A rise in drug use in Iran is one overlooked consequence of the surge in opium production in the Taliban-run provinces of southern Afghanistan.

Taliban fighters have stepped up their attacks along the Afghan-Pakistani border as the United States hands over control of southern Afghanistan to NATO forces, freeing up American troops to try, onc…

As NATO prepares to take over military operations in southern Afghanistan from U.S. forces, the Taliban’s increasingly bold attacks are straining the political and security framework of the country.

Pope Benedict XVI’s first year has been quiet and at times confusing to his critics. But experts caution against reading too much of a theological shift into the pope’s tranquil beginnings.