Afghanistan: From Invasion to Evacuation and Beyond

Plan to boost visas for Afghan allies isn’t enough, advocates warn

The White House hopes to increase the number of Afghan visas to 20,000 in its fiscal 2024 budget plan.

12 days ago

Abdul Wasi Safi smiles after a news conference Friday, Jan. 27, 2023, in Houston.

Afghan soldier seeking US asylum hopes for ‘American dream’

Abdul Wasi Safi, who fled Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. forces, was freed this week after spending months in immigration detention.

8 weeks ago

Afghanistan

Feds drop charges against Afghan soldier seeking asylum in US

After months of publicity and a bipartisan congressional effort to request a pardon from the president, Abdul Wasi Safi could be set free.

Sami-ullah Safi holds photographs of his brother, Abdul Wasi Safi, as he talks about his brother's journey to the U.S. during an interview Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023, in Houston.

Afghan soldier seeking asylum in US remains jailed after border arrest

Abdul Wasi Safi, a former officer in the Afghan National Security Forces, was arrested at the U.S. southern border after fleeing the Taliban.

2 months ago

House GOP demands State Dept turn over thousands of Afghanistan memos

Republicans say the information is needed right away in their investigations into missteps leading up to the U.S. military withdrawal from that country.

2 months ago

Afghan refugees in US face uncertainty as legislation stalls

The Afghan Adjustment Act would allow Afghans who came to the U.S. during the Afghanistan evacuation to be re-vetted and apply for a permanent status.

3 months ago

State Department spokesman Ned Price speaks during a news conference at the State Department, March 10, 2022, in Washington.

Taliban releases 2 Americans held in Afghanistan

State Department spokesman Ned Price called the release an apparent goodwill gesture on the part of the Taliban.

3 months ago

‘The Way Forward’: Life lessons learned from a Marine and Navy SEAL

Two combat veterans share life experiences from hunting, drinking and war.

6 months ago

A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter flies over the rugged terrain of eastern Afghanistan, July 28, 2015.

Helicopter crash kills 3 in Kabul during training session

The Taliban’s defense ministry said at least three Afghan crew members were killed when a U.S.-manufactured Black Hawk helicopter they were flying crashed.

6 months ago

The intertwining legacy of women in the military and the Forever War

In many ways, female troops' service in Afghanistan opened previously closed doors.

7 months ago

US ending Operation Allies Welcome, shift to new Afghan refugee help

White House officials said the move is meant to improve efforts to assist Afghan refugees.

7 months ago

The desperate pleas from Afghanistan in our inbox

Last August, as the Taliban advanced on Kabul and the U.S. military began its hectic withdrawal from Afghanistan, emails began trickling into our inboxes.

7 months ago

A U.S. soldier holds a sign indicating a gate is closed as hundreds of people gather some holding documents, near an evacuation control checkpoint on the perimeter of the Hamid Karzai International Airport, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2021. (Wali Sabawoon/AP)

46 hours: How airmen fought to save lives after the Abbey Gate bombing

Air Force Times exclusively spoke with five airmen from the 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron during Operation Allies Refuge.

7 months ago

A year later, vets accept that they can’t save every Afghan ally

“We can’t just singlehandedly change public opinion, or political will, or spotlight on the issue, but we can do our best.”

7 months ago

For women allies left behind in Afghanistan, life is hell

Roughly 70,000 Afghans are still in the visa pipeline one year after the withdrawal of American forces.

7 months ago

President Joe Biden arrives on Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, en route to Washington.

Biden calls Afghan war vets ahead of withdrawal anniversary

President Joe Biden called the leaders of two veterans groups to express his appreciation for their work resettling Afghan allies in the United States.

7 months ago

GOP lawmakers plan more hearings, oversight on Afghanistan withdrawal

If GOP leaders win control of either chamber of Congress, expect lawmakers to focus on mistakes by the White House at the end of the U.S. presence there.

7 months ago

New book on Mullah Omar and the Taliban offers hard lessons for the US

U.S. leadership was consistently caught flat-footed, failing to deliver on their perennial promise to “turn the corner” in the war.

7 months ago

Biden commemorates ‘heroes’ killed 1 year ago in Kabul airport attack

Thirteen U.S. troops and more than 100 Afghan civilians died on Aug. 26, 2021.

7 months ago

How this Marine Corps clarinetist evacuated 2 US embassies in 1 year

This Marine just wanted to spend four years playing in a military band. Instead, he helped evacuate the U.S. embassies in Afghanistan in Ukraine.

7 months ago

Afghanistan

All the latest news about Afghanistan—the end of the war, the rise of the Taliban, and U.S. evacuation efforts.

The White House hopes to increase the number of Afghan visas to 20,000 in its fiscal 2024 budget plan.

Abdul Wasi Safi, who fled Afghanistan following the withdrawal of U.S. forces, was freed this week after spending months in immigration detention.

After months of publicity and a bipartisan congressional effort to request a pardon from the president, Abdul Wasi Safi could be set free.

Abdul Wasi Safi, a former officer in the Afghan National Security Forces, was arrested at the U.S. southern border after fleeing the Taliban.

Republicans say the information is needed right away in their investigations into missteps leading up to the U.S. military withdrawal from that country.

The Afghan Adjustment Act would allow Afghans who came to the U.S. during the Afghanistan evacuation to be re-vetted and apply for a permanent status.

State Department spokesman Ned Price called the release an apparent goodwill gesture on the part of the Taliban.

Two combat veterans share life experiences from hunting, drinking and war.

The Taliban’s defense ministry said at least three Afghan crew members were killed when a U.S.-manufactured Black Hawk helicopter they were flying crashed.

In many ways, female troops' service in Afghanistan opened previously closed doors.

White House officials said the move is meant to improve efforts to assist Afghan refugees.

Last August, as the Taliban advanced on Kabul and the U.S. military began its hectic withdrawal from Afghanistan, emails began trickling into our inboxes.

Air Force Times exclusively spoke with five airmen from the 379th Expeditionary Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron during Operation Allies Refuge.

“We can’t just singlehandedly change public opinion, or political will, or spotlight on the issue, but we can do our best.”

Roughly 70,000 Afghans are still in the visa pipeline one year after the withdrawal of American forces.

President Joe Biden called the leaders of two veterans groups to express his appreciation for their work resettling Afghan allies in the United States.

If GOP leaders win control of either chamber of Congress, expect lawmakers to focus on mistakes by the White House at the end of the U.S. presence there.

U.S. leadership was consistently caught flat-footed, failing to deliver on their perennial promise to “turn the corner” in the war.

Thirteen U.S. troops and more than 100 Afghan civilians died on Aug. 26, 2021.

This Marine just wanted to spend four years playing in a military band. Instead, he helped evacuate the U.S. embassies in Afghanistan in Ukraine.