Afghanistan

For years, Mohammad Zia Salehi managed to keep a low profile, even while wielding significant influence in the murky world of Afghan politics.

That all changed in July, when the administrative head of President Hamid Karzai's National Security Office was arrested on the basis of a months-long investigation conducted by a U.S.-backed anticorruption task force.

In a country full of grand military museums, Vladimir Kostyuchenko's is perhaps one of the humblest.

Latest Civilian Casualties In Afghanistan Mark Difficult Road Ahead by Mohammad Elyas Daee, Mohammad Sadiq Rishtinai, Abubakar Siddique KANDAHAR -- Abdul Ghaffar is a living portrait of the misery that has befallen a people caught in the crossfire of war.

Fifty-three-year-old Abdul Ahad Helmandwal is
accustomed to being the go-to guy in one of southern Afghanistan's most
violent areas.

From his mud compound in Helmand Province's Nad-e
Ali district, the turbaned ethnic Pashtun has for years looked after an
extended family whose 110 members -- particularly the young -- were

The Pentagon has issued a pre-solicitation notice for a counter-terrorism training compound near Osh worth between $5 million and $10 million.

The largest international conference ever convened in Kabul is set to get underway on July 20 amid greatly diminished expectations.

The administration of US President Barack Obama is reportedly considering blacklisting major Taliban factions, a move aimed at undermining groups linked closely to Al-Qaeda, but which could also jeopardize Afghan President Hamid Karzai's efforts to reconcile with Afghan insurgent leaders based in neighboring Pakistan.

A recent survey by Integrity Watch Afghanistan (IWA) shows a sharp expansion in corruption in Afghan society. Most Afghans now see the payment of bribes as a routine part of obtaining government services.