Category: Afghanistan

Mourners in California Honor 3 Marines Killed in Afghanistan

RIVERSIDE, Calif.—Mourners in California said prayers and their final goodbyes Saturday to three Marines killed in last month’s bombing in Afghanistan. Family and friends of Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui packed a church in Riverside to celebrate the life of the 20-year-old Marine from Norco. He was one of 13 U.S. troops killed in a horrific…


With no Accountability for Disasters, Public Trust Threatens to Buckle

Commentary The idea of a straw that broke the camel’s back is proverbial. Some sources trace the notion back to Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679), for whom the burden is feathers and the beast a horse, but I suspect that the basic idea is much older. What is the basic idea?  That an accumulation of evils is bearable…


UN Afghanistan Mission Extended, Afghan Envoy Asks to Keep Seat

UNITED NATIONS—The United Nations Security Council extended the U.N. political mission of Afghanistan’s former government on Friday for six months to allow for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to work out what changes might be needed after the Taliban seized control of the country. The annual mandate for the mission, known as UNAMA, was due to expire on…


28 US Citizens Depart Kabul via Charter Flight, State Department Confirms

Nearly 30 U.S. citizens were able to leave Taliban-controlled Afghanistan after the full withdrawal of U.S. troops, the State Department confirmed Saturday. “We can confirm that a Qatar Airways charter flight departed from Kabul yesterday with 28 U.S. citizens and 7 lawful permanent residents on board,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement….


Connecticut Readies to Accept Afghan Refugees

Officials in Connecticut say they are expecting to house several hundred Afghanistan refugees in the coming weeks. Gov. Ned Lamont said in a news release the refugees will be “fully vetted” by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and have all necessary vaccinations, including for COVID-19. “My administration was informed by the White House that…


Putin Says Russia Needs to Work With the Taliban

Moscow—Russia needs to work with the ruling Taliban terrorist group in Afghanistan, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday at a meeting of a China- and Russia-led security bloc, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). Speaking via video link at the conference held in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, Putin said Russia supported a United Nations conference…


Plane Carrying Afghans, US, and European Citizens From Kabul Arrives in Doha

DUBAI—The third chartered flight bringing civilians from Afghanistan to Qatar since U.S. forces withdrew last month landed on Friday with around 170 passengers on board, including U.S. and European citizens as well as Afghans, a Qatari official said. Foreign nationals on board include those from Belgium, Britain, Croatia, Germany, the Netherlands, and Italy as well…


Local Tributes to Fallen 13 Emphasize Importance of Tradition

CORONA DEL MAR, Calif.—As Americans around the country continue to hold ceremonies in honor of the thirteen fallen soldiers killed during the U.S. retreat from Afghanistan on Aug. 26, members and guests of the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club (BCYC) held a solemn remembrance on Sept. 15, using time-honored maritime and military traditions. In the days after…


US Military: Up to 10 Civilians Killed in Airstrike in Kabul

As many as 10 civilians were killed in a U.S. airstrike in Kabul, Afghanistan, last month, the U.S. military said Friday. Additionally, the strike does not appear to have killed anybody with or linked to the terrorist group ISIS-K, U.S. Gen. Frank McKenzie, commander of the U.S. Central Command, told reporters during a press conference. The…


Time to Hold Our Leaders Accountable for Afghanistan Fiasco

Commentary Plenty of people have pointed out what went wrong in Afghanistan, but far too few people have asked who should now be held accountable for this national disgrace. The debacle in Afghanistan should be setting off alarm bells in Washington. We surrendered the country that we’d been defending to a seventh century tribe, which…