Afghanistan

Army doctor catalogs war wounds with hopes of healing them

Col. Michael D. Wirt's information on combatant injuries over 10 years in Afghanistan amounts to the most detailed data ever assembled on battlefield trauma and its care. But there are concerns that potential lessons could be lost, because no one has yet brought the information together and made it fully cohesive.

Army launches review of PTSD diagnoses

Fairbanks service honors Stryker soldiers killed in Afghanistan

A memorial ceremony Wednesday at Fort Wainwright honored the 21 men killed in action during the Stryker brigade's yearlong deployment in Afghanistan.

War veterans may be prone to brain disease seen in athletes

A small study raises more concern about the long-term consequences of brain injuries suffered by thousands of soldiers -- suggesting they may be at risk of developing the same degenerative brain disease seen in some retired football players.

2 Alaska-based soldiers killed by bomb

Two Alaska-based soldiers died in Eastern Afghanistan when enemies attacked their vehicle with an explosive Sunday, the Army says.

JBER soldier's unlikely journey into Taliban captivity

The story of Alaska-based soldier Bowe Bergdahl, 26, America's only known current prisoner of war, is one of the strangest and now most consequential in the 10-year involvement of the U.S. in Afghanistan.

Family of Alaska-based soldier held captive speaks out

The parents of the only U.S. soldier held as a prisoner of war in Afghanistan have broken a year-long silence about the status of their son, abruptly making public that the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson-based soldier is part of secret prisoner swap negotiations between the Obama administration and the Taliban.

Anchorage-based soldier killed by bomb in Afghanistan

A soldier from California stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson died Sunday in Afghanistan when the vehicle he was commanding hit a roadside bomb. Three other soldiers were wounded in the incident, the Army says.

Engineer experiences war dangers up close

Fairbanks engineer John J. Keys saw firsthand last fall how Afghanistan is a dangerous assignment while working on a new road in an Afghan village.

Anchorage-based soldier killed in Afghanistan

An Alaska-based paratrooper died Tuesday and five other soldiers were injured when insurgents attacked them in Eastern Afghanistan, according to the Army.

Suspect in massacre draws sympathy, condemnation in US

He is accused of the kind of crime that makes people shiver, the killing of families in their own homes under cover of night, the butchery of defenseless children. Yet in the case of Robert Bales, at least some Americans believe there must be an excuse for his actions.

Scrutiny falls on Joint Base Lewis-McChord

Scrutiny falls on Joint Base Lewis-McChord

Is there something wrong with Joint Base Lewis-McChord?

Neighbors say Afghan attack suspect was family man

Neighbors of a Washington state man accused of gunning down 16 Afghan women and children in a nighttime rampage describe him as a family man who was "just one of the guys."

Afghanistan war effort hits new low

Officials seek motive in soldier's rampage

Military investigators were combing through a U.S. Army sergeant's personnel and medical records to determine what might have caused him to slip away from his base in southern Afghanistan and massacre 16 sleeping villagers.

Killings further erode US support for war

Uproar in Afghanistan has US worried about pullout timetable

U.S. officials are trying to reassure Afghanistan's government and Americans that they remain committed to the war. But there is growing concern at the White House and Pentagon about the challenges of an early troop drawdown.

9 Afghans killed in car-bomb blast outside NATO base

9 Afghans killed in car-bomb blast outside NATO base

A suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into the gates of a NATO base and airport in Afghanistan on Monday, triggering a blast that killed nine Afghans. The Taliban claimed the attack was revenge for U.S. troops burning copies of the Quran.

Afghan protesters hurl grenades at U.S. base

Demonstrators hurled grenades at a U.S. base in northern Afghanistan, and a gun battle left two Afghans dead and seven NATO troops injured Sunday in the escalating crisis over the burning of Muslim holy books at an American airfield.

Afghan anger fuels internal culture war

Afghan anger fuels internal culture war

The spasm of violence that has shaken the country after copies of the Quran were dumped in the trash incinerator at a U.S. military base is emblematic of a culture war among Afghans themselves -- one that is likely to grow more intense as the Western military presence wanes.

Shootings raise doubt about reliability of Afghan partners in war

The shooting deaths of two U.S. military advisers in the Afghan capital and the quick decision to pull coalition personnel from all government ministries injected a sobering measure of doubt about the reliability of the most important U.S. ally in the war.

US, allies aim to end combat role in Afghanistan next year

The U.S. and its allies will formally change their mission in Afghanistan to training and advising Afghan troops next year, a shift meant to end a combat role after more than a decade of war, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said today.

UAF student follows Wainwright soldiers to Afghanistan

JR Ancheta, a budding photojournalist studying at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, followed the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division of Fort Wainwright in their preparations for deployment to Afghanistan. Right after finals in December, he joined the brigade in Afghanistan for a short time. Now back in Fairbanks, he reported on his experience with words and photos in the campus Sun Star newspaper.