Debate is raging in Italy and Germany, and to a lesser extent the Netherlands and Denmark, on whether they should remain in the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF), already grappling with a shortage of troops in the face of one of the most intense military engagements in decades. “There …

KABUL, Afghanistan – A string of bombings and gun battles reported around Afghanistan Saturday killed 41 people and left at least six wounded, including two foreigners hurt in a suicide bombing near the capital.Insurgent violence is running at its highest level since U.S. forces invaded the country in 2001 to …

KABUL, Afghanistan – A U.S. warplane mistakenly dropped a 500-pound bomb on British troops after they called for air support in Afghanistan, killing three soldiers and seriously wounding two others in an accident that could re-ignite debate about America’s heavy use of air power.Friendly fire involving U.S. troops has led …

As of Friday, Aug. 24, 2007, at least 361 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department. The department last updated its figures Aug. 18, 2007. Of those, the …

SEOUL, South Korea – Two South Korean ex-hostages begged for the release of 19 of their fellow church volunteers still held captive in Afghanistan, saying in an interview broadcast Thursday that their anguish for the others overshadowed the relief of being freed.Kim Kyung-ja, 37, and Kim Jee-na, 32, were among …

SEOUL (AFP) – A South Korean woman aid worker held by Afghanistan’s Taliban gave up her chance of freedom so that another woman could be released in her place, two freed hostages have said.Kim Gi-Na and Kim Kyung-Ja made the disclosure in an interview with Al-Jazeera TV from the military …

KABUL (Reuters) – Taliban insurgents killed 10 Afghan security guards escorting a logistics convoy for U.S. forces in an ambush in southern Afghanistan on Thursday, the head of the security detail said.Mohammad Salim said the attack took place on the main highway that runs through the province of Zabul. Elsewhere, …

KABUL (AFP) – A German engineer and four fellow hostages held by the Taliban appealed for help in a video broadcast Thursday on private Afghanistan television which showed him slumped over and coughing.Speaking with apparent difficulty, Rudolph Blechschmidt said that he was a prisoner and in poor health, and urged …

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFP) – Dozens of Taliban fighters attacked an Afghan military base in restive southern Afghanistan but pulled out after losing 10 of their fighters, an official said Monday. The rebels left their dead comrades on the battlefield and “escaped after tough resistance” Sunday night at the base in …

KABUL, Afghanistan – Four suspected kidnappers were captured Monday as Afghan police freed a German aid worker who had been snatched from a restaurant while she ate with her husband, officials said.Hundreds of police freed the 31-year-old woman in a raid after midnight in western Kabul, not far from the …