This Is Life in Rural Afghanistan After the Taliban Takeover

Since the Taliban takeover, much of Afghanistan’s countryside has seen a big drop in violence after 20 years of fighting. “It has been a long time now since a bullet hit our homes.”

Clarissa Ward of CNN Looks Back on the Afghanistan War

The network’s chief international correspondent, one of the most visible reporters during the withdrawal of U.S. troops, decided to become a reporter after an epiphany on 9/11.

In Afghanistan, an Unceremonious End, and a Shrouded Beginning

The last American flight from Afghanistan left behind a host of unfulfilled promises and anxious questions about the country’s fate.

After Airport Bombing, an Afghan Family Buries a Father, and Hope

The former police officer, from the Hazara ethnic minority, had hoped to help his family escape the Taliban. Instead, he is now numbered among the scores killed at the Kabul airport.

The Real Winner of the Afghan War? It’s Not Who You Think.

Pakistan, nominally a U.S. partner in the war, was the Afghan Taliban’s main patron, and sees the Taliban’s victory as its own. But now what does it do with its prize?

Desperation as Afghans Seek to Flee a Country Retaken by the Taliban

A toddler was trampled to death as a crowd surged near the Kabul airport, and many residents who aided America remain in hiding, fearing they will be killed by their new rulers.

Opinion | Why Biden’s Lack of Strategic Patience Led to Disaster

The American disaster in Afghanistan that Biden’s impatience brought about is not a disaster just for us. It's a huge boost for the Taliban too.

Hunted by the Taliban, U.S.-Allied Afghan Forces Are in Hiding

The Afghan forces disintegrated ahead of the Taliban’s rapid advance. Now, the militants are searching for thousands of Afghan soldiers and security officials.

Collapse and Conquest: The Taliban Strategy That Seized Afghanistan

Starting in the spring, the Taliban negotiated wholesale surrenders and seized roadways and weapons, handing them vital propaganda victories and freedom to move quickly to the next opportunity.

Intelligence Warned of Afghan Military Collapse, Despite Biden’s Assurances

Even as the president was telling the public that Kabul was unlikely to fall, intelligence assessments painted a grimmer picture.

Taliban Sweep in Afghanistan Follows Years of U.S. Miscalculations

An Afghan military that did not believe in itself and a U.S. effort that Mr. Biden, and most Americans, no longer believed in brought an ignoble end to America’s longest war.

Fear Sets In as Taliban Seize Former Bastions of Resistance

The Taliban’s breakthrough victories across northern Afghanistan have sent despair rippling through the country, as many worry that no corner of the country will be spared.

The Afghan Military Was Built Over 20 Years. How Did It Collapse So Quickly?

The Taliban’s rapid advance has made clear that U.S. efforts to turn Afghanistan’s military into a robust, independent fighting force have failed, with its soldiers feeling abandoned by inept leaders.

Afghan War Casualty Report: August 2021

At least 115 Afghan security forces and 58 civilians were killed in Afghanistan in the first five days of August.

A Mission to Get a Forgotten Military Perspective

Looking at the withdrawal of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and in Vietnam nearly 50 years ago, a reporter sought to tell an overlooked part of history before it was too late.

Taliban Attack a Provincial Capital in Afghanistan’s North, Freeing Prisoners

Continuing their offensive, the Taliban forces seemed poised to overrun the city, though Afghan airstrikes slowed the assault.

The Relics of America’s War in Afghanistan

Just a mile from Bagram Air Base, where U.S. forces departed on Thursday, shops sell items left over from two decades of fighting. Each one tells a story.

Biden Sends Dueling Messages on Afghanistan

The administration has sought to reassure Americans that it is ending “forever wars” while signaling to Afghans that the U.S. is not abandoning the beleaguered country.

U.S. Leaves Its Last Afghan Base, Effectively Ending Operations

With little fanfare, Bagram Air Base — once the military’s nerve center — was handed over to the Afghans, after nearly 20 years of waging war from the hub.

Security in Afghanistan Is Decaying, U.S. General Says as Forces Leave

“Civil war is certainly a path that can be visualized,” said Gen. Austin S. Miller, commander of the U.S.-led forces. “That should be a concern for the world.”