Kabul
The remarkable Princess Gulbadan, flower of the Mughal court
Emperor Babur’s beloved daughter – whose name means ‘body like a rose’ – speaks to us across the centuries in a cliffhanging account of royal life in Hindustan
Operation Save Big Dog and the real scandal of Boris’s leadership
There is a theory which states the primary reason for Boris Johnson’s political longevity is that there are simply so…
The Foreign Office isn’t fit for purpose
Now that the dust from the choppers has settled, we are left with two abiding images of the West’s adventure…
Life under the Taliban’s charm offensive
The Taliban Cultural Commission sounds a contradiction in terms but for all foreign journalists it’s the first stop in the…
The descent of Afghanistan
The bomb attacks at Kabul airport were what US and allied commanders overseeing the mass evacuation had most feared. In…
What will happen to those left in Kabul?
The Afghan evacuation is feared to be entering its final hours, and with it a new desperation is building among…
A childhood in old Kabul
They say the city you most fondly remember is the one you grew up in. In my case that’s Kabul.…
The Taliban’s lightning victory was no surprise
As the debacle in Kabul unfolds, in Washington and London the mud slinging about who is to blame is beginning.…
How did US intelligence get Afghanistan so wrong?
It may well go down as the understatement of the year. In a quite extraordinary address to the nation after…
Pakistan is the true winner from the Afghan debacle
‘Everyone is getting out – and fast’, the man tells me over a crackling line. He is tired, clearly subdued.…
Boris faces a backlash from Tory MPs over Afghanistan
After the Taliban took over Kabul and announced victory in Afghanistan, a scramble is underway by diplomats and many Afghans…
A pawn in the Great Game: the sad story of Charles Masson
‘Everyone knows the Alexandria in Egypt,’ writes Edmund Richardson, ‘but there were over a dozen more Alexandrias scattered across Alexander…
In Afghanistan, Trump and the Taleban want the same thing – Americans out
‘Incoming! Incoming! Incoming!’ As morning alarms go, this one leaves a lot to be desired. Normally I wake up to…
Bombs and begonias: gardening in a war zone
During the civil war in Afghanistan in the late 1980s, Mr and Mrs Roami, a science professor and a nurse,…
While we weren't looking, the Taleban surged back in Afghanistan
So many lives lost, a trillion dollars spent, yet the Taleban is resurgent
Portrait of the week
Home The Metropolitan Police encouraged people to celebrate VJ Day despite reports in the Mail on Sunday (picked up from…
Hooray for Homeland - Carrie’s back blasting America’s enemies to pieces with drones
One of the more welcome and surprising things about television at the moment is that Homeland (Channel 4, Sunday) is…
