Jalaluddin Haqqani has called his militant outfit the most deadly insurgent group in Afghanistan, and a recent New York Times article called the Haqqani network a "ruthless crime family." Many top American officials are convinced that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence has been working with the militant outfit. Their latest attacks include a strike on the U.S. embassy in Kabul.

After 20 hours of fighting, Afghan forces killed the last insurgents who carried out a complex attack against the U.S. embassy, NATO headquarters, and police buildings in Kabul that started Tuesday. Seven people, including four policemen, died, and nine insurgents were killed. The Taliban initially took credit for the attack, though an insurgent group called the Haqqani network is believed to be responsible. The attack comes as the U.S. has begun to withdraw troops from the region. The attack still left many terrified, and wondering whether the Afghan government will be able to secure their stronghold within the capital city.

The Taliban has claimed responsibility for a helicopter crash on Saturday, which killed 30 American troops in the deadliest day ever for U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The attack took place in the Tangi Valley of Wardak Province, to the west of Kabul, and illustrates how the insurgency is growing from its traditional strongholds and edging toward the capital city.

Ahmed Wali Karzai, Afghan President Hamid Karzai's half-brother and head of Afghanistan's Kandahar provincial council, was killed early Tuesday morning at his home. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the assassination, though their claims remain unconfirmed. Karzai was a powerful figure in Kandahar and his death may result in an unpredictable struggle for power, impacting U.S. goals in the region.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai's half-brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai was shot dead at point blank range this morning in Kandahar. As provincial council chairman of Kandahar, Karzai was thought of as a stongman leader, and perhaps the most powerful man in southern Afghanistan. He was also a deeply controversial figure, believed to be involved in Afghanistan's drug trade and central to the corruption that has marred the Afghan government by American military commanders.

The Hotel Interncontinental in Kabul, Afghanistan was attacked by gunmen and suicide bombers yesterday. Gun fire was exchanged between the terrorists and police force for many hours, and ended with NATO helicopters shooting and killing three militants on the hotel's roof. The identity of the terrorists has not been confirmed yet, but many believe the Taliban are responsible.

Over the weekend, Afghan president Hamid Karzai lashed out at coalition forces on state television, suggesting NATO was in his country for "their own purposes." U.S. officials fired back, suggesting that such statements may hasten a withdrawal of troops despite continuing challenges to Afghanistan's government. This rhetorical tit-for-tat illustrates a larger argument that grows even more heated as taste for the war across the country and in Washington lessens. Is it time to get out completely? And if so, how? 

Al-Qaida's long-time second in command, Ayman al-Zawahiri has been named the new leader of Al-Qaida, according to a statement released via several jihadist websites. The nearly 60-year-old al-Zawahiri had been Osama Bin Laden's deputy for more than a decade.
Christine Fair, assistant professor at Georgetown's Center for Peace and Security Studies says that al-Zawahiri lacks the charisma of Osama bin Laden; and that capturing him will likely be complicated by poor relations between the U.S. and Pakistan. Currently, Pakistani authorities are not allowing CIA officers into the country, despite promises to form a new joint intelligence-sharing team.

Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) has received heavy scrutiny from the United States, after a raid by U.S. special forces on a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, lead to the killing of Osama bin Laden. Information gathered from the raid suggests bin Laden had been living in that compound for close to six years. Many question the circumstances of the most wanted man in the world had been living safely within Pakistan's borders, in a $1 million compound, for that long without anyone in the ISI knowing. However, with U.S.-Pakistan relations at stake, it is necessary to pay close attention to evidence and not jump to conclusions, says Christine Fair.

How will the world react to the death of Bin Laden? Or perhaps more significantly, how will the world of terrorism react? We speak with Lydia Khalil, former counterterrorism analyst with the NYPD, as well as Christine Fair, assistant professor at the Center for Peace and Security, to learn more. 

It's been several weeks since the CIA operative Raymond Davis was released from custody in Pakistan for reportedly killing two armed men in a traffic incident in Lahore, Pakistan. Since his release, relations between the US and Pakistan have been strained. The tensions have grown not only over the questions relating to the diplomatic immunity of Raymond Davis and his 47 days of detention, but also over a US drone attack that killed tribal leaders last month. Now Pakistan is demanding that the United States sharply reduce the number of CIA and Special Ops forces working in the country, and put drone strikes on hold.

The U.S. media disregarded the March 21st Quran burning at Terry Jones' Florida church. However, on March 24th, Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai released a press statement calling for the pastor to come to justice. This statement set off a wave of violent protests in Afghanistan, which have killed dozens of people. Christine Fair, assistant professor at Georgetown's Center for Peace and Security Studies contextualizes Karzai's actions and the resulting violence. 

CIA contractor Raymond Davis has been freed from a Pakistani prison and his murder case has been dropped. He was indicted on two counts of murder in the shooting deaths of two Pakistani men that, he says, were trying to kill him. Pakistani officials say Davis was pardoned by the families of the victims in exchange for compensation. Christine Fair, assistant professor at Georgetown's Center for Peace and Security Studies. She believes that the families were urged by Pakistan's secret security forces, ISI to accept the money. How will this latest development affect U.S.- Pakistan relations?

Pakistan's second largest political party has abandoned Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani's coalition to join the opposition, depriving the government of its majority and weakening a key United States ally. How does this defection affect Pakistan, and the two nations' work in Afghanistan and against the Taliban? We're joined for more on the story by Aleem Maqbool, Pakistan correspondent for our partner the BBC. 

For months, secret talks between Taliban and Afghan leaders have been inching along towards an agreement to end the war in Afghanistan. They've been helped by senior Taliban commander Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour. But it turns out he was an impostor. We're joined by Professor Christine Fair, from the Center for Peace and Security Studies at Georgetown University, to learn more about the story. 

In Afghanistan, our partners the BBC have gained rare access to an American prison for Taliban fighters. The BBC's Paul Wood spent time at the Parwan facility and explains how efforts are being made to ready Taliban members to re-enter society by teaching them useful skills, including bread making. 

Is Pakistan our ally or is it home to our greatest threat? President Obama and his national security team, who already grapple with that question on a daily basis, will be examining it again as high level Pakistani officials arrive in Washington later this week. Pakistan's foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, and General Ashfaq Kayani, the head of Pakistan's military who is thought to be the most powerful man in the country, head to Washington at a particularly contentious time of U.S.-Pakistan relations.

Afghan voters went to the polls this weekend to cast their ballot in parliamentary elections. More than 2,500 candidates ran for 249 seats. According to reports from Afghanistan, many candidates tried to buy the election by paying voters for their ballots and busing crowds of people into polling stations. Meanwhile, election day quickly turned violent in some locations, with dozens of rocket attacks and violence at polling stations. The New York Times reported that more than 12 people were killed in election-related violence. Due to security concerns, some polling stations remained closed or had very little voter turnout.

Recent reports from Afghanistan indicate that the country is at an economic and political turning point. The New York Times reports that $1 trillion in mineral resources lies beneath the surface of Afghanistan. The mineral wealth is so vast that it may drastically change Afghanistan's economy and alter the course of the war. 

To illuminate what all of this wealth means for Afghanistan and the U.S., we turn to Christine Fair, political scientist with Georgetown University, and a former political officer to the United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan in Kabul. We also speak with lithium market expert Robert Baylis and Afghanistan's Minister of Mines, Ibrahim Adel.

U.S. and Pakistani intelligence forces, working together, have captured a leading Taliban figure. The apprehension of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar may cause a significant disruption to Taliban operations in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and raises questions of whether ties are warming between Pakistan's intelligence service, the ISI, and the CIA. Baradar is reportedly being interrogated by both American and Pakistani operatives. Georgetown Prof. Christine Fair, who focuses on Pakistan and Afghanistan, joins us for analysis.