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U.S. Readies Policy Shift in Afghanistan

Insecurity still prevails in Afghanistan.
Jacki Lyden, NPR News /
Insecurity still prevails in Afghanistan.
Biking through the destruction.
Jacki Lyden, NPR News /
Biking through the destruction.

The Bush administration, in coming weeks, will announce wide-ranging changes in its approach to reconstruction in Afghanistan -- including a new aid package that is expected to approach $1 billion.

The administration's handling of Afghanistan in the aftermath of the war that drove the Taliban regime from power has drawn criticism in Washington and around the world.

The new focus reportedly includes sending scores of high-level U.S. advisers directly to government ministries in Kabul, and will end U.S. co-operation with local warlords opposed to the government led by President Hamid Karzai.

NPR's Jacki Lyden talks to the new coordinator for U.S. efforts in Afghanistan, Ambassador William Taylor, and looks back to a moment when the world's eyes were still locked firmly on Kabul.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Jacki Lyden
Longtime listeners recognize Jacki Lyden's voice from her frequent work as a substitute host on NPR. As a journalist who has been with NPR since 1979, Lyden regards herself first and foremost as a storyteller and looks for the distinctive human voice in a huge range of national and international stories.