Afghanistan

WASHINGTON — For one of his first foreign visits, President Barack Obama will call on NATO ally Turkey, an overwhelmingly Muslim country viewed as critical to aiding the U.S. pullout from Iraq, turning around the Afghanistan war and blocking Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The invasion of Iraq has strained the long …

A majority of US voters support President Barack Obama’s decision to send an additional 17,000 troops to Afghanistan and give him high marks on his handling of foreign policy, according to a poll released yesterday. But the survey showed public opinion divided over whether Obama should heed a request from …

Afghanistan’s defense minister warned Thursday that the Obama administration’s proposed changes in U.S. war strategy risk undermining Kabul’s civilian government because they appear to scale back U.S. goals in the country.Abdul Rahim Wardak said he was troubled by recent comments from senior U.S. officials that they were “lowering expectations” in …

KABUL (Reuters) – Devastated by nearly three decades of war, Afghanistan‘s isolation from world trade and global finance might for once be to its advantage, shielding the country from the economic and financial meltdown abroad. Sandwiched between Kabul’s main mosque and a foul-smelling river is the teeming money market where …

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – A bomb exploded in Afghanistan and killed two civilians while 28 militants and two Afghan soldiers died in clashes, the authorities said The blast and the fighting on Tuesday took place in the south of the country, a Taliban stronghold where about 17,000 US troops are expected …

LONDON, England – Three British troops under NATO command were killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan on Wednesday, the British Defense Ministry said. They are among 10 international troops in Afghanistan who have died in bombings since Friday. The three soldiers, from 1st Battalion The Rifles, died from their …

KABUL, Afghanistan – Four coalition members were killed Tuesday in southern Afghanistan when their vehicle hit an improvised bomb, the U.S. military said. The incident happened just after midday while the coalition members were on patrol with the Afghan National Security Forces, the U.S. military said. An Afghan civilian working …

TOKYO – Japan will pay the salaries of Afghanistan’s 80,000 police officers for six months as part of its ongoing financial support for the country, a government official said Tuesday. Tokyo will also fund the building of 200 schools and 100 hospitals, and train thousands of teachers in Afghanistan, said …

SANG-I-KHEL, Afghanistan (Reuters) – The United States’ decision to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan will mean little to the people of northern Sang-i-Khel village whose fight is not against Taliban insurgents but against hunger. Last week, U.S. President Barack Obama ordered 17,000 additional U.S. soldiers to Afghanistan to tackle …

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – A battle just outside southern Afghanistan’s largest city has killed at least six Taliban fighters, while an airstrike against militants elsewhere in the south killed eight, officials said Sunday. A battle in the Panjwayi district — 15 miles (25 kilometers) west of Kandahar city — began late …