Karzai orders release of 20 would-be youth suicide bombers
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered the release of a group of would-be child suicide attackers ranging between ages 8 and 17.
Some of the 20 youngsters told Karzai that they were recruited by the Taliban, strapped with vests and ordered to detonate them near foreigners, the president's office said in a statement. FULL POST
6 die in suicide attack at Kandahar mosque
A suicide attack in a mosque where several high-ranking Afghan officials had gathered to remember President Hamid Karzai's half-brother killed at least six people and wounded 15 others Thursday, a hospital official said.
The attacker hid the explosive device under his turban and detonated it among a group of people who were reading the Quran at the Sera Jama Mosque, said Sher Shah Yousafzai, the police chief of Kandahar where the attack occurred.
The attendees were mourning Ahmed Wali Karzai, the Kandahar provincial council chief, who was killed Tuesday by a guard during a gathering at his house.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the Tuesday shooting, saying that the guard accused of killing him was working for them.
Karzai was buried Wednesday, with the president in attendance.
What's next for Afghan stability after Ahmed Wali Karzai's death?
Ahmed Wali Karzai, the half-brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, was shot and killed Tuesday, gunned down by a bodyguard in Kandahar. The Taliban say the shooter was on their payroll.
CNN Sr. International Correspondent Nic Robertson weighs in on the relationship between the brothers, how much is known about him and how important he was to the United States and Afghanistan. FULL POST
Officials: Karzai's half-brother shot dead
The half-brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai was shot dead at his home in Kandahar on Tuesday, authorities said.
Ahmed Wali Karzai, the Kandahar provincial council chief, was killed during a gathering, said provincial governor Tooryalai Wesa. He did not know a motive.
While the governor initially said a friend killed Karzai, his spokesman later clarified that the death was at the hands of a guard.
The Taliban claimed responsibility for the shooting, saying that the guard accused of shooting him was working for them.
Two female MPs brawl in Afghan parliament
Two female members of the Afghanistan Parliament got into a physical fight Tuesday following a discussion of rocket attacks from Pakistan.
General Nazifa Zaki, a former army general, threw her shoe at fellow MP Hamida Ahmadzai, video from parliament showed. FULL POST
Karzai: 'The Afghan people need peace'
Support from the United States, Pakistan and other Afghan allies is crucial to the success of reconciliation talks with the Taliban, Afghan President Hamid Karzai said in an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria that aired Sunday.
"The High Council for Peace is authorized by the Afghan people to talk with the Taliban," Karzai said. "These are initial contacts being made, but these contacts would not yield results, would not give us the results that we seek, unless and until the United States and Pakistan, especially, with our other allies, back it with practical application of the means that they have in their disposal."
Find more on Karzai's interview at CNN's Global Public Square
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
Karzai: Security transfer to Afghan control will start in March
Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Sunday that a critical phase in the transfer of security authority from international to domestic forces would begin March 21, a precursor to a planned full handover three years hence. FULL POST
Karzai accepts lawmakers' plan to end standoff
Afghanistan's parliament will be inaugurated Wednesday, ending a political standoff, President Hamid Karzai's office said Monday.
Humayoun Azizi, Karzai's minister for parliamentary affairs, said the president's decision came after the country's Supreme Court sent word that it would not intercede in the seating of parliament following a deal between Karzai and the parliament over prosecuting crimes arising from last year's elections. FULL POST
Afghan lawmakers meet as political standoff over parliament continues
Afghan lawmakers met at a hotel in the country's capital Saturday morning to discuss whether to proceed with the inauguration of parliament despite President Hamid Karzai's decision to postpone the ceremony.
Most of the 249 elected members of parliament debated the issue at Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel. They were expected to meet with Karzai later in the day and could also make a decision Saturday.
Karzai's office on Wednesday announced a one-month inauguration delay, saying that the special court on election fraud needed more time to investigate complaints from losing candidates. The decision drew criticism from the United Nations' mission in Afghanistan, and concern from analysts that it could spark ethnic divisions and more violence. FULL POST
