Joseph Goldstein

U.S. Role in Afghanistan Turns to Combat Again, With a Tragic Error
Monday, May 9, 2016 - 07:44
On the morning of Oct. 1, about 30 soldiers were in close-quarters combat against Taliban fighters — even though White House and Pentagon officials have repeatedly insisted that American troops no longer play that role.
U.S. Soldiers Told to Ignore Sexual Abuse of Boys by Afghan Allies
Monday, September 21, 2015 - 07:16
Rampant sexual abuse of children has long been a problem in Afghanistan, particularly among armed commanders who dominate much of the rural landscape and can bully the population. American soldiers and Marines have been instructed not to intervene
U.S. Soldiers Used ‘Restraint’ in Kabul Confrontation, Inquiry Finds
Monday, July 6, 2015 - 05:27
A military investigation into a violent confrontation between Afghan residents of this capital city and United States soldiers last week has concluded that the troops acted with “admirable restraint” even after an American soldier was stabbed, a military official said.
In ISIS, the Taliban Face an Insurgent Threat of Their Own
Monday, June 8, 2015 - 05:30
Throughout the month, fighters claiming allegiance to the Islamic State’s caliph had been attacking veteran Taliban units south and east of Jalalabad, the provincial capital.
Taliban Gains Pull U.S. Units Back Into Fight in Afghanistan
Thursday, April 30, 2015 - 07:09
Afghanistan — Months after President Obama formally declared that the United States’ long war against the Taliban was over in Afghanistan, the American military is regularly conducting airstrikes against low-level insurgent forces and sending Special Operations troops directly into harm’s way under the guise of “training and advising.”
Afghan Militia Leaders, Empowered by U.S. to Fight Taliban, Inspire Fear in Villages
Wednesday, March 18, 2015 - 07:28
From the start, some Afghan officials, including former President Hamid Karzai, objected to the Americans’ practice of forming militias that did not answer directly to the Afghan government. They saw the militias as destabilizing forces that undermined the government’s authority and competed with efforts to build up large and professional military and police forces.
Pakistanis Try to Nudge Taliban Along the Path to Peace Talks With Kabul
Thursday, February 19, 2015 - 06:19
Pakistan’s top military and intelligence officials have begun pressing the Taliban to sit down for face-to-face discussions with the Afghan government, potentially opening a path for direct peace talks for the first time since the start of the American-led invasion in 2001, according to Western and Afghan officials briefed on the discussions.