Taliban

WHY IT MATTERS: Afghanistan

By ROBERT BURNSAP National Security Writer The issue: U.S. troops are still in Afghanistan, 11 years after they invaded. Why? The answer boils down to one word: al-Qaida. The goal is to damage the terrorist group enough to prevent a repeat of the 9/11 attacks. ___ Where they stand: After nearly

Taliban deny their bombs cause most Afghan deaths

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The Taliban dismissed on Sunday a UN report that roadside bombs are causing most civilian casualties in Afghanistan as "Western propaganda." Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed that the insurgents only use the weapons to target foreign troops and the Afghan

WHY IT MATTERS: Issues at stake in election

By The Associated Press A selection of issues at stake in the presidential election and their impact on Americans, in brief: Abortion: Abortion and birth control are divisive issues in politics, and they've flared up at times in this campaign despite the candidates' reluctance to dwell

US sees potential for wider anti-Taliban uprising

By ROBERT BURNSAP National Security Writer AB BAND, Afghanistan (AP) - Fed up with the Taliban closing their schools and committing other acts of oppression, men in a village about 100 miles south of Kabul took up arms late last spring and chased out the insurgents with no help from the Afghan