Troop withdrawals

FILE - In this Feb. 8, 2019, file photo, Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad smiles at the U.S. Institute of Peace, in Washington. Amid talk of a U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy talking to the Taliban said Thursday, July 11, that America is not “cutting and running” from its longest war and that women will continue to have seats in peace talks to end nearly 18 years of fighting. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)
July 12, 2019 - 12:42 am

Envoy to Afghanistan says US not 'cutting and running'

WASHINGTON (AP) — Amid talk of a U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, the U.S. envoy talking to the Taliban said Thursday that America is not "cutting and running" from its longest war and that women will continue to have seats in peace talks to end nearly 18 years of fighting. Zalmay Khalilzad...
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Gen. Mark Milley speaks at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, July 11, 2019, for reappointment to the grade of general and to be Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
July 11, 2019 - 1:41 pm

General: Early Afghanistan troop pullout would be mistake

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pulling American troops prematurely from Afghanistan would be a "strategic mistake," the Army general nominated to be Joint Chiefs chairman told senators Thursday. Mark Milley also said the United States should keep a "modest number" of forces in Iraq and Syria for now to maintain...
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Residents carry bodies of those who were killed in an airstrike during a protest in Baghlan province, northern Afghanistan, Tuesday, July 9, 2019. Even as an All-Afghan conference that brought Afghanistan's warring sides together was ending, the airstrike killed seven people, six of them children. (AP Photo/Mehrab Ibrahimi)
July 09, 2019 - 3:47 am

All-Afghan conference brings country closer to peace

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — All-Afghan talks that brought together Afghanistan's warring sides ended Tuesday with a statement that appeared to push the country a step closer to peace, by laying down the outlines of a roadmap for the country's future and ending nearly 18 years of war. Washington's...
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FILE - In this Nov. 14, 2001 file photo, Suhail Shaheen, then Deputy ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, gives an interview in Islamabad, Pakistan. The Taliban spokesman says the seventh and latest round of peace talks with the U.S. is "critical," as the militant group meets with Washington's envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in the Mideastern state of Qatar, where it maintains a political office. (AP Photo/Tariq Aziz, File)
July 04, 2019 - 10:44 pm

US, Taliban scramble to finalize draft on troop withdrawal

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Taliban and U.S. negotiators are scrambling to finalize a draft agreement that will outline the withdrawal of American and NATO troops from Afghanistan and a verifiable Taliban guarantee to fight terrorism ahead of an all-Afghan peace conference Sunday. Officials familiar with the...
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Smokes rises after a huge explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, July 1, 2019. Powerful explosion rocks Afghan capital, with smoke seen billowing from downtown area near U.S. Embassy. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
July 01, 2019 - 11:06 pm

Taliban bombing in Afghan capital kills 6, wounds scores

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban set off a powerful bomb in downtown Kabul on Monday, killing at least six people and wounding more than a hundred, and sending a cloud of smoke billowing over the Afghan capital. At least 26 children were among the wounded, many of whom were cut by shards of...
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FILE - In this file photo taken on Tuesday, May 28, 2019, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban group's top political leader, second from left, arrives with other members of the Taliban delegation for talks in Moscow, Russia. The seventh and latest round of peace talks between the U.S. and Taliban is "critical," said Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen on Sunday, June 30, 2019, the second day of talks with Washington's peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in the Mideastern state of Qatar, where the militant group maintains a political office. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
June 30, 2019 - 7:50 am

Taliban say latest round of talks with US 'critical'

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The seventh and latest round of peace talks between the U.S. and Taliban is "critical," said Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen on Sunday, the second day of talks with Washington's peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in the Mideastern state of Qatar, where the militant group maintains a...
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FILE - In this May 28, 2019, file photo, Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Doha, speaks to the media in Moscow, Russia. Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Doha, told The Associated Press that the Taliban's negotiating team was set to open talks with U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad. He has been in the region for several weeks meeting a legion of regional and Afghan officials, including Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)
June 29, 2019 - 11:21 am

US, Taliban open Doha talks in fresh bid to end war

ISLAMABAD (AP) — A fresh round of talks between the U.S. and the Taliban began in Qatar on Saturday, just days after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington is hoping for an Afghan peace agreement before Sept. 1. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed to The Associated Press...
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Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, left, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, arrive to testify at a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the defense budget, Wednesday May 8, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
May 11, 2019 - 3:10 pm

The Latest: Shanahan says troops aim to help secure border

MCALLEN, Texas (AP) — The Latest on acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan's visit to the U.S.-Mexico border (all times local): 1:45 p.m. Acting Defense Secretary has offered assurances to perhaps two dozen Border Patrol agents and other officials at the McAllen Border Patrol Station in Texas...
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FILE - This Sept. 29, 2018 file photo shows idle cargo and oil tanker ships at the port of Hodeida, Yemen. On Saturday, May 11, 2019, Houthi rebels began a long-delayed withdrawal of their forces from the key port city, the group said, following the terms of a cease-fire. The U.N.-brokered agreement is aimed at alleviating the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)
May 11, 2019 - 3:09 pm

Houthi rebels claim to begin withdrawal from key Yemen ports

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemen's Houthi rebels on Saturday began a long-delayed withdrawal of forces from the port facility in the key city of Hodeida, the group said, following the terms of a December cease-fire aimed at alleviating the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The government described the...
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FILE - In this Nov. 14, 2001 file photo, Suhail Shaheen, then Deputy ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, gives an interview in Islamabad, Pakistan. The Taliban say the gap is narrowing in talks with Washington's special peace envoy over a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. The two sides are continuing to meet in Qatar, where the insurgent movement maintains a political office. In a voice message sent Saturday, May 4, 2019, to The Associated Press, the Taliban spokesman in Doha says both sides have offered new proposals for drawing down U.S. and NATO forces. (AP Photo/Tariq Aziz, File)
May 04, 2019 - 6:09 am

Taliban say gap narrowing in talks with US

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban on Saturday said the gap is narrowing in talks with Washington's special peace envoy over a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. The two sides are continuing to meet in Qatar, where the insurgent movement maintains a political office. In a voice...
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