A year after Toulouse jihadi Mohammed Merah began a killing campaign that claimed seven lives, France marks the death of his first victim amid new indications that domestic intelligence services missed clear signs of the threat he posed
Afghanistan
How to Dismantle an Occupation: U.S. Soldiers Tear Down Afghan Bases, Take Home Memories
Closing smaller bases is the first step in what the military calls retrograde–the arduous and complex process of bringing home all of the U.S.’s equipment in Afghanistan.
Did U.S. Special Forces Commit Atrocities in a Key Afghan Province?
The Karzai government has decreed that the American commandos cease operations in Wardak. But it isn’t quite clear what exactly happened there—and who is being accused.
Afghanistan’s Big Sort: Separating Trash from Treasure in a Container City
In one forward operating base, the number of containers outnumbered the U.S. soldiers by about 2,000 — a gauge of what America faces as it dismantles its presence in Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, the U.S. Is in the Most Difficult of Maneuvers
What is called a “fighting withdrawal” is one of the most complex military stratagems to pull off. And that’s what American soldiers are in the middle of now
Afghanistan in Retrograde: America Prepares to Withdraw
The first in a series of dispatches from a TIME reporter assigned to document the dismantling of the U.S. presence in the war-torn country
The Lure of Office Space and Other Ways to Talk to the Taliban
The latest moves in the Afghanistan endgame have moved the insurgents closer to talking with the Kabul government — but there is no real breakthrough yet
Algeria’s Hostage Crisis: Did the Jihadists Have Inside Help?
As death toll in Algerian hostage attack grows, security officials examine Europe’s exposure to terror by al Qaeda-lined groups vowing revenge against France and the West for military intervention in Mali’s jihad.
Westerners Kidnapped in North Africa — but Is France the Real Target?
Less than a week into France’s military intervention against Islamist militias in Mali, evidence builds confirming French concerns that their country has become the main focus of jihadi terrorist activity
The Obama-Karzai Meeting: But Who Really Gets to Decide Afghanistan’s Future?
The end-game in the war torn country is complex–and troop levels may be the simplest piece of the puzzle
Afghanistan’s IED Complex: Inside the Taliban Bombmaking Industry
“I am here in Kandahar on a short vacation,” says the young man, about 27, who we will call Mullah Kalam. His beard is trimmed neat; he is wearing a black leather jacket and a striped beige turban. Kalam has been a student for …
Look the Other Way, Please: What Are Those Secret Talks in Paris All About?
Hush-hush talks staged near Paris by independent organizers bring leaders of enemy sides in the Afghan war together for informal talks. Will this lead to official peace negotiations?
Tale of the Taliban Bomber: Behind the Plot to Kill Afghanistan’s Spy Chief
For Asadullah Khalid, the morning of Dec. 6 — the day the Taliban tried to kill him — was as routine as any other. Dressed in an embroidered beige shirt, Kabul’s recently-appointed intelligence chief signed papers and …
