taliban popularity and taliban trends

The fierce opposition highlights how tenuous women’s rights remain a dozen years after the ouster of the hard-line Taliban regime

These cute dogs are the latest eight recruits on the Ministry of Defence's new Young Military Working Dogs (YMWD) scheme - dubbed the 'Puppy Programme'.

Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, from Doncaster, lost both legs and suffered more than 40 injuries in a Taliban bomb attack in 2006.

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's parliament failed to pass a law on Saturday banning violence against women, a severe blow to progress made in women's rights in the conservative Muslim country since the Islamist Taliban was toppled over a decade ago.

These cute dogs are the latest eight recruits on the Ministry of Defence's new Young Military Working Dogs (YMWD) scheme - dubbed the 'Puppy Programme'.

An official says motorcycle-riding gunmen have shot dead a police chief who led an anti-Taliban campaign in western Afghanistan in front of his house.    

Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson, from Doncaster, lost both legs and suffered more than 40 injuries in a Taliban bomb attack in 2006.

LAHORE - Given that not much time is left in the withdrawal of Nato forces from Afghanistan, the US administration is waiting passionately to work with the new political dispensation in Pakistan which, it thinks, would prove to be a great helping hand to it in controlling the spread of Taliban, compared to the previous regime. The May 11 elections in Pakistan have thrown...

Their identity has not yet been released - at least fifteen people died in one of the worst attacks in the Afghan capital in months.

At least six Afghans killed, including three children, in rush hour attack that may also have killed a number of Nato personnelA suicide bomber drove his explosives-packed Toyota Corolla into a Nato convoy in Kabul, tearing an armoured vehicle to shreds and killing at least three children and three other civilian passersby.The attacker, from a Taliban-linked militant group,...

Thirty-five Taliban militants have been killed and 30 others wounded during operation across Afghanistan within the last 24 hours, the country's Interior Ministry said Wednesday. "Afghan police supported by the army and NATO-led coalition forces launched several cleanup operations in Kunduz, Kandahar, Zabul, Uruzgan and Helmand provinces over the past 24 hours. As a result...

Nawaz Sharif no puede dilapidar su tercera oportunidad para regenerar Pakistán

KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan Taliban said on Tuesday it had freed the remaining four of eight Turkish civilians detained last month, the Islamist group said in a statement, adding it hoped the gesture would improve ties with Ankara.

A Marine officer in charge of snipers shown in a 2011 video urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters Afghanistan will be court-martialed.    

A Marine officer in charge of snipers shown in a 2011 video urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters Afghanistan will be court-martialed for dereliction of duty, conduct unbecoming an officer and failure to stop misconduct by those under his command.

Even as their campaign of violence continued, the insurgents released four Turkish hostages and took time to praise polio inoculation.    

The Taliban has ended its war on polio vaccination workers and admitted immunisation is the only way to protect children from the disease.    

Nawaz Sharif says former cricket star and leader of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party should 'show the sportsman's spirit'The winner of last week's general election in Pakistan has told former national cricket captain Imran Khan to "show the sportsman's spirit" and drop his complaints of vote-rigging.Nawaz Sharif, the victorious head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)...

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A Taliban spokesman says four remaining Turks held by the militant group will be released shortly, without offering further details....

KABUL (Reuters) - The Afghan Taliban will soon release the remaining four of eight Turkish civilians the group captured last month in a gesture of goodwill towards fellow Muslims, the militants said on Monday.

KABUL  - The Taliban Sunday freed four of eight Turkish engineers taken hostage last month after their helicopter crashed in Afghanistan, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Afghan officials announced. The engineers were in good health and the other captives would also be released soon, according to the district governor in the area where the hostages were...

Der Erfolg der neuen Regierung Pakistans wird sich vor allem auch an den Taliban entscheiden. Wahlsieger Nawaz Sharif hat sie bisher geschont. Von B. Petersen, Islamabad

Next prime minister set to push through plans to curb power of generals, bolster economy and improve relations with IndiaThe full scale of Nawaz Sharif's thumping victory in Pakistan's general election became clear on Sunday, making it far more likely the country's next prime minister will be able to govern without coalition deals and be free to push through what supporters...

Armeechef Musharraf putschte ihn 1999 aus dem Amt, nun könnte Nawaz Sharif zum dritten Mal Premierminister in Pakistan werden. Überschattet wurden die Wahlen von Taliban-Terror, der mindestens 29 Todesopfer forderte.

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Four of the eight Turks captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan last month have been freed and handed to Turkey's intelligence agency, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday.

Over the past year, Aesha Mohammadzai, 22, has undergone a serious of painful surgeries and treatments that have set the stage for her getting a new nose, and she is now only a few minor procedures away from her dream becoming a reality.

22 killed as violence, intimidaton and vote rigging mar poll many had feared would never be heldFourteen years after he was overthrown and exiled by a military dictator, the former Pakistani prime minister known to his supporters as "the Lion" claimed victory on Saturday night in one of most dramatic general elections in the country's history.Nawaz Sharif, of the Pakistan...

Voting in Pakistan's historic general election had to be extended on Saturday night as millions of people defied bomb attacks and Taliban death threats and flocked to polling stations in their millions, leaving the result of a close-fought campaign in doubt.    

Huge turnout puts ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif ahead of Imran Khan in contest many feared would never take placeFourteen years after being overthrown by a military dictator and sent into exile, the former prime minister of Pakistan known to his supporters as the "Lion" has claimed victory in one of most dramatic general elections in the country's history.Nawaz Sharif...

Millions of Pakistanis have turned out to vote in landmark elections, despite an attack claimed by the Taliban that has killed 11 people in Karachi.

Counting got underway today in Pakistan's landmark elections after millions of people defied deadly Taliban attacks to take part in an historic democratic transition.

Großer Andrang bei der Parlamentswahl in Pakistan: Selbst Bombenanschläge und Taliban-Terror konnten die Menschen nicht davon abhalten, ihre Stimmen abzugeben. Die Abstimmung musste sogar verlängert werden, es wird mit einer Rekordbeteiligung gerechnet.

Malala Yousufzai, teenage rights activist who was shot in the head by the Taliban, today appealed to people to exercise their franchise, saying "one vote can change" Pakistan's future.    

High turnout is reported across the country despite fulfilled threats of Taliban violence and reports of rigged voting in the city of Karachi.    

A Taliban bomb attack targeting an election candidate killed at least 11 people and wounded 36 others in Karachi as polls got under way Saturday, a doctor said. The bomb targeted a candidate seeking election to the Sindh provincial assembly for the Awami National Party (ANP), the main secular party for ethnic Pashtuns, police said. An AFP photographer saw the 11 bodies...

A Taliban bomb attack targeting an election candidate killed at least 11 people and wounded 36 others in Pakistan's financial hub of Karachi as polls got under way Saturday, a doctor said.    

Attack on ANP party offices follows string of Taliban attacks in runup to voteAt least 11 people have been killed in a bomb blast as polls opened across Pakistan in landmark national and provincial elections.The attack on the office of the Awami National party (ANP) in the port city of Karachi on Saturday morning, which killed 11 people and wounded 35, underlined the risks...

Tausende Polizisten sollen die Parlamentswahlen in Pakistan vor Angriffen der Taliban schützen. Doch schon am Morgen gab es bei einem Bombenanschlag elf Tote. Ein Reporter der "New York Times" muss das Land jetzt verlassen - angeblich wegen "unerwünschter Aktivitäten".     

El PPP y el PML parten como favoritos, aunque miran de reojo el ascenso del exjugador de críquet Imran Khan

Security tightened across the country after Taliban warned voters to stay away from polling stations.

ISLAMABAD (AP) -- Despite a bloody campaign marred by Taliban attacks, Pakistan was holding historic elections Saturday pitting a former cricket star against a two-time prime minister once exiled by the army and an incumbent blamed for power blackouts and inflation....

Religious hardliners say fragile democracy is un-Islamic and while some reject going to the polls, others plan to vote to change system from within

ISLAMABAD - The Taliban have sent suicide bombers to mount election-day attacks on Pakistan's historic polls, a militant commander said on Thursday, following a bloody campaign which has claimed more than 100 lives. Saturday's vote will be a democratic milestone in a country but the Pakistani Taliban have condemned it as un-Islamic. They have directly threatened the...

With only one and a half year left in the scheduled pull out of the US and Nato troops from Afghanistan, there is no concrete evidence available to suggest that the Afghan government is ready for the switch over and that its newly established forces had acquired the capability to ensure peace and security in the country. The much hyped behind-the-scene parleys with the...

Kanzlerin Merkel ist zu einem Truppenbesuch in Afghanistan eingetroffen. Sie landete gemeinsam mit Verteidigungsminister de Maizière im Bundeswehr-Hauptquartier in Masar-i-Scharif. Erst vor einer Woche war ein deutscher Elitesoldat von Taliban getötet worden.

Mehr als 100 Menschen sind bei Anschlägen auf Wahlkampfveranstaltungen in Pakistan bislang getötet worden. Vor allem liberale Politiker sind vor den Wahlen im Visier der Taliban. Nun wurde der Sohn von Ex-Premier Gilani entführt.

Vor den Parlamentswahlen in Pakistan kündigen die Taliban massive Gewalt an. Über 400.000 Einsatzkräfte sollen die Wähler vor den Terroristen schützen.

President strikes conciliatory tone about larger-than-expected continuing deployment, despite frequent criticism of US forcesThe United States wants to keep troops at nine bases across Afghanistan, the country's president, Hamid Karzai, said on Thursday – a larger number than expected given Washington's scaled-back ambitions for shaping the country's future.Karzai, who...

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Gunmen kidnapped the son of a former Pakistani prime minister on Thursday as a letter from the leader of the Pakistani Taliban revealed plans for suicide bomb attacks on election day.

The Taliban have sent suicide bombers to mount election-day attacks on Pakistan's historic polls, a militant commander said Thursday, following a bloody campaign which has claimed more than 100 lives.

The Taliban have sent suicide bombers to mount election-day attacks on Pakistan's historic polls, a militant commander said Thursday, following a bloody campaign which has claimed more than 100 lives. Saturday's vote will be a democratic milestone in a country ruled for half its history by the military but the Pakistani Taliban have condemned it as un-Islamic. They have...

Pakistan's Taliban plan to carry out suicide bombings during Saturday's election in a bid to undermine the poll, according to a letter from the leader of the militant group.    

MARDAN, Pakistan (AP) -- The imposing, black-bearded politician in a striking white turban takes the stage at a campaign rally in northwest Pakistan as a song about Islamic holy war blares over loudspeakers. Before a chanting crowd, he praises the Afghan Taliban and blasts Pakistan's government for not protecting Osama bin Laden from U.S. commandos....

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan's Taliban plan to carry out suicide bombings during Saturday's election in a bid to undermine the poll, according to a letter from the leader of the militant group.

Two people were killed and 23 others wounded Wednesday when a suicide bomber crashed his explosives-packed car into a barrier outside a police station in troubled northwest Pakistan, police said. The attack came in early in the morning in Bannu district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which is rife with Taliban and Al-Qaeda-led militancy. "Two people including one woman...

Injured candidate appeals to voters from hospital bed – though his PTI party is not expected to win majority in electionImran Khan, a leading candidate in this week's general election in Pakistan, was rushed to hospital with a skull fracture and injured back on Tuesday after falling off an improvised platform attached to a forklift truck at one of the final rallies of...

In Pakistan wird am Samstag ein neues Parlament gewählt. Doch im Wahlkampf vergeht kein Tag ohne Todesopfer. Seit April haben die Taliban bei Anschlägen auf drei große Parteien mehr als 90 Menschen getötet. Die Kandidaten versuchen, sich zu schützen.

Taliban suspected of carrying out latest bomb attack on Islamist party in north-west, as Mufti Syed Janan escapes unharmedA suicide bomber on a motorcycle detonated explosives near a vehicle carrying an Islamist party candidate in north-west Pakistan, killing 12 people, police have said.No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing on Tuesday, but the Taliban took...

Former Pakistani prime minister’s party forecast to win general election this week    

El enfrentamiento, con artillería pesada, se produjo en una zona fronteriza disputada

Mindestens 18 Menschen sind bei einem Anschlag auf eine Wahlveranstaltung in Pakistan getötet worden. Die pakistanischen Taliban ließen einen Sprengsatz detonieren - er galt dem Vertreter einer islamistischen Partei.

The attack along the border with Afghanistan was the deadliest so far of the campaign for next Saturday’s national election.    

A bomb tore through a political rally Monday, killing 14 people and wounding 56 in one of the deadliest attacks on the campaign for Pakistan's historic elections on Saturday. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility, saying its target had been a lawmaker elected as an independent but allied to the outgoing government. Officials said the lawmaker escaped unhurt. The...

Given all the recent pre-election violence in Pakistan, any voter who even dares make it to the polls on Saturday will be casting a vote against the Taliban.    

Owner of Aberporth base, where unmanned aerial vehicles take off for tests over land and sea, says public fears are illogicalIt is an odd little airfield, not far from Aberporth in west Wales, a former fishing village that now survives thanks to tourists with a taste for hill walking, windswept beaches and bracing swims in Cardigan Bay.Few of the visitors venture to the...

Ministry of Defence in talks to increase the amount of UK airspace to fly remotely piloted weaponsThe British military now has 500 drones and has been looking for ways to increase the amount of UK airspace in which to fly some of them, the Guardian can reveal.The expansion of the fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) is in line with the Ministry of Defence's ambition...

The Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam party is considered supportive of the Afghan Taliban’s fight against the United States and its allies. It’s also sympathetic to the Pakistani Taliban

The former prime minister says he will confront the country’s ‘gigantic’ terror problem if his party wins this week’s general election

Mit allen Mitteln wollen die radikalislamischen Taliban die Parlamentswahlen in Pakistan verhindern. Nun hat die Miliz einen Anschlag auf einen Kandidaten einer eigentlich Taliban-nahen Partei verübt. Bei der Bombenexplosion starben mindestens sechs Menschen, etliche wurden schwer verletzt.

Ahmadi religious minority vilified by extremists as heretic and shunned by mainstream politicians like Imran KhanAs Pakistan's election campaign enters its dying days no town has escaped the attention of the country's politicians as they crisscross the country, plastering every spare billboard, lamp post and shopfront with posters bearing their heavily airbrushed faces.Except...

El ataque contra un acto electoral, en el noroeste del país, ha tenido por objetivo uno de los partidos religiosos

Fast zwei Jahre hatte die Bundeswehr keinen Toten mehr in Afghanistan zu beklagen. Jetzt starb ein Soldat beim Einsatz gegen die Taliban. Der Tod des Elite-Kämpfers erinnert auf tragische Weise an die Gefahren der Mission. Der Truppe stehen schwierige Monate bevor.

The Taliban-linked militancy and violent incidents claimed the lives of nine soldiers from the NATO- led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in a single day on Saturday, turning the day into the bloodiest one since January this year for the alliance stationed in the conflict-ridden country, ISAF statements confirmed. According to the military alliance fighting...

Die radikal-islamischen Taliban hatten vor wenigen Tagen den Beginn ihrer Frühjahrsoffensive verkündet.     

Pakistani troops overran two militant hideouts and killed 16 insurgents after heavy overnight fighting at a flashpoint near the Afghan border in which two soldiers also died, the military said Sunday. The fighting took place in the wake of a fresh military push in the Tirah valley in the tribal Khyber district, where the military has been targeting Taliban and Lashkar-e-Islam...