Taliban fighters go on patrol in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
In its almost two-decade fight with the U.S., the Taliban worked at every turn to undermine the former Afghan government, deriding its leaders as corrupt stooges whose forces could never protect Afghans from the group’s ferocious attacks. But the Taliban is now in charge, and with power comes a daunting challenge: convincing Afghans — many of them with bitter memories of the last time the fundamentalist group ran the government — that it can govern and police as well as it can fight.
A passing fruit vendor offers bananas to Taliban fighters stationed at a security checkpoint in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
A Taliban member talks to a motorist at a security checkpoint in Kabul. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Nasrat Khoadim, left, a commander, helps fellow Taliban fighters as they arrest a man who was allegedly carrying a sharp weapon in public. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Mawlawi Shaker, left, the Taliban's new chief of Police District 10 in Kabul, Afghanistan, goes through some paperwork. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Taliban fighters pray next to civilians in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Men wait to discuss legal disputes in the office of Abdul Qadeer Shahadatyar, a Taliban judge. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
A Taliban patrol is stuck in rush hour traffic in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Police District 10 chief Mawlawi Shaker talks to prisoners in Kabul as other Taliban members stand by. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Taliban police stand guard at a security checkpoint and watch passing traffic in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
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EXCLUSIVE — The Taliban beheaded an Afghan soldier, then chanted praise to their leader while holding the severed head of their victim by his hair in a video posted in a private Taliban chat room.
Journalists Taqi Daryabi and Neamat Naghdi from Etilaat Roz newspaper had severe bruises on their bodies from the alleged beatings."For about 10 minutes, about seven or eight people were beating us as much as they could," said Daryabi, adding that they were locked up in a cell following the beatings.Naghdi said that the members of the Taliban were very young, some just in their teens.When asked about the incident, an acting Taliban minister, who declined to be identified, said that any attack on journalists would be investigated.Zaki Daryabi, founder and editor-in-chief of the Etilaat Roz newspaper, said the beatings sent a chilling message to the media in Afghanistan, where an independent press, much of it funded by Western donors, has flourished in the last 20 years.Several journalists have complained of assault since the Taliban returned to power last month, and some women have said they were not allowed to carry on working in media jobs.
Afghanistan relies on informal money changers more than banks. AP Photo/Massoud HossainiNow that the Taliban have reportedly taken full control of Afghanistan and begun forming a government, a looming challenge awaits: How will they keep their country and economy afloat financially? For the past 20 years, the U.S. government and other countries have financed the vast majority of the Afghan government’s non-military budget – and every cent of the fighting force that melted to the Taliban so quick
On Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001, I anticipated a busy but relatively calm day at the White House. The senior official in the White House was Vice President Dick Cheney. First lady Laura Bush was scheduled to travel to Capitol Hill to brief senators on early childhood education.
They say you get what you pay for, right? Well, Aldi—the German discount grocery chain with incredibly low prices on basics staples, produce, and other goods—has a whole host of fans. For the most part, Aldi shoppers are satisfied with what the grocery store has to offer, but there some instances in which customers feel like a product isn't even worth its low price. A new survey of 600 shoppers found that there was one food people say they would never buy from Aldi. Read on to find out what you
Attorney General Merrick Garland announced at a press conference Thursday that the Department of Justice is filing a lawsuit against Texas over its new restrictive abortion law.
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Fruits and vegetables are an essential part of a healthy diet, providing ample vitamins, minerals, and filling fiber without tons of calories, saturated fat, or sodium. Unfortunately, many people are making a major mistake with their fruits and veggies that could be putting them at risk for serious illness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Before you find yourself laid up in bed with a serious illness, read on to discover how to avoid this critical error.RELATED
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The EPA has posted fuel economy figures for the updated 2022 Chevrolet Corvette, and at first blush, they're not great. Checking in at 16 mpg city, 24 mpg highway and 19 combined, the Corvette has gained 1 mpg in the city but appears to have lost 3 mpg on the highway – where every Corvette owner will tell you the torquey, low-revving sports car is its most fuel-efficient. Because the EPA requires automakers to certify a car's fuel economy based on volume, the Z51's lower highway efficiency is now considered representative of Corvettes sold with the 6.2-liter V8 and dual-clutch transmission, which – for the time being anyway – happens to be all of them.
Rookie quarterback Trey Lance made it through a week of practice with no setbacks to his injured right index finger and is cleared to play in the San Francisco 49ers’ season-opener at Detroit. Lance suffered a small chip fracture in the index finger on his throwing hand in the exhibition finale on Aug. 29. The Lions will be without a key player of their own with left tackle Taylor Decker ruled out for Sunday with a finger injury.
