"taliban"

Barnes first met Safi in 2009, when Safi was an East High exchange student.

Catholic Social Services of Alaska said its refugee resettlement division is preparing to welcome 50 to 100 Afghans, beginning this month.

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has been watched closely by veterans of the 20-year war. That includes many based or formerly based in Alaska, which is said to have a higher percentage of veterans than any other state.

As the Taliban takes control again, Murkowski said she’s thinking about the gains lost and the many American soldiers killed in that country over the past two decades.

As the U.S. nears President Joe Biden’s August deadline to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, the politics and logistics of getting everyone out of there are complicated and shifting all over the country. Former Juneau resident Heather Barr is keeping an eye on the region.

The blast struck during the morning rush hour in an Afghan neighborhood that is home to several embassies and is not far from the presidential palace.

After a suicide bombing ripped through a crowded park on Easter, Pakistan has declared a three-day mourning period. Meanwhile, authorities are trying to track down those responsible for the attack.

Now that the Obama administration has decided to keep U.S. forces in the country longer than initially planned, the 14-year conflict will likely be handed to his successor.

Senior administration officials say the U.S. will keep 9,800 troops in 2016 for its missions of counterterrorism and to train Afghan forces. The president had planned on a smaller presence.

The Taliban said in a statement they have achieved all their objectives including seizing the major transportation hub of Kunduz, releasing its fighters from a prison and grabbing tons of weapons.