Hundreds of Palestinians thronged two major West Bank checkpoints, trying to reach a key Islamic shrine in Jerusalem on the first Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, despite tight Israeli restrictions. 

  U.S. forces probably will not be a visible presence on Iraq’s streets five years from now, but the United States will remain a force in the country for years to come, Iraq’s ambassador to the U.S. predicted.

KABUL (AFP) – Major clashes between Taliban and security forces in Afghanistan left nearly 70 rebels dead while an Afghan soldier and a Bangladeshi aid worker were also reported killed, officials said.The deadliest of the incidents on Wednesday was in the province of Uruzgan and kicked off with an ambush …