Afghanistan

Afghan security forces patrol near their base in the Marjah district of Helmand province on Dec. 23. Dozens of Marines were killed in Marjah five years ago, and since then the Taliban have slipped back in. Now American forces are increasingly being drawn

U.S. Forces Increasingly Drawn Back Into Afghanistan's Battles

5:28pm January 08, 2016

by Tom Bowman

The president said the U.S. combat mission is over, but a Green Beret died Tuesday during an assault on Taliban forces. "Americans are very much in the thick of these fights," says a retired general.

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Latest U.S. Casualties Raise Questions About U.S. Role In Afghanistan

6:49pm January 05, 2016

by Laura Wagner

One special operations soldier was killed and two others were wounded in a firefight in Afghanistan. A Pentagon spokesman insists that U.S. soldiers are there to "train, advise and assist."

What Hashtagged In 2015? Periods, Refugees And Nigerians At Hogwarts

3:39pm January 05, 2016

If it didn't hashtag, did it really happen? We look back on the trendiest hashtags in global development in 2015.

World News

Asia Expert: Taliban's Resergence Threatens Afghanistan's Stability

11:22am January 02, 2016

Andrew Wilder, vice president of Asia programs at the United States Institute of Peace, speaks with NPR'S Scott Simon about why the war in Afghanistan intensified in 2015.

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Three migrants from Afghanistan walk along the A3 highway shortly after they crossed into Germany on August 30, 2015, near Neuhaus am Inn, Germany. Police detained them shortly after and took them to a registration center for asylum seekers. Germany has w

World News

Struggling To Absorb Asylum-Seekers, Germany Steps Up Deportations

4:12pm December 25, 2015

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

Germany has been generous in welcoming refugees, but is stepping up deportations to dissuade more from coming. Chancellor Angela Merkel says many Afghans seeking asylum shouldn't expect to stay.

U.S. Launches Airstrikes In Support Of Afghan Operation In Sangin

4:18pm December 24, 2015

NPR's Robert Siegel interviews Sune Engel Rasmussen, who covers Afghanistan for the Guardian, about the latest on the siege of Sangin in southern Afghanistan, which the Taliban attempted to overrun. U.S. aircraft have carried out two attacks there in support of Afghan government forces fighting to push the Taliban back.

Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl leaves a military courthouse Tuesday in Fort Bragg, N.C. Bergdahl was arraigned on charges of desertion and endangering troops stemming from his decision to leave his outpost in Afghanistan in 2009.

National

Bowe Bergdahl Defers Entering Plea At Arraignment

1:58pm December 22, 2015

by Laura Wagner

In his first appearance before a military judge on charges of desertion and misbehavior before the enemy, Bergdahl did not enter a plea. "The accused wishes to defer for reflection," his lawyer said.

Hungarian police officers stop a group of refugees near a makeshift camp for asylum seekers in Roszke, southern Hungary, in September 2015.

World News

The Number Of Migrants And Refugees Arriving In Europe Tops 1 Million

7:06am December 22, 2015

by Eyder Peralta

Most of them are from Syria, Africa and South Asia. The International Organization for Migration says this is the highest migration flow since World War II.

Six U.S. Troops Killed In Afghanistan In Suicide Blast

7:15pm December 21, 2015

by Laura Wagner

The White House said in a statement that the Taliban was responsible for the attack.

NPR's Steve Inskeep interviews President Obama at the White House.

Obama Makes 'No Apologies' For Fighting ISIS Within 'American Values'

2:53pm December 21, 2015

by Amita Kelly

In an interview with NPR, President Obama forcefully defended his strategy against ISIS and encouraged Americans to "keep things in perspective."

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