central asia
Taliban leader says foreigners must leave Afghanistan for peace
The new leader of the Taliban called for an end to foreign forces' "occupation" of Afghanistan as a preliminary step to a settlement based on Islamic law that he said would bring unity to a country riven by decades of war.
Al-Qaeda Leader Zawahri Pledges Allegiance to New Taliban Chief
Ayman al-Zawahri pledged allegiance to the new head of the Afghan Taliban, Haibatullah Akhundzada, who was appointed last month after his predecessor was killed in a US drone strike.
A Horse Penis Sausage Joke Got a Man Deported from Kyrgyzstan
Making a dirty joke about a national dish could land you in the big house, or, at the very least, get you deported from the country.
Taliban Meeting Allegedly Devolves Into Gunfight, Leading to Reports That Its Leader is Dead
Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour has been seriously wounded in Pakistan in a shootout between senior members of the Islamist movement, Taliban sources said, but the group's main spokesman dismissed their report as "baseless."
Kazakhstan Announces Plan to Spy on Encrypted Internet Traffic
But details from the mainly state-backed telecom mysteriously vanish from the web.
Villas, Private Security, and 24-hour Snacks: How the Pentagon Promoted the 'Free Market' in Afghanistan
US government investigators are asking the Pentagon to explain why it spent more than $150 million on security and luxury accommodations for its pro-business task force.
Explosion at Afghan Gas Terminal Kills 10 Children
The dead and injured were from a camp for Afghans displaced by 14 years of war which was located next to the gas terminal.
New Taliban Leader Allegedly Disavows Peace Process in Audiotape
Mullah Muhammad Akhtar Mansoor dismisses reports of a peace process as "propaganda" and calls for unity among the Taliban, even as some of the group’s highest-ranking members dispute his ascension.
Kyrgyzstan is Both a Haven and Dumping Ground for West African Soccer Players
Kyrgyzstan and other Central Asian countries have become a destination for West African soccer players. Sometimes that's a good thing. Sometimes it isn't.
How the US May be Egging On the Growth of the Islamic State in Central Asia
Experts’ warnings come in the wake of revelations in May that Tajik Special Forces Colonel Gulmurod Khalimov joined Islamic State militants.
Amnesty for Repentance: Tajikistan's Radical Approach on Returning Islamic State Fighters
Officials are offering forgiveness to returning Tajik jihadists, in a radical departure from policies and stances taken by European and other nations.
US and EU Accused of Turning a Blind Eye to 'Rampant Torture' in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is a key ally to the US and the EU in Central Asia. A new report by Amnesty International claims that this is why the West is not acting on torture carried out by the country's ruling regime.