Quil Lawrence
Quil Lawrence is a New York-based correspondent for NPR News, covering veterans' issues nationwide. He won a Robert F. Kennedy Award for his coverage of American veterans and a Gracie Award for coverage of female combat veterans. In 2019 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America honored Quil with its IAVA Salutes Award for Leadership in Journalism.
Lawrence started his career in radio by interviewing con men in Tangier, Morocco. He then moved to Bogota, Colombia, and covered Latin America for NPR, the BBC, and The LA Times.
In the Spring of 2000, a Pew Fellowship sponsored his first trips to Iraq — that reporting experience eventually built the foundation for his first book, Invisible Nation: How the Kurds' Quest for Statehood is Shaping Iraq and the Middle East (Bloomsbury, 2009).
Lawrence has reported from throughout the Arab world and from Sudan, Cuba, Pakistan, Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. He covered Iraq and Afghanistan for twelve years, serving as NPR's Bureau Chief in Baghdad and Kabul. He covered the fall of the Taliban in 2001, the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the second battle of Fallujah in 2004, as well as politics, culture, and war in both countries.
In 2012, Lawrence returned to the U.S. to cover the millions of men and women who have served at war, both recently and in past generations. NPR is possibly unique among major news organizations in dedicating a full-time correspondent to veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs.
A native of Maine, Lawrence studied history at Brandeis University, with concentrations in the Middle East and Latin America. He is fluent in Spanish and conversant in Arabic.
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NPR foreign correspondent Quil Lawrence recalls his friendship with the New York Times reporter, who died Thursday at age 43, and the passion and sincerity that made him such a brilliant reporter. -
Nearly two years ago, President Hamid Karzai called for armed private security contractors in his country to be replaced by a state-run force. The Afghan Public Protection Force took over last month, and its off to a rocky start. -
Muslim clerics in Afghanistan often denounce the U.S. military presence and speak favorably of the Taliban. The Afghan government is now calling on the clerics to be more moderate, or face penalties. -
Afghan soldiers are taking a more prominent role in the country's security operations, slowly winning the respect of ordinary Afghan citizens. But, the soldiers say, they aren't receiving the same respect or thanks from the government: benefits go missing and proper medical treatment is often scarce. -
On suspicion of speaking to a boy by phone, a teenage Afghan girl was threatened with death by her brothers. She fled to a U.S. military base, creating a quandary. If returned home, she faced almost certain death. If the military kept her on the base, the deeply conservative Afghan community would be outraged. -
While in the Afgan capital Kabul Tuesday, President Obama signed a partnership agreement with Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Also in Kabul, the Taliban claimed responsibility for a deadly attack that was carried out shortly after Obama left the city.
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U.S. and Afghan officials have finalized their partnership agreement, which sets up guidelines for U.S. involvement as American forces leave that country. Details have not been released, but both governments hope the agreement will put to rest doubts about a long term American commitment to support Afghanistan.
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The Taliban has claimed responsibility for Sunday's multiple attacks in the Afghan capital Kabul. U.S. officials are praising Afghan forces, but questions remain about how the insurgents were able to infiltrate the most secure parts of the capital.
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A string of attacks across Afghanistan Sunday mark the beginning of the spring fighting season. In at least six separate attacks across four provinces, the insurgents hit Afghan and Western targets, and Afghan government buildings with a combination of rockets and suicide bombers.
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Many details have emerged about the American soldier suspected of gunning down 16 Afghan civilians in Kandahar province. But little has been reported about those who were killed or the five still recovering. One Afghan farmer lost nearly his entire family in the attack.
