Crashing An Afghan Wedding: No Toasts But Lots Of Cheesy Music
Afghanistan may be one of the world's poorest countries, but weddings are still a big — and expensive — deal. On most weekends, Kabul's glitzy and somewhat garish wedding halls are packed with people...
View ArticleThere And Back Again: One Afghan's Journey To Find Home
In 2000, Auliya Atrafi paid thousands of dollars and risked his life to escape Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. He spent 12 years in England getting educated and becoming a documentary filmmaker.Last...
View ArticleFacing Big Changes, Anxious Afghans Hope For The Best In 2014
To many Afghans, 2014 is more than a year — it's a sword of Damocles hanging over the fragile nation. It's the year the country will elect a successor to President Hamid Karzai and the U.S.-led...
View ArticleTexas Man Becomes Unlikely CFO Of Ragged Kabul Orphanage
On Saturday afternoons, sometimes with a coworker or two, Siavash Rahbari drives up a rutted side street in Kabul to visit the Window of Hope orphanage.In the living room, there are a dozen boys and...
View ArticlePunctured Tires In Kabul Are The Work Of Police, Not Punks
In Kabul, car theft isn't a big problem, but it is a big concern. Security officials fear that militants could use stolen vehicles as car bombs. So the police have turned to a rather controversial...
View ArticleRace Toward Afghan Election Starts, With Skepticism In The Lead
With the campaign for Afghanistan's April 5 presidential election officially underway, three questions are commonly asked around Kabul: Do you think the presidential election will be held on April 5?...
View ArticleAn Afghan Success Story: Fewer Child Deaths
One of the most dramatic changes in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban is the increase in average life expectancy from 45 to 62 years.
View ArticleBeneath The Bunting, Afghan Shadow Campaign Kicks Off
Transcript MELISSA BLOCK, HOST: The Taliban also figure prominently in upcoming elections next door in Afghanistan. That country is poised to make history this spring by holding an election to choose a...
View ArticleUN: Civilian Casualities Rise In Afghanistan
Transcript SCOTT SIMON, HOST: This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Scott Simon. In Afghanistan, the United Nation has just released its annual survey of civilian casualties in the country, and...
View ArticleWho's Going To Be Afghanistan's Next President?
The United States is winding down more than 12 years of military involvement in Afghanistan, and for most Americans, the country is rapidly fading into the background.At the same time, Afghans are...
View ArticleAs Afghan Tajiks Lay Leader To Rest, Eyes Turn To Political Future
Afghanistan has lost its first vice president, a warlord who fought beside the U.S. against the Taliban. Mohammed Qasim Fahim's death presents his Tajik brethren a tough choice in upcoming elections.
View ArticleAfghanistan's Election Heats Up — And So Do The Attacks
Afghanistan's election for a new president is less than two weeks away. That means the candidates are busy campaigning — and the Taliban are busy attacking.The latest attack came Tuesday morning in...
View ArticleWith Elections Days Away, Suicide Bombs Sow Fear In Kabul
Transcript ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: Kabul is a city on edge as the Afghan presidential election approaches. Suicide bombers and gunmen attacked an election commission office yesterday. They killed several...
View ArticleTaliban Attack On Election HQ Makes Good On Campaign Promise
As officials from Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission were about to announce the closing of several polling stations due to insecurity on Saturday, the Taliban reinforced the message by...
View ArticleRuthless Warlord, Hero to Uzbeks, On Ballot In Afghan Elections
Transcript RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: This is WEEKEND EDITION from NPR News. I'm Rachel Martin. Afghans head to the polls on April 5th to elect a successor to President Hamid Karzai. The run-up to the...
View ArticleIn A Former Afghan Hot Spot, The Taliban Are Subdued For Now
A convoy of hulking U.S. Army Stryker vehicles slowly makes its way through the main bazaar near the center of Panjwai district in southern Afghanistan. Kandahar province is the birthplace of the...
View ArticleSuicide Bomber Targets Afghan Police
In the Afghan capital Kabul, a suicide bomber wearing a police uniform walked up to a checkpoint outside the headquarters of the Interior Ministry and killed several members of the national police.
View ArticleAfghans Vote In Large Numbers Despite Risks
After a campaign marred by violence, Afghans voted Saturday in presidential elections for what's to be the first ever democratic transfer of power. Results are not expected for some time.
View ArticleBritish Marine's New Mission: Save All Of Kabul's Street Animals
Joey's silky gold hair gleams in the afternoon sun. The big bundle of energy loves to cuddle. He also looks like he could lose a few pounds.This herding dog is one of the many survival stories here at...
View ArticleIn Afghan Spring, Violence Rises — But So Do Recruiting Numbers
Transcript ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST: Last year, for the first time, Afghan forces took charge of their country's security. They generally held their ground but suffered record casualties. Despite that,...
View Article
