Poetry for the Soul in First Afghan National Park
Band-e-Amir, a vast expanse of amazingly blue lakes set in austere desert cliffs, nearly 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) high in the Hindu Kush mountains, has opened as Afghanistan's first national park.
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Afghan Enclave Seen as Model for Development
Small grants given directly to villagers have brought important changes to Jurm, where people have taken charge for themselves — using village councils and direct grants to bring new water taps, replace the poppy crop and offer women health care.
US Special Forces Apologize For Afghan Civilian Deaths With Sheep
A remarkable scene played out this week between an aggrieved father and the most senior special operations officer in the United States military. Vice Admiral William McRaven -- the commander of Joint Special Operations Command -- showed up with two sheep, and in the cultural understanding of the region, surrendered himself. And the father -- who has lost two sons, two daughters and one grandchild -- accepted McRaven's apology.
Afghan Villagers Build Their Own Road
Two years ago, residents of Kamich village in the Ghor province of Afghanistan tried to get the government to build a road so they can reach neighboring Herat province easier and more quickly. According to them, the government wasn't able to meet their needs and so they took matters into their own hands. On Sunday […]
Taliban Ready to Lift Ban on Girls' Schools, says Afghan Official
According to the Afghanistan education minister, the Taliban's leadership is prepared to drop its ban on girls' schools, since having undergone an attitudinal and cultural change.
He Saved Six Soldiers' Lives With Innovative Use of Child's Toy
A remote control toy truck sent to Sgt. Chris Fessenden in Afghanistan by his brother helped to trigger a bomb meant to kill U.S. soldiers. In 2007, Ernie Fessenden teamed up with a hobby store owner to create a radio-controlled model truck outfitted with a wireless video camera to help his brother check for bombs under trucks. That souped-up toy ended up preventing the potential deaths of six soldiers two weeks ago.
In Kabul, a Bowling Center Offers Respite From War
In an Afghan capital scarred by years of war, a young Afghan woman has bet $1 million that her countrymen could use a little fun. She started the country's first bowling alley and it has become a symbol of hope.
Afghan Civilian Casualties Fall 15% in 2012 So Far
Civilian casualties in Afghanistan dropped 15 percent in the first six months of the year, with deaths blamed on NATO-led troops and Afghan forces declining sharply, the United Nations said on Wednesday.
Afghan President-elect Vows Equal Rights for Women in Society
Afghanistan's new president-elect pledged in his victory speech on Monday to give women prominent roles in his government and told his nation that women are important to the country's future. The remarks came a day after a landmark agreement was signed by Afghanistan's two presidential candidates to share power.
Afghan Women Dare to Cycle, With Eyes Toward Olympics
Not yet 5am, a small pack of women savor the peace six mornings a week, before the men appear on Kabul's streets to hurl insults at them for breaking the gender barrier of acceptable female activity. "These girls are challenging a big taboo in Afghanistan, riding a bicycle."
UN Reports Positive Trends in Afghanistan
The senior United Nations envoy to Afghanistan reported encouraging economic growth for that struggling nation. The country's gross domestic product (GDP) has risen by 13.8 percent in the last year.
UN Polio Campaign Underway in Afghanistan to Safeguard Two Million Children
More than 2 million Afghan children are currently being immunized in a United Nations-backed three-day polio eradication drive following a sixth reported case of the crippling and sometimes fatal disease in the south of the country this year.