Mortars slammed into a residential area of the Somali capital overnight, killing eight people — including a pregnant woman — and wounding more than 20, witnesses said Thursday.

British and US troops deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq face rising pressures on their mental health and family life, according to two investigations that shed light on a key aspect of military “overstretch”.

Iraqi politicians said on Thursday they were hoping for a breakthrough to restore a unity government after a Sunni Arab bloc quit, but the magnitude of the sectarian conflict was underlined by the slaying of five brothers.