British troops are facing “operational” defeat in Afghanistan because of years of government underfunding, a former head of the armed forces warned last night.

* Afghan Interior Ministry claims a group was killed smuggling weapons from Pakistan. KABUL/KHOST: Nearly 80 Taliban rebels were killed in a series of air raids by international military forces near Afghanistan’s eastern border with Pakistan, a provincial government spokesman said on Sunday.

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The White House concluded in a recent secret report that the war effort in Afghanistan has not met strategic goals set this year, The Washington Post reported Sunday.