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Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson International correspondent Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson is based in Berlin and covers Central Europe for NPR. Her reports can be heard on NPR's award-winning programs including Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
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Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson is a NPR foreign correspondent based in Cairo.
Violence Drains Hope From Afghans In Kandahar

Paramedics and Afghan civilians carry a coffin containing the body of one of five people killed by a roadside bomb in Kandahar in mid-April. Fear has gripped the southern city of Kandahar ahead of NATO's upcoming offensive. Allauddin Khan/AP hide caption

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Allauddin Khan/AP

Afghanistan

Violence Drains Hope From Afghans In Kandahar

Militants have assassinated dozens of influential people in the province in recent weeks as a warning to Afghans not to work with their government or coalition forces. The escalating violence has paralyzed the provincial capital.

Violence Drains Hope From Afghans In Kandahar

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Afghanistan

Afghanistan's President: Partner Or Obstacle?

Relations between Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the international coalition seeking to secure and rebuild his country are rocky these days. But some Karzai critics say it's not just the president who is to blame for why things have turned sour.

Afghanistan's President: Partner Or Obstacle?

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Afghanistan

Experiencing Life, Death With Marines In Marjah

Marines from India Company of the 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment have been clearing improvised explosive devices around the Taliban stronghold of Marjah in southern Afghanistan. NPR's Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson has finished her traveling assignment with the group. During her time with the Marines, she witnessed Lance Cpl. Alejandro Yazzie, 23, be killed in a firefight with the Taliban.

Experiencing Life, Death With Marines In Marjah

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Taliban Flees Marjah, Threat Remains For Marines

Sally, a bomb-sniffing dog, assists Marines in the search for IEDs during their offensive in Marjah, a Taliban-infested area of southern Afghanistan. Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson/NPR hide caption

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Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson/NPR

Afghanistan

Taliban Flees Marjah, Threat Remains For Marines

U.S. Marines and their Afghan counterparts are tightening their hold on the Taliban stronghold of Marjah, in southern Afghanistan. But hundreds of deadly homemade bombs, or IEDs, remain behind.

Taliban Flees Marjah, Threat Remains For Marines

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Afghanistan

Marines Continue Afghan Offensive

U.S. Marines took sniper fire, cleared mines and booby traps while trying to retake the Taliban stronghold of Marjah. The Marines are three days into an offensive that has killed two coalition soldiers, at least 27 insurgents and 12 civilians.

Marines Continue Afghan Offensive

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Afghanistan

Forces Launch Operation In Afghanistan

Thousands of U.S., British and Afghan troops have mounted an offensive against the Taliban stronghold of Marjah. The operation is an attempt to impose Afghan government control over the area.

Forces Launch Operation In Afghanistan

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Afghanistan

NATO, Afghan Troops To Launch Offensive In Marjah

Marines in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province are gearing up for a major offensive against a Taliban stronghold. The target is the town of Marjah. As militants have been pushed out of other areas, they've flocked to Marjah. Residents have been warned for weeks now that the fight is coming to them.

NATO, Afghan Troops To Launch Offensive In Marjah

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Afghanistan

Former Warlord On List Of Karzai Picks For Cabinet

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai is announcing his new Cabinet on Sunday. Karzai's plan is to retain nearly half of his ministers, including a handful of those favored by the West. But some of his choices are controversial, including a former warlord.

Former Warlord On List Of Karzai Picks For Cabinet

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Afghanistan

Afghan Runoff Canceled, Karzai Declared Winner

The country's election commission announced Monday that Hamid Karzai will get another term as Afghan president. Karzai was supposed to face a runoff election on Saturday, but there was no point once it became clear he was the only candidate running. His challenger Abdullah Abdullah withdrew Sunday.

Afghan Runoff Canceled, Karzai Declared Winner

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Afghanistan

Challenger Pulls Out Of 2-Man Runoff In Afghanistan

Afghan President Hamid Karzai will apparently remain in power. Karzai's only challenger dropped out of the runoff Sunday. Former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah cited concerns about a corrupt election process. Abdullah was widely expected to lose in the next round, and power sharing talks had failed.

Challenger Pulls Out Of 2-Man Runoff In Afghanistan

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Afghanistan

Afghan Election Commission Orders Runoff

Afghanistan's election commission has ordered a runoff between President Hamid Karzai and his top challenger, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah in the August presidential election. Karzai has accepted the findings of a fraud investigation that dropped his vote total below 50 percent. He has also endorsed the runoff. The second round of voting is set for Nov. 7.

Afghan Election Commission Orders Runoff

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Afghanistan

Fraud Probe Expected To Force Afghan Runoff

The group looking into voter fraud in the Afghan presidential election has sent the results of its investigation to the country's election commission. If the U.N.-backed probe determines there are enough fraudulent ballots to tip President Karzai's vote below 50 percent, the incumbent will face a second round against his main challenger, former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah.

Fraud Probe Expected To Force Afghan Runoff

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Afghanistan

America's Afghan Bases Targeted In Deadly Attack

In a remote part of Afghanistan over the weekend, one of the deadliest attacks against American bases there killed eight U.S. troops and three Afghan soldiers, as well as an Afghan policeman. The fierce battle highlights the difficulty U.S. forces face in defending Afghans and themselves against a growing insurgency.

America's Afghan Bases Targeted In Deadly Attack

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Fraud Complaints Cloud Afghan Election

An Afghan security officer guards ballot boxes at the Independent Election Commission in Kabul, Afghanistan, Aug. 29, 2009. Now, the country's Electoral Complaints Commission is investigating hundreds formal complaints of fraud. Rafiq Maqbool/AP hide caption

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Rafiq Maqbool/AP

Afghanistan

Fraud Complaints Cloud Afghan Election

Incumbent President Hamid Karzai is ahead in the slow tally of ballots cast in Afghanistan's Aug. 20 polls. But hundreds of formal complaints of fraud — from ballot-box stuffing to voter intimidation — threaten the credibility of the process.

Fraud Complaints Cloud Afghan Election

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