A local official says the Taliban have attacked Afghan troops in eastern Laghman province, triggering a gunbattle that killed two soldiers and wounded a third. The provincial governor’s spokesman Sarhadi Zwak says the attack began around today in Alishing district.

EU foreign ministers met today on building an alliance — including with Muslim countries — against a growing Islamist militant threat, with Europe on high alert after deadly Paris attacks and anti-terrorism raids in Belgium. The immediate focus for the 28-nation European Union is how to prevent citizens known as “foreign fighters” …

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his Ukrainian counterpart Petro Poroshenko agreed on Thursday that the delayed talks on the Ukraine conflict with leaders of Russia, France and Germany will take place at the end of the month. In a telephone call, the two leaders “noted that the meeting of leaders …