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
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
Taliban prisoners walk in line during their recent release from Bagram prison near Kabul on May 26.
Taliban prisoners walk in line during their recent release from Bagram prison near Kabul on May 26.

Leader of Afghan Taliban Said to Be Gravely Ill With the Coronavirus

Report
Lynne O’Donnell, Mirwais Khan
Taliban prisoners
Taliban prisoners

Taliban Leadership in Disarray on Verge of Peace Talks

Exclusive
Lynne O’Donnell, Mirwais Khan
FARSHAD USYAN/AFP/Getty Images
FARSHAD USYAN/AFP/Getty Images

Does Afghanistan’s New Mining Law Benefit Its Mafias?

The South Asia Channel
Lynne O’Donnell
SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images
SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images

Will Afghanistan be the Next Iraq?

The South Asia Channel
Lynne O’Donnell
Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images
Aref Karimi/AFP/Getty Images

Women’s Rights as a Bargaining Chip in Afghan Politics

The South Asia Channel
Lynne O’Donnell
Manjunath Kiran/AFP/Getty Images
Manjunath Kiran/AFP/Getty Images

The Afghan War Economy Collapses

The South Asia Channel
Lynne O’Donnell
FARSHAD USYAN/AFP/Getty Images
FARSHAD USYAN/AFP/Getty Images

What’s To Become of Afghanistan’s Mines?

The South Asia Channel
Lynne O’Donnell
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