and have distinct command structures, ideologies, and strategies.
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Defending Afghanistan: are Afghan forces ready?
An extended occupation and ever-shifting objectives could leave Afghanistan shakier in 2014 than when US-led forces arrived.
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Rural tinkerer builds the first airplane made in Afghanistan
Sabir Shah, Afghanistan's 'Wright brother,' constructed an airplane by himself.
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Afghan policeman attacks colleagues, undermining cornerstone of US strategy
The officer was part of the Afghan Local Police, a key component of the US and NATO goal of readying Afghan forces to take over security.
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Global News Blog
Help for land-mine victims in KabulAfter three decades of war, Afghanistan is littered with land mines. A nonprofit employs disabled land-mine victims to make demining equipment, and funds rehabilitation clinics.
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Hundreds of Afghan women imprisoned for 'moral crimes,' says new report
But the response of local journalists at Human Rights Watch press conference shows how tough it may be to persuade Afghans to end criminalization of 'crimes' that include fleeing abuse.
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Terrorism & Security
Reports: Afghan soldiers complicit in a suicide plot against their own governmentThe alleged discovery of nearly a dozen suicide vests at the Afghan Ministry of Defense deepens concerns about the loyalty of Afghan security forces, which have already killed 16 coalition troops this year.
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First Taliban, now turncoats: Another Afghan soldier opens fire
The killing of two British soldiers at a NATO base in Helmand by an Afghan soldier comes just two weeks after US Staff Sgt. Robert Bales allegedly killed 16 Afghan civilians.
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Interview: Amb. Ryan Crocker warns against war fatigue in Afghanistan
Ryan Crocker, US ambassador to Afghanistan, sees progress amid an extended 'rough' patch in relations. He also cautions against quitting Afghanistan too soon, citing Al Qaeda. 'If we decide we're tired, ... they'll be back.'
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US says Sgt. Bales split Afghan killing spree
Investigators believe the soldier accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians split the slaughter into two episodes, returning to his base after the first attack and later slipping away to kill again.
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Reader recommendation: The Dressmaker of Khair Khana
Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.
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