Ben BrodyApril 26, 2013 08:59

QALAT, Afghanistan — In nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan, US forces have brought in a tremendous amount of fighting equipment, built military facilities all over the country and overseen the training of hundreds of thousands of Afghan troops.

Afghan security forces go it alone

Ben BrodyApril 22, 2013 08:53

QALAT, Afghanistan — US troops who are in a position to respond to attacks on Afghan forces say their current posture is laissez faire — Black Hawks will not, for example, be delivering US troops into battle on behalf of Afghan forces. Under very limited circumstances Afghan units may request assistance from American attack or medevac helicopters, otherwise, the Afghan forces are on their own this summer.

Afghan security forces face first fighting season alone

Ben BrodyApril 22, 2013 06:01

QALAT, Afghanistan — US troops reduced to advisory role as Taliban begins its annual onslaught. Under very limited circumstances Afghan units may request assistance from American attack or medevac helicopters, otherwise, the Afghan forces are on their own this summer.

Mac Deford April 17, 2013 12:41

Boston Marathon bombing reveals the worst and best among us

Commentary: Can we prevent global destruction on a scale yet to be seen?

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A piece of debris rests against a police barricade near the scene of Monday's deadly bombing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. FBI investigators will try to rebuild the bombs used in the attack to determine their origin. (Spencer Platt/AFP/Getty Images)

OWLS HEAD, Maine — The Boston Marathon attack was not 9/11. But the awful shock, that kick-in-the-gut feeling it created, brought back memories of that first, terrifying run-in with international terrorism. The death rate in Boston was minuscule, 1/1,000th of those lost on 9/11, but that it happened at one of the nation's happiest, carefree athletic events made it particularly painful, and not just for the memories it evoked. Sure, we'll continue to have marathons, parades, mass celebrations of one sort or another, but like our trips through airports these days, they'll be less carefree, more burdensome, less the innocent experience of our youth.

Top general pushing to keep US troops in Afghanistan

David TrifunovApril 16, 2013 18:54

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) told Dunford that vague assessments are hurting the mission.

The risky craft of being an artist in Afghanistan

Chris SandsApril 13, 2013 06:01

KABUL — While much of society here has continued to suffer since the 2001 US-led invasion, artists have undoubtedly benefited from an era that has witnessed significant gains in freedom of expression. But with US and NATO forces set to withdraw, many artists now wonder if those freedoms are sustainable. Already things are taking a turn for worse.

Death of a diplomat

Jean MacKenzieApril 10, 2013 12:20

She was young and idealistic, caught in an old war that, for many, had long since lost its raison d’etre. When 25-year-old Anne Smedinghoff died in a suicide bombing in the Afghan province of Zabul on Saturday, she sparked a painful and bitter debate about the meaning of the 11-year US intervention in Afghanistan.

Elite Afghan troops try hand at US arsenal

Afghan security forces go it alone

Afghan security forces face first fighting season alone

Boston Marathon bombing reveals the worst and best among us

Top general pushing to keep US troops in Afghanistan

The risky craft of being an artist in Afghanistan

Death of a diplomat

Eastern Afghanistan airstrike kills 10 children

6 Americans killed in Afghan attacks, including diplomat

Afghanistan: US hands control of the Nirkh district to Afghan forces