Lynne O’Donnell

Lynne O’Donnell is a columnist at Foreign Policy and an Australian journalist and author. She was the Afghanistan bureau chief for Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press between 2009 and 2017.

Articles by Lynne O’Donnell
Afghan militia gather with their weapons to support Afghanistan security forces.
Afghan militia gather with their weapons to support Afghanistan security forces.

‘It Will Not Be Just a Civil War’

Insider
Lynne O’Donnell
Charkint District Governor Salima Mazari points a gun as she visits forces in Charkint district of Balkh province on June 29.
Charkint District Governor Salima Mazari points a gun as she visits forces in Charkint district of Balkh province on June 29.

With the Militias in Afghanistan

Dispatch
Lynne O’Donnell
Interpreters demonstrate for U.S. visas.
Interpreters demonstrate for U.S. visas.

‘Now I Can’t Go Home’

Dispatch
Lynne O’Donnell
A Taliban commander ahead of an interview with AFP.
A Taliban commander ahead of an interview with AFP.

The Taliban Are Winning the War of Words in Afghanistan

Dispatch
Lynne O’Donnell
An Afghan Commandos soldier stands guard.
An Afghan Commandos soldier stands guard.

Afghan Air Force Could Be Grounded After U.S. Pullout

Dispatch
Lynne O’Donnell
An Afghan boy looks on in a damaged house near the site of an attack in Kabul.
An Afghan boy looks on in a damaged house near the site of an attack in Kabul.

Taliban Map Out Future Vision for Afghanistan

Insider
Lynne O’Donnell
Sons help their father at an Afghan hospital.
Sons help their father at an Afghan hospital.

Afghanistan Swamped by COVID-19’s Third Wave

Dispatch
Lynne O’Donnell
Women wait to receive wheat in Kabul.
Women wait to receive wheat in Kabul.

Women Cut Out of the Afghan Peace Process

Report
Lynne O’Donnell
An Afghan policeman keeps watch over miners at a gold mine on a mountainside near the village of Qara Zaghan in Baghlan province on May 6, 2013.
An Afghan policeman keeps watch over miners at a gold mine on a mountainside near the village of Qara Zaghan in Baghlan province on May 6, 2013.

Afghanistan Wanted Chinese Mining Investment. It Got a Chinese Spy Ring Instead.

Report
Lynne O’Donnell
Afghan Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar and Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto
Afghan Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar and Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto

Afghans, Under Fire for Corruption, Accuse Donors of Hypocrisy

Report
Lynne O’Donnell
Police guard an entrance to Kabul University the day after an attack by a gunman at the university in Kabul on Nov. 3.
Police guard an entrance to Kabul University the day after an attack by a gunman at the university in Kabul on Nov. 3.

Crime Wave Further Rocks Confidence in Afghan Government

Dispatch
Lynne O’Donnell
An Afghan man cries beside the coffins of victims in a Taliban militant attack
An Afghan man cries beside the coffins of victims in a Taliban militant attack

Afghans Caught in the Crossfire While U.S. Prepares to Clear Out

Report
Lynne O’Donnell
A view of a mostly deserted lapis lazuli mining encampment in the Afghan province of Badakhshan on Oct. 16, 2016.
A view of a mostly deserted lapis lazuli mining encampment in the Afghan province of Badakhshan on Oct. 16, 2016.

The Taliban, at Least, Are Striking Gold in Afghanistan

Report
Lynne O’Donnell, Mirwais Khan
Taliban prisoners being released outside Kabul
Taliban prisoners being released outside Kabul

Defying Peace Deal, Freed Taliban Return to Battlefield

Report
Lynne O’Donnell
Taliban representatives attend the intra-Afghan dialogue talks in the Qatari capital of Doha on July 8, 2019.
Taliban representatives attend the intra-Afghan dialogue talks in the Qatari capital of Doha on July 8, 2019.

Factional Struggles Emerge in Virus-Afflicted Taliban Top Ranks

Report
Lynne O’Donnell, Mirwais Khan
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