Obama announces a 30,000-troop escalation

NATO announced that ISAF would expand into western Afghanistan, extending the international force beyond Kabul and the northern provinces. The expansion joined reconstruction and security operations...

Afghans voted in parliamentary and provincial council elections, the first fully representative legislature in three decades. The UN reported about 6.4 million voters and a 25 percent women’s seat...

NATO-led ISAF took command of the southern region from the U.S.-led coalition, adding six provinces including Helmand and Kandahar. The change expanded NATO’s direct role in areas where the Taliban...

NATO-led ISAF took command of international forces in eastern Afghanistan, completing its expansion across the country. The result was a nationwide NATO-led military mission, while Afghan institutions...

U.S.-led airstrikes in Gerani, Bala Baluk district, killed civilians during fighting with Taliban forces. UNAMA attributed 63 deaths; the Afghan human rights commission reported a higher toll. The...

UNAMA reported 2,412 conflict-related civilian deaths in 2009, a 14 percent rise from 2008. It attributed most deaths to armed opposition groups, while documenting civilian harm by all parties. The...

Afghan and international forces launched Operation Moshtarak to retake Marjah and assert state authority. UN agencies later estimated about 27,700 people displaced from Marjah and Nad Ali since 8...

Afghan delegates gathered for a three-day Consultative Peace Jirga to discuss a path toward ending the conflict. The process showed Afghan efforts to shape negotiations, though women and other...

U.S. special forces killed al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The operation occurred outside Afghanistan, but it became a major marker in the U.S. counterterrorism campaign...

A U.S. Army staff sergeant shot civilians in Panjwai, killing 16, including nine children, according to Afghan officials and Amnesty International. The killings intensified demands for...