All-Girls Robotics Team From Afghanistan Denied Visas to Compete in U.S. Competition
An all-girls robotics team from Afghanistan was denied a week-long travel visa to accompany their project to an international competition in Washington D.C.
US Drops 'Mother of All Bombs' on Afghanistan
Welcome to Barf Bag, a daily politics roundup to help you sort through the chaotic Trumpian news cycle.
What Kind of Cake Is Trump Eating Right Now?
In an interview with Fox Business’s Maria Bartiromo on Wednesday, Trump talked at length about eating “the most beautiful piece of chocolate cake that you’ve ever seen”—which he intimated, by hand motions, was the size of a marmoset—at his winter estate, Mar-a-Lago. He also vaguely remembered authorizing the launch of…
How An American Woman In Afghanistan Trains For A Marathon
“Women can’t walk outside at all, to say nothing of running,” Jessica Wright told me. They’re not supposed to be seen. Particularly as a foreigner, you literally can’t walk anywhere, not even covered. So I did all my training for the marathon on a treadmill in a tiny room in my boss’s house.”
American University in Kabul Reportedly Attacked By Militants, Students Remain Trapped Inside
Multiple news agencies are reporting that American University in Kabul is under attack by armed militants. Students are tweeting that they are trapped inside campus buildings and hearing explosions and gunfire.
Watch Tina Fey Play a Hapless War Reporter in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Trailer
Comedies about naive Americans in the Middle East have been frequently attempted, but infrequently successful—it is all too easy to resort to stereotypes, to offensively make light of victims of real tragedy. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot could be the first to succeed where other studio films have flopped.
Serial Spoiler Alert: Bowe Bergdahl to Face Court-Martial for Desertion
Last Thursday, the wildly popular podcast Serial returned to tell a story that was, in its own right, already wildly popular. Season two is about Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the American soldier who may have deserted his post in Afghanistan in 2009, and who was subsequently captured and held captive by the Taliban for five…
A shocking story in Sunday’s New York Times reports that U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan are told to ignore the brutal sexual abuse of young boys by Afghan police officers and militia commanders—even when that sexual abuse takes place on military bases.
The VA Can't Fund IVF for Soldiers Because Congress Loves Embryos More
As we exit another Memorial Day weekend full of solemn paeans to The Troops, the Washington Post reminds us that the Veterans Affairs Administration still won’t cover in vitro fertilization for injured returning veterans. The ban has been in place for nearly a quarter century, and it’s there to protect fertilized…
Four Men Sentenced to Death in Murder of Woman Accused of Burning Quran
An Afghan court has sentenced four men to death in the mob killing of Farkhunda, the 27-year-old woman who was beaten to death and tossed off a bridge after she was falsely accused of burning a Quran. Her body was also set on fire.
United Nations: Afghanistan's Courts Don't Aid the Women Who Need Them
A new report released by the United Nations says that those who are most in need of a functioning Afghani judicial system—women who are victims of violence—receive the least amount of help from it, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Mentally Ill Afghan Woman Beaten to Death by Mob of Men
A 27-year-old Afghan woman was buried Sunday after being beaten, pushed off a roof and stoned to death by an angry mob of men who believed she had been burning a Quran. The woman, known only as Farkhunda, was mentally ill, according to her family. The men who killed her then tied her body to a car, dragged it to a…
27-Year-Old Afghan Woman Killed by Mob Was Innocent
Last week a 27-year-old woman known as Farkhunda was killed by an angry mob of men in the Afghan capital, Kabul. The mob accused Farkhunda of burning the Koran and beat the woman with sticks and stones, eventually setting her on fire, as the police looked on. The brutal murder was captured on video and circulated…
Today's Hero Is Sara Bahayi, Afghanistan's First Female Taxi Driver
As our nation reels from the sudden rediscovery of the fact that vapidity is infinite, we must look to leaders to show us how to continue on—and Sara Bahayi, 38, brings just the example we need. The Washington Post has a terrific profile up today of this legitimate revolutionary: Bahayi is Afghanistan's first female…
Prominent Feminist Afghan Politician Survives Suicide Attack
Today, a suicide bomber carried out an attack on the vehicle of Shukria Barakzai a female member of Afghanistan parliament and outspoken proponent of women's rights. Barakzai survived the assassination attempt with minor injuries, but three people were killed and somewhere between 17-22 were left injured.
Couple in Afghanistan Living Like Romeo and Juliet On the Run
Mohammed Ali, 21, and his wife Zakia, 18, are fugitives.
Two Female Journalists Shot in Afghanistan; One Killed, One Stable
A shooting involving two female journalists in Afghanistan has left one dead and another in stable condition.
Afghanistan Promotes First Female Police Chief
Change is happening in Afghanistan and Col. Jamila Bayaz, a 50-year-old mother of five, is leading the charge. Literally.
Meet Afghanistan’s First Female Rapper
Last night's AMAs were a blur of metallic outfits, celebrity antics, and Miley Cyrus with a giant crying cat as a backup dancer. Perhaps you'd like a little palate cleanser? If so, consider the story of Paradise Sorouri, who is probably Afghanistan's first female rapper.
Women At Risk to Lose Rights Amidst Afghan Peace Process
Since the collapse of the Taliban in 2001, when the status of women in Afghanistan was arguably at its lowest in recent history, Afghani women have made meaningful strides in gaining rights. During the brutal Taliban years, women were banned from going to work or even leaving their house without a male to accompany…
