Free Republic

BAGRAM, Afghanistan — For nearly 20 years, Bagram Airfield was the heart of American military power in Afghanistan, a sprawling mini-city behind fences and blast walls just an hour’s drive north of Kabul. Initially, it was a symbol of the U.S. drive to avenge the 9/11 attacks, then of its struggle for a way through the ensuing war with the Taliban. In just a matter of days, the last U.S. soldiers will depart Bagram. They are leaving what probably everyone connected to the base, whether American or Afghan, considers a mixed legacy. U.S. Central Command said last week that it’s...

The Taliban's ruling council agreed Sunday to a temporary cease-fire in Afghanistan, providing a window in which a peace agreement with the United States can be signed, officials from the insurgent group said. They didn't say when it would begin. A cease-fire had been demanded by Washington before any peace agreement could be signed. A peace deal would allow the U.S. to bring home its troops from Afghanistan and end its 18-year military engagement there, America's longest... ...The Taliban chief must approve the cease-fire decision but that was expected. The duration of the cease-fire was not specified but it was...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Kathy Gannon, who has covered Afghanistan and Pakistan for The Associated Press since 1988, is one of three winners of the Courage in Journalism Awards of the International Women's Media Foundation. Gannon, the AP's bureau chief in Islamabad, was cited for "compelling stories and courageous reporting" about the war on terrorism. The awards recognize women who have risked their lives to report about war and repression worldwide. Gannon was in Afghanistan on Sept. 11, and wrote about the Taliban's reaction to the attacks on New York and Washington. Ejected with other foreign reporters, she returned twice...