John Ismay

@johnismay.bsky.social

Reporter, The New York Times. Former U.S. Navy EOD & Iraq vet. Reach me securely via Signal at: johnismay.01 or by email at: john.ismay@nytimes.com

“Some days later in Rhode Island, as I walked my dog on a muggy New England night, my phone vibrated. Mr. Gulab had texted me in Pashto: ‘Have you arrived at your home?’ he asked. I said I had. ‘It’s good to hear that you arrived safely.’”

From the great TM Gibbons-Neff: “Regarding the mujahedeen who were killed by your side, I do not know whether they or their families would forgive you,” Mr. Gulab said. “Those civilians may not forgive the foreign forces, but for me personally, I have my own authority and I have forgiven you.”

Why I Sought Out a Taliban Commander I Had Fought (Gift Article)

First as a Marine and then as a journalist, I spent years tied to Afghanistan. I returned one last time to speak to a former enemy in search of answers, and perhaps closure.

nytimes.com

"I’ve had a hand in killing around six people. Maybe seven. I don’t know if one man bled out on the side of the road or was taken to a doctor. I think about him often... The killing wasn’t detached; it felt deeply personal." @tmgneff.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/07/23/w...

Why I Sought Out a Taliban Commander I Had Fought

First as a Marine and then as a journalist, I spent years tied to Afghanistan. I returned one last time to speak to a former enemy in search of answers, and perhaps closure.

nytimes.com

As a Marine and then a journalist, Thomas Gibbons-Neff spent years in Afghanistan. In search of answers, and perhaps closure, he returned to the country one last time to speak with a Taliban commander he had fought against in 2010.

Why I Sought Out a Taliban Commander I Had Fought

First as a Marine and then as a journalist, I spent years tied to Afghanistan. I returned one last time to speak to a former enemy in search of answers, and perhaps closure.

nyti.ms

In my previous PAO life, I released service histories for soldiers on an almost daily basis to media - it a routine and completely reasonable practice. Honestly can't wrap my head around the justification for this move by the Navy.

Post nicht verfügbar.

New, from me and @ckoettl.bsky.social: Iran has attacked at least nine U.S. military sites in the last two weeks, destroying radar sites, personnel areas, hangars, and other structures, and killing at least three service members. www.nytimes.com/2026/07/22/w...

What Visuals Show About Recent Damage to U.S. Military Sites in the Middle East

Video footage and satellite images reveal new details about Iranian strikes on U.S. targets during the latest flare-up in fighting.

nytimes.com

Any discussion of women's roles in the church must begin with this fact: It was to a woman that the Risen Christ first appeared and a woman who was charged by him with announcing the Resurrection to the rest of his disciples. Thus, her justly exalted title: "Apostle to the Apostles."

A month after a pair of history-making earthquakes ripped across Venezuela, the country’s hardest-hit state, La Guaira, remains a scene of grueling, painstaking searches for the dead. Two brothers dug every day for 26 days to find their mother, brother and grandmother. trib.al/l6gv8Bu

Bild

The U.S. military appeared to widen its targets in Iran in recent days, hitting multiple parts of the country, according to state media reports, as clashes entered a sixth straight day. Iran also fired at bases belonging to U.S. allies in the Middle East. Here's where strikes have been reported.

Here’s Where the U.S. and Iran Have Launched Attacks as the War Escalates

The U.S. military has appeared to widen its targets in Iran, while Iran has fired at bases belonging to American allies in the Middle East.

nyti.ms