Author: Heidi Vogt
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US to defend Afghanistan for decade after drawdown
KABUL, Afghanistan — Washington has pledged in a newly agreed strategic pact to help defend Afghanistan militarily for at least a decade after the country formally takes control of its own security, an Afghan official said Monday.The draft agreement signed on Sunday also says the U.S. will only take such actions with Afghan agreement. The…
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DINING REVIEW: Pho Viet 1 serves good food at low prices
Slurping at Pho Viet 1 is not just OK; it’s expected. The family-run Vietnamese restaurant, which took over a vacated Pizza Hut just north of The Citadel mall late last year, is a pho place specializing in big, steaming bowls of beef broth swimming with a tangled Sargasso of rice noodles. With a small, shallow…
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U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan calls for unity
KABUL, Afghanistan — The U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan pledged Thursday to move forward in a unified mission with Gen. David Petraeus after the ouster of Gen. Stanley McChrystal as the top commander in the war. President Barack Obama announced Wednesday that he was replacing McChrystal as the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in…
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U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Iraq mark Memorial Day
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — U.S. forces serving in Afghanistan and Iraq remembered friends and colleagues Monday in solemn Memorial Day ceremonies to commemorate all of their nation’s war dead. As some soldiers paused, violence raged on in both places. In Afghanistan, U.S.-led NATO forces launched airstrikes against Taliban insurgents who had forced government forces…
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Curbing Taliban opium trade risks loss of Afghans’ support
MARJAH, Afghanistan — Curbing the Taliban’s multimillion dollar opium poppy business was a major goal of a military operation to seize this former insurgent stronghold. With the town in NATO hands, the Marines face a conundrum: If they destroy the crops and curb the trade, they lose the support of the population — a problem…
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Marines walk tightrope to win support in Marjah
MARJAH, Afghanistan — Crouched on packed earth at a barricaded Marine encampment, the village elders issued their complaint: U.S. troops had killed an innocent 14-year-old boy. Secretly, the Marines didn’t believe them. No matter. They apologized, called the death a tragedy and promised to offer a condolence payment to the boy’s family. It’s all part…
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5 children killed in southern Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan – A gunfight between Australian forces and Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan killed five children who were caught in the crossfire, the Australian Defense Ministry said Friday. Afghan officials gave lower death tolls. Asadullah Hamdan, the provincial governor, said three children between 7 and 10 years old were killed. The deaths Thursday come…