Afghanistan – Ten Years On | PRI's The World

Afghanistan – Ten Years On

Afghanistan – Ten Years On

Sgt. Thompson, Afghanistan, May 2010 (Photo: Ben Gilbert)

Sgt. Chester Thompson, scans the mountains around Haki Kalay, Afghanistan in May 2010 (Photo: Ben Gilbert)

Following the attacks on the United States on September 11th, 2001, directed by al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, US military operations inside Afghanistan got underway on October 7th 2001. The Taliban leadership which had hosted al-Qaeda in Afghanistan was swiftly ousted but al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden could not be captured or killed at the time. Working with a NATO coalition and UN support, the US has sought to safeguard Afghan nation building efforts in the country.

Ten years later, there are still around 100,000 American troops in Afghanistan and the situation on the ground remains difficult. Parts of the country are under the sway of a resurgent Taliban, especially in the south and east. The country’s second-largest city, Kandahar, remains a hotbed of Taliban support.

In June, President Barack Obama announced that at least 68,000 US troops would remain in Afghanistan after a first tranche of 33,000 withdraw in the following months. If all goes to plan, most US combat troops will be out by 2013.

BBC Afghanistan Coverage
Map of international deployments (ISAF)

On The World:

Afghanistan Working to Rebuild its Shattered Justice System

October 7, 2011

Kabul prison (Photo: Laura Lynch)

Kabul prison (Photo: Laura Lynch)

Millions of dollars have been spent on training lawyers and judges, but many Afghans still shun courts in favor of traditional methods. More…

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Doing Business in Afghanistan

October 5, 2011

Chelsea Supermarket in Kabul (Photo: Laura Lynch)

The last 10 years have actually created the foundation for a booming economy in Afghanistan – at least for some. Now, as international troops begin to pull out and donor groups leave, there are the first signs that the country may face a severe downturn in the years to come. More…

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Children Surviving in War Torn Afghanistan

October 3, 2011

Fawad Mohammadi (Photo: Laural Lynch)

Fawad Mohammadi selling his maps in Kabul (Photo: Laural Lynch)

There are millions of children growing up in Afghanistan who have known nothing but war and violence. More…

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Graffiti Artists of Kabul

September 30, 2011

Graffiti by Shamsia Hassani (Photo: Shamsia Hassani)

Graffiti by Shamsia Hassani (Photo: Shamsia Hassani)

Laura Lynch reports, how local Kabul artists are using the rubble of bombed out buildings as their canvasses. More…

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Women in Afghanistan 10 Years After US Invasion

September 29, 2011

US Army Maj. Bobbie Mayes hands over supplies to a graduate of a two-day beekeeping course. (Photo: US Army)

US Army Maj. Bobbie Mayes hands over supplies to a graduate of a two-day beekeeping course. (Photo: US Army)

Kabul resident Sultana Parvanta discusses the changing situation of women in Afghanistan 10 years after the US invasion.More…

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Afghanistan’s History of War on Display

September 28, 2011

Kabul Mine Museum (Photo: Iqbal Sapand)

Afghanistan’s long history as a battleground is documented in a small museum on the outskirts of Kabul. It displays the range of weapons that successive armed groups have employed – at a deadly cost – and that continue to take lives today. The World’s Laura Lynch visited the museum.View the slideshow…

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A Strange Rhythm to Life in Troubled Kabul

September 26, 2011

Laura Lynch interviewing in Kabul, Afghanistan

Laura Lynch interviewing in Kabul, Afghanistan

Laura Lynch blog post: “As we crawled along in the chaos that is Kabul’s afternoon rush hour yesterday, Iqbal casually turned to me and mentioned that his wife had gone into labor. Iqbal, my translator and local producer in Afghanistan, had told me when I arrived that his wife was almost due. Still, I was a bit taken aback with his calm, cool demeanor.” More …

Widows in War-Torn Afghanistan

September 26, 2011

Afghan woman and her son in Kabul, Afghanistan (Photo: Laura Lynch)

Afghan woman and her son in Kabul, Afghanistan (Photo: Laura Lynch)

Thousands of Afghan men have been killed during the long war in Afghanistan, leaving their families without a father and a husband. Laura Lynch reports. More …

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Afghanistan Links:

Afghans Mourn The Death Of Rabbani

September 21, 2011

Banner commemorating Rabbani who had been meeting Taliban commanders. (Photo: Laura Lynch)

Afghans gathered in Kabul to mourn High Peace Council chief Burhanuddin Rabbani and protest at his killing by a suicide bomber on Tuesday. Laura Lynch reports from Kabul. More …

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Afghanistan’s Peace Process After Rabbani Assassination

September 21, 2011
Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Candace Rondeaux, senior analyst for the International Crisis Group in Afghanistan, about the impact of Peace Council head Berhanuddin Rabbani’s assassination on the country’s bid for peace. More …

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Afghan Peace Council Head Rabbani Killed in Bomb Blast

September 20, 2011

Burhanuddin Rabbani (Photo: Pajhwok Afghan News/Wikipedia)

Burhanuddin Rabbani, chairman of the Afghan High Peace Council, is killed along with several other people in a bomb attack in Kabul, officials say. Rabbani, a former Afghanistan president, was meeting member of the Taliban when he was killed by a suicide attacker who is suspected to have concealed a bomb in his turban. Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with Laura Lynch to get more details. More …

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Insurgents Attack US Embassy in Kabul

September 13, 2011

US Embassy in Kabul (Photo: BBC)

Afghan and international security forces battled insurgents targeting the US embassy, NATO headquarters and police buildings in Kabul. The coordinated assault in Afghanistan’s capital has jolted local residents, says Jean MacKenzie of the online news service GlobalPost. More …

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Taliban Strength and Strategy

September 13, 2011

Caroline Wadhams (Photo: Center for American Progress)

Lisa Mullins talks with Caroline Wadhams of the Center for American Progress about the Taliban and what Tuesday’s attacks in Kabul tells us about their current standing.

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Rebuilding Kabul

September 6, 2011

Peacock House (Photo: Turquoise Mountain Foundation)

Five years ago, parts of downtown Kabul resembled a slum, with heaps of garbage and rotted and broken down buildings. Today, the scene is different. The buildings have returned to their former beauty and it’s all because of a massive restoration project. Laura Spero reports from Kabul, Afghanistan. More …

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Obama Orders Afghanistan Drawdown

June 22, 2011
In June, President Barack Obama announced the withdrawal of 10,000 US troops from Afghanistan this year and another 23,000 by September 2012. Speaking from the White House, Mr Obama told Americans that it was “time to focus on nation-building here at home”. More …

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The War In Afghanistan, Nine Years On

Oct. 6, 2010
On the ninth anniversary of US military operations in Afghanistan, Lisa Mullins talked with reporter Ben Gilbert in Kandahar. More …

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October 2010

July 2010

President Obama’s Afghanistan ‘surge’

December 2009
In 2009, President Barack Obama ordered 30,000 more US troops to Afghanistan but warned America would begin to withdraw its military forces by 2011. Soldiers would be deployed as quickly as possible, bringing US troop strength in the country to more than 100,000. More …

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How We Got Here Podcast: Afghanistan’s precarious moment

August 19, 2009
In this edition of her podcast, The World’s Jeb Sharp looks at the history of warlordism in Afghanistan after the return of the notorious Uzbek leader General Abdul Rashid Dostum. More …

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