Afghan forces take the lead for security nationwide

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...

Ashraf Ghani was inaugurated president after a disputed election and a U.S.-brokered agreement with rival Abdullah Abdullah. Abdullah became chief executive in a newly created power-sharing...

NATO formally completed ISAF after a three-year transition that transferred the security lead to Afghan forces. The end of ISAF did not end foreign military involvement or the war: a smaller NATO...

Resolute Support began as a non-combat NATO mission to train, advise and assist Afghan security institutions. Its launch marked a change in the form of foreign involvement, not a full military...

Repeated U.S. airstrikes hit Médecins Sans Frontières’ functioning trauma hospital during fighting in Kunduz. MSF later reported 42 deaths, including patients, staff and caretakers. A U.S....

Two suicide bombers struck a peaceful Enlightenment Movement protest in Deh Mazang Square. UNAMA recorded 85 civilians killed and 413 injured, nearly all Hazara and mostly Shia. The protesters opposed...