TEHRAN (FNA) Iran said on Wednesday it had temporarily stopped the expulsion of illegal Afghans for “humanitarian reasons” after Kabul called for an immediate halt.

Forced into damage control after criticizing NATO shortcomings in Afghanistan, U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates still had a message Thursday for Canada and any other allies thinking of withdrawing its troops – don’t.

GAZA – Israeli forces killed six Palestinians on Wednesday, including three members of a Gaza family in a botched air strike, a day after Palestinians said some of the worst violence in months could harm peace moves.

GAZA – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called a leader of rival Hamas on Wednesday to commiserate on the killing of his son by Israeli forces, Hamas said, the first such contact since a Palestinian factional schism last year.

BAGHDAD – The United Nations envoy to Baghdad said on Wednesday he would present a positive picture of progress in Iraq in a report to the Security Council despite earlier having serious misgivings about reconciliation efforts.

Following are the latest figures for military deaths in Iraq and Iraqi civilians killed in attacks since the U.S.-led invasion in March, 2003: U.S.-LED COALITION FORCES: United States 3,926

BAGHDAD – Three U.S. soldiers were killed by small arms fire during operations in Iraq’s northern Salahuddin province on Wednesday, the U.S. military said.

LONDON – Behind stepped-up commitments from the United States and Britain, stark differences are emerging between the two biggest powers operating in Afghanistan about how best to tackle the Taliban and al-Qaeda threat.

BRUSSELS – Tensions among key allies over the war in Afghanistan spilled into the open on Wednesday as NATO rejected U.S. criticism that some of its troops did not know how to fight a guerrilla insurgency.

KERBALA, Iraq – Thousands of Shi’ites gathered in Kerbala on Wednesday for the biggest religious ceremony in the Iraqi holy city since gunbattles between rival factions forced a mass exodus of pilgrims last August.