The US has been at war in Afghanistan since a few weeks after 9/11. Now we are negotiating a peace with the Taliban, the same insurgents who sheltered Osama bin Laden.
Scott Morrison’s claim that Operation Sovereign Borders is the country’s great national security achievement overlooks all that has been achieved in a complex area.
AAP/Lukas Coch
The US is negotiating a peace agreement with the Taliban, so it can safely withdraw its troops. But how can peace last in Afghanistan if women aren’t at the negotiating table?
South Tower being hit during the 9/11 attacks. The events of September 11 2001 has significantly shaped American attitudes and actions towards fighting terrorism, surveilling citizens and othering outsiders.
NIST SIPA/Wikicommons
Though more consequences are likely to develop in the post-9/11 era, the war on terror, heightened government surveillance and Islamophobia are notable legacies of this early 21st century tragedy.
Mike Wheeler (Sam Smith) and his taxi driver (Sher Alam Miskeen Ustad) in Jirga.
Jirga has a clear message to the Taliban, Westerners, and other Afghans - even in the horror of warfare you can’t escape moral accountability.
Iraqis carry the picture of three men who were kidnapped and executed by Islamic State during a funeral procession in Karbala, southern Iraq, in June 2018.
EPA-EFE/FURQAN AL-AARAJI
With the Taliban ramping up its attacks once again, the war in Afghanistan shows no sign of ending.
Smoke from an airstrike rises in the background as a man flees during fighting between Iraqi special forces and IS militants in Mosul, Iraq, on May 17, 2017.
AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo
After footage from America’s first ‘living room war’ shocked the public, the government would clamp down on media coverage of future military conflicts.
Suffering the daily toil of violence, with little chance of escape.
In this photo from Sept. 11, 2001, firefighters work in the ruins of the World Trade Center towers in New York City after an al-Qaida terrorist attack.
(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
It’s been 16 years since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Understanding what propelled al-Qaida’s attacks could help guard against further violence.
In Afghanistan, geopolitics are thorny, relationships are key and patience is strategy. The US president has outlined a decent plan, but can he see it through?
How will U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis handle America’s “Forever War’?
Jonathan Ernst/Pool Photo via AP
Donald Trump’s speech on “principled realism” in Afghanistan contained few surprises. Now, under the aegis of DOD chief Mattis it is the latest stage in America’s “forever war.”
The man reportedly in talks with the Trump administration has a vision of setting up something akin to the East India Company in Afghanistan.
An anonymous veteran described the Australian special forces’ culture as competitive, lacking in accountability, and focused on self-glorification.
AAP
We need to acknowledge that ‘band of brothers’ military culture has a dark underbelly – and that individual acts of atrocity might be a reflection of broader, systemic issues.
The rules of engagement regulate the conduct of Australian troops in conflict areas.
AAP/Dave Hunt
Unlike most domestic criminal law, the laws governing the behaviour of Australian armed forces apply to criminal conduct alleged to have taken place overseas.
Malcolm Turnbull visits the memorial at the Resolute Support Mission HQ Kabul, Afghanistan. 40 Australians have so far been killed in the long-running conflict.
AAP/pool
Given the number of deaths and casualties in the long-running conflict, Australia needs to think carefully before committing more soldiers to a role that goes beyond training and support.