Afghanistan
Follow the latest Afghanistan news, videos, and analysis from ABC News.
December 11, 2024 at 10:18 PM

Blinken grilled by lawmakers about Afghanistan withdrawal

ABC News’ Selina Wang and Jay O’Brien, as well as ABC News contributor Mick Mulroy, discuss the secretary of state’s testimony on Capitol Hill.
December 11, 2024 at 10:18 PM
VIDEO: Blinken grilled by lawmakers about Afghanistan withdrawal
December 11, 2024 at 4:39 PM

Blinken delivers opening statement to House committee on Afghanistan withdrawal

Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged shortcomings during the Afghanistan withdrawal, but said he believed Biden's decision was the right one.
December 11, 2024 at 4:39 PM
VIDEO: Blinken delivers opening statement to House committee on Afghanistan withdrawal
1 month ago

In Pakistan, Afghan journalists face yearslong waits for humanitarian visas

Following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, some Afghan journalists said they have been in limbo waiting for humanitarian visas while living in exile in Pakistan.
1 month ago
A signboard with the warning "Photography and Video recording forbidden" is displayed along a street in Kabul on Oct. 22, 2024.
2 months ago

FBI foils alleged ISIS-inspired Election Day terror plot by Afghan national

The Justice Department announced the arrest Tuesday of an Afghan national accused of plotting to kill Americans on Election Day on behalf of the terror group ISIS.
2 months ago
Federal Bureau of Investigation seal on the Headquarters Edgar Hoover FBI Building in Washington, D.C., June 02, 2018.
3 months ago

GOP probe details deadly Afghanistan withdrawal, finds no direct role by Harris

A House Republican probe blames the NSC and State Department for the disastrous 2021 withdrawal of U.S. personnel from Afghanistan but finds no role played by VP Harris.
3 months ago
A military transport plane departs overhead as Afghans hoping to leave the country wait outside the Kabul airport on Aug. 23, 2021.
3 months ago

GOP probe details deadly Afghanistan withdrawal, finds no direct role by Harris

A House Republican probe blames the NSC and State Department for the disastrous 2021 withdrawal of U.S. personnel from Afghanistan but finds no role played by VP Harris.
3 months ago
A House Republican probe blames the NSC and State Department for the disastrous 2021 withdrawal of U.S. personnel from Afghanistan but finds no role played by VP Harris.
4 months ago

Why Afghan women are singing to protest new Taliban ban

Gazing into a mirror framed by flowers, Taiba Sulaimani begins to sing. The lyrics, in Farsi, offer a message of hope -- I will fly one day, I will be free one day.
4 months ago
Afghan burqa-clad women walk down a road in Kandahar on August 28, 2024.
4 months ago

Trump honors 13 service members killed during US withdrawal from Afghanistan

The visit to Arlington National Cemetery precedes his visit to the National Guard Association, where he's expected to condemn President Joe Biden's use of the military.
4 months ago
VIDEO: Trump honors 13 service members killed during US withdrawal from Afghanistan
4 months ago

Trump lays wreath to mark 3rd anniversary of Kabul airport attack

Thirteen U.S. service members and at least 170 Afghan civilians were killed in the ISIS-K terrorist attack on Aug. 26, 2021.
4 months ago
Thirteen U.S. service members and at least 170 Afghan civilians were killed in the ISIS-K terrorist attack on Aug. 26, 2021.
4 months ago

New Taliban laws ban women’s voices and faces in public in Afghanistan

Payvand Seyedali of Women for Women International joins ABC News to talk about the impact of the Taliban's new vice and virtue laws in Afghanistan.
4 months ago
VIDEO: afghanistan women
8 months ago

Review finds US troops did not spot ISIS-K suicide bomber before Abbey Gate attack

The U.S. military named the suicide bomber behind the attack at Abbey Gate during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. Review finds troops didn't spot ISIS-K bomber.
8 months ago
An Afghan man hands his child to a British Paratrooper assigned to 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment while a member of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division conducts security at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2021.
9 months ago

Rep. McCaul recaps grilling of generals over deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan

ABC News’ Linsey Davis spoke with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Rep. Michael McCaul, on General Mark Milley’s testimony and the Supreme Court’s immigration ruling on SB4.
9 months ago
VIDEO: Rep. McCaul recaps grilling of generals over deadly withdrawal from Afghanistan
9 months ago

Top generals testify about chaos of Afghanistan exit: 'We could not forge a nation'

Gens. Mark Milley and Kenneth "Frank" McKenzie are testifying before a House committee about the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021
9 months ago
Retired Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley testifies about Afghanistan during a hearing in Washington, D.C., on March 19, 2024.
9 months ago

Former Joint Chiefs Chairman testifies over US withdrawal from Afghanistan

Gen. Mark Milley said last year that he has "lots of regrets" about how the United States' 20-year war in Afghanistan ended.
9 months ago
VIDEO: Former Joint Chiefs chairman testifies over US withdrawal from Afghanistan
9 months ago

Dr. Sima Samar on her life advocating for equality and justice in Afghanistan

ABC News' Stephanie Ramos spoke with lifetime human rights advocate Dr. Sima Samar, detailing her inspiring journey in her memoir, "Outspoken: My Fight for Freedom and Human Rights in Afghanistan."
9 months ago
VIDEO: Dr. Sima Samar on her life advocating for equality and justice in Afghanistan
1 year ago

Strong earthquake hits western Afghanistan

The quake had a preliminary magnitude of 6.3, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
1 year ago
Injured Afghan people being brought to a hospital following earthquake in Herat on October 15, 2023. A magnitude 6.3 earthquake shook western Afghanistan on October 15, the US Geological Survey said, wracking the same region where more than 1,000 people were killed in tremors last week. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by -/AFP via Getty Images)
1 year ago

Death toll rises to more than 1,200 after strong earthquakes hit western Afghanistan

The death toll from strong earthquakes that shook western Afghanistan has risen to over 1,200, the U.N. said Sunday.
1 year ago
Afghan residents sit at a damaged house after earthquake in Sarbuland village of Zendeh Jan, district of Herat province, Afghanistan, on Oct. 7, 2023.
1 year ago

More than 1,000 killed in Afghanistan earthquake

At least 1,023 people are dead and 1,600 injured after a 6.3 magnitude earthquake shook western Afghanistan on Saturday, followed by several strong aftershocks.
1 year ago
VIDEO: More than 1,000 killed in Afghanistan earthquake
1 year ago

Urgent rescue operation in Western Afghanistan

It's a race against time to save survivors still trapped beneath the rubble after one of the deadliest earthquakes to hit Western Afghanistan in decades.
1 year ago
VIDEO: Urgent rescue operation in Western Afghanistan
1 year ago

'Didn't end the way I wanted': Gen. Milley looks back at US exit from Afghanistan

Gen. Mark Milley said in a new interview with ABC's Martha Raddatz that he has "lots of regrets" about how the United States' 20-year war in Afghanistan ended
1 year ago
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley interviewed by ABC News' Martha Raddatz at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2023.
1 year ago

Gen. Mark Milley reflects on US withdrawal from Afghanistan, 2 years later

Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in a new interview with ABC News that he has "lots of regrets" about how the United States' 20-year conflict in Afghanistan ended.
1 year ago
VIDEO: Gen. Mark Milley reflects on US withdrawal from Afghanistan, 2 years later
1 year ago

Gold Star families reflect on the Afghanistan withdrawal

ABC News’ Martha Raddatz reports on the two-year anniversary of the Abbey Gate bombing on “This Week.”
1 year ago
VIDEO: Gold Star families reflect on the Afghanistan withdrawal
1 year ago

2 years on, Afghanistan withdrawal still casts pall on Biden administration: ANALYSIS

Two years on, the Afghanistan withdrawal continues to cast a pall as President Joe Biden seeks reelection, experts tell ABC News.
1 year ago
An Afghan man hands his child to a British Paratrooper assigned to 2nd Battalion, Parachute Regiment while a member of 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division conducts security at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 26, 2021.
1 year ago

Gold Star families ask for transparency 2 years after Afghanistan withdrawal

Two families discuss the loved ones they lost when 13 U.S. service members were killed during the evacuation of Afghanistan.
1 year ago
VIDEO: AFGHANISTAN
1 year ago

Female Afghan students stopped by Taliban on way to Dubai

A group of around 100 Afghan women was stopped by the Taliban from boarding a plane to the United Arab Emirates in order to attend university there, their sponsor said.
1 year ago
Taliban flags fly at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sept. 9, 2021
1 year ago

How Afghan refugees are adjusting to life in US after fall of Kabul 2 years ago

How Afghan refugees are adjusting to living in the U.S. two years after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.
1 year ago
Naheed Samadi Bahram, the U.S. Country Director of Women for Afghan Women, helps asylum seekers during a Defensive Asylum Workshop at their New York Community Center this month.
1 year ago

State Dept. review finds Biden bears some blame for Afghanistan failures

U.S. State Department review of the Afghanistan withdrawal places blame on President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
1 year ago
Hundreds of people gather near a U.S. Air Force C-17 transport plane at the perimeter of the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 16, 2021.
2 years ago

Airman of the Year recounts life-saving mission during Afghan evacuations

Maj. Katie Lunning discusses the critical care flights out of Afghanistan that saved the lives of service members and fleeing Afghan people.
2 years ago
VIDEO: Airman of the Year recounts life-saving mission during Afghan evacuations
2 years ago

McCaul accepts State Department offer for Congress to see Afghanistan 'dissent cable'

The classified memo is at the heart of Republican's probe of the withdrawal.
2 years ago
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken delivers remarks on the roll-out of the International Religious Freedom Report at the State Department, May 15, 2023, in Washington.
2 years ago

Reunion between former US diplomat and Afghan women’s rights advocate

A new book, “The Secret Gate,” details the harrowing story of how one former U.S. diplomat helped a woman escape from Afghanistan during the U.S. military withdrawal.
2 years ago
VIDEO: Reunion between former US diplomat and Afghan women's rights advocate
2 years ago

Forbes '30 Under 30' honoree's charity accused of mistreating refugees

The charity founded by Safi Rauf, who's been celebrated for his humanitarian work evacuating refugees from Afghanistan, is being sued for fraud.
2 years ago
Safi Rauf, speaks to broadcast journalists during an event promoting the Afghan Adjustment Act, Oct. 20, 2022, in Thornton, Colorado.
2 years ago

Biden administration blames Afghanistan withdrawal chaos on former President Trump

The White House has conceded that the 2021 removal of American troops from Afghanistan was handled poorly, and that the Biden administration should have acted sooner.
2 years ago
VIDEO: Biden administration blames Afghanistan withdrawal chaos on former President Trump
2 years ago

Biden admin acknowledges mistakes in Afghanistan exit but defends decision to leave

The Pentagon and State Department shared with Congress their after-action reports on the 2021 military withdrawal from Afghanistan, the White House announced Thursday
2 years ago
National Security Council spokesman John Kirby attends a press briefing at the White House, April 6, 2023, in Washington.
2 years ago

White House shares Afghanistan reports with Congress

The Pentagon and State Department are set to share with Congress their after-action reports on the 2021 military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
2 years ago
VIDEO: White House shares Afghanistan reports with Congress
2 years ago

State Department to provide reports detailing 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan

The U.S. Department of State is set to provide Congress with reports detailing the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
2 years ago
VIDEO: State department to provide reports detailing 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan
2 years ago

House Republicans ramp up investigation into Afghanistan withdrawal

The GOP-led panel subpoenaed Secretary of State Antony Blinken Tuesday.
2 years ago
An air crew assigned to the 816th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron assists evacuees aboard a C-17 Globemaster III aircraft in support of the Afghanistan evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, August 21, 2021, in Kabul, Afghanistan.
2 years ago

UN leader: Laws restricting Afghan women's rights 'have to be reversed'

ABC News' Mona Kosar-Abdi spoke with Deputy Secretary-General of the UN Amina Mohammed, on the crisis women are facing in Afghanistan and what the United Nations is doing to help.
2 years ago
VIDEO: UN leader: Laws restricting Afghan women's rights 'have to be reversed'
2 years ago

How Afghan girls and women are defying the Taliban's ban on education

The brutal crackdown on girls’ education in Afghanistan began shortly after the Taliban returned to power in 2021.
2 years ago
A teacher writes on a whiteboard at a secret school for girls in Afghanistan.
2 years ago

Meet the woman running a secret school network in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan

ABC News gets an inside look at a network of underground schools founded by a 25-year-old, giving hundreds a chance to dream again in a country where women going to school is illegal.
2 years ago
VIDEO: Meet the woman running a secret school network in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan
2 years ago

Afghans and advocates speak out after Taliban bans women from working with aid groups

The Taliban announced in December that women can no longer work with NGOs in Afghanistan: Advocates and Afghan women speak about that restriction
2 years ago
Salam Cafe can no longer help educate girls over the age of 12 and women can no longer be a teacher or help feed impoverished children.
2 years ago

Thousands of Afghan allies resettled in the US face uncertain future

Most were given only temporary immigration status and now many of those families fear having to return to Afghanistan under Taliban rule unless Congress acts.
2 years ago
VIDEO: Thousands of Afghan allies resettled in the US face uncertain future
2 years ago

Afghan allies who fled Taliban in limbo as they push to remain in US

ABC News' Devin Dwyer reports on the Afghan refugees who fled to the U.S. following the Taliban takeover in 2021. The refugees along with allies are urging Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act.
2 years ago
VIDEO: Afghan allies who fled Taliban in limbo as they push to remain in US
2 years ago

Afghanistan returns to the ‘dark days of the 1990s’: UN Women Official

ABC News’ Stephanie Ramos spoke to Anita Bhatia, Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, about the Taliban’s restrictions on women’s rights and access to education.
2 years ago
VIDEO: Afghanistan returns to the ‘dark days of the 1990s’: UN deputy director
2 years ago

US threatens Taliban with 'costs' after school ban for Afghan women, girls

Blocking girls from elementary schools is the latest blow to female rights.
2 years ago
Afghan schoolgirls pose for a photo in a classroom in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Dec. 22, 2022.
2 years ago

Taliban prohibits higher education for Afghan women

Plus, China reports its first deaths from COVID-19 in weeks after dropping some pandemic restrictions, and fans flood the streets of Buenos Aires to celebrate Argentina’s World Cup win.
2 years ago
VIDEO: Taliban prohibits higher education for Afghan women
2 years ago

Taliban bans women from attending universities

The Taliban's Ministry of Higher Education has ordered all private and government-run universities to ban women from attending.
2 years ago
The Taliban's Ministry of Higher Education has ordered all private and government-run universities to ban women from attending.
2 years ago

Taliban bans women from attending universities

The Taliban's Ministry of Higher Education has sent an order to all private and government-run universities banning women from attending.
2 years ago
Female students walk in front of the Kabul Education University in Kabul, Afghanistan, Feb. 26, 2022.
2 years ago

'Retrograde' filmmaker seeks to spotlight those 'left behind' in Afghanistan

ABC News' Phil Lipof spoke with Academy Award-nominated and Emmy Award-winning director Matthew Heineman about his new documentary "Retrograde" about the final months of the war in Afghanistan.
2 years ago
VIDEO: 'Retrograde' filmmaker seeks to spotlight those 'left behind' in Afghanistan
2 years ago

Bomber attacks Kabul school, killing 19

A suicide bomber struck an education center in a Shiite area of Kabul on Friday, killing 19 people and wounding 27, according to officials.
2 years ago
VIDEO: Bomber attacks Kabul school, killing 19
2 years ago

Afghan refugee family reflects on escape, new life in US

One year later, an Afghan family reflects on their escape from Afghanistan and what life is like now in the United States.
2 years ago
Abdul and his family have safely resettled in Northern Virginia. Abdul now works at the Hilton Hotel chain.