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.

The Afghan military remains heavily dependent on U.S. equipment, training and money. It's far from clear how effective this U.S. assistance will be once American troops are gone.

Al-Qaida is degraded but not defeated. Analyst Colin Clarke assesses where the U.S. may be mapping out its future counterterrorism presence after withdrawing from Afghanistan.

Lloyd Austin arrived in Kabul on his first visit as defense secretary as the Biden administration discusses when to pull U.S. forces out of Afghanistan.

In a letter reportedly sent to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. "has not ruled out any option" and asked him to "understand the urgency of my tone."

The two sides have agreed on a way forward for substantive negotiations aimed at ending decades of almost continuous war in the country, representatives said in near-twin tweets.