Lawyers

• Lawmakers demand president resigns as Afghan battle rages

  Afghan lawmakers called on President Ashraf Ghani to resign on Wednesday over his government's "shameful" handling of the battle for Kunduz, the northern city which has fallen to Taliban insurgents in their biggest victory so far in 14 years of war.

• Afghan Taliban seize Kunduz city center in landmark gain

  Taliban fighters on Monday battled their way into the center of Kunduz, a city in northern Afghanistan, and seized the provincial governor's office in one of the militant group's biggest territorial gains in 14 years, witnesses and officials said.

• Afghan Taliban storm jail, release hundreds of prisoners: police

  Taliban insurgents stormed a prison in the central Afghan city of Ghazni early on Monday, killing police and releasing hundreds of prisoners, police said.

• Coming home to war: Afghan refugees return reluctantly from Pakistan

  Rahim Khan's return to Afghanistan 28 years after fleeing to Pakistan was not the homecoming he had dreamed of. The 60-year-old is one of a growing number of Afghan refugees making the journey back with trepidation, as militant violence intensifies, yet feeling shunned by their adopted country as relations between the neighbors sour.

• Attacks on army, police and U.S. special forces kill 50 in Kabul

  A wave of attacks on the Afghan army and police and U.S. special forces in Kabul have killed at least 50 people and wounded hundreds, dimming hopes that the Taliban might be weakened by a leadership struggle after their longtime leader's death.

• Taliban claim attack on Afghan guesthouse that killed 14

  The Afghan Taliban claimed responsibility on Thursday for an attack on a popular guesthouse in Kabul that killed at least 14 people, including foreigners attending a dinner and arriving for a concert.

• Taliban, Afghan negotiators unable to agree ceasefire

  Taliban representatives met with Afghan political figures for a second day in Qatar on Sunday, and one participant said the two sides discussed a possible ceasefire but ultimately disagreed over the continued presence of U.S. troops in the country.

• Afghan delegation to meet with Taliban in Qatar: officials

  An Afghan delegation is heading to Qatar for "open discussions" with representatives of Taliban insurgents over the next few days aimed at ending Afghanistan's long war, an official said on Friday.

• Indian, Afghan leaders pledge to fight militants, build trade

  Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called on Tuesday for regional cooperation to defeat violent extremist groups, saying after meeting the Indian prime minister that he wants to "make Afghanistan a graveyard of terror" but needs help from India, Pakistan and other neighbors.

• Afghanistan gave CIA money to al Qaeda for diplomat's ransom: NYT

  About $1 million provided by the CIA to a secret Afghan government fund ended up in the hands of al Qaeda in 2010 when it was used to pay a ransom for an Afghan diplomat, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

• New U.S. defense chief in Afghanistan seeking 'lasting' success

  New U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter arrived in Afghanistan on Saturday on his first trip since taking over the job this week, saying he wanted to talk to Afghan and American officials to ensure a "lasting" success as U.S. troops withdraw.

• Afghan cabinet nominee wanted by Interpol for tax evasion

  Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's nominee for agriculture minister in the new cabinet is on an Interpol wanted list for tax evasion in Estonia, a fact Ghani's spokesman said was unknown to his office at the time of his nomination.

• U.S. stands by plan to pull troops from Afghanistan

  The United States on Monday stood by plans to halve the number of its troops in Afghanistan this year and reduce them further in 2016 following Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's suggestion that President Barack Obama review his deadline.

• As U.S.-led combat mission ends, Afghan women fear oppression

  No one ever claimed responsibility after a suicide bomber rammed into the vehicle of celebrated female parliamentarian Shukria Barakzai. She walked away from the wreckage after the Nov. 16 blast that killed three civilians and wounded 20.

• U.S. sends four Guantanamo prisoners home to Afghanistan

  Four Afghans held for over a decade at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have been sent home, the Pentagon said on Saturday, the latest step in a gradual push by the Obama administration to close the jail.

• U.S., Pakistan increase cooperation in faint hope of Afghan peace

  Recent battlefield successes point to renewed willingness by the United States to work with Pakistan on curbing Islamist militancy, but a promise Islamabad made in return – to bring insurgents to the negotiating table – looks a distant prospect.

• Afghan, U.S. officials sign long-delayed security pact

  Officials from Afghanistan and the United States on Tuesday signed a long-delayed security agreement to allow American troops to stay in the country after the end of the year, fulfilling a campaign promise by new President Ashraf Ghani.

• Historic, anxious handover as Afghanistan swears in new leader

  Afghanistan inaugurates its first new president in a decade on Monday, swearing in technocrat Ashraf Ghani to head a power-sharing government just as the withdrawal of most foreign troops presents a crucial test.

• Ghani named Afghan president-elect after deal to end election dispute

  Former Afghan finance minister Ashraf Ghani was named president-elect on Sunday after he signed a deal to share power with his opponent, ending months of turmoil over an election that destabilized the country as most foreign troops prepare to leave.

• Afghan presidential rivals at last reach unity deal after disputed vote

  The rival candidates in Afghanistan's messy election for a new president finally struck a power-sharing deal on Saturday, aides said, after more than two months of tension over a vote in which each side accused the other of fraud.