The base is one of the epicenters of the US presence in Afghanistan.

COVID-19 cases are increasing in many, poorly-vaccinated parts of the globe. We check in with reporters in Australia, Sierre Leone and with our science team to talk about the Delta variant's threats.

Top Afghan leaders are meeting President Biden Friday as the U.S troop withdrawal gains steam, talks remain deadlocked, and the Taliban continue to gain ground in Afghanistan.

As security conditions deteriorate, the White House has signaled that it intends to evacuate thousands of Afghan citizens who worked with U.S. forces, and who now fear retribution.

Australia's tough quarantine rules have kept the country largely covid free, but it's also left dozens of kids stranded abroad without parents. They're among the thousands struggling to return.

The attack targeted workers clearing landmines with the HALO Trust charity. The militant Islamic State group claimed responsibility. Afghanistan is one of the world's most heavily mined countries.

As foreign troops withdraw, the Taliban have seized parts of Afghan highways and closed in on cities. One arms dealer in the country says they're even buying heavier weaponry.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner posed for a cover portrait and spoke openly in an interview. One of her remarks about marriage has prompted vitriolic responses on social media in her homeland.

Some Kabul residents fear a Taliban takeover. Others are eager for the departure of troops they see as foreign intruders. "Afghans will have to come together and listen to each other," says a cleric.

"Should we ask children to go to school when the schools are not safe for them? Can we do that?" asks an education activist. One wounded student says she wants to go back. "Continue school," she says.

The attack in Kabul comes as the U.S. and NATO are removing remaining troops from Afghanistan. President Biden says he is aiming to complete the drawdown by Sept. 11, marking the end of a 20-year war.

A U.S.-backed conference with the Taliban and Afghan government was derailed, raising doubts about progress toward a negotiated settlement to end decades of war in Afghanistan.

Afghans are coming forward to describe past alleged killings by Australian forces, as the Australian government launches investigations into its troops' suspected war crimes in Afghanistan.

President Biden's announcement for U.S. and foreign forces to withdraw from Afghanistan by Sept. 11 appears to have derailed the peace process that was meant to wind down the conflict in that country.

Months after an Australian army inquiry acknowledged potential war crimes were committed in Afghanistan by members of its elite forces, more Afghan victims are coming forward to demand justice.

As President Biden faces a decision on whether to withdraw troops from the country, U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin went to tour the region himself in a visit to the capital of Kabul.

Journalist Fatima Roshanian has faced threats before, but she and many other Afghans say the risk to their lives is more serious than ever. "People are being killed everyday, everywhere," she says.

The U.S. promised to pull all troops out of Afghanistan by May 1 when it signed a deal with the Taliban last year. Now, it looks like it will miss that deadline as peace talks crawl along.

The president said it would be "tough" to meet the May 1 deadline agreed to by the Trump administration. "The withdrawal must be completed by the first of May," a Taliban spokesman told NPR.

Mistrust towards China-produced vaccines, general vaccine hesitancy and distribution complications have all been obstacles in getting the vaccine out in some countries.