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Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson Special correspondent Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson is based in Berlin. Her reports can be heard on NPR's award-winning programs, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and read at NPR.org.
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Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson is a NPR foreign correspondent based in Cairo.

Wednesday

World

U.S. Embassy In Kabul Hosts Election Party

In Afghanistan, the U.S. Embassy invited scores of Afghans to watch the U.S. election results at a party in Kabul. The party was at the Serena Hotel, where a well-planned Taliban bombing and gun attack in January grabbed world headlines.

U.S. Embassy In Kabul Hosts Election Party

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Thursday

World

Taliban Kill Five In Brazen Kabul Attack

Taliban militants have stormed the Information Ministry in the heart of Kabul, killing at least five people. It was the most brazen attack in the Afghan capital since last summer's suicide bombing at the Indian Embassy.

Taliban Kill Five In Brazen Kabul Attack

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Monday

World

Hints Swirl, But Afghan-Taliban Talks Not Yet Reality

Reports last month of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban raised eyebrows in several world capitals, but it turns out there were no formal negotiations. There are signs, however, that both sides are more interested in peace talks than ever before.

Hints Swirl, But Afghan-Taliban Talks Not Yet Reality

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World

Registering Voters A Difficult Task In Afghanistan

Afghan and U.N. workers have begun registering voters for next year's presidential elections. It's a lot tougher this time because of growing insecurity and Taliban vows to disrupt the process by killing election workers and voters.

Registering Voters A Difficult Task In Afghanistan

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Monday

Afghanistan And Pakistan's Embattled Frontier

On Afghan-Pakistan Border, Security Worsens

Afghanistan is more violent than at any time since the war to oust the Taliban seven years ago. The most notable deterioration in security in recent months has been in Afghan provinces bordering Pakistan, places the U.S. military used to tout as the greatest success stories.

On Afghan-Pakistan Border, Security Worsens

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Friday

World

Pakistanis Flee Military Crackdown On The Taliban

Thousands of Pakistanis are fleeing to Afghanistan to avoid a military launch against the Taliban. Pakistani soldiers are going door-to-door in the area demanding that Afghan refugees, many of whom have lived in Pakistan for decades, go back to Afghanistan as well. Afghan officials question how many more refugees they can house and feed in the midst of a food shortage.

Pakistanis Flee Military Crackdown On The Taliban

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Tuesday

World

Afghan Amputees Avoid Begging With Bike Service

Most of the tens of thousands of people in Afghanistan who have lost legs to land mines have no way to make a living other than begging. But one group has come up with another way to feed its families: It operates a bicycle messenger service in Kabul.

Afghan Amputees Avoid Begging With Bike Service

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Wednesday

World

Afghanistan Seeks Changes In Western Troops Deal

Afghan President Hamid Karzai meets Thursday with President Bush and plans to push for major changes to the existing agreement on U.S. and other Western troops' operations in Afghanistan. The move comes as anger grows in Afghanistan over the number of civilian deaths at the hands of Western troops.

Afghanistan Seeks Changes In Western Troops Deal

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Monday

World

Peace Day Film Brings Jude Law To Afghanistan

Jude Law and documentary filmmaker Jeremy Gilley went to Afghanistan to promote the U.N. International Day of Peace with a new film, The Day After Peace. The Day of Peace, scheduled for Sept. 21, seeks to pause conflict for a day.

Peace Day Film Brings Jude Law To Afghanistan

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Thursday

World

Failing Wheat Crop Causes Afghan Food Crisis

A lingering drought in Afghanistan has led to the smallest wheat harvest in the country in years. The diminished crop has thrown farmers and residents into a food crisis. Many point to the government for not coming to the farmers' aid fast enough.

Failing Wheat Crop Causes Afghan Food Crisis

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Wednesday

World

Civilian Casualties Stir Angst In Afghanistan

After a joint U.S.-Afghan military operation allegedly killed 90 Afghan civilians, Afghan support for U.S. military action is waning. Officials say bad intelligence probably led to the deadly strike aimed at Taliban fighters.

Civilian Casualties Stir Angst In Afghanistan

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Reporter's Notebook

Culture Resurfaces In Sadr City As Violence Falls

Street life in the neighborhoods is picking up, with vendors, hawkers and street games of table soccer resurfacing. Residents of Sadr City credit the area's radical Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr for the quiet in their impoverished neighborhood.

Culture Resurfaces In Sadr City As Violence Falls

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Saturday

World

Violence Increases In Afghanistan

Violence in Afghanistan is at its highest level since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. Friday, scores of Afghan citizens died in a military operation by American and Afghan troops in the Western part of the country.

Violence Increases In Afghanistan

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Wednesday

World

Kirkuk A Flashpoint For Ethnic Divisions In Iraq

Kurds, Arabs and Turkmen each claim the oil-rich northern city as their own. Tensions have stalled plans for provincial elections, and some Iraqi leaders say they'd rather shed blood than compromise over Kirkuk's future.

Kirkuk A Flashpoint For Ethnic Divisions In Iraq

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Friday

World

Najaf Aims To Be The 'Capital' Of Iraq's South

The opening of the new airport in the Iraqi city of Najaf highlights plans to turn this holy city into the "Baghdad of the south" for Shiites. What does the economic boom mean for a country that is trying not to split up along ethnic and religious lines?

Najaf Aims To Be The 'Capital' Of Iraq's South

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