In rural Afghanistan, many don’t know 9/11
Most Americans probably remember the moment they first saw images of airplanes flying into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
In rural Afghanistan, where the United States struck the Taliban and al Qaeda the following month, you may be hard pressed to find someone who knows what the attacks were. FULL POST
U.S. Marines in Helmand Province
CNN's David Ariosto talks with U.S. Marines in Helmand Province about the future of the fight, the drawdown and where they were September 11, 2001.
Lashkar Gah: Inside the new Afghanistan
NATO wants to give Lashkar Gah - the capital of the volatile Helmand province - over to the Afghans to handle security from July onward. But allegations of police brutality, Taliban prevalence and violence abound. Is this really the Afghanistan we want to leave behind. CNN's Nick Paton Walsh reports.
7 areas to begin handover to Afghan forces in July
Seven areas of Afghanistan, including the capital Kabul and a city in the restless province of Helmand, will begin to be handed over to Afghan forces to maintain their security in July, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Tuesday.
The announcement from the president marks the first step in NATO's long-awaited plan to hand over security to a series of provinces across the country, leading up to 2014 when it is expected that Afghan security forces will be in control of the whole country. FULL POST
Military chief: U.S. gaining, but hard road ahead
America's top military officer painted an upbeat picture Wednesday of progress in Afghanistan. But the Joint Chiefs chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, cautioned that recent successes are fragile and future advances will be costly.
"The enemy is being pushed out of population centers. He's being denied sanctuary. And he's losing leaders by the score," Mullen said Wednesday.
But he told reporters that the U.S. and allies must press ahead and redouble their efforts. The United States added 30,000 troops in 2010. FULL POST
7 NATO troops die after attacks in Afghanistan
Seven NATO troops died after attacks in Afghanistan on Sunday, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force said.
Five troops died following an insurgent attack in eastern Afghanistan, ISAF said, though it did not provide details about the attack.
Another ISAF service member died following an improvised explosive device attack in southern Afghanistan, ISAF said Sunday, after earlier announcing the death of another servicemember in an IED attack in the southern part of the country.
Firefight kills civilian woman in Helmand
An Afghan woman was shot and killed during a firefight between coalition forces and insurgents in the country's south, NATO's International Security Assistance Force reported Thursday. Afghan and coalition forces came under small-arms fire Wednesday in the Musa Qal' ah district of Helmand province when they fired back at the insurgents, hitting the woman.
"We must continue our emphasis on reducing the loss of innocent civilian life to an absolute minimum," said U.S. Army Col. Rafael Torres. "We know that success will be determined by our ability to protect the people of Afghanistan."
Karzai: Helmand attack killed 52 civilians
[Update: 5:20 p.m. ET] Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai on Monday condemned a NATO strike in Helmand province that he said caused 52 civilian deaths.
NATO says there is no evidence of casualties beyond insurgents. FULL POST
Photo Spotlight: Water search
A U.S. Marine searches a canal for pieces of a damaged bridge in the Helmand province of Afghanistan earlier this month. The 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group provides logistical support to coalition forces in as part of the International Security Assistance Force.
British forces hand Sangin district to Americans
British troops will pull out of the notorious Sangin district of Afghanistan's Helmand province to allow U.S. Marines to take over, British Defence Secretary Liam Fox said Wednesday.
The British forces will redeploy to the central part of Helmand, leading the task force with Danish and Estonian troops there, while U.S. troops are positioned in the northern and southern parts, Fox said.
