http://www.mail.com/locations/2600-afghanistan.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.20/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/locations/2600-afghanistan.html http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763922-afghan-suicide-bomber-kills-2-kandahar-attack.html KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide car bomber killed two Afghan civilians and wounded 14 others on Thursday near the main U.S. military base in southern Afghanistan, Afghan and American officials said. The attack took place after the visiting U.S. Defense Secretary had left the facility. Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 14:08:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763922-afghan-suicide-bomber-kills-2-kandahar-attack.html 2012-12-13T14:08:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763138-pakistan-extends-refugee-status-afghans.html ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan has extended refugee status for over a million Afghans in the country by an additional six months, the government announced — a move likely to ease fears of Afghans living there that they would soon have to return home. Pakistan has been hosting hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees dating back to the Soviet invasion of Afghan... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 13:24:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1763138-pakistan-extends-refugee-status-afghans.html 2012-12-13T13:24:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1761806-official-syria-fires-scud-missiles-rebels.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Syrian government forces have fired Scud missiles at insurgents in recent days, escalating the 2-year-old conflict against rebels seeking to overthrow the regime, U.S. officials said Wednesday. Speaking on condition of anonymity, two officials said forces of President Bashar Assad have fired the missiles from the Damascus area in... Thu, 13 Dec 2012 05:24:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1761806-official-syria-fires-scud-missiles-rebels.html 2012-12-13T05:24:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760560-panetta-afghanistan-to-meet-with-karzai.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — President Barack Obama will decide shortly how many U.S. troops he wants to keep in Afghanistan after the U.S.-led coalition military mission ends in December 2014, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday as he opened two days of consultations with top U.S. commanders and Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Panetta offered no cl... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:41:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760560-panetta-afghanistan-to-meet-with-karzai.html 2012-12-12T16:41:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1761052-un-2-afghans-risk-this-winter.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — More than 2 million Afghans are at risk from cold, disease and malnutrition this winter as an international appeal for funds to help one of the world's poorest countries has fallen drastically short of its goal, the United Nations and several humanitarian agencies warned on Wednesday. Only 48 percent of $448 million that has been... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 15:11:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1761052-un-2-afghans-risk-this-winter.html 2012-12-12T15:11:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760270-panetta-obama-weighing-us-presence-afghanistan.html ALI AL-SALEM AIR BASE, Kuwait (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday that President Barack Obama will decide in the next few weeks how many U.S. troops will stay in Afghanistan after the combat mission ends in December 2014. Panetta did not reveal what options Obama is considering, but officials have said he may settle on a figure betwe... Wed, 12 Dec 2012 04:50:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1760270-panetta-obama-weighing-us-presence-afghanistan.html 2012-12-12T04:50:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1758316-taliban-popular-where-us-fought-biggest-battle.html MARJAH, Afghanistan (AP) — Nearly three years after U.S.-led forces launched the biggest operation of the war to clear insurgents, foster economic growth and set a model for the rest of Afghanistan, angry residents of Helmand province say they are too afraid to go out after dark because of marauding bands of thieves. And during the day, they say corrupt p... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 18:51:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1758316-taliban-popular-where-us-fought-biggest-battle.html 2012-12-11T18:51:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1758264-us-afghans-resisting-efforts-to-track-cash-exodus.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A U.S. watchdog agency said Tuesday that Afghan officials were resisting U.S. efforts to help track billions of dollars being flown out of Kabul airport every year, some likely linked to crime and drugs. The U.S. and other nations have long expressed concern about the amount of cash being flown out of the country — an estimated $... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 15:49:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1758264-us-afghans-resisting-efforts-to-track-cash-exodus.html 2012-12-11T15:49:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1758028-un-despite-law-afghan-women-suffer-abuse.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan women are frequent victims of abuse, despite some success by authorities in prosecuting rape cases, forced marriages and domestic violence under a 3-year-old law, according to a report issued Tuesday by the United Nations. The report came out a day after gunmen shot and killed the head of the women's affairs department for... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 13:18:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1758028-un-despite-law-afghan-women-suffer-abuse.html 2012-12-11T13:18:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1757850-panetta-syria-chemical-threat-slowed.html KUWAIT CITY (AP) — The Syrian government seems to have slowed preparations for the possible use of chemical weapons against rebel targets, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday. Last week, U.S. officials said there was evidence that Syrian forces had begun preparing sarin, a nerve agent, for possible use in bombs. Speaking to reporters flying w... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 12:24:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1757850-panetta-syria-chemical-threat-slowed.html 2012-12-11T12:24:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1757922-iran-closes-consulate-herat-afghanistan.html TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's official news agency is reporting the country has closed its consular section in the western Afghan city of Herat, after anti-Iranian protests at the site on Sunday. The Afghan demonstrators were protesting the alleged killing of Afghan emigrants at nearby border crossings in recent months. Iran denies the killings. The Tuesday ... Tue, 11 Dec 2012 11:31:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1757922-iran-closes-consulate-herat-afghanistan.html 2012-12-11T11:31:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1756394-afghan-attacks-overall-insider-threat-rises.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Army is updating its handbook for soldiers on how to detect and prevent so-called insider attacks, providing detailed warning signs to watch for and cultural missteps to avoid because they could fuel anger or violence among the Afghan forces. The update comes as a new Pentagon report says that the ongoing insider attacks, in whi... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 21:55:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1756394-afghan-attacks-overall-insider-threat-rises.html 2012-12-10T21:55:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1755182-attacks-kill-afghan-police-chief-official.html KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban bombing killed an Afghan provincial police chief and gunmen fatally shot an official in charge of women's affairs on Monday — the latest victims of a campaign targeting government officials across Afghanistan. The police chief for Nimroz province was travelling home from neighboring Herat province when his vehicle st... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:47:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1755182-attacks-kill-afghan-police-chief-official.html 2012-12-10T14:47:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1755840-taliban-to-attend-paris-meeting-afghanistan.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban will attend a meeting in France to talk about Afghanistan's future but will not discuss peace and reconciliation, the militant group's spokesman said Monday. The meeting, organized by a French think tank on the outskirts of Paris, is not expected to produce results, but it will produce a rare face-to-face gathering of... Mon, 10 Dec 2012 14:36:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1755840-taliban-to-attend-paris-meeting-afghanistan.html 2012-12-10T14:36:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1754892-obama-praises-special-ops-forces-rescue.html WASHINGTON (AP) — A member of a U.S. special operations team was killed during a weekend rescue mission in Afghanistan that freed an American doctor abducted by the Taliban outside of Kabul five days ago. President Barack Obama praised the special forces on Sunday, saying the mission was characteristic of U.S. troops' "extraordinary courage, skill and pat... Sun, 09 Dec 2012 23:04:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1754892-obama-praises-special-ops-forces-rescue.html 2012-12-09T23:04:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1754072-military-us-service-member-killed-afghanistan.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The U.S. military says one of its service members has been killed in eastern Afghanistan. The U.S. force says in a statement that the service member was killed Sunday but does not provide any further details. The military, which usually gives at least a vague description of how a service member has been killed soon after the deat... Sun, 09 Dec 2012 12:23:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1754072-military-us-service-member-killed-afghanistan.html 2012-12-09T12:23:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1753618-us-led-coalition-us-doctor-rescued-taliban.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An American doctor abducted by the Taliban five days ago was rescued Sunday in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S.-led military coalition said. Dr. Dilip Joseph was captured by Taliban insurgents Wednesday outside the Afghan capital, in the Sarobi district of Kabul province. He was rescued in an early morning operation ordered after in... Sun, 09 Dec 2012 00:34:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1753618-us-led-coalition-us-doctor-rescued-taliban.html 2012-12-09T00:34:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1752576-karzai-afghan-spy-chief-bomber-pakistan.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Saturday that the recent assassination attempt on the country's intelligence chief was planned in Pakistan, but vowed it would not stop him from seeking Islamabad's help in coaxing militants to the negotiating table. The attack, carried out by a suicide bomber posing as a peace messenger, severe... Sat, 08 Dec 2012 16:44:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1752576-karzai-afghan-spy-chief-bomber-pakistan.html 2012-12-08T16:44:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1752464-us-200-teens-detained-afghan-war.html NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. military has detained more than 200 Afghan teenagers who were captured in the war for about a year at a time at a military prison next to Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, the United States has told the United Nations. The U.S. State Department characterized the detainees held since 2008 as "enemy combatants" in a report sent every ... Sat, 08 Dec 2012 08:55:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1752464-us-200-teens-detained-afghan-war.html 2012-12-08T08:55:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1747894-bombing-wounds-afghan-intelligence-chief.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban suicide bomber posing as a messenger of peace blew himself up near Afghanistan's newly appointed intelligence chief on Thursday, seriously wounding him, officials said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on Asadullah Khalid — the fifth such assassination attempt on his life in as many years, the officials... Thu, 06 Dec 2012 15:34:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1747894-bombing-wounds-afghan-intelligence-chief.html 2012-12-06T15:34:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1744080-pentagon-planning-massive-budget-cuts.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Defense Department has begun planning for the roughly $500 billion in personnel and program cuts over a decade that will be needed if Congress and the White House fail to reach a deal that would avoid the double hit of tax hikes and automatic spending reductions dubbed the "fiscal cliff." Department spokesman George Little said the c... Wed, 05 Dec 2012 19:46:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/markets/1744080-pentagon-planning-massive-budget-cuts.html 2012-12-05T19:46:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1744756-us-tells-allies-to-good-afghan-pledges.html BRUSSELS (AP) — The Obama administration pressed its European allies on Wednesday to follow through on their pledges to Afghanistan's security after most international troops withdraw in 2014, fearful of being left with the check in an era of austerity budgets and defense cutbacks. Donors pledged $4.1 billion a year to support Afghan forces from 2015 to 2... Wed, 05 Dec 2012 11:53:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1744756-us-tells-allies-to-good-afghan-pledges.html 2012-12-05T11:53:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1743438-senate-passes-631-billion-defense-bill.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate overwhelmingly approved a sweeping, $631 billion defense bill Tuesday that sends a clear signal to President Barack Obama to move quickly to get U.S. combat troops out of Afghanistan, tightens sanctions on Iran and limits the president's authority in handling terror suspects. Ignoring a veto threat, the Senate voted 98-0 for t... Tue, 04 Dec 2012 23:01:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1743438-senate-passes-631-billion-defense-bill.html 2012-12-04T23:01:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1741476-iran-claims-us-drone-capture-navy-denies-loss.html TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran claimed Tuesday it had taken another prize in a growing showdown with Washington over drone surveillance, displaying a purported U.S. unmanned aircraft it said was captured intact. The U.S. Navy, however, said none of its drones in the region was missing. The conflicting accounts could put pressure on both sides for more details o... Tue, 04 Dec 2012 17:34:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1741476-iran-claims-us-drone-capture-navy-denies-loss.html 2012-12-04T17:34:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1741474-ap-impact-insider-attack-trust-cost-2-lives.html WASHINGTON (AP) — It was a sneak attack, but not by the enemy they feared. U.S. Army Capts. Joshua Lawrence and Drew Russell were inside a small command post on an Afghan army base, wrapping up a long day of coordinating the safe arrival of nearly 100 Afghan religious and tribal leaders for a peace conference at a nearby palace. Darkne... Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:56:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1741474-ap-impact-insider-attack-trust-cost-2-lives.html 2012-12-04T15:56:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1741430-bomb-blast-afghanistan-kills-2-nato-troops.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The international military coalition in Afghanistan says two of its service members have been killed in a bomb attack in the country's south. The NATO-led alliance said in a statement issued late Monday that the blast occurred earlier that day. It did not provide further details or the nationalities of the dead. The coalition usu... Tue, 04 Dec 2012 05:20:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1741430-bomb-blast-afghanistan-kills-2-nato-troops.html 2012-12-04T05:20:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1741130-senate-oks-obamas-choice-afghan-commander.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate has approved President Barack Obama's choice to be the top commander in Afghanistan. By voice vote Monday, lawmakers cleared the way for Gen. Joseph Dunford, the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, to take over as head of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan. Dunford would replace Gen. John Allen, the current command... Mon, 03 Dec 2012 23:25:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1741130-senate-oks-obamas-choice-afghan-commander.html 2012-12-03T23:25:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1740634-obama-thanks-bulgaria-afghanistan-efforts.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is thanking Bulgaria for its contributions and sacrifices in the U.S.-lead war in Afghanistan. Obama spoke in the Oval Office alongside Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov ahead of their one-on-one meeting. The president says the two leaders will discuss transition plans in Afghanistan, which call for NATO to w... Mon, 03 Dec 2012 19:38:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1740634-obama-thanks-bulgaria-afghanistan-efforts.html 2012-12-03T19:38:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1739018-risk-heart-debate-troop-withdrawal.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The debate over how many U.S. troops will remain in Afghanistan after 2014 comes down to risky business. There is a risk that leaving too few troops after 2014 would stop or stall the already slow development of the Afghan army and police, whose competence — and that of the Afghan government as a whole — is crucial to ending the war succ... Mon, 03 Dec 2012 07:35:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1739018-risk-heart-debate-troop-withdrawal.html 2012-12-03T07:35:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1737572-us-afghan-base-attacked-eastern-afghanistan.html KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban suicide bombers attacked a joint U.S.-Afghan air base in eastern Afghanistan early Sunday, detonating explosives at the gate and sparking a gunbattle that lasted at least two hours with American helicopters firing down on the militants. The attackers and at least five Afghans were killed, officials said. Taliban spokesman... Sun, 02 Dec 2012 12:56:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1737572-us-afghan-base-attacked-eastern-afghanistan.html 2012-12-02T12:56:00Z