News of South Asia (Pakistan, Bangladesh, etc.)

Saturday, July 4

  • Overcrowding may have caused copter crash   UPI / 3:24PM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, July 4 (UPI) -- A deadly crash of a military transport helicopter in Pakistan may have been caused by overcrowding, an expert says.
  • Little Taliban resistance to British surge   UPI / 10:24AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 4 (UPI) -- British troops moving into Afghanistan's restive Helmand province say they're encountering little resistance from Taliban insurgents.
  • Friday, July 3

  • 26 dead in Pakistani helicopter crash   UPI / 7:14PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 3 (UPI) -- At least 26 members of the Pakistani armed forces died Friday when a military transport helicopter crashed in the Northwest Frontier province, officials said.
  • Russia to allow U.S. military flights   UPI / 4:54PM
    MOSCOW, July 3 (UPI) -- Russian leaders have agreed to allow U.S. military planes carrying troops and equipment to use their country's airspace, officials said Friday.
  • U.S. troops may face Afghan resistence   UPI / 9:34AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 3 (UPI) -- U.S. troops may face a tough time wresting Afghan provinces from Taliban control as many villagers have accepted the militants' rules, local leaders say.
  • Thursday, July 2

  • Report: Missing U.S. soldier sold to clan   UPI / 12:24PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 2 (UPI) -- A missing U.S. soldier thought to have been captured in southeastern Afghanistan has been sold to a militant clan, a U.S. military official said Thursday.
  • Minister: Swat militant leader wounded   UPI / 1:24AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 2 (UPI) -- Mullah Fazlullah, the notorious Taliban leader in Pakistan's Swat Valley, was seriously wounded in a military attack, Pakistan's interior minister told the BBC.
  • Factions in Kurram to stop fighting   UPI / 12:35AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 2 (UPI) -- Pakistan's Kurram Agency Thursday awaited calm after a reported cease-fire among warring factions as troops began deploying there to fight the Taliban.
  • Wednesday, July 1

  • Helmand assault meant to take back region   UPI / 11:14PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 1 (UPI) -- The U.S. Marine-led assault in Afghanistan's Helmand province is designed to wrest control of the poppy-growing region from the Taliban, the military said.
  • Taliban targeted in major U.S. operation   UPI / 10:54PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 1 (UPI) -- About 4,000 U.S. troops and 650 Afghan soldiers are going after the Taliban in Afghanistan's Helmand province in a "major operation," the U.S. military said.
  • Tuesday, June 30

  • 7 people killed in Pakistan airstrikes   UPI / 8:14PM
    MIRAMSHAH, Pakistan, June 30 (UPI) -- Jet bombers hit Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal area Tuesday, killing seven people, residents and other sources said.
  • Karzai leads despite his unpopularity   UPI / 1:44PM
    NEW YORK, June 26 (UPI) -- Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai appears poised to win re-election even though most voters view him largely as a failure, political observers say.
  • Amnesty for some Tiger rebels   UPI / 1:24AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, June 30 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan government, after claiming a crushing victory last month over Tamil Tiger rebels, may offer amnesty to some rebel suspects, an official said.
  • Monday, June 29

  • U.S. drone surveillance gathers data   UPI / 10:54PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 29 (UPI) -- Secret U.S. drone flights will provide surveillance data to Pakistani military in its campaign against Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, officials said.
  • 12 Pakistani soldiers killed in ambush   UPI / 12:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 28 (UPI) -- An ambush on a military convoy by militants in Pakistan's North Waziristan tribal region killed 12 soldiers, military officials said.
  • Sunday, June 28

  • At least 33 killed in fighting in Kurram   UPI / 9:04AM
    PARACHINAR, Pakistan, June 28 (UPI) -- At least 33 people were killed and 65 others wounded in sectarian fighting in Pakistan's Kurram region bordering Afghanistan, local officials said.
  • Friday, June 26

  • Report: Jones praises Pakistani efforts   UPI / 7:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 26 (UPI) -- Visiting U.S. national security adviser Gen. James Jones praised the Pakistani government's anti-terrorist campaign, the state-run news agency said.
  • Karzai leads despite his unpopularity   UPI / 1:14AM
    NEW YORK, June 26 (UPI) -- Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai appears poised to win re-election even though most voters view him largely as a failure, political observers say.
  • Thursday, June 25

  • Pakistan fears Taliban could move south   UPI / 9:44PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 25 (UPI) -- The Pakistani government is concerned the Taliban, driven out of the Swat Valley, might try to regroup in the south, the interior minister said.
  • Wednesday, June 24

  • Afghan ex-detainees allege ill treatment   UPI / 8:24AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 24 (UPI) -- Former terrorism detainees at the U.S. Bagram military base in Afghanistan say they were beaten, deprived of sleep and threatened with dogs.
  • Tuesday, June 23

  • U.S., NATO say good Afghan gov't is key   UPI / 2:44PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 23 (UPI) -- The value of good government has become a theme for Western officials with the approach of Afghanistan's August presidential election, analysts say.
  • Karzai named 'most trusted' in Afghan poll   UPI / 11:05AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 23 (UPI) -- A Gallup Poll conducted late last year in Afghanistan indicated President Hamid Karzai was the most trusted figure in the country, the pollsters said Tuesday.
  • Rival of Mehsud killed   UPI / 6:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 23 (UPI) -- Qari Zainuddin, a rival of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud, was shot and killed Tuesday in the northwest region, the victim's aide told Geo TV.
  • Monday, June 22

  • Zardari urges more help from West   UPI / 11:24PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 22 (UPI) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, in an opinion piece in The Washington Post, appealed for more assistance from the West to help Pakistan fight terrorists.
  • Swat operation winding down   UPI / 10:24PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 22 (UPI) -- The Pakistani military says its operation against the Taliban in the Swat Valley area is in its final stage, with 1,592 terrorists killed thus far.
  • Al-Qaida leader would use nukes vs. U.S.   UPI / 3:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 22 (UPI) -- Mustafa Abul-Yazeed, al-Qaida's leader in Afghanistan, says the group would use Pakistan's nuclear weapons against the United States if it possessed them.
  • U.S. tightens Afghan airstrikes policy   UPI / 10:34AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. policy for airstrikes in Afghanistan will be curtailed to help reduce the number of civilian deaths, the U.S. troop commander in the country said.
  • Sunday, June 21

  • 2 killed, 6 hurt in Bagram base attack   UPI / 3:44PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 21 (UPI) -- An attack on the United States' Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan resulted in the deaths of two NATO soldiers and the wounding of six others, officials say.
  • Taliban rocket kills two U.S. soldiers   UPI / 12:05PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 21 (UPI) -- Two U.S. soldiers were killed and six others wounded Sunday in a rocket attack inside a heavily fortified compound in Afghanistan, the military said.
  • S. Korea mulls Afghan force   UPI / 1:04AM
    SEOUL, June 21 (UPI) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak told political leaders Saturday he discussed with U.S. President Barack Obama sending Korean troops to Afghanistan.
  • Saturday, June 20

  • British soldier killed in Afghanistan   UPI / 7:14PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 20 (UPI) -- A soldier serving with the Welsh Guards in Afghanistan has become the 169th member of the British military to be killed there, officials said Saturday.
  • NYT Reporter Escapes Taliban Captivity   AP / 1:34PM
    New York Times reporter David Rohde escaped from his Taliban captors in Pakistan and has found his way to freedom, the newspaper said Saturday.
  • NYT reporter escapes Taliban captivity   UPI / 1:14PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 20 (UPI) -- New York Times reporter David Rohde escaped from his Taliban captors in Pakistan and has found his way to freedom, the newspaper said Saturday.
  • U.S. probe cites Afghan civilian deaths   UPI / 7:14AM
    WASHINGTON, June 20 (UPI) -- U.S. airstrikes that accidentally killed at least 26 Afghanistan civilians in May were "appropriate," a Defense Department report indicates.
  • Pakistan: Swat fighting almost over   UPI / 2:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 20 (UPI) -- Pakistani officials announced the military campaign against the Taliban in the Swat Valley is almost finished and said residents may begin coming home Saturday.
  • Friday, June 19

  • Several dead in Waziristan air strikes   UPI / 2:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 19 (UPI) -- Missile strikes at suspected militant hideouts In Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal area killed several people, authorities said.
  • Thursday, June 18

  • Pakistan military says 22 militants killed   UPI / 2:24AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 18 (UPI) -- Pakistani troops killed 22 militants and arrested 17 others during a 24-hour period, the military said Wednesday.
  • Wednesday, June 17

  • Afghan election campaign on   UPI / 12:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 17 (UPI) -- Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai will face a key challenge from two of his former ministers in his bid for another term in the country's Aug. 20 elections.
  • Monday, June 15

  • New commander explains strategy   UPI / 11:44PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 15 (UPI) -- The commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan says troops must ensure the safety of main population centers while fighting Taliban militants.
  • McChrystal takes over in Afghanistan   UPI / 9:44AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 15 (UPI) -- U.S. Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal took command of U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan Monday during a ceremony in Kabul.
  • Sunday, June 14

  • Mehsud targeted in Pakistan   UPI / 10:14PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 14 (UPI) -- The Pakistani military, encouraged by recent successes against the Taliban, plans to go after the group's leader, Baitullah Mehsud, an official said.
  • Saturday, June 13

  • Zardari hikes pay for front-line soldiers   UPI / 11:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 13 (UPI) -- Pakistan is building an army garrison in the Swat Valley and raising the pay of soldiers fighting militants in Malakand, President Asif Ali Zardari said.
  • Friday, June 12

  • British soldier killed in Afghan blast   UPI / 2:54PM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, June 12 (UPI) -- A British soldier has been killed in a southern Afghanistan explosion, the British Ministry of Defense announced Friday.
  • India plans to pull army from Kashmir   UPI / 8:24AM
    NEW DELHI, June 12 (UPI) -- India plans to withdraw its troops from counterinsurgency operations in Kashmir, for years a disputed territory and battlefield, India's home minister says.
  • Attacks reported in Pakistan's Peshawar   UPI / 8:14AM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, June 12 (UPI) -- Violence hit Peshawar, Pakistan, Thursday with casualties reported, two days after a huge explosion at the city's Pearl Continental Hotel killed at least 16.
  • Tamil refugee issue raises concerns   UPI / 1:54AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, June 12 (UPI) -- A U.N. official says many of the tens of thousands of displaced Sri Lankan Tamils may still be in shelters a year from now despite government promises.
  • Wednesday, June 10

  • Pakistan hotel blast toll rises to 16   UPI / 7:54AM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, June 10 (UPI) -- The death toll from the suicide bombing of a posh hotel in Peshawar, Pakistan, rose to 16 as crews pulled more bodies from the debris, officials said.
  • Locals mount attacks on Taliban   UPI / 12:44AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 10 (UPI) -- Pakistanis in the Taliban-ravaged northwest region have taken up arms to support their military's offensive against the militants, a minister said.
  • Tuesday, June 9

  • Report: 60 Taliban killed in Afghanistan   UPI / 12:05AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 8 (UPI) -- Up to 60 Taliban militants died in Afghanistan during the past week as more U.S. troops arrived in the country, Afghan security officials said.
  • Monday, June 8

  • Sri Lanka: No weapons on Tamil aid ship   UPI / 10:54AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, June 8 (UPI) -- Sri Lanka says a cargo ship it suspected of carrying military supplies for Tamil rebels contains only food, medical items and similar goods.
  • Afghan army, police said far from ready   UPI / 10:54AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 8 (UPI) -- U.S. efforts to mold an effective fighting force in Afghanistan have been plagued by lack of resources and shaky loyalty among troops, interviews show.
  • Saturday, June 6

  • Pentagon: Pakistan terror aid diverted   UPI / 8:04AM
    WASHINGTON, June 6 (UPI) -- Pakistan diverted U.S. aid meant for fighting Taliban terrorists to bolster its conventional warfare capabilities against India, documents indicate.
  • Pakistan asks U.S. debt forgiveness   UPI / 7:44AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 6 (UPI) -- A meeting between U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke and Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani included a plea for debt forgiveness, officials said.
  • Two militants slain in convoy ambush   UPI / 7:34AM
    SAKHAKOT, Pakistan, June 6 (UPI) -- Two leaders of a Pakistani Islamic militant group were slain when a prisoner convoy they were riding in was attacked, officials said Saturday.
  • Friday, June 5

  • British deaths in Afghanistan exceed Iraq   UPI / 12:24PM
    LONDON, June 5 (UPI) -- A 19-year-old rifleman from Reading has become the 137th British serviceman to die from hostile fire in Afghanistan, the military says.
  • Swat Valley residents flee fighting   UPI / 9:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 5 (UPI) -- Residents used a break in a curfew to flee their homes in Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan Friday, following evacuation orders, officials said.
  • Army chief: Tide turning against Taliban   UPI / 2:24AM
    RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, June 5 (UPI) -- Pakistani Army Chief Ashfaq Kayani says the monthslong military offensive in the Swat Valley in the country's northwest has blunted Taliban resistance there.
  • Resentment against Taliban growing   UPI / 1:24AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 5 (UPI) -- The prolonged Taliban insurgency in Pakistan may be turning the people, especially those hit by its brutality, against the militants, observers say.
  • Thursday, June 4

  • Holbrooke touts U.S. aid to Pakistan   UPI / 7:24AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 4 (UPI) -- The United States has given more than half of all the aid Pakistan has received to help its displaced persons in the northwest, envoy Richard Holbrooke said.
  • Wednesday, June 3

  • Bin Laden tape rips U.S.; U.S. blasts back   UPI / 7:14PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 3 (UPI) -- Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden purportedly saying U.S. policy in Pakistan foments hate is just more of the same old rhetoric, the White House said Wednesday.
  • New commander says Afghan war winnable   UPI / 12:05AM
    WASHINGTON, June 2 (UPI) -- To win the war in Afghanistan, allied forces must try hard to avoid civilian casualties, says the U.S. general nominated to take command of NATO forces there.
  • Tuesday, June 2

  • British arms sale to Sri Lanka got EU OK   UPI / 8:04AM
    LONDON, June 2 (UPI) -- Britain and other European Union nations sold military equipment to Sri Lanka in the last years of its war against Tamil rebels, documents indicate.
  • Monday, June 1

  • U.N. chief expresses concern on Sri Lanka   UPI / 9:24PM
    NEW YORK, June 1 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says there were "unacceptably high" civilian casualties in the final battle between the Sri Lankan military and Tamil Tigers.
  • Pakistan assault said disrupting al-Qaida   UPI / 9:24AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 1 (UPI) -- Pakistan's offensive against Islamic extremists in the country's northwest, coupled with U.S. drone missile attacks, is disrupting al-Qaida, sources say.
  • Sunday, May 31

  • Ten militants killed in Afghanistan   UPI / 10:44AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 31 (UPI) -- U.S.-led coalition troops Sunday killed 10 militants who ambushed a combat patrol in Afghanistan's Farah province, military officials said.
  • Taliban attack border camp in Pakistan   UPI / 8:44AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 31 (UPI) -- At least 40 Taliban fighters and four Pakistani security officers were killed in an eight-hour gun battle in South Waziristan, government officials said.
  • Saturday, May 30

  • British special forces head to Afghanistan   UPI / 12:34PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 30 (UPI) -- Two British special forces squadrons have deployed to Afghanistan for covert operations against the Taliban, military officials said.
  • Sri Lanka denies 20,000 casualties claim   UPI / 8:34AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 30 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan officials say a published report claiming more than 20,000 civilians were killed during their attack on Tamil rebels is totally false.
  • Friday, May 29

  • LTTE women's force leader arrested   UPI / 4:34PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 29 (UPI) -- Subramaniam Shivathai, the leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam women's force, has been arrested in Sri Lanka, police said Friday.
  • Bangladesh faces diarrhea outbreak   UPI / 10:24AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, May 29 (UPI) -- An acute shortage of clean water and food in the coastal areas of Bangladesh battered by Cyclone Aila has brought an outbreak of deadly diarrhea, officials say.
  • Report:Tens of thousands died in shelling   UPI / 7:05AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 29 (UPI) -- Some 20,000 Sri Lankan Tamil civilians died mostly in military shelling in the final push to defeat the Tamil Tigers, The Times of London reported Friday.
  • Report: Tiger leader's parents in camp   UPI / 6:54AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 29 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan army says the parents of Vellupillai Prabhakaran, leader of the Tamil Tiger rebels reported dead, are housed in a camp for displaced civilians.
  • Thursday, May 28

  • Better access to Tamil refugees seen   UPI / 10:00PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 28 (UPI) -- The visit of the U.N. secretary-general to Sri Lanka's main refugee camp for Tamil civilians has helped improve access to the facility, aid workers said.
  • U.N. backs Sri Lanka post-war refugee plan   UPI / 8:44AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 28 (UPI) -- The United Nations has offered support to Sri Lanka's efforts to deal with large numbers of refugees following the end of the Tamil Tiger war, officials say.
  • Pakistan, Indian nuclear work worries U.S.   UPI / 7:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 28 (UPI) -- North Korea's nuclear capabilities may be grabbing headlines, but U.S. officials say growth of nuclear programs in Pakistan and India also are of concern.
  • New Nepal PM discusses general's case   UPI / 7:24AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 28 (UPI) -- A formal decision on the dismissal of Nepal's army chief will be taken soon, the country's new prime minister said.
  • Wednesday, May 27

  • Afghan military tactics expected to change   UPI / 11:34AM
    WASHINGTON, May 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. Defense Department is considering changing tactics and deploying specialized troops to battle the Taliban in Afghanistan, a military source said.
  • Troops kill four militants in Afghanistan   UPI / 10:44AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 27 (UPI) -- Afghan and coalition forces killed four militants and seized 10 others Wednesday in two provinces in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military says.
  • Tuesday, May 26

  • Taliban said facing defeat in Pakistan   UPI / 10:54PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 26 (UPI) -- A peace gesture by Taliban militants being pounded by the Pakistani army in the country's northwest has been rejected, the military said.
  • High court lifts political ban on Sharifs   UPI / 5:24PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 26 (UPI) -- Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is now free to run for Parliament and hold public office, the country's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
  • Sri Lanka says no to Tigers' offer   UPI / 1:14AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 26 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has turned down the Tamil Tigers' offer to take the democratic route in their struggle.
  • Monday, May 25

  • Troops become U.S. citizens in Afghanistan   UPI / 7:24PM
    BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan, May 25 (UPI) -- Memorial Day took on a special meaning for 106 U.S. service members who became U.S. citizens Monday while stationed in the Afghan war zone.
  • Pakistan's displaced persons total swells   UPI / 12:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 25 (UPI) -- Pakistan is having to contend with throngs of displaced people while its army successfully battles militants in its northwestern region, officials say.
  • Sunday, May 24

  • Taliban detainee claims abusive treatment   UPI / 11:34PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 24 (UPI) -- A Taliban leader freed after being detained both at Guantanamo Bay and in Afghanistan claims he was mistreated by the U.S. military.
  • Sri Lankan refugees recall horror of war   UPI / 9:44PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 24 (UPI) -- The Tamil Tigers' prolonged civil war in Sri Lanka may have ended but the plight of those displaced by the fighting remains dire, officials say.
  • Pakistan takes key areas from Taliban   UPI / 4:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 24 (UPI) -- Officials in Pakistan say they have captured from Taliban forces important neighborhoods in Mingora, the largest city in the contested Swat Valley.
  • Saturday, May 23

  • Pakistan Says Decisive Battle Against Taliban in Swat Valley Has Begun   AP / 8:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- The Pakistani army has entered Mingora, the largest town in Swat valley, and a street-to-street battle is raging with the Taliban, the military said Saturday.
  • Rhino poaching increasing in Nepal   UPI / 2:44PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 23 (UPI) -- Incidents of rhinoceros poaching are on the rise in Nepal, an official said.
  • Female Air Force Academy graduate killed   UPI / 2:34PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force Academy says it's mourning the death of its first female graduate to be killed by enemy forces in Afghanistan or Iraq.
  • Zardari: Taliban fight crucial for world   UPI / 7:24AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 23 (UPI) -- Pakistan's assault on Taliban militants in the Swat Valley is an opportunity to help rid the entire world of extremism, President Asif Ali Zardari says.
  • Friday, May 22

  • Police: Eight killed in Pakistan bombing   UPI / 1:24PM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, May 22 (UPI) -- At least eight people were killed Friday in Peshawar, Pakistan, when a bomb in a parked car exploded by a crowded movie theater, police say.
  • Sri Lanka reveals military death toll   UPI / 8:24AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 22 (UPI) -- More than 6,200 Sri Lankan security personnel were killed fighting the Tamil Tigers in the past three years, a government official said.
  • Nepal may get a new government   UPI / 1:54AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 22 (UPI) -- Nepal may soon have a new prime minister, ending the political deadlock brought on by the resignation of Pushpa Kamal Dahal.
  • Thursday, May 21

  • Resettlement of displaced Tamils promised   UPI / 10:54PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 21 (UPI) -- Sri Lanka says it has drawn up a six-month plan to resettle the more than 275,000 Tamils displaced in the latest military campaign against Tamil rebels.
  • Nepal climber scales Everest 19th time   UPI / 10:05PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 21 (UPI) -- A Nepalese climber holding the record of climbing Mount Everest the most number of times bettered it Thursday with his 19th success on the world's tallest peak.
  • Afghan operation leaves 16 militants dead   UPI / 2:34PM
    MARJEH, Afghanistan, May 21 (UPI) -- U.S. Forces in Afghanistan said Thursday 16 militants have been killed and a cache of drugs and weapons has been located as part of an ongoing operation.
  • Sri Lanka-Tamil kids reported abducted   UPI / 1:34PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 21 (UPI) -- Some children in camps for people displaced by Sri Lanka's Tamil rebel conflict have been abducted, international human rights groups say.
  • Afghan peace would include U.S. pullout   UPI / 7:34AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 21 (UPI) -- A U.S. troop pullout is being raised by Afghan and Pakistani leaders and the Taliban in talks with intermediaries about a possible peace accord, leaders said.
  • Wednesday, May 20

  • NATO reports heavy Afghanistan fighting   UPI / 7:05PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 20 (UPI) -- NATO commanders Wednesday said international coalition troops continued to clash with Afghan militants in a southern insurgent stronghold.
  • Military burns Bibles sent to Afghanistan   UPI / 10:24AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 20 (UPI) -- Unsolicited Bibles a U.S. church sent to Afghanistan were confiscated and burned by the military, a Defense Department spokesman said.
  • Report: Afghan civilian deaths accidental   UPI / 10:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 20 (UPI) -- Results of a military investigation into a recent U.S. airstrike in Afghanistan indicate the bombings killed up to 65 Taliban militants and up to 30 civilians.
  • Canada mulling arms sales to Pakistan   UPI / 8:24AM
    TORONTO, May 20 (UPI) -- Canada's defense minister said after meeting with Pakistani President Asif Zardari he is considering ending an 11-year-old arms embargo.
  • Coalition:Militants use white phosphorous   UPI / 7:35AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 20 (UPI) -- White phosphorous, which can inflict severe burns, is used by militants to attack NATO-led forces in Afghanistan, coalition force officials said.
  • UNICEF seeks full access to refugee camps   UPI / 2:14AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 20 (UPI) -- The United Nations, demanding full access to Sri Lankan refugee camps, says the number of displaced persons in these shelters may reach 250,000 this week.
  • Tuesday, May 19

  • Former U.S. envoy eyed as Afghan 'CEO'   UPI / 2:44PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 19 (UPI) -- Former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad is negotiating with President Hamid Karzai to take a role in his government, diplomatic sources say.
  • Muslim League backs anti-Taliban assault   UPI / 8:44AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 19 (UPI) -- Pakistan's main opposition party, the Muslim League, says it's backing the government's assault on Taliban militants in the Swat Valley.
  • Monday, May 18

  • Karzai's brother escapes assassination try   UPI / 10:54AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 18 (UPI) -- A brother of Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he survived an assassination attempt by gunmen who fired on his convoy Monday, killing one of his bodyguards.
  • Military says Tamil leader, son killed   UPI / 8:24AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 18 (UPI) -- The leader of the Tamil Tigers rebels has died in battle along with his son and several key rebel leaders, the Sri Lankan military said Monday.
  • Sunday, May 17

  • Pakistan vows to attack Bin Laden lair   UPI / 9:44AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 17 (UPI) -- Pakistan needs billions more in foreign aid to rout militants from the Afghanistan border -- a stronghold of Osama bin Laden, President Asif Ali Zardari said.
  • Pakistan army says 1,000 militants killed   UPI / 8:04AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 17 (UPI) -- Pakistan's army has killed more 1,000 militants and nearly eliminated Taliban control of the North West Frontier Province, military officials said Sunday.
  • Sri Lanka says fighting almost over   UPI / 2:14AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 17 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan Army has begun its final mopping up of Tamil Tiger fighters trapped in the northeastern part of the country, the Ministry of Defense said Sunday.
  • Saturday, May 16

  • End game in the Sri Lankan civil war   UPI / 9:34PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 16 (UPI) -- The long civil war in Sri Lanka appeared to be in its final hours Saturday with the Tamil Tigers cut off from the sea.
  • Militant killed in Haqqani network raid   UPI / 3:05PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 16 (UPI) -- A raid designed to destabilize an eastern Afghanistan militant network resulted in the death of an armed militant, U.S. military officials say.
  • Friday, May 15

  • Taliban Seem to Abandon Guerrilla Tactics in Pakistan Conflict   AP / 7:35PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Taliban insurgents in Pakistan's Swat valley may be preparing to fight the army on the streets of the scenic district's main city, as soldiers and guerrillas adopt surprising conventional war tactics.
  • Taliban allegedly fled before U.S. attacks   UPI / 11:44AM
    HERAT, Afghanistan, May 15 (UPI) -- An Afghan national says Taliban forces in Farah province's Bala Boluk district fled the area before it was targeted by U.S. airstrikes on May 4.
  • Thousands flee as curfew eased in Swat   UPI / 7:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 15 (UPI) -- Thousands of civilians fled Pakistan's Swat Valley Friday as the military suspended a curfew for eight hours in the battle-torn area, officials said
  • Thursday, May 14

  • Sri Lanka says 3,300 civilians rescued   UPI / 10:24PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 14 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan military says it rescued 3,300 trapped Tamil civilians in the northeastern safety zone, but aid agencies gave a grim picture of the situation.
  • Gates: Pakistan key to Afghanistan success   UPI / 7:44PM
    WASHINGTON, May 14 (UPI) -- Efforts to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban depends on successfully ridding Pakistan of the militants, U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.
  • Canadian urges end to Sri Lanka war   UPI / 6:54PM
    TORONTO, May 14 (UPI) -- Ontario's premier called on Ottawa and the United Nations Thursday to pressure all sides to end the Sri Lanka war between the government and the Tamil Tigers.
  • Taliban say Pakistani officials must quit   UPI / 8:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 14 (UPI) -- The Taliban warned they will arrest the families of Pakistani officials in the troubled northwest region if the officials don't resign.
  • Wednesday, May 13

  • Experts: McChrystal must think big   UPI / 8:54AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 13 (UPI) -- Lt. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, U.S. President Barack Obama's choice to lead the war in Afghanistan, will need to expand his military vision, analysts say.
  • Suicide bombing near U.S. base kills seven   UPI / 7:34AM
    KHOST, Afghanistan, May 13 (UPI) -- A suicide bomber targeting a U.S. base in Afghanistan killed seven people when he drove his vehicle near Camp Salerno entrance, the U.S. military said.
  • Tuesday, May 12

  • U.S., U.K. alarmed by Sri Lanka situation   UPI / 11:05PM
    WASHINGTON, May 12 (UPI) -- The United States and Britain Tuesday called for an immediate end to hostilities in Sri Lanka, where civilian casualties have continued to mount.
  • U.S. flies drones into Pakistan   UPI / 10:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 12 (UPI) -- The U.S. military has begun flying armed Predator drones inside Pakistan with the cooperation of Islamabad, a U.S. official said.
  • Reparations paid for Afghan bombing   UPI / 7:34PM
    FARAH CITY, Afghanistan, May 12 (UPI) -- The Afghan government made payments Tuesday to the families of 140 civilians reportedly killed in U.S. bombing in Farah Province.
  • Taliban attack Afghan city, take hostages   UPI / 2:34PM
    KHOST, Afghanistan, May 12 (UPI) -- Taliban militants stormed municipal buildings in Khost, Afghanistan, Tuesday, taking hostages and engaging in deadly fighting, U.S. and local officials said.
  • U.S.: Taliban using white phosphorus   UPI / 2:24PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 12 (UPI) -- Declassified U.S. documents indicate the Taliban have been using British-made white phosphorus as a weapon against NATO troops in Afghanistan.
  • Nine die in suspected drone attack   UPI / 12:54PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 12 (UPI) -- A suspected U.S. unmanned aircraft strike on a village in Pakistan's tribal region killed nine people and wounded others Tuesday, Pakistani officials said.
  • Sri Lanka denies creating 'bloodbath'   UPI / 11:06AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 12 (UPI) -- A United Nations official should be disciplined for accusing Sri Lanka of causing a civilian "bloodbath" in its war with militants, Sri Lankan diplomats said.
  • Afghan Commander's Aide Blames Deaths on Taliban   AP / 10:34AM
    May 12--A top aide defended Gen. David McKiernan after his dismissal as Afghanistan theater commander Monday, saying many of the civilians who died in U.S. air strikes last week had been forced into target buildings by the Taliban and required to shoot at government forces.
  • Monday, May 11

  • Sri Lankan Tamil rebels claim slaughter   UPI / 10:35AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 11 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan Tamil rebels claimed Sunday the island nation's army engaged in "large scale slaughter" in a safety zone, with some 1,200 bodies counted.
  • Sunday, May 10

  • British news team released by Sri Lanka   UPI / 7:54PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 10 (UPI) -- A British television news team detained in Sri Lanka after reporting about alleged abuses suffered by ethnic Tamils has been released, ITN managers say.
  • Nepal president calls for majority gov't   UPI / 7:05PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 10 (UPI) -- Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav Sunday called for a majority vote in Parliament to elect a new prime minister after talks on a coalition government failed.
  • Karzai set to deal with warlord Hekmatyar   UPI / 2:54PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 10 (UPI) -- Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai will negotiate to share power with notorious warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, The Sunday Times of London reported.
  • Pakistan claims 200 Taliban slain   UPI / 11:34AM
    MINGORA, Pakistan, May 10 (UPI) -- Pakistani military leaders Sunday said 200 Taliban militants were killed during a one-day period in the Swat and Shangla districts.
  • Sri Lanka denies shelling no-fire zone   UPI / 8:24AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 10 (UPI) -- Sri Lanka's military Sunday denied reports government troops killed more than 2,000 civilians in a clash with Tamil Tiger militants.
  • Indian P.M.: No troops to Sri Lanka   UPI / 1:44AM
    CHENNAI, India, May 10 (UPI) -- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Saturday the country will not send troops to Sri Lanka.
  • Pakistan encourages civilians to flee Swat   UPI / 12:05AM
    MINGORA, Pakistan, May 9 (UPI) -- The Pakistani government urged civilians to flee the Swat Valley, lifting a curfew to make evacuation possible as the Army takes on the Taliban.
  • Saturday, May 9

  • Drones kill at least 9 in So. Waziristan   UPI / 6:54PM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, May 9 (UPI) -- Missiles fired by U.S. drones killed at least nine people Saturday in an area in South Waziristan, Pakistan, thought to be a Taliban stronghold, witnesses said.
  • 44 register for Afghan presidential run   UPI / 10:05AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 9 (UPI) -- Afghanistan officials say 44 presidential candidates, including two women, have signed up to run in the upcoming national elections.
  • 4 killed on deadly day for British   UPI / 1:14AM
    HERAT, Afghanistan, May 9 (UPI) -- The British military suffered its deadliest day in Afghanistan this week when two soldiers were killed by a suicide bomber and two more in other attacks.
  • Friday, May 8

  • Report: Sri Lankan forces shell hospitals   UPI / 10:24PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 8 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan military forces have repeatedly shelled hospitals in the northern Vanni region during fighting with rebels, Human Rights Watch said Friday.
  • Pakistan confirms full-scale Swat attacks   UPI / 1:44PM
    MINGORA, Pakistan, May 8 (UPI) -- The Pakistan military said it implemented a full-scale offensive in the Swat Valley Friday in an attempt to drive out Taliban militants.
  • Two British soldiers die in Afghan warfare   UPI / 7:34AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 8 (UPI) -- Two British soldiers were killed in separate incidents in Afghanistan Thursday, military officials said.
  • Zardari: Anti-Taliban assault to continue   UPI / 7:14AM
    WASHINGTON, May 8 (UPI) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari says his country's military offensive against Taliban militants will "go on till the situation returns to normal."
  • Maoists demand Nepal president quit   UPI / 2:05AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 8 (UPI) -- Riot police in the capital of Nepal confronted Maoist demonstrators Thursday as they marched on the presidential palace.
  • Thursday, May 7

  • Gates: Taliban overreached in Buner   UPI / 5:14PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 7 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates Thursday said the Taliban erred by trying to take over the Buner district in Pakistan because it is so close to Islamabad.
  • Canada's PM Harper visits Afghanistan   UPI / 2:05PM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, May 7 (UPI) -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his chief of defense made a surprise visit to Afghanistan Thursday to brief combat troops about coming changes.
  • Pakistan says Taliban peace deal will end   UPI / 10:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 7 (UPI) -- Pakistani government officials Thursday said they would scrap a peace deal with the Taliban and undertake a more aggressive operation against the militants.
  • U.S. to help Afghanistan, Pakistan farmers   UPI / 12:14AM
    WASHINGTON, May 6 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday the United States is committing to establish an agriculture training program in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
  • Wednesday, May 6

  • Clinton rues airstrikes' civilian victims   UPI / 9:44PM
    WASHINGTON, May 6 (UPI) -- U.S. President Obama met with the presidents of Afghanistan and Pakistan in Washington Wednesday, vowing afterward to cement ties between the three nations.
  • Tuesday, May 5

  • The Maldives joins U.N. climate initiative   UPI / 7:05PM
    MALE, Maldives, May 5 (UPI) -- The Maldives has joined a U.N. initiative promoting a global shift to low-carbon economies and societies, the United Nations said Tuesday.
  • Mass evacuations sought for Swat Valley   UPI / 2:34PM
    MINGORA, Pakistan, May 5 (UPI) -- An expected Pakistani military offensive in the Swat Valley may prompt 500,000 civilians to flee the area ahead of the fighting, government officials say.
  • Nepal president sets coalition deadline   UPI / 12:54PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 5 (UPI) -- Nepal's president says he has set a Saturday deadline for the country's political parties to come up with a new consensus government.
  • Obama, Karzai, Zardari to discuss strategy   UPI / 11:44AM
    WASHINGTON, May 5 (UPI) -- Pakistani and Afghan leaders were in Washington for talks with President Barack Obama as the Pakistani military stepped up its assault against the Taliban.
  • Monday, May 4

  • Afghan calls for Bible distribution probe   UPI / 4:54PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 4 (UPI) -- A former Afghan official says an investigation should be conducted into U.S. soldiers allegedly trying to convert Muslims to Christianity.
  • Mullen: Focus shifts to Afghanistan   UPI / 4:14PM
    WASHINGTON, May 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. military strategy is moving from Iraq to Afghanistan, the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman said Monday.
  • Clashes in Pakistan kill 13   UPI / 1:35PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 4 (UPI) -- Ten militants and three government soldiers were killed in fighting in Pakistan's Buner and Lower Dir districts, the Pakistani military said Monday.
  • Tamils accused of recruiting children   UPI / 1:24PM
    PUTUMATALAN, Sri Lanka, May 4 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan soldiers are killing children as young as 11 years old conscripted by the Tamil Tigers in their last stand, a military commander said.
  • Nepal PM resigns in constitution dispute   UPI / 11:44AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 4 (UPI) -- Nepal's prime minister resigned Monday following the controversial firing of the country's army chief of staff and resulting riots, observers said.
  • U.S. wary of Pakistan nuke vulnerability   UPI / 12:24AM
    WASHINGTON, May 4 (UPI) -- Concern is growing in Washington over the security of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal amid widening influence of the Taliban and al-Qaida, U.S. officials said.
  • Sunday, May 3

  • Communists quit coalition in protest   UPI / 7:05PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 3 (UPI) -- Communists in Nepal have quit a governing coalition in protest over the firing of the army chief.
  • Pakistan reports 16 Taliban deaths   UPI / 10:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 3 (UPI) -- At least 16 militants were killed in Mohmand as Pakistan's army and the Taliban traded fire throughout the Frontier Province, military sources said Sunday.
  • Civilians trapped between army, militants   UPI / 9:24AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 3 (UPI) -- Tens of thousands of civilians remain trapped Sunday between Sri Lanka's army and Tamil militants, who have vowed not to surrender, the United Nations said.
  • Opposition's disarray strengthens Karzai   UPI / 7:44AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 3 (UPI) -- Hamid Karzai could be re-elected president of Afghanistan merely because his opposition remains divided and is in disarray, political strategists said.
  • 19 militants killed in Afghanistan   UPI / 1:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 3 (UPI) -- Afghan troops accompanied by Coalition advisers killed 19 militant fighters Saturday when they were attacked 150 miles east of Kabul, the U.S. military said.
  • Saturday, May 2

  • Heavy fighting claims up to 60 Taliban   UPI / 7:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 2 (UPI) -- Fierce fighting between Pakistani security forces and militants in the northwest tribal area Saturday left 18 dead, mostly insurgents, a regional official said.
  • Doctors blame army for hospital attack   UPI / 1:14PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 2 (UPI) -- Two doctors in Sri Lanka alleged Saturday the army bombarded a safe zone hospital in Mullivaikal, killing 91 people.
  • Friday, May 1

  • Pakistan nuclear program facing cuts   UPI / 2:05PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 1 (UPI) -- The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission is facing problems with its nuclear development programs as a result of financial cuts, a source told the Pak Tribune.
  • Pentagon seeks funds to fight Taliban   UPI / 9:34AM
    WASHINGTON, May 1 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has asked Congress to approve more than $1 billion in additional funds for Pakistan's war against the Taliban.
  • Pakistani forces battling Taliban in north   UPI / 9:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 1 (UPI) -- It could take another week for Pakistani government forces to push back Taliban insurgents in the country's northwest, a military spokesman says.
  • Thursday, April 30

  • Ex-rebels allege Tamil Tiger war crimes   UPI / 3:05PM
    SRI JAYAWARDENAPURA-KOTTE, Sri Lanka, April 30 (UPI) -- Former Tamil Tiger rebels in Sri Lanka accused ex-comrades of war crimes, alleging they killed more than 200 Tamil civilians trying to escape a "no-fire zone."
  • Rajapaksa urges LTTE rebels to surrender   UPI / 2:14PM
    AMBILIPITIYA, Sri Lanka, April 30 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said Thursday Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels have no choice but to surrender.
  • Official: Unrest stemmed in Pakistani city   UPI / 1:44PM
    KARACHI, Pakistan, April 30 (UPI) -- The unrest in the Pakistani city of Karachi that claimed at least 29 lives has been brought under control, Sindh Home Minister Zulfikar Mirza said Thursday.
  • 4 militants killed in Pakistan operation   UPI / 1:24PM
    RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, April 30 (UPI) -- Four militants were killed in a military operation in Pakistan's Lower Dir District, a general said.
  • Wednesday, April 29

  • Britain to send 700 more to Afghanistan   UPI / 4:20PM
    LONDON, April 29 (UPI) -- Britain will send 700 more troops to Afghanistan mainly to provide security during upcoming elections, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday.
  • Sri Lanka sinks rebels boats, killing 25   UPI / 1:44PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 29 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan Navy says it sank six Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam boats, killing 25 rebels aboard, in a pre-dawn Wednesday attack.
  • Troops pour into Kashmir after violence   UPI / 1:24PM
    SRINAGAR, India, April 29 (UPI) -- Thousands of security troops were sent to Indian-administered Kashmir Wednesday following election-related violence, officials said.
  • Afghan surge aims to break poppy trade   UPI / 8:44AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, April 29 (UPI) -- One of the top goals of U.S. troops in Afghanistan this summer will be to break the Taliban's hold on the opium trade, military officials say.
  • Australia commits more Afghanistan troops   UPI / 8:14AM
    CANBERRA, Australia, April 29 (UPI) -- Australia will boost its contingent of troops in Afghanistan by 450 to 1,550 soldiers, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said.
  • Pakistan retakes Buner town from Taliban   UPI / 8:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 29 (UPI) -- Pakistani government troops have retaken control of a strategic town in the Buner valley that had been overrun by Taliban militants, officials said.
  • Tuesday, April 28

  • Pakistan hits militants inside its borders   UPI / 1:24PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 28 (UPI) -- Pakistani fighter jets Tuesday killed as many as 75 Taliban militants in the region bordering Afghanistan, military officials said.
  • Lower Dir fighting displaces 30,000 people   UPI / 8:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 28 (UPI) -- About 30,000 people in Pakistan's Lower Dir region have been displaced because of a military offensive against Taliban militants, a local official said Tuesday.
  • U.S. reports killing five Taliban   UPI / 12:44AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, April 28 (UPI) -- U.S. forces killed five Taliban fighters near Kandahar in southern Afghanistan and arrested a Taliban commander in the Gulistan valley, the military said.
  • Monday, April 27

  • Pakistan: Taliban hand over Pole's body   UPI / 11:44AM
    WARSAW, Poland, April 27 (UPI) -- Pakistani authorities say the Taliban have handed back the decapitated body of a Polish geologist, killed in the Atock province in February, Polish Radio said.
  • Military assault kills 20 Pakistani rebels   UPI / 9:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 27 (UPI) -- Pakistani troops Monday killed 20 militants in a ground and air operation against Taliban in the Lower Dir region in northwest Pakistan, official said.
  • Sunday, April 26

  • Pakistan, Taliban Battle in Lower Dir   AP / 10:34PM
    Pakistani soldiers battled Taliban militants Sunday in the Malakand Agency, suggesting the government has become more aggressive, military officials said.
  • Pakistan, Taliban battle in Lower Dir   UPI / 10:14PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 26 (UPI) -- Pakistani soldiers battled Taliban militants Sunday in the Malakand Agency, suggesting the government has become more aggressive, military officials said.
  • Saturday, April 25

  • Plight of Sri Lanka civilians disputed   UPI / 10:44PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 25 (UPI) -- At least 150,000 civilians are in danger of starving, the Tamil Tigers say, but the Sri Lankan government puts the number at 10,000.
  • Friday, April 24

  • Islamists Pull Back in Pakistan, but Islamabad Remains on Edge   AP / 7:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Armed Taliban extremists began what they said was a pull-out Friday from Buner, just 60 miles from Islamabad, after they raised an international alarm by moving within striking distance of cutting off the capital from the country's northwest.
  • Afghanistan's wheat crop looks good   UPI / 7:24PM
    WASHINGTON, April 24 (UPI) -- Agriculture analysts say beneficial rains should lead to a healthier wheat crop in Afghanistan this year, although prices will be lower as well.
  • Sri Lanka OKs U.N. visit to 'no-fire zone'   UPI / 1:14PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 24 (UPI) -- A Sri Lankan official said Friday his government has agreed in principle to allow U.N. staff inspectors to visit the country's "no-fire zone" in the northeast.
  • War claims 6,400 Sri Lanka civilians   UPI / 12:14PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 24 (UPI) -- More than 6,400 Sri Lankan civilians have been killed in three months of fighting between the army and Tamil Tiger rebels, the United Nations says in a report.
  • Canadian soldier dies in Afghanistan   UPI / 11:05AM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, April 24 (UPI) -- A 30-year-old Canadian female military officer was found dead in sleeping quarters in Kandahar, Afghanistan, military officials said.
  • Taliban to leave Pakistan's Buner District   UPI / 7:24AM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, April 24 (UPI) -- Taliban militants will vacate the Buner District of Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province, where they had been patrolling the streets, officials say.
  • Thursday, April 23

  • Gilani warns of government action in Swat   UPI / 6:14PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 23 (UPI) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said Thursday the government will take action if peace is not maintained in the Swat valley.
  • Afghanistan opens its first national park   UPI / 5:54PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, April 23 (UPI) -- The Afghanistan National Environmental Protection Agency says it has established that country's first internationally recognized national park.
  • Wednesday, April 22

  • Most civilians out of Sri Lankan war zone   UPI / 7:34PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 22 (UPI) -- A top Tamil Tiger rebel who surrendered Wednesday says no more than 15,000 civilians remain trapped with the rebels in the no-fire zone, the military said.
  • Tuesday, April 21

  • Anti-aircraft gun found in Afghanistan   UPI / 11:54AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, April 21 (UPI) -- Coalition forces destroyed an anti-aircraft gun in southern Afghanistan Tuesday, officials said.
  • Tamil Tigers silent as deadline passes   UPI / 8:54AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 21 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan government's deadline for Tamil Tigers to surrender passed quietly as thousands of civilians fled the 6.5 square mile war zone in the north.
  • Monday, April 20

  • Airstrikes kill 16-20 Taliban fighters   UPI / 8:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 15 (UPI) -- Airstrikes in a border region of western Pakistan killed between 16 and 20 Taliban fighters, but their commander escaped, officials said.
  • Sunday, April 19

  • 3,000 Tamil refugees flee battle zone   UPI / 4:05PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 19 (UPI) -- Another 3,000 or so civilians have fled from an area held by Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels, Sri Lankan military officials said.
  • Police, militants killed in Afghanistan   UPI / 10:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, April 19 (UPI) -- Separate clashes in Afghanistan killed at least five police officers and an undetermined number of Taliban militants, local and U.S. officials said Sunday.
  • Suspected U.S. drone kills three   UPI / 8:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 19 (UPI) -- A suspected U.S. drone Sunday killed three people at a site in Pakistan known to house Taliban militants, officials in South Waziristan said.
  • Saturday, April 18

  • 22 killed, 15 hurt in Pakistan bombing   UPI / 2:04PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 18 (UPI) -- At least 22 people were killed and 15 wounded Saturday when a suicide bomber rammed a truck into a Pakistani military convoy, officials said.
  • Freed Pakistan cleric urges Shariah   UPI / 10:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 18 (UPI) -- Firebrand Pakistani Islamic cleric Maulana Abdul Aziz says that if Islamabad wants peace, the government should adopt Islamic law nationwide.
  • Sri Lanka rejects U.N. ceasefire plea   UPI / 8:14AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 18 (UPI) -- Sri Lanka says it will not extend a lull in its military push to finish off the Tamil Tigers' rebellion to spare civilians caught in a safe zone.
  • Friday, April 17

  • Britain debates troop deployment   UPI / 3:14PM
    LONDON, April 17 (UPI) -- Two thousand British soldiers have completed combat training and are waiting to learn if they will be deployed to Afghanistan.
  • Poland sending more troops to Afghanistan   UPI / 12:14PM
    WARSAW, Poland, April 17 (UPI) -- Poland's defense minister said a fresh contingent of troops will raise the number of his country's soldiers in Afghanistan to 2,000.
  • Tuesday, April 14

  • General: Taliban not active in India   UPI / 7:54PM
    NEW DELHI, April 14 (UPI) -- A senior officer in India's military says Taliban forces are not active in the country.
  • Zardari OKs Shariah law for Malakand   UPI / 10:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 14 (UPI) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has signed a controversial law to allow Islamic law in an area of the North West Frontier province, observers said.
  • Sunday, April 12

  • Taliban fighters killed in NATO strike   UPI / 1:04PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, April 12 (UPI) -- A NATO aircraft attack killed 22 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan, including four Pakistani nationals, police in Zabul province said Sunday.
  • NATO supply depot in Pakistan attacked   UPI / 7:44AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 12 (UPI) -- Three guards were wounded Sunday in Pakistan in an attack on a supply depot serving U.S. and NATO-led troops in Afghanistan, police said.
  • Saturday, April 11

  • 66 Afghan Taliban killed in raids   UPI / 11:34AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, April 11 (UPI) -- Some 66 Taliban members were killed and 15 others were injured in a pair of joint operations in Afghanistan, military officials said Saturday.
  • Friday, April 10

  • Coalition forces kill 27 Afghan insurgents   UPI / 1:34PM
    LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, April 10 (UPI) -- The U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan said Friday they killed at least 27 suspected insurgents in recent conflicts.
  • Thursday, April 9

  • Corruption hampering Afghan policing   UPI / 8:35AM
    GHAZNI, Afghanistan, April 9 (UPI) -- New U.S. strategy calls for 4,000 more troops to train Afghan police and army but observers say corruption may be a bigger policing problem.
  • Civilians in Sri Lankan war zone in peril   UPI / 1:24AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 9 (UPI) -- Up to 190,000 civilians are in peril in the zone where the Sri Lankan army has the remnants of the Tamil Tigers trapped, the United Nations says.
  • Wednesday, April 8

  • Militants killed in possible U.S. strike   UPI / 1:05PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 8 (UPI) -- Three Taliban militants were killed near the town of Wana in Pakistan Wednesday by a suspected U.S. missile strike, a Pakistani official says.
  • U.S. dropping fewer Afghanistan bombs   UPI / 10:14AM
    WASHINGTON, April 8 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force is dropping fewer bombs in Afghanistan, reflecting a change in tactics against insurgents, military statistics indicate.
  • Monday, April 6

  • 14 Taliban militants slain in Afghan clash   UPI / 1:54PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, April 6 (UPI) -- Fourteen Taliban militants were slain Monday by a joint force of U.S.-led coalition troops and an Afghan security team, officials said Monday.
  • Sri Lanka waiting to storm 'safe zone'   UPI / 1:44PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 6 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has called on the besieged Tamil Tigers to surrender.
  • Chief judge demands flogging information   UPI / 10:24AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 6 (UPI) -- Pakistan's chief justice says he wants a detailed report from local government officials about the public flogging of a 17-year-old girl.
  • Pakistanis don't share U.S. Taliban view   UPI / 8:24AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 6 (UPI) -- Pakistan's political and military elites don't agree with the United States that the threat from Islamic extremists is a dire one, analysts say.
  • Saturday, April 4

  • Suicide attacks in Pakistan kill 25   UPI / 6:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 4 (UPI) -- At least 25 people were killed Saturday in two suicide attacks in Pakistan, one in the capital and the other in North Waziristan near the Afghan border.
  • Rebels, navy clash off Sri Lankan coast   UPI / 12:14PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 4 (UPI) -- At least 11 Tamil Tiger rebels were killed and four of their boats sunk in a battle at sea Saturday, say Sri Lankan naval officials.
  • 13 killed in Pakistan drone attack   UPI / 9:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 4 (UPI) -- Rockets fired from a U.S. drone killed 13 people at an alleged militant hideout in Pakistan's tribal region Saturday, sources say.
  • Friday, April 3

  • Officials: 47 rebels killed in Sri Lanka   UPI / 1:44PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 3 (UPI) -- At least 47 rebels were killed Friday in Sri Lanka as government forces attacked Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam militants, officials say.
  • Six killed in Kashmir clashes   UPI / 1:34PM
    SRINAGAR, India, April 3 (UPI) -- Gunbattles between militants and army forces killed six people, including a civilian, in the Indian region of Kashmir, police said Friday.
  • Obama: Europe troops needed in Afghanistan   UPI / 10:54AM
    STRASBOURG, France, April 3 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama called on Europe Friday to share more of the military burden to win the NATO-led war in Afghanistan.
  • Aid groups warn of Afghan troop surge   UPI / 6:14AM
    STRASBOURG, France, April 3 (UPI) -- Eleven aid agencies have warned NATO leaders meeting in France that a troop surge in Afghanistan could lead to more civilian casualties.
  • Thursday, April 2

  • Scientists find sanctuary of rare dolphin   UPI / 1:34PM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, April 2 (UPI) -- Researchers report finding a stronghold for the Irrawaddy, one of the world's rarest freshwater dolphins, deep in the Bangladesh jungles.
  • 20 militants die in Afghan fight   UPI / 9:24AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, April 2 (UPI) -- Afghan soldiers killed 20 armed militants in the Helmond province of southern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Thursday.
  • Wednesday, April 1

  • Karzai, Zardari meet, discuss security   UPI / 8:34AM
    ANKARA, Turkey, April 1 (UPI) -- The leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan met in Turkey Wednesday to discuss a regional approach to battling terrorism and militant insurgencies, officials said.
  • Suicide bombing kills six; troops kill 30   UPI / 8:05AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, April 1 (UPI) -- At least six people died Wednesday when suicide bombers set off devices at a provincial council facility in Kandahar, the Afghan Interior Ministry said.
  • Tuesday, March 31

  • General: Extra troops to help Afghans   UPI / 3:54PM
    WASHINGTON, March 31 (UPI) -- The 4,000 extra U.S. troops to be sent to Afghanistan will work with a command charged with developing Afghan security forces, a U.S. military official said.
  • Holbrooke: Poppy eradication 'wasteful'   UPI / 1:54PM
    WASHINGTON, March 31 (UPI) -- Attempting to eradicate poppy fields in Afghanistan is counterproductive, the United States' top envoy to the country says.
  • U.S. favors Afghan-moderate Taliban talks   UPI / 12:54PM
    THE HAGUE, Netherlands, March 31 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Tuesday she backs Afghanistan's plans to conduct reconciliation talks with moderate Taliban members.
  • Teen killed in U.S.-Afghan operation   UPI / 10:44AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 31 (UPI) -- A 15-year-old Afghanistan boy was killed Tuesday in a military operation in Khost province, say NATO officials.
  • Attacks show Pakistani terror spreading   UPI / 8:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 31 (UPI) -- Islamist terrorism in Pakistan, once found only in the country's remote tribal areas, has spread, threatening political stability nationwide, analysts say.
  • Pakistan minister restored to eligibility   UPI / 8:24AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 31 (UPI) -- Shahbaz Sharif can return to his post as chief minister of the Pakistani province of Punjab, the nation's Supreme Court ruled Tuesday.
  • Monday, March 30

  • U.S. praises Afghan court ruling on Karzai   UPI / 6:54PM
    WASHINGTON, March 30 (UPI) -- The United States supports the Afghan Supreme Court's ruling extending the president's term until elections can be held, a State Department spokesman said.
  • Sunday, March 29

  • Taliban torches NATO supplies in Pakistan   UPI / 12:44PM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, March 29 (UPI) -- Four vehicles and offices of a terminal storing containers filled with NATO military supplies were burned in Peshawar, Pakistan, officials said.
  • Pakistan: 26 militants killed   UPI / 12:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 29 (UPI) -- Pakistani security forces said Saturday they killed 26 Taliban militants in the Mohmand Agency in the Northwest Frontier province.
  • Saturday, March 28

  • Italy to send more troops to Afghanistan   UPI / 11:05PM
    ROME, March 28 (UPI) -- Italy plans to send as many as 250 more soldiers to Afghanistan during the summer to provide security during the run-up to elections.
  • 12 militants slain in Afghan firefight   UPI / 12:05PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 28 (UPI) -- A firefight in Afghanistan's Helmand province resulted in the deaths of 12 militants at the hands of Afghan and coalition troops, officials said.
  • U.S. cagey on possible Pakistan strikes   UPI / 10:14AM
    WASHINGTON, March 28 (UPI) -- Obama administration officials are being cagey about whether U.S. forces should directly engage terrorists operating in northwestern Pakistan, analysts said.
  • Friday, March 27

  • U.S.: Pakistani-Afghan review intense   UPI / 6:24PM
    WASHINGTON, March 27 (UPI) -- The 60-day review of the U.S. Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy was an aggressive effort to ensure all views were heard and considered, officials said Friday.
  • More U.S. troops, funds to fight Taliban   UPI / 11:24AM
    WASHINGTON, March 27 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama outlined a new Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy boosting troop levels and funding and setting expectations for the countries' leaders.
  • Thursday, March 26

  • Pakistan Reported Helping Taliban   AP / 8:34AM
    Pakistan is offering direct support to the Taliban's southern Afghanistan campaign despite vowing to sever ties, U.S. aides say.
  • Pakistan reported helping Taliban   UPI / 8:14AM
    WASHINGTON, March 26 (UPI) -- Pakistan is offering direct support to the Taliban's southern Afghanistan campaign despite vowing to sever ties, U.S. aides say.
  • Wednesday, March 25

  • India lodges cease-fire complaint   UPI / 2:34PM
    NEW DELHI, March 25 (UPI) -- The Indian Army has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over an alleged cease-fire violation last weekend in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.
  • Bangladesh orphanage hid militant camp   UPI / 1:05PM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, March 25 (UPI) -- Bangladeshi authorities say an orphanage run by a British charity was being used as a training camp and arms factory for Islamic militants.
  • Monday, March 23

  • Obama's Afghanistan strategy expected soon   UPI / 10:24AM
    WASHINGTON, March 23 (UPI) -- As U.S. President Barack Obama nears announcing his Afghanistan war strategy, observers are drawing distinctions between Obama and his immediate predecessor.
  • Taliban leader killed in Afghan raid   UPI / 9:24AM
    WASHINGTON, March 23 (UPI) -- A senior Taliban leader responsible for roadside bombings and suicide attacks against NATO forces died during an attack on his compound, NATO said Monday.
  • Sunday, March 22

  • Taliban political party being considered   UPI / 10:54AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 22 (UPI) -- The United States is prepared to discuss the establishment of a political party for the Taliban in Afghanistan, a U.S. diplomat says.
  • Saturday, March 21

  • 8 killed in 2 bombings in Afghanistan   UPI / 7:05PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 21 (UPI) -- Insurgents detonated two bombs in Afghanistan Saturday -- the country's new year -- killing at least eight people and wounding several more, authorities said.
  • Pakistan: Indian troops fire across border   UPI / 1:24PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 21 (UPI) -- Pakistan said Saturday Indian forces fired on Pakistani positions across the Line of Control between with the two countries.
  • Panetta arrives in Pakistan for talks   UPI / 10:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 21 (UPI) -- U.S. CIA Director Leon Panetta arrived in Pakistan Saturday to meet with top leaders in Islamabad, officials said.
  • Thursday, March 19

  • U.S. civilians may join Afghan buildup   UPI / 9:54AM
    WASHINGTON, March 19 (UPI) -- Hundreds of U.S. civilians may be sent to Afghanistan in a program to support security, governance and local development, Obama administration officials said.
  • Wednesday, March 18

  • Three hurt in Afghanistan bombing   UPI / 1:24PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 18 (UPI) -- Three civilians were injured Wednesday when a bomb exploded near a gas station in the Afghan capital of Kabul, the government says.
  • Monday, March 16

  • U.N. worried about LTTE forced recruiting   UPI / 4:24PM
    UNITED NATIONS, N.Y., March 16 (UPI) -- The United Nations said it fears for the safety of one of its Sri Lankan employees who was forcibly recruited by the Tamil Tigers fighting the government.
  • Sunday, March 15

  • Taliban forces Pakistani singers to preach   UPI / 1:24PM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, March 15 (UPI) -- Pakistani singers and actors say the Taliban is threatening them with death if they refuse to join radical preaching groups.
  • Saturday, March 14

  • British soldier dies in Afghanistan   UPI / 3:24PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 14 (UPI) -- A British soldier with the Royal Welsh Regiment died Saturday in an explosion in Afghanistan's Helmand province, military authorities said.
  • 18 rebels killed in Sri Lankan clashes   UPI / 1:44PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 14 (UPI) -- More than 1,000 civilians escaped from rebel control in Sri Lanka
  • Pakistan info minister quits in protest   UPI / 7:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 14 (UPI) -- Pakistan Information Minister Sherry Rehman has resigned as the government clamps down on protesters and the country's media, reports indicate.
  • Six Afghan militants slain in clashes   UPI / 6:44AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 14 (UPI) -- Six Afghan militants were killed and 10 arrested Saturday in two separate clashes with government and coalition forces, military officials said.
  • Friday, March 13

  • U.N.: Acts in Sri Lanka may be war crimes   UPI / 1:14PM
    GENEVA, Switzerland, March 13 (UPI) -- Actions by both Sri Lankan government forces and rebel troops in northern Sri Lanka could constitute war crimes, a top U.N. human rights official said Friday.
  • LTTE spokesman may have been killed   UPI / 1:05PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 13 (UPI) -- A military spokesman for the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka has been killed by the militant group, Tamil sources said Friday.
  • Thursday, March 12

  • Pakistan: 'A war for power and rule'   UPI / 4:14PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 12 (UPI) -- Pakistani lawyers joined in protests Thursday against the government of President Asif Ali Zardari.
  • Afghan envoy decries NATO efforts   UPI / 2:14PM
    CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 12 (UPI) -- Afghanistan's ambassador to the United States said Kabul's Western allies are providing a half-hearted effort to defeat extremists.
  • Sri Lankan troops take rebel hospital   UPI / 2:54AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 12 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan army troops Thursday claimed to have captured a Tamil Tigers hospital at Puthukkudiyiruppu.
  • Wednesday, March 11

  • Pakistan opposition leaders arrested   UPI / 8:44AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 11 (UPI) -- Pakistani officials seeking to prevent a planned protest march have arrested dozens of opposition political figures, activists say.
  • Tuesday, March 10

  • Afghan activist warns against more troops   UPI / 10:54PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 10 (UPI) -- Sending more U.S. troops to Afghanistan will not stabilize the war-torn country, an Afghan activist said Tuesday.
  • Civilian deaths prompted Afghan raid halt   UPI / 8:04AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 10 (UPI) -- U.S. special forces in Afghanistan halted commando raids for two weeks in February because of outrage over the civilian deaths they caused, sources say.
  • Monday, March 9

  • Ex-rebel joins Sri Lankan government   UPI / 9:34PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 9 (UPI) -- A former leader of a splinter rebel group took a post in the Sri Lankan government Monday, officials said.
  • Cricket attack leader eludes police raid   UPI / 12:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 9 (UPI) -- The Pakistani man believed responsible for a terrorist attack on a cricket team's bus escaped capture Monday in a Punjab police raid, sources say.
  • Bangladesh copter crash kills two officers   UPI / 12:05PM
    TANGAIL, Bangladesh, March 9 (UPI) -- Two Bangladeshi army officers died Monday when their helicopter hit an electric pole and crashed about 100 miles north of Dhaka, officials said.
  • 4 militants die in Pakistan's Bajaur area   UPI / 11:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 9 (UPI) -- Four Islamic militants were killed by Pakistani forces in the Bajaur region where Pakistan has declared victory over the Taliban, officials said Monday.
  • Sunday, March 8

  • FBI team to probe Bangladesh mutiny   UPI / 10:14AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, March 8 (UPI) -- A U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation team will help probe a deadly mutiny by Bangladesh Rifles paramilitary troops, officials said Sunday.
  • Saturday, March 7

  • Security in Kashmir city tightened   UPI / 4:34PM
    SRINAGAR, India, March 7 (UPI) -- A large portion of Srinagar in the Kashmir region has been placed under strict security by Indian police, a local resident said Saturday.
  • 7 killed, 5 arrested in Afghan clashes   UPI / 2:44PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 7 (UPI) -- Seven Afghan militants were slain and five suspected militants were arrested Saturday in several U.S.-led coalition operations, officials said.
  • Sri Lanka says 32 Tamil rebels slain   UPI / 2:05PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 7 (UPI) -- At least 32 Tamil rebels have been killed in heavy fighting in northeastern Sri Lanka, military officials said Saturday.
  • Former SAS chief blasts Afghan policy   UPI / 1:54PM
    LONDON, March 7 (UPI) -- The former head of Britain's special air service troops in Afghanistan says the government has "blood on (its) hands" for using inadequate equipment.
  • 10 killed in Pakistan car bombings   UPI / 9:24AM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, March 7 (UPI) -- Seven people, including five police personnel, were killed by a car bomb Saturday in northwestern Pakistan, officials said.
  • Karzai sticks with election timetable   UPI / 7:54AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 7 (UPI) -- A spokesman for Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai says the president is sticking with his decision to hold presidential elections next month.
  • Friday, March 6

  • Cricket attack suspects linked to al-Qaida   UPI / 3:34PM
    LAHORE, Pakistan, March 6 (UPI) -- Security officials say some of the gunmen who attacked the Sri Lankan cricket team in the Pakistani city of Lahore have ties to al-Qaida.
  • Many blamed in cricket team attack   UPI / 3:05PM
    LAHORE, Pakistan, March 6 (UPI) -- Pakistani authorities investigating the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team say they have uncovered criminal, terrorism and extremist elements.
  • Sri Lankan violence kills 38 rebels   UPI / 2:44PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 6 (UPI) -- A fresh bout of violence between Sri Lankan government forces and rebel fighters has resulted in at least 38 rebel deaths, the military said Friday.
  • Sharif sees 'ray of hope' in Pakistan   UPI / 2:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 6 (UPI) -- Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said Friday he sees a "ray of hope" that will likely lead to major changes in the country.
  • U.S. military seeks safer Afghan route   UPI / 2:05PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 6 (UPI) -- The U.S. military is seeking to shore up a weak supply chain through Pakistan and Central Asia as it prepares to expand its Afghan presence, officials say.
  • Thursday, March 5

  • Sri Lanka claims Tamil Tigers cornered   UPI / 8:54PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 5 (UPI) -- The remaining forces of the Tamil Tigers were trapped in a 21-square-mile area in northern Sri Lanka, the Defense Ministry said Thursday.
  • Gap fuels conspiracy talk in team assault   UPI / 10:14AM
    LAHORE, Pakistan, March 5 (UPI) -- An unexplained delay in the Pakistani cricket team schedule is fueling a theory the deadly attack on the Sri Lankan team was based on inside information.
  • Wednesday, March 4

  • Sri Lanka: Attack won't hurt relations   UPI / 10:24AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 4 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama says a terror attack on his country's cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan, won't harm relations with Islamabad.
  • 2 suspected ringleaders arrested   UPI / 9:14AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, March 3 (UPI) -- Two of the suspected ringleaders of a mutiny by the Bangladesh Rifles were among five men arrested Tuesday, authorities said.
  • Afghan blast kills three Canadians   UPI / 9:14AM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, March 4 (UPI) -- Three Canadian soldiers in NATO's Afghanistan mission were killed by a roadside bomb northwest of Kandahar, military officials said Wednesday.
  • Arrests made in fatal cricket team assault   UPI / 9:14AM
    LAHORE, Pakistan, March 4 (UPI) -- Twenty people have been arrested in the attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team visiting Lahore, Pakistan, in which eight people died, officials said.
  • Sri Lankan cricket team returning home   UPI / 9:05AM
    LAHORE, Pakistan, March 3 (UPI) -- At least seven people, including six police officers, died during an attack Tuesday on the Sri Lankan soccer team in Pakistan for a competition.
  • Tuesday, March 3

  • India: Pakistani terror a 'grave threat'   UPI / 10:24AM
    NEW DELHI, March 3 (UPI) -- Terrorism based in Pakistan is a "grave threat" to the entire world, India said Tuesday after gunmen attacked the Sri Lankan national cricket team's bus.
  • Sri Lankan cricket team attack kills eight   UPI / 9:05AM
    LAHORE, Pakistan, March 3 (UPI) -- The death toll in Tuesday's attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, Pakistan, rose to eight, while six team members were wounded, officials said.
  • Britain condemns cricket team attack   UPI / 8:44AM
    LAHORE, Pakistan, March 3 (UPI) -- Britain Tuesday condemned an attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team in Pakistan as a "grotesque violation" while others called it a grim day for the sport.
  • Monday, March 2

  • Bangladeshi army hunts mutineers   UPI / 6:14PM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, March 2 (UPI) -- The Bangladeshi army combed the nation's streets and villages Monday, hunting down paramilitary mutineers now considered fugitives, observers said.
  • Sunday, March 1

  • 4 militants killed in Afghanistan   UPI / 8:34PM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, March 1 (UPI) -- Fighting between coalition and militant forces in Afghanistan Sunday left four militants dead, U.S. officials said.
  • Karzai election call upsets U.S.   UPI / 11:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 1 (UPI) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai's call to hold elections this spring rather than in August upset the United States and opposition politicians, analysts said.
  • Police: Mutineers targeted slain officers   UPI / 7:24AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, March 1 (UPI) -- The Bangladeshi border guard mutiny was led by four deputy assistant directors and intentionally targeted officers for killings, a police chief says.
  • Saturday, February 28

  • Karzai moves up Afghan election   UPI / 5:14PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai decreed Saturday that the next election must be held at least a month before his term expires.
  • More mass graves found in Bangladesh   UPI / 6:34AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- The scene of a mutiny by Bangladeshi border guards has revealed three more mass graves, raising the death toll to 77, military officials said Saturday.
  • Friday, February 27

  • Sharif of PML-N vows to liberate Pakistan   UPI / 1:24PM
    LAHORE, Pakistan, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Pakistan Muslim League leader Nawaz Sharif says his political party will help liberate Pakistan with the support of the Pakistani people.
  • Hundreds of Bangladeshi mutineers arrested   UPI / 7:34AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- Thirty-eight more bodies were found Friday in the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters during a search of the compound following a 33-hour mutiny, officials said.
  • Thursday, February 26

  • Bangladesh mutiny prompts mass unrest   UPI / 11:54AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- The deadly rebellion that took place at the Bangladesh Rifles headquarters in the Bangladesh city of Dhaka has prompted mass unrest, sources say.
  • Wednesday, February 25

  • About 50 dead in Bangladesh mutiny   UPI / 8:34PM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- The death toll from the failed mutiny by Bangladeshi border guards Wednesday appears to be about 50, a state minister said.
  • 30 die in multiple attacks in Afghanistan   UPI / 11:05AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- A bombing, airstrikes and clashes between militants and military resulted in 30 deaths in Afghanistan, government and military officials said Wednesday.
  • Court bars Pakistan opposition leader   UPI / 8:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Former Pakistani Prime Minister and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif can no longer hold elected office, the country's Supreme Court says.
  • Tuesday, February 24

  • Taliban agrees to Swat Valley cease-fire   UPI / 7:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- The head of the Taliban group that controls about 70 percent of the Swat Valley in Pakistan announced an indefinite cease-fire Tuesday.
  • Canada issues new Afghan manual to troops   UPI / 10:24AM
    OTTAWA, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Canadian troops are being advised to take a soft approach to Afghans because a decisive military victory is unlikely, the National Post reported.
  • Sunday, February 22

  • U.S. trains commandos in Pakistan   UPI / 10:35PM
    BARA, Pakistan, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- U.S. military and technical personnel are training Pakistani forces in secret operations aimed at battling al-Qaida and the Taliban, The New York Times reports.
  • 21 civilians dead in Sri Lankan violence   UPI / 8:54PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan police claimed Sunday Tamil Tiger rebels had killed 21 civilians in a village in the country's Eastern province.
  • Saturday, February 21

  • Coalition efforts in Afghanistan kill 16   UPI / 12:35PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Thirteen civilians were killed during an operation conducted by coalition forces in Afghanistan's Herat province this week, military officials said Saturday.
  • Friday, February 20

  • Rebel aircraft bomb Sri Lankan capital   UPI / 8:14PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Rebels in Sri Lanka launched an airstrike on the capital city of Colombo, officials said Friday.
  • Red Cross to ferry Sri Lankan wounded   UPI / 2:54PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- An International Committee of the Red Cross representative Friday said the humanitarian group will ferry wounded civilians out of a Sri Lankan combat zone.
  • Wednesday, February 18

  • Reporter killed in Pakistan   UPI / 11:24PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- GEO News correspondent Mosa Khankhel was shot to death Wednesday in Matta, Pakistan, the network said.
  • CIA using Pakistan base to hit militants   UPI / 10:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- The CIA has been secretly using the Shamsi airfield in Pakistan to launch drone attacks against al-Qaida and Taliban militants, a British newspaper says.
  • Tuesday, February 17

  • U.S. troop increase for Afghanistan OK'd   UPI / 8:24PM
    WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday approved a Pentagon request for more U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the White House said.
  • Monday, February 16

  • Afghan contractor dies in roadside blast   UPI / 11:05AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- An Afghan contractor was killed by a roadside bomb that exploded as a joint U.S.-Afghan patrol passed beside it, officials said Monday.
  • Holbrooke: Iran has vital role in region   UPI / 8:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Iran has a key role in helping to stabilize Afghanistan, the United States' representative to the area said, indicating a shift in Washington's view of Tehran.
  • Saturday, February 14

  • Holbrooke meets with Afghan officials   UPI / 4:24PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke met Saturday with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Foreign Minister Rangin Dadfar Spanta.
  • Drone strike kills 25 Pakistani Taliban   UPI / 8:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- A missile strike in Pakistan's northwestern tribal areas killed at least 25 Taliban militants Saturday, officials said.
  • Friday, February 13

  • Sri Lanka plans refugee 'welfare villages'   UPI / 1:35PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Sri Lanka is planning barbed-wire enclosed camps, with schools and parks, where 200,000 ethnic Tamil refugees can live for up to three years, officials say.
  • Smaller British Afghan role expected   UPI / 8:05AM
    LONDON, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- British troops are expected to play a significantly reduced role in southern Afghanistan, military officials say.
  • Thursday, February 12

  • Italy to boost presence in Afghanistan   UPI / 8:24PM
    ROME, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Italy plans to send more of its troops to Afghanistan, in response to a request from U.S. President Barack Obama, an Italian official said Thursday.
  • Report: Taliban may have U.S. weapons   UPI / 7:34AM
    WASHINGTON, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Thousands of U.S. assault rifles and other firearms American officials lost track of in Afghanistan may be in Taliban hands, a congressional report says.
  • Wednesday, February 11

  • Holbrooke: Pakistan must cut terror havens   UPI / 1:54PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. envoy Richard Holbrooke says Pakistan must eliminate safe havens used by terrorists in the country's northwestern tribal areas.
  • On Eve of Holbrooke Visit, Taliban Attack Afghan Ministries   AP / 11:34AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan -- Taliban fighters stormed two government ministries and the prisons administration center Wednesday in Kabul in simultaneous assaults that killed at least 19 people, wounded more than 50 and underscored the ease with which the insurgents are able to penetrate the heavily guarded Afghan capital.
  • Report: Taliban targeting Islamabad   UPI / 9:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Pakistani Taliban leaders are targeting the capital Islamabad in retaliation for government offensives in the country's northwest, a local media report says.
  • Monday, February 9

  • U.S. wary of limits on Pakistani scientist   UPI / 8:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. officials voiced doubt about Pakistan's decision to limit Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan's movements after releasing him from house arrest.
  • Female suicide bomber attacks relief camp   UPI / 6:54AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Up to 24 people died Monday in a suicide bombing at a relief camp for people fleeing fighting between Sri Lanka's army and Tamil fighters, officials said.
  • Sunday, February 8

  • Two U.S. soldiers killed in bomb blast   UPI / 12:05PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Authorities in southern Afghanistan say four people, including two U.S. soldiers, died Sunday in a roadside bomb blast in Helmand province.
  • Karzai's star falling at home, abroad   UPI / 8:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai, once regarded as a hero by the Bush administration, has fallen out of favor at home and abroad, analysts say.
  • Saturday, February 7

  • Troops force Taliban from stronghold   UPI / 2:05PM
    HELMAND, Afghanistan, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- A Taliban stronghold has been destroyed by British and Afghan forces after 10 days of fighting in southern Afghanistan, officials said.
  • Italy to send more troops to Afghanistan   UPI / 11:54AM
    ROME, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Authorities say Italy plans to add 800 soldiers to NATO forces stationed in Afghanistan this year.
  • Friday, February 6

  • Pakistani nuclear expert freed   UPI / 5:54PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- The Pakistani nuclear scientist accused of sharing nuclear secrets with other countries criticized Western countries Friday as he was freed from house arrest.
  • Rajapaksa: Civilians safe from harassment   UPI / 1:24PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa says his country's military won't harass the civilian population while conducting anti-terrorism operations.
  • Pakistani gunship raid kills 52 militants   UPI / 12:34PM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Pakistani army helicopter gunships have killed 52 militants in an attack south of the Khyber Pass, a senior military official in Peshawar said Friday.
  • Red Cross offices in Sri Lanka stoned   UPI / 11:34AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Demonstrators threw stones at Red Cross offices in the Sri Lankan capital Friday and said the international humanitarian group should leave the country.
  • Thursday, February 5

  • Sri Lankan rebels lose control of base   UPI / 3:54PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- A major rebel base in the Sri Lankan town of Chalai was captured Thursday by government troops, the military says.
  • Up to 25 killed in Pakistani bombing   UPI / 3:44PM
    DERA GHAZI KHAN, Pakistan, Feb. 5 (UPI) -- As many as 25 people were killed Thursday when a bomb exploded near a congregation hall in the Pakistani city of Dera Ghazi Khan, rescue sources say.
  • Wednesday, February 4

  • U.N. re-affirms support in Afghanistan   UPI / 5:54PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, visiting Afghanistan Wednesday, pledged the United Nations' support for development, peace and stability in the country.
  • Obama deliberate in policy on Afghanistan   UPI / 9:54AM
    WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama has called for a more tailored Afghan policy of counterinsurgency and development goals, aides said.
  • Sri Lanka hospital closes after shells hit   UPI / 8:34AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The last functioning hospital in the northern Sri Lanka war zone has closed in the face of fighting between troops and Tamil rebels, U.N. officials say.
  • Rocket fire ignites nine empty NATO trucks   UPI / 7:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Militants fired rockets at NATO supply trucks Wednesday in Pakistan, the latest attack on vehicles carrying supplies for coalition forces, officials said.
  • Tuesday, February 3

  • Bomb blast rips northwest Pakistan mosque   UPI / 12:44PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A bomb blast ripped through a mosque in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province Tuesday killing one person and injuring more than 20, police said.
  • Afghans arrest 17 in suicide bomb probe   UPI / 11:44AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 3 (UPI) -- Afghan security officials say they have arrested 17 people allegedly involved in suicide bombings that have killed 20 civilians over a two-year period.
  • Monday, February 2

  • Afghan blast police death toll set at 25   UPI / 11:05AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- At least 25 Afghan police officers died Monday when a Taliban suicide bomber dressed as a police officer attacked a local station, an Afghan official said.
  • Sunday, February 1

  • 16 militants, 43 civilians die in Pakistan   UPI / 8:24PM
    MINGORA, Pakistan, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- At least 16 Taliban militants and at least 43 civilians have died in a sustained Pakistani military offensive in the Swat Valley, observers said Sunday.
  • ISAF soldier, three civilians killed   UPI / 2:44PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- A member of the U.N.-mandated International Security Assistance Force and three civilians were killed in separate attacks in Afghanistan, officials said Sunday.
  • Friday, January 30

  • Tigers: Civilians want to remain   UPI / 8:34PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- The estimated 250,000 civilians in the conflict zone in northern Sri Lanka want to stay to be protected by the Tamil Tigers, the rebels say,
  • NATO official criticized for killing order   UPI / 2:54PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- A NATO military official has been criticized for ordering NATO forces in Afghanistan to use lethal force against drug traffickers they encounter, sources say.
  • Thursday, January 29

  • Pakistan: U.S. attacks 'counterproductive'   UPI / 6:34PM
    DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 29 (UPI) -- U.S. drone attacks in Pakistan are "counterproductive" and should be stopped, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said Thursday.
  • Wednesday, January 28

  • Pakistan: No green light for U.S. missiles   UPI / 10:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- The Pakistani Foreign Ministry insisted Wednesday that it had not given the United States permission to hit al-Qaida targets inside Pakistan.
  • S. Korea discusses future Afghan role   UPI / 10:05AM
    SEOUL, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- South Korea says it will expand its civilian-led presence in Afghanistan and follow up later with other contributions to the battle against Taliban militants.
  • Tuesday, January 27

  • Concern expressed for Sri Lankan civilians   UPI / 7:44PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Civilians in Sri Lanka are increasingly suffering casualties as the military battles rebels in the country's north and along its coastline, observers say.
  • Monday, January 26

  • Afghan roadside bomb attacks up sharply   UPI / 8:34AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 26 (UPI) -- Afghan militants directed 3,276 roadside bomb attacks at Western troops last year, a 45 percent increase from 2007, U.S. Defense Department figures indicate.
  • Sunday, January 25

  • Afghan protesters decry U.S. operations   UPI / 5:24PM
    MEHTERLAM, Afghanistan, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Angry demonstrators in eastern Afghanistan Sunday protested a U.S-led raid against Taliban insurgents in the region, which they say killed 16 Afghan civilians.
  • Sri Lanka claims capture of rebel town   UPI / 1:54PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan soldiers used a surprise attack to gain control of the key rebel stronghold town of Mullaittivu, officials said Sunday.
  • Saturday, January 24

  • Sri Lankan newspaper editor beaten   UPI / 4:24PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- The editor of a Sri Lankan newspaper and his wife were beaten in Colombo, newspaper staffers said.
  • Marines want troop shift to Afghanistan   UPI / 2:44PM
    WASHINGTON, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- The U.S. Marine Corps is proposing a complete withdrawal of its troops from Iraq this year, officials said.
  • 15 slain in Afghan supply route battle   UPI / 7:24AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. coalition forces have killed 15 suspected Taliban in eastern Afghanistan, military officials said Saturday.
  • Friday, January 23

  • British, Taliban wounded in same wards   UPI / 5:44PM
    LONDON, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- The top doctor in the British military says he has had no complaints from wounded soldiers about being treated in the same hospital as Taliban fighters.
  • Pakistani laws to guide Mumbai inquiry   UPI / 4:14PM
    KARACHI, Pakistan, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- A Pakistani official said his country's inquiry into the deadly terrorist attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai will follow Pakistani laws.
  • Reports indicate possible Karzai ouster   UPI / 8:05AM
    WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- With U.S. President Barack Obama taking office amid an expected sea of change, experts say an ouster of Afghan leader Hamid Karzai may be forthcoming.
  • Thursday, January 22

  • On Afghan border: 'Drugs out, guns in'   UPI / 7:05PM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- The U.S.-led coalition appears to have ceded much of Afghanistan's southern border to the Taliban until new forces arrive, The New York Times reports.
  • Former Gitmo detainee suing U.S. govt.   UPI / 2:24PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- A Pakistani citizen alleges in a lawsuit against the U.S. government that he was unjustly held at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base for more than six years.
  • Sri Lankan troops take rebel stronghold   UPI / 8:34AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Troops have seized the Tamil Tiger rebel command center in northern Sri Lanka, a government report said Thursday.
  • Wednesday, January 21

  • Bryce visits troops in Afghanistan   UPI / 10:14PM
    TARIN KOWT, Afghanistan, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Australian Governor-General Quentin Bryce stayed overnight with the country's troops at their front-line base in Afghanistan.
  • U.S. military probes Afghan death claims   UPI / 9:24PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. military says it is looking into allegations 25 Afghan civilians were killed in an attack directed at Taliban militants.
  • Nepal killing poultry to fight avian flu   UPI / 7:34PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Avian flu has been detected in southeastern Nepal, prompting authorities to begin slaughtering thousands of poultry, U.N. health officials said Wednesday.
  • Petraeus secures new Afghan supply routes   UPI / 12:24PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- The U.S. military has secured new supply routes to Afghanistan to avoid Taliban attacks on the main supply route, U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus said.
  • Suicide blast kills two Afghan soldiers   UPI / 12:05PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- A suicide car bomb killed two Afghan soldiers and wounded three others Wednesday, a Defense Ministry official in Kabul said.
  • Sri Lanka fires on unidentified aircraft   UPI / 8:05AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan Navy says it has fired at a suspicious aircraft that was apparently leaving one of the last strongholds of Tamil Tiger rebels.
  • Tuesday, January 20

  • Pakistan leader bemoans outside pressure   UPI / 10:05PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- The Pakistani military Tuesday called on outside powers to stop demanding Islamabad do more to prove its sincerity in fighting militants.
  • Group: 60 militants killed in Pakistan   UPI / 10:05PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- Sixty militants in Pakistan, including several local commanders, have been killed in the past day, the Frontier Corps said Tuesday.
  • Petraeus to meet with Pakistani leaders   UPI / 8:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus was in Pakistan Tuesday to discuss security in the region and the on-going war on terror, Pakistani officials said.
  • Monday, January 19

  • Report: Plague killing al-Qaida terrorists   UPI / 2:05PM
    ALGIERS, Algeria, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Anti-terrorism leaders say a number of al-Qaida militants in training have been killed by the "black death, a plague that ravaged Europe in the Middle Ages.
  • Saturday, January 17

  • Rebels claim killing 51 Sri Lankan troops   UPI / 2:34PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Tamil Tiger rebels say they have killed 51 Sri Lankan soldiers near Dharmapuram, a claim disputed by military officials.
  • 5 killed, 26 hurt in Kabul suicide blast   UPI / 11:24AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Five people, including a U.S. soldier and a child, were killed Saturday in a suicide bombing near the German embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, officials said.
  • Friday, January 16

  • U.S. Afghan plan faces obstacles   UPI / 9:44AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- A U.S. military and counterinsurgency plan in Afghanistan is meeting resistance that could delay or weaken the effort, military leaders said.
  • Thursday, January 15

  • Afghan officer, 12 others, die in crash   UPI / 9:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- A senior Afghan military officer and 12 other passengers were killed Thursday when a military helicopter crashed in western Afghanistan, officials said.
  • Monday, January 12

  • Slaying of Nepal reporter sparks protests   UPI / 5:24PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Journalists in Nepal say the hacking death of a colleague is part of a growing pattern of violence against reporters in the southern Asian nation.
  • Grumbling heard at Khyber Pass intel post   UPI / 2:24PM
    TORKHAM, Afghanistan, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Some U.S. military officers say mistrust among the staff of a new intelligence outpost in Afghanistan's remote Khyber Pass is limiting its effectiveness.
  • Report: Obama faces major Afghan challenge   UPI / 8:05AM
    WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- U.S. President-elect Barack Obama needs to bolster U.S. troops numbers in Afghanistan to create stability, military officials say.
  • Sunday, January 11

  • Britain: U.S. in Afghanistan power grab   UPI / 12:44PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- The arrival of a U.S. general in Afghanistan has effectively supplanted the British as the de facto leaders of NATO troops in the country, sources say.
  • Afghan militants stage Pakistan attacks   UPI / 7:05AM
    MOHMAND, Pakistan, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Pakistani soldiers battled hundreds of pro-Taliban militants who crossed from Afghanistan into the country's tribal areas this weekend, officials said.
  • Saturday, January 10

  • Five U.S. troops slain in Afghanistan   UPI / 1:44PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Three U.S. soldiers died in Afghanistan's Zabol province only hours after two others were killed in a Kandahar suicide bombing, officials said.
  • Friday, January 9

  • Army seizes strategic Sri Lankan site   UPI / 2:34PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Government troops gained control of the strategic Elephant Pass in Sri Lanka from rebel forces on Friday, President Mahinda Rajapakse said.
  • Petraeus: Lengthy Afghan commitment needed   UPI / 12:05PM
    WASHINGTON, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Gen. David H. Petraeus, the U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, says a significant and lengthy commitment is needed in the war-torn country.
  • Thursday, January 8

  • Anti-government editor shot, killed   UPI / 5:34PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- The shooting death of an anti-government newspaper editor in Sri Lanka is the latest in a string of attacks on such journalists, an advocacy group said.
  • Wednesday, January 7

  • Pakistan Fires Official Who Confirmed Mumbai Gunman's Identity   AP / 10:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- The Pakistani government on Wednesday abruptly fired its national security adviser after he confirmed that the surviving gunman captured in the Mumbai attacks is a Pakistani, a key piece of evidence contained in a dossier amassed by India on alleged Pakistani complicity in the three-day assault.
  • 32 suspected Afghan militants killed   UPI / 3:14PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Coalition troops killed 32 suspected militants in Afghanistan as part of an operation targeting a possible bombing cell, the military said Wednesday.
  • Pakistan spy chief: No war with India   UPI / 7:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- The new chief of Pakistan's spy agency says there will be no war with India, but also says militant Taliban leaders have a right to "say what they please."
  • Troops, militants clash in Kashmir   UPI / 7:54AM
    NEW DELHI, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Fighting between security forces and militants in a forested and mountainous region of India-controlled Kashmir entered its seventh day Wednesday.
  • Tuesday, January 6

  • More Afghan troops needed, U.S. rep. says   UPI / 12:14PM
    ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill., Jan. 6 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., returning from a three-week tour of Afghanistan, says more U.S. troops need to be sent to the country quickly to stabilize it.
  • Pakistani says tortured in terror arrest   UPI / 7:54AM
    LAHORE, Pakistan, Jan. 6 (UPI) -- A one-time Pakistani terror suspect says he was subjected to more than six years of torture and abuse by U.S. captors and plans to sue the government.
  • Monday, January 5

  • Taliban militants kill three accused spies   UPI / 10:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Taliban-leaning militants in Pakistan's North Waziristan region killed three men accused of spying for the United states, tribesmen said Monday.
  • Saturday, January 3

  • Sri Lanka pushes on after key rebel defeat   UPI / 7:54AM
    KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan government forces Saturday continued a military campaign against rebels a day after capturing their de facto capital of Kilinochchi, officials said.
  • Canadians kill alleged suicide bomber   UPI / 1:05AM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan found three large explosive devices in a sport utility vehicle after they shot and killed the driver, the military said Friday.
  • Friday, January 2

  • Pakistan said securing Afghan supply lines   UPI / 5:14PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- The Pakistani military is making progress against Taliban militants threatening Pakistan-to-Afghanistan supply routes, U.S. military officials said Friday.
  • Canadian soldier charged in Afghan's death   UPI / 11:34AM
    OTTAWA, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- A Canadian officer serving in Afghanistan was charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of a suspected insurgent, the military said.
  • Military: Forces enter Kilinochchi   UPI / 6:44AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan military, claiming its biggest victory against the Tamil Tigers, said Friday it was about to capture the rebels' main stronghold of Kilinochchi.
  • Thursday, January 1

  • Missile strike kills four in Pakistan   UPI / 6:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- Four people were killed and many wounded in a suspected drone missile strike in Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal area Thursday, officials said.
  • Pakistani forces say 40 held in operation   UPI / 1:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- The Pakistani military says its forces destroyed suspected militant homes in the Khyber area, the overland supply route to U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.
  • NATO welcomes additional U.S. troops   UPI / 12:54AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- NATO forces in Afghanistan are awaiting details of the new U.S. strategy expected when Barack Obama takes office as president, an alliance spokesman said.
  • Tuesday, December 30

  • Pakistan blocks NATO forces' supply route   UPI / 8:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- A key supply route for U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan was blocked Tuesday by Pakistani troops beginning an offensive against militants, officials said.
  • Hasina posts landslide Bangladesh win   UPI / 7:44AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will return to power after her party posted a landslide win in national elections, officials said.
  • No troop buildup along border, India says   UPI / 7:34AM
    NEW DELHI, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Indian army officials Tuesday denied reports of a troop buildup along the India-Pakistan border, saying Pakistan had "whipped up war rhetoric."
  • Monday, December 29

  • Suicide bombers kill 4 in Afghanistan   UPI / 3:05PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Two suicide bombers struck in Afghanistan's Parwan and Kandahar provinces Monday, killing at least four people and injuring many more, authorities said.
  • Bangladesh elections amid tight security   UPI / 5:54AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Bangladeshi voters cast ballots amid tight security Monday to elect a new government to replace the two-year rule of a military-backed interim government.
  • Saturday, December 27

  • Media attacks focus of Nepalese protest   UPI / 3:54PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Scores of journalists in Nepal carried out protests Saturday to oppose a series of media attacks focused on freedom of the press, a group says.
  • Bangladeshis prepare for elections   UPI / 3:24PM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Bangladesh is stage to its final political rallies ahead of parliamentary elections Monday in the southern Asian nation, party officials said.
  • Ban Ki-moon calls for Bhutto slay probe   UPI / 9:05AM
    UNITED NATIONS, N.Y., Dec. 27 (UPI) -- The United Nations is moving to set up a commission to investigate the 2007 assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, officials said.
  • Thousands gather for Bhutto remembrance   UPI / 7:14AM
    GARHI KHUDA BAKHSH, Pakistan, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Mourners gathered Saturday to remember slain former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto as officials put the military on alert, observers said.
  • Friday, December 26

  • Pakistan moves troops to Indian border   UPI / 9:44PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Pakistan canceled leave for its soldiers and was redeploying troops to the Indian border, officials said Friday.
  • Candidates swap assassination claims   UPI / 1:14AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Two former Bangladeshi prime ministers are trading accusations about alleged assassination plots against them in the lead-up to parliamentary elections.
  • Thursday, December 25

  • Afghans to be trained to fight Taliban   UPI / 11:44PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- A U.S. project is to begin next year to help the Afghan regime train and arm its people to fight growing Taliban militancy in their areas, officials told CNN.
  • At least 18 rebels killed in Sri Lanka   UPI / 12:05PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan military said Thursday its forces have killed at least 18 Tamil Tiger rebels while repulsing a counter-attack in a northern area.
  • Two NATO soldiers slain in Afghanistan   UPI / 9:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Two NATO soldiers have been slain in Afghanistan, military officials said Thursday.
  • Wednesday, December 24

  • U.S., Afghans to train local militias   UPI / 10:34AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- U.S. military officials say they hope plans to arm local Afghan militias to help fight the Taliban yield results similar to the success seen in Iraq.
  • Tuesday, December 23

  • Nepali newspapers protest attack   UPI / 11:54PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Many Nepalese newspapers protested an attack by Maoist union activists on a publishing company by printing papers with blank pages Tuesday.
  • U.S. miffed by NATO Afghan drug stance   UPI / 11:34AM
    BRUSSELS, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- NATO's top military commander says he's surprised that some member nations aren't following through on promises to battle the Afghanistan drug trade.
  • India hardens tone; Pakistan calls up jets   UPI / 9:05AM
    NEW DELHI, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- Pakistan scrambled fighter jets over its larger cities as Indian officials said all options were available in the capture of terrorists who attacked Mumbai.
  • Monday, December 22

  • Mullen thanks Pakistani officials   UPI / 6:24PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- The U.S. chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff thanked Pakistani military and intelligence officials Monday for their efforts to fight terrorism.
  • Tamil Tigers say no to offer of talks   UPI / 12:14AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan military has been claiming major victories against the Tamil Tigers in recent weeks but a rebel leader told the BBC the fighting will continue.
  • Sunday, December 21

  • Britain may boost troops in Afghanistan   UPI / 11:34PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Britain may increase its troop strength in Afghanistan to augment a similar increase by the United States, Defense Secretary John Hutton said Sunday.
  • Tons of pot found in old Afghan school   UPI / 7:34PM
    ARGHESTAN, Afghanistan, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Afghan and coalition forces have destroyed 2 1/2 tons of marijuana found in an unused school in Kandahar province.
  • Taliban kills two suspected spies   UPI / 6:24PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Taliban militants in Pakistan have killed two Afghan nationals they claim were spies for the United States, officials said Sunday.
  • Sri Lankan troops reclaim region   UPI / 6:24PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Government troops in Sri Lanka have retaken Nedunkerni in Mullaitivu District, where soldiers and rebels have been in violent clashes, officials claimed.
  • Saturday, December 20

  • U.S. may deploy 30,000 more in Afghanistan   UPI / 8:24PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The size of the U.S. military contingent in Afghanistan could be doubled in the next year, a spokesman for the Defense Department said Saturday.
  • Three Danish troops die in Afghanistan   UPI / 3:44PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- A roadside bomb exploded in Afghanistan Saturday, killing three Danish soldiers and wounding another, military officials said.
  • Bangladesh troops deployed due to fears   UPI / 3:05PM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- More than 40,000 military troops were deployed across Bangladesh Saturday amid fears of terrorist attacks before the country's elections, officials said.
  • Kashmiris vote in record numbers   UPI / 12:34PM
    BANDIPUR, India, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Political observers in violence-weary Kashmir say voters have turned out in record numbers at state elections to demand better living conditions.
  • Friday, December 19

  • Rudd: Australia committed in Afghanistan   UPI / 8:54PM
    CANBERRA, Australia, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said he expects his country to keep about the same number of troops in Afghanistan for several years.
  • Benazir Bhutto to be honored with coin   UPI / 3:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The first anniversary of Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination will be honored with a commemorative coin, a government release says.
  • Thursday, December 18

  • Afghan President Karzai Takes Harsh View of U.S. War Effort   AP / 3:34PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan -- President Hamid Karzai criticized coming U.S. military plans Thursday and asked for a new pact to be drawn up between the international community and the Afghan government, just as President-elect Barack Obama, who has made the war here a priority, prepares to take office next month.
  • Wednesday, December 17

  • 'Spies' killed by Pakistan Taliban   UPI / 7:44AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- A Pakistani Taliban video sent to the BBC shows the killing of five tribal men accused of aiding in the Jan. 19 death of al-Qaida leader Abu Laith al-Libi.
  • Report: Sri Lanka violence leaves 145 dead   UPI / 1:24AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan military says heavy fighting near a key Tamil Tiger stronghold in the northern part of the island nation left 120 rebels and 25 soldiers dead.
  • Emergency rule lifted in Bangladesh   UPI / 12:05AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Bangladesh's military-backed interim government reinstated people's fundamental rights Tuesday, ending nearly two years of emergency rule ahead of elections.
  • Tuesday, December 16

  • U.S. said unhappy with Brit Afghan efforts   UPI / 8:04AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. military officials are privately grumbling about what they consider Britain's poor performance in Afghanistan's Helmand province, sources say.
  • Monday, December 15

  • Pakistani truck drivers stage strike   UPI / 10:05AM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Pakistani truck drivers working to transport military supplies to NATO troops in Afghanistan say they're striking to protest security problems along the route.
  • Bush reaffirms U.S. pledge to Afghanistan   UPI / 8:24AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush ended his likely last visit to theaters of war in Afghanistan where he met Monday with U.S. troops and the Afghan president.
  • Sunday, December 14

  • Bush visits Afghanistan   UPI / 11:44PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- U.S. President George W. Bush made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan Monday, visiting with the U.S. troops and meeting President Hamid Karzai.
  • Pakistan airspace violations 'inadvertant'   UPI / 7:04AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- Indian warplanes twice crossed into Pakistan's airspace, but Pakistani officials say the violations were inadvertent.
  • Saturday, December 13

  • 3 Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan   UPI / 9:44PM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- A roadside bomb detonated near a Canadian military armored vehicle Saturday, killing three soldiers and wounding a fourth, authorities said.
  • Fake Taj Mahal causes international stir   UPI / 6:14PM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- India has objected to plans in Bangledesh to construct a life-size copy of the Taj Mahal.
  • Afghan bus riders killed by NATO troops   UPI / 5:34PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- NATO troops on patrol on Afghanistan opened fire on a bus that failed to heed their warnings to stop, killing four people on board, authorities said.
  • Brown honors soldiers slain in Afghanistan   UPI / 3:05PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says four soldiers killed in explosions in Afghanistan during his visit to the country will be remembered.
  • Sources say NATO eyeing Afghan route   UPI / 1:14PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- NATO officials are planning a new supply route to Afghanistan through Russia and central Asia, avoiding dangerous territory in Pakistan, sources say.
  • Pakistan attackers target NATO supplies   UPI / 8:34AM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Attackers suspected to be Taliban militants targeted cargo terminals in Peshawar in Pakistan's North-West Frontier Province, officials said Saturday.
  • Thursday, December 11

  • Sense of duty led Gates to re-up   UPI / 5:54PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told troops in Afghanistan that sense of duty prompted him to remain as Pentagon chief under President-elect Barack Obama.
  • Wednesday, December 10

  • Don't take terrorists lightly, Mullen says   UPI / 7:14PM
    WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A lesson from the Mumbai attacks should be not underestimating terrorists' potential, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen said Wednesday.
  • U.S. troops wrongly kill 6 Afghan police   UPI / 7:54AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. troops erroneously killed six Afghan police officers and one civilian Wednesday in an attack on a suspected Taliban leader's hideout, officials said.
  • Tuesday, December 9

  • Afghan, NATO forces kill Taliban commander   UPI / 7:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- A Taliban leader, believed responsible for suicide bombings, kidnappings and torture, has been killed, NATO military leaders said Tuesday.
  • Monday, December 8

  • Afghans raid Taliban safe house   UPI / 2:34PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Afghan forces raided a Taliban safe house in Jalalabad after getting a credible tip on an assassination plot against the provincial governor, officials said.
  • Report: Mumbai mastermind arrested   UPI / 1:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Pakistani authorities raided a Kashmir military camp and arrested the suspected mastermind of last month's Mumbai terrorist attacks, sources say.
  • Report: Mumai mastermind arrested   UPI / 8:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Pakistani authorities raided a Kashmir military camp and arrested the suspected mastermind of last month's Mumbai terrorist attacks, sources say.
  • Sunday, December 7

  • Arriving U.S. troops will defend Kabul   UPI / 7:34AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- Most of the fresh U.S. soldiers to be sent to Afghanistan will be deployed to defend the capital Kabul, indicating the vulnerability of the country, officials said.
  • Taliban torches Peshawar supply terminal   UPI / 6:44AM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- A security guard was killed and two employees were wounded Sunday in an attack by Pakistani militants on a Peshawar freight supply terminal, officials said.
  • Friday, December 5

  • Afghan roadside bomb kills 3 Canadians   UPI / 3:44PM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- A roadside bomb in Afghanistan killed three Canadian soldiers and seriously injured two others Friday near Kandahar, military officials said.
  • Thursday, December 4

  • Pakistanis react to Mumbai attacks   UPI / 1:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 4 (UPI) -- Pakistan's major political parties have condemned the Mumbai terrorist massacre, but reject Indian charges it was masterminded by militants in their country.
  • Wednesday, December 3

  • Mullen urges Pakistan to probe Mumbai ties   UPI / 3:14PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 3 (UPI) -- U.S. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen pressed Pakistani officials Wednesday to explore all links between the Mumbai attacks and groups based in Pakistan.
  • Tuesday, December 2

  • Pakistan offers to help probe attacks   UPI / 8:05PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Pakistan has offered to join with the Indian government to investigate last week's terror attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai, officials said.
  • Thursday, November 27

  • Afghan opium supply outstrips demand   UPI / 6:14PM
    UNITED NATIONS, N.Y., Nov. 27 (UPI) -- The Taliban has been working to keep the price of opium up by cutting poppy production in Afghanistan, a U.N. report released Thursday said.
  • Tuesday, November 25

  • Pakistan closes ISI's political wing   UPI / 2:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's government has closed the political wing of the Inter-Services Intelligence, its military-run spy agency.
  • Monday, November 24

  • Pakistani forces say 25 militants killed   UPI / 11:54PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The Pakistani military, claiming a major victory in the violence-wracked northwest region, said its security forces killed 25 militants and arrested 40 more.
  • Bangladesh elections reset for Dec. 29   UPI / 11:44PM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The Bangladeshi military-backed interim government, agreeing to the demand of one of the main parties, has postponed the country's election date.
  • Sri Lankan forces attack Tamil 'capital'   UPI / 9:44AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan army's offensive against rebel Tamil Tigers now includes attacks on Kilinochchi, the rebels' de facto capital, military leaders said Monday.
  • Sunday, November 23

  • 17 Taliban militants slain in Afghanistan   UPI / 4:14PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Afghan and U.S. forces said Sunday they killed 17 Taliban militants in a Kandahar province air assault.
  • Saturday, November 22

  • French soldier dies in Afghan mine sweep   UPI / 3:44PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- A French solider on a mine-clearing mission was killed and another injured in Afghanistan Saturday, officials said.
  • Fair advertises Afghan pomegranates   UPI / 12:34AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Afghan farmers brought their harvest to the first international pomegranate fair, held in a showground outside Kabul.
  • Friday, November 21

  • BNP to take part in Bangladesh polls   UPI / 12:34AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Khaldea Zia's party has agreed to take part in the elections if held on Dec. 28 instead of Dec. 18 as originally planned.
  • Thursday, November 20

  • Sri Lanka claims major victory   UPI / 11:34PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan military, claiming more victories against the Tamil Tigers, said it breached the rebels' first defense line in the northern Jaffna peninsula.
  • Pakistan to protest latest U.S. strike   UPI / 12:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- Pakistan's foreign ministry says it summoned the U.S. ambassador to its offices to formally protest a recent missile strike against suspected militants.
  • Wednesday, November 19

  • Overland Afghanistan supply route eyed   UPI / 11:24AM
    WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. military officials are contemplating longer but safer overland supply routes to Afghanistan through Europe as militants step up attacks, documents show.
  • Monday, November 17

  • U.S.-Afghan Rift Builds Around Karzai's Overture to Taliban   AP / 7:35PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents rejected an offer of talks from Kabul Monday and threatened for the first time to strike a target in the West, suggesting many years of violent conflict to come.
  • White House Official Doubts Taliban Claim   AP / 1:34PM
    Mullah Omar, the Taliban head in Afghanistan, will likely not renounce his group's violent ways under a new proposed deal, a White House official said Monday.
  • Nepal begins drafting of constitution   UPI / 9:05AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Nepal's political parties have begun work on a new national constitution and will have it drafted by May 2010, party sources say.
  • Bangladesh: Indian border guard kills 3   UPI / 8:44AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- An allegedly drunken Indian border guard strayed into Bangladesh and killed three villagers before being captured by local residents, officials said.
  • Suicide car attack kills three in Pakistan   UPI / 8:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Three Pakistani soldiers were killed Monday when a suicide car bomber rammed a military checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan, officials said.
  • Coalition forces kill 38 militants   UPI / 6:44AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Coalition forces killed 38 militants in weekend clashes in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said.
  • Official says Pakistan had to approach IMF   UPI / 1:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Pakistan had no choice but to approach the International Monetary Fund under pressure from its allies, a finance ministry official said.
  • Pakistan says 16 militants killed   UPI / 12:24AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Pakistani security forces and a tribal army killed 16 militants in separate clashes in the tribal Bajaur region, witnesses and sources said.
  • Sunday, November 16

  • Coalition forces kill 30 Taliban fighters   UPI / 4:05PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Thirty Taliban militants have been killed by U.S.-led coalition forces in Afghanistan's Helmand province, officials said Sunday.
  • Report: Pakistan, U.S. have deal on drones   UPI / 12:24PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- The United States and Pakistan have a tacit agreement allowing the use of missile-firing drones against Pakistani militants, sources say.
  • Saturday, November 15

  • Sri Lanka enters key rebel-held city   UPI / 8:54AM
    POONERYN, Sri Lanka, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Sri Lanka says government soldiers have entered a strategic stronghold city of the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
  • 10 militants slain in Afghanistan raid   UPI / 7:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- Ten Taliban militants and foreign fighters were slain Saturday in eastern Afghanistan in a U.S.-led raid, officials said.
  • Thursday, November 13

  • Suicide car bomb kills 19 in Afghanistan   UPI / 7:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- The death toll rose to 19, including a U.S. soldier, Thursday in a suicide car-bomb attack on a U.S. military convoy in Afghanistan, officials said.
  • Wednesday, November 12

  • Maldives president wants nation relocation   UPI / 11:54AM
    MALE, Maldives, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed says he wants to buy land elsewhere in order to relocate his entire island country.
  • Tuesday, November 11

  • 77 become U.S. citizens on Veterans Day   UPI / 7:34PM
    BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Veterans Day was special for 77 U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan who officially became U.S. citizens Tuesday while deployed to Bagram Air Field.
  • Obama's Afghanistan strategy marks shift   UPI / 7:44AM
    WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Military advisers to U.S. President-elect Barack Obama favor taking a regional approach to the war in Afghanistan, including engaging Iran, sources say.
  • Monday, November 10

  • Militants hijack supply trucks   UPI / 11:44PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Pakistani militants in the Khyber Pass area hijacked 13 trucks taking supplies to NATO forces in Afghanistan as security forces watched, officials told Dawn.
  • 14 Taliban killed in Pakistan air raids   UPI / 11:35AM
    BAJAUR, Pakistan, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Fourteen Pakistani militants were killed when jets bombed targets in the northwestern tribal areas, officials said.
  • Sunday, November 9

  • Freed reporter says not mistreated   UPI / 8:34AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- A Canadian journalist rescued from Afghan kidnappers says she wasn't mistreated by her captors during her month-long ordeal.
  • U.S.: 37 Afghan civilians died in fighting   UPI / 7:24AM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Thirty-seven Afghan civilians died during fighting last week between U.S. forces and Taliban militants near Kandahar, officials acknowledged.
  • Saturday, November 8

  • CBC: Kidnapped reporter freed in Kabul   UPI / 6:05PM
    OTTAWA, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- A Canadian radio reporter kidnapped four weeks ago in Afghanistan has been released, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Saturday.
  • Report to assess Afghan situation as dire   UPI / 11:24AM
    WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- A classified United States' review of its Afghanistan policies is likely to conclude the violence-torn country is in a dire situation, sources say.
  • Friday, November 7

  • Suspected strike kills 9 in Pakistan   UPI / 7:24AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Nine people died Friday in what Pakistani military officials said they suspected was a U.S. missile strike in northwestern Pakistan near the Afghan border.
  • Sheikh Hasina back in Bangladesh   UPI / 12:34AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returned to Bangladesh Thursday following medical treatment in the Untied States to contest in the Dec. 18 elections.
  • Thursday, November 6

  • New report of Afghan civilian deaths   UPI / 11:24AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 6 (UPI) -- A new report of Afghanistan civilian deaths in a U.S. airstrike fanned more furor Thursday, officials said.
  • Wednesday, November 5

  • Shell explodes, kills 3 Afghan children   UPI / 9:54AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Afghanistan's interior ministry says three children were killed Wednesday and six others injured when an old shell they were playing with exploded in Kabul.
  • Tuesday, November 4

  • Afghan police allegedly aided Taliban   UPI / 9:44PM
    WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Taliban forces pulled off a deadly surprise attack against U.S. soldiers last summer with the help of Afghan police, a Pentagon report alleged Tuesday.
  • India leads world in snake-bite deaths   UPI / 7:34PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- About 20,000 people die of snakebites worldwide each year, more than half of them in India, a study reveals.
  • Gen. Petraeus arrives in Kabul   UPI / 7:05PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus made his first visit Tuesday to Afghanistan as head of Central Command.
  • Report: Local leaders aided Taliban raid   UPI / 5:24PM
    WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Local leaders helped Taliban militants in a deadly July attack on U.S. troops in eastern Afghanistan, an internal review by the U.S. military indicated.
  • Monday, November 3

  • Bangladesh emergency eases ahead of polls   UPI / 11:44PM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Bangladesh's military-backed interim government has eased some of its emergency rule measures ahead of elections set for next month.
  • Petraeus urged to end drone strikes   UPI / 4:44PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari is urging a top U.S. military commander to halt drone missile attacks targeting Taliban militants inside Pakistan.
  • Troops destroy Afghan drug-making facility   UPI / 12:05PM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. military says Afghan commandoes and coalition forces destroyed more than 44 tons of hashish at a drug-making facility in Kandahar province Monday.
  • Birds causing problems in Afghanistan   UPI / 9:34AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- The U.S. military says it is seeking a private contractor experienced in falconry to control the bird population at busy Bagram air base in Afghanistan.
  • Canadians destroy Afghan bombs cache   UPI / 8:44AM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- About 1,500 pounds of bomb-making material was discovered and destroyed in Afghanistan by Canadian forces, the military said.
  • Sunday, November 2

  • Petraeus arrives in Pakistan for meetings   UPI / 8:14PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Gen. David Petraeus, the head of the U.S. Central Command, has arrived in Pakistan to meet with government and military officials.
  • Bomb, fighting take toll in Pakistan   UPI / 7:34PM
    WANA, Pakistan, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- A suicide truck bomber and gun battles in Pakistan Sunday claimed at least 18 lives and left an undetermined number of others wounded, authorities said.
  • Saturday, November 1

  • At least 20 killed in U.S. Pakistan raid   UPI / 2:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- More than 20 people died in U.S. missile strikes in Pakistani villages close to the Afghanistan border Saturday, Pakistani officials said.
  • British SAS commander resigns in protest   UPI / 6:54AM
    LONDON, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- The top British special forces commander in Afghanistan has resigned to protest lack of proper equipment given to troops in the conflict zone, sources say.
  • Friday, October 31

  • White House: No surprises about bin Laden   UPI / 9:34PM
    WASHINGTON, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- The capture of Osama bin Laden, or any other surprise, isn't expected before Tuesday's U.S. presidential election, a White House spokesman said Friday.
  • Afghan man beheaded after denied asylum   UPI / 4:14PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- An Afghan man has been beheaded in his native land after his request for asylum in Australia was rejected, an official says.
  • Key al-Qaida figure believed dead in raid   UPI / 7:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 31 (UPI) -- A major al-Qaida figure is believed to have died in a U.S. airstrike into Pakistan earlier this month, anti-terrorism officials said.
  • Thursday, October 30

  • Deafness reported in returning troops   UPI / 7:54AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- Intense noise level in Afghanistan's war zone has caused severe or permanent hearing damage among hundreds of British troops, The Times of London has learned.
  • Wednesday, October 29

  • Challenger wins Maldives presidency   UPI / 11:05AM
    MALE, Maldives, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Challenger Mohamed Nasheed defeated Asia's longest serving leader, Maldives President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, in a runoff election, officials said.
  • Tuesday, October 28

  • Rebels bomb Sri Lankan power plant   UPI / 11:35PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- A power station in Colombo was damaged in a rare aerial bombardment by Sri Lankan rebels Tuesday night, government defense officials said.
  • Monday, October 27

  • U.S. drone attack kills 20 in Pakistan   UPI / 3:54PM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- A U.S. drone aircraft attack in Pakistan's South Waziristan region left two Taliban commanders and 18 other people dead, an official and a local resident say.
  • Taliban fire forces down U.S. chopper   UPI / 3:44PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- A U.S. military helicopter made a forced landing after sustaining Taliban gunfire in Afghanistan, officials said Monday.
  • Sunday, October 26

  • Seven killed in suspected U.S. airstrike   UPI / 9:24PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- A U.S. drone aircraft attack killed seven people Sunday night at a compound along Pakistan's northern tribal border region, a Pakistani military official said.
  • Special Ops. could be sent to Afghanistan   UPI / 4:54PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. military is considering sending elite troops to Afghanistan to target insurgency hotspots, officials say.
  • Friday, October 24

  • Nine killed by U.S. missile in Pakistan   UPI / 1:44PM
    BANNU, Pakistan, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- A U.S. missile killed nine people Friday at an Islamic school in Pakistan where a suspected militant leader was thought to be staying, an analyst says.
  • Former royal family faces power cut   UPI / 1:34AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Oct. 24 (UPI) -- Former Nepalese King Gyanendra and his family must pay overdue electricity bills of about $1 million or face power cuts in their palaces and homes.
  • Wednesday, October 22

  • Pakistan Seeks Aid From IMF   AP / 6:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan has sought an emergency bailout from the International Monetary Fund, a humiliating step forced on Islamabad after allies refused to come up with the cash needed to prevent the country going bust.
  • Report: Air raids kill 9 Afghan soldiers   UPI / 7:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- The Afghan Defense Ministry said Wednesday airstrikes by international forces against suspected Taliban hideouts resulted in the deaths of nine of its soldiers.
  • Explosion kills Pakistani security forces   UPI / 7:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- A roadside blast hit a Pakistani security forces convoy in the Swat district of the troubled northwest region, killing several soldiers, sources told Geo TV.
  • Tuesday, October 21

  • Afghan workers warned by government   UPI / 9:05PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Following the killing of an aid worker in Kabul, the Afghan government is reviewing how best to protect all such foreign aid workers, officials say.
  • NATO's Afghanistan will said wavering   UPI / 11:24AM
    LONDON, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- The West's will to continue fighting in Afghanistan is wavering and reluctance to send troops into tough war zones is rising, a NATO military chief says.
  • Coalition arrests four Afghan militants   UPI / 7:44AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Coalition forces in Afghanistan say they have detained four suspected Taliban and al-Qaida militants in a pair of operations.
  • Monday, October 20

  • Sri Lankan forces push to rebel's capital   UPI / 10:14AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan army says it broke through Tamil Tiger defenses in northern portions of the country, capturing 14 rebel bunkers.
  • Sunday, October 19

  • 'Koran-Star' a hit in Afghanistan   UPI / 4:14PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- The Afghan reality TV series "Koran-Star" has enjoyed great success since debuting, earning an 80 percent audience share, TV officials say.
  • Official says Taliban killed 40 hostages   UPI / 1:05PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 19 (UPI) -- At least 40 people kidnapped from a bus in southern Afghanistan have been killed by Taliban militants, an official said Sunday.
  • Saturday, October 18

  • Afghan surge advocate to head British Army   UPI / 3:54PM
    LONDON, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- A general who favors increasing the number of troops in Afghanistan has been named head of the British army.
  • China to invest heavily in Pakistan   UPI / 1:24PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- China is expected to offer vital financial assistance to the struggling Asian country of Pakistan, officials say.
  • Former official turns Taliban   UPI / 2:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- A former provincial official in Afghanistan is now the Taliban commander in Herat and says he wants U.S. forces out of the country.
  • Friday, October 17

  • U.S. begins training mission in Pakistan   UPI / 8:14PM
    WASHINGTON, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- The U.S. military is beginning a training effort inside Pakistan aimed at helping Pakistanis fight tribal militants, officials said.
  • U.S. soldier shot, killed in Afghanistan   UPI / 2:04AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 17 (UPI) -- A U.S. soldier died after being shot at by an Afghan policeman in eastern Afghanistan, the second such incident in a month, officials said.
  • Thursday, October 16

  • U.S. service member killed in Afghanistan   UPI / 1:44PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- A member of the U.S. armed forces serving in Afghanistan was killed Thursday when a member of the Afghan National Police attacked a convoy, the military says.
  • Suspected U.S. strike kills 4 in Pakistan   UPI / 8:14AM
    KABUL, Pakistan, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- A suspected U.S. missile strike Thursday killed up to four people in Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal region, witnesses and officials said.
  • Taliban says ready to talk   UPI / 2:44AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 16 (UPI) -- A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban told the BBC the militants operating in the nation's troubled northwest region are willing to talk with the government.
  • Tuesday, October 14

  • Security forces claim more militant deaths   UPI / 2:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 14 (UPI) -- Pakistani security forces claimed at least 43 militants were killed in fighting at two different locations in the troubled northwest region.
  • Monday, October 13

  • Momentum builds for Taliban negotiations   UPI / 9:05AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai and U.S. and British officials have concluded there can be no military victory over Taliban insurgents, Time Magazine says.
  • Sunday, October 12

  • Slain Taliban leader was Pakistan officer   UPI / 2:14PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 12 (UPI) -- A Taliban commander killed by British forces in Afghanistan last year was actually a Pakistani military officer, Afghan sources say.
  • Saturday, October 11

  • Nine Afghan militants killed in clashes   UPI / 9:24AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- Nine Taliban and al-Qaida militants were killed in Afghanistan in two separate operations by U.S.-led coalition forces, officials said Saturday.
  • Thursday, October 9

  • Crisis in Afghanistan coming, report says   UPI / 7:14AM
    WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Government corruption and increased militant violence are leading Afghanistan in a downward spiral, a classified U.S. intelligence report says.
  • Military briefs politicians on terrorism   UPI / 2:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Pakistan's powerful military met with lawmakers in a rare secret session to brief the latter about its fight against terrorism in the country.
  • Wednesday, October 8

  • Report increases airstrike civilian toll   UPI / 10:35AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- A Pentagon investigation into U.S. airstrikes in western Afghanistan is said to have concluded that more civilians died than field commanders acknowledged.
  • Multiparty election held in Maldives   UPI / 7:14AM
    MALE, Maldives, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom fought Wednesday to retain his title in the first multiparty presidential poll on the Indian Ocean island nation.
  • Monday, October 6

  • Suicide bomber strikes in Pakistan   UPI / 5:05PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- At least 20 people were killed and more than 60 were injured Monday in a suicide bomb attack aimed at a lawmaker in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province.
  • Deadly quakes rock Kyrgyzstan, Tibet   UPI / 10:35AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- At least 70 people died and 120 buildings were destroyed in a weekend earthquake in southern Kyrgyzstan, the government said.
  • Zardari comments welcomed in India   UPI / 7:54AM
    NEW DELHI, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Indian media gave prominent play to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari's reported statement that India has never been a threat to his country.
  • Sunday, October 5

  • Skydivers parachute over Everest   UPI / 3:54PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- A Brit, a New Zealander and a Canadian Sunday become the first to parachute over Mount Everest, authorities in Nepal say.
  • Afghan 'decisive victory' called unlikely   UPI / 11:34AM
    LONDON, Oct. 5 (UPI) -- Britain's top Afghanistan military commander says the war against the Taliban cannot be won and the British public should be prepared for a deal.
  • Friday, October 3

  • Official: NATO will fail against Taliban   UPI / 9:24PM
    PARIS, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- A leaked French diplomatic cable quotes the British ambassador in Afghanistan as predicting that the NATO-led military campaign against the Taliban will fail.
  • Suspected drone attack kills at least 10   UPI / 8:05PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- A suspected missile strike killed at least 10 people Friday in the Pakistani village of Lund Mohammad Khel, a military official said.
  • Pakistan claims right to nuclear deal   UPI / 7:14AM
    MULTAN, Pakistan, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani says Pakistan has a right to ask for a similar civilian nuclear deal the United States has reached with India.
  • Report: Karzai seeks Mullah Omar's return   UPI / 7:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 3 (UPI) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Friday he would guarantee the safety of Mullah Omar if the Afghan Taliban leader returned home.
  • Wednesday, October 1

  • Pakistan reportedly almost caught Zawahiri   UPI / 7:34PM
    CAIRO, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Osama bin Laden's top deputy eluded Pakistani troops in the country's tribal areas after they got close to his hideout, another Islamist leader says.
  • Spokesman: Pakistani Taliban chief alive   UPI / 3:05PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Baitullah Mehsud, the Pakistani Taliban chief blamed for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, is alive, a Tehrik-e-Taliban spokesman said.
  • Suspected U.S. drone strike kills four   UPI / 7:44AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Pakistani security officials said a suspected U.S. drone missile strike Wednesday in a Taliban-haven tribal area killed at least four people.
  • Tuesday, September 30

  • 53 rebels, 5 soldiers dead in Sri Lanka   UPI / 8:14PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Fighting between Sri Lankan government forces and Tamil Tigers has left 53 rebels and five soldiers dead, the Defense Ministry said Tuesday.
  • Pakistani spy agency has new chief   UPI / 6:44AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Pakistani army chief Ashfaq Kayani appointed Lt. Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha to be the head of the powerful spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence.
  • Monday, September 29

  • Several die in Pakistani fighting   UPI / 7:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- The Pakistani military said 15 militants died and several others were wounded in clashes with security forces in the violence-wracked Bajaur tribal region.
  • Military says 62 rebels killed   UPI / 12:44AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Sept. 29 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan military claimed its forces killed 62 Tamil Tiger rebels and lost three of its own in weekend battles in the island nation's northern region.
  • Saturday, September 27

  • Pakistan army claims major border fighting   UPI / 1:54PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- The Pakistani army says it will defeat Taliban and al-Qaida militants in the Bajaur tribal region within three months.
  • Britain: No troop transfer to Afghanistan   UPI / 8:34AM
    LONDON, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- British troops to be removed from Iraq will not be redeployed to Afghanistan despite a resurgence of Taliban activity, military sources say.
  • Friday, September 26

  • 48 Tamil Tigers killed in Sri Lanka   UPI / 1:44PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan troops killed 48 members of the Tamil Tigers rebel group while suffering four casualties near the city of Kilinochchi, the military says.
  • Thursday, September 25

  • Pakistan accused of NATO helicopter attack   UPI / 1:05PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 25 (UPI) -- Pakistani forces allegedly fired on a group of NATO-led helicopters in eastern Afghanistan Thursday, officials say.
  • Wednesday, September 24

  • Pakistan claims drone wreckage found   UPI / 1:14PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Pakistani officials said Wednesday they have found the wreckage of a downed U.S. drone inside the country, but U.S. officials denied the report.
  • Pakistan, China in nuclear fuel deal   UPI / 8:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Pakistan will seek nuclear fuel assistance from China in a bid to build 10 new nuclear power plants over the next 22 years, sources say.
  • Gilani sets up committee to curb terrorism   UPI / 2:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has set up a high-powered strategy group to curb terrorism following the Marriott Hotel blast.
  • Pakistan says 50 militants killed   UPI / 12:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Pakistan's military said its troops killed more than 50 militants Tuesday while losing one of its own in clashes in the country's troubled northwest region.
  • Tuesday, September 23

  • Sarkozy narrowly wins Afghan backing   UPI / 9:14AM
    PARIS, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy secured parliamentary backing for a continued military commitment in Afghanistan but critics warn of trouble ahead.
  • Saturday, September 20

  • Bangladesh election set for December   UPI / 7:44PM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- The caretaker government in Bangladesh has scheduled a general election for Dec. 18, Fakhruddin Ahmed, the election chief adviser, announced Saturday.
  • Zardari to uphold Pakistan sovereignty   UPI / 10:44AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari says he won't allow either terrorists or foreign forces fighting them to violate the country's sovereignty.
  • Six die in Pakistan car combing   UPI / 7:24AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- A suicide car bomber killed six people in Pakistan's North West Frontier province Saturday when the vehicle slammed into an army convoy, officials say.
  • 'Friendly' Australian fire kills Afghans   UPI / 2:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- The Australian Defense Force is investigating the shooting of several Afghan police officers and a district governor by Australian soldiers.
  • Friday, September 19

  • Military advisers may go to Pakistan soon   UPI / 3:44PM
    WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- The long-delayed plan to send U.S. military advisers to Pakistan to train its army could happen in a matter of weeks, a top U.S. military official said.
  • Mullen's Pakistan trip highlights concerns   UPI / 3:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 19 (UPI) -- This week's Pakistan trip of U.S. Adm. Michael Mullen came amid rising concerns about the escalating insurgency in that nation's tribal areas.
  • Wednesday, September 17

  • Gates apologizes for deadly Afghan strike   UPI / 8:44AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, visiting Afghanistan Wednesday, apologized for the deaths of Afghan citizens from recent U.S. and allied airstrikes.
  • Commander wants more troops in Afghanistan   UPI / 7:34AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- The commander of the NATO forces in Afghanistan says more than 10,000 extra troops are needed besides the additions announced by U.S. President George Bush.
  • U.S. military chief visits Pakistan   UPI / 7:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff arrived in Pakistan where officials are upset over an anti-insurgent incursion by U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
  • Afghan blast kills 4 coalition troops   UPI / 7:24AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Four coalition force soldiers and an Afghan national died Wednesday in a roadside bombing in eastern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said.
  • Monday, September 15

  • Afghan air force said still unready   UPI / 8:54PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Afghanistan's fledgling air force has made strides in the past year but still is years away from self-sufficiency, a top U.S. military official said Monday.
  • Report: Pakistani army foils U.S. raid   UPI / 9:45AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Two U.S. helicopters carrying troops allegedly were stopped Monday from entering South Waziristan by the Pakistani army and local tribes.
  • Saturday, September 13

  • Official: Nepal to push illegal Tibetans   UPI / 2:44PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- The Nepalese government is to begin urging Tibetan citizens illegally living in Nepal to return to India, a Home Ministry official says.
  • Thursday, September 11

  • Pakistan army commander: U.S. keep out   UPI / 3:44PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- The commander of the Pakistani army has warned the United States against sending forces from Afghanistan into Pakistan to pursue Taliban and al-Qaida fighters.
  • Bush reportedly OK'd raids in Pakistan   UPI / 10:05AM
    WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush secretly approved orders in July for missions in Pakistan without Islamabad's prior approval, U.S. officials said.
  • Pakistan says no to foreign incursion   UPI / 7:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 11 (UPI) -- Pakistan's army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, says no outside forces are allowed to conduct military operations inside the country.
  • Wednesday, September 10

  • Mullen calls for new Afghanistan strategy   UPI / 10:44PM
    WASHINGTON, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- The top U.S. military commander said Wednesday that while victory in Afghanistan is possible, the current strategy is not leading Americans in that direction.
  • Harper would withdraw troops by 2011   UPI / 1:44PM
    VAUGHAN, Ontario, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- A Conservative government would withdraw most Canadian troops from Afghanistan in 2011, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Wednesday.
  • Former Bangladeshi PM gets bail   UPI / 7:14AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- A Bangladeshi high court granted bail to former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, detained a year ago by the military-backed interim government on corruption charges.
  • Sri Lanka says jets bomb Tiger command   UPI / 7:14AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan government said Wednesday its air force jets bombed the main intelligence command of the Tiger rebels.
  • Tuesday, September 9

  • More U.S. troops headed to Afghanistan   UPI / 10:44AM
    WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Additional U.S. troops will be deployed to Afghanistan beginning in November, U.S. President George Bush announced Tuesday.
  • Zardari sworn in as Pakistan's president   UPI / 7:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- Asif Ali Zardari, husband of slain Benazir Bhutto, Tuesday took the oath of office as Pakistani president.
  • Ministry claims rebel plane shot down   UPI / 2:05AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan defense ministry said its air force Tuesday shot down a plane belonging to the Tamil Tiger rebels in the Tamil-stronghold northern region.
  • Monday, September 8

  • Sunset ramp ceremony for Canadian soldier   UPI / 2:14PM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- A solemn sunset ramp ceremony Monday was held in Afghanistan for Canadian Sgt. Scott Shipway, killed in a roadside bomb attack.
  • Worries mount about 'dirty bomb' plots   UPI / 12:14PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- Islamic terrorists are trying to take advantage of political chaos in Pakistan to obtain radioactive materials for a so-called "dirty bomb," sources say.
  • Saturday, September 6

  • Deadly blast at checkpoint near Peshawar   UPI / 10:24PM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- At least 30 people were killed and more than 70 hurt Saturday by a suicide car bomb blast in Pakistan's troubled North West Frontier Province, officials said.
  • Zardari elected Pakistani president   UPI / 9:24PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Asif Ali Zardari, the spouse of the late former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, Saturday became Pakistan's new president, officials said.
  • Friday, September 5

  • Zardari poised to lead Pakistan   UPI / 5:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- The spouse of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto poised to follow Pervez Musharraf as the country's leader has a pro-West bent, an analyst says.
  • Afghan anti-drug judge shot, killed   UPI / 6:54AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 5 (UPI) -- A 65-year-old judge in Afghanistan, who headed an appeals court dealing with drug cases, was killed in Kabul, authorities said.
  • Thursday, September 4

  • Pakistanis Condemn U.S. Operation in Tribal Area, Say It Undermines Government   AP / 8:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- In the aftermath of an extraordinary U.S. military foray into Pakistan's tribal area earlier this week, the U.S. faced stiff condemnation Thursday from Pakistani officials who argued that their government had been undermined by the apparently unilateral American action on Pakistan's soil.
  • Pakistan's Likely New Leader May Align With U.S., Produce Disputes at Home   AP / 7:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- The Bush administration may be relieved, but some Pakistanis fear the worst when Pakistan's parliament meets Saturday for the almost certain election of Asif Ali Zardari as president, succeeding the ousted former military leader Pervez Musharraf.
  • Afghan insurgents kill 3 Canadian soldiers   UPI / 9:35AM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan's Kandahar province claimed responsibility for killing three Canadian soldiers and injuring five others in an ambush.
  • Pakistan ground assault marks new strategy   UPI / 2:44AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- The United States, having sent troops on a raid into Pakistan, may be employing a new strategy against militants staging attacks on Afghanistan.
  • Pakistan condemns coalition assault   UPI / 2:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 4 (UPI) -- Pakistan strongly condemned an operation by coalition forces from Afghanistan in a Pakistani tribal area, saying it resulted in many civilian deaths.
  • Wednesday, September 3

  • Aussie forces accused of mistreatment   UPI / 11:05AM
    SYDNEY, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Australia's defense minister is backing his country's military against charges it mistreated Taliban captives in Afghanistan.
  • Pakistani PM's car shot at, PM safe   UPI / 7:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Sept. 3 (UPI) -- Two bullets hit the car carrying Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani Wednesday but the Pakistani leader was not hurt, officials said.
  • Tuesday, September 2

  • Allies carry turbine through Taliban area   UPI / 3:24PM
    HELMAND, Afghanistan, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- British military officers say they have moved a hydroelectric turbine capable of supplying power to 1.9 million people through Taliban territory.
  • Afghan war causes 500 U.S. service deaths   UPI / 10:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- Military officials say a sailor from Lexington, N.C., was the 500th U.S. service member killed in Afghanistan since the war's start in 2001.
  • Monday, September 1

  • Military says several rebels killed   UPI / 6:34AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Sept. 1 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan military says 42 Tamil Tiger rebels and five of its soldiers died in heavy fighting in the island nation's troubled northern region.
  • Sunday, August 31

  • Tigers accuse Sri Lanka of shelling camp   UPI / 8:24AM
    KILINOCHCHI, Sri Lanka, Aug. 31 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan rebels say the country's military is responsible for the deaths of five civilians at a refugee camp in the northern town of Kilinochchi.
  • Saturday, August 30

  • U.S. soldiers join Canadians in Kandahar   UPI / 4:34PM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- About 800 U.S. soldiers have joined Canadian forces in Kandahar province in Afghanistan, officials said Saturday.
  • Taliban targeted in Pakistan, Afghanistan   UPI / 11:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- Airstrikes in Pakistan and Afghanistan killed more than 30 Taliban militants in the two countries, military officials said Saturday.
  • Deadly bombing at tunnel in Pakistan   UPI / 1:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- A suicide bombing near Peshawar in Pakistan's Northwest Frontier Province has killed at least three people and injured 37.
  • Friday, August 29

  • Zardari asked to exit presidential race   UPI / 9:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- The head of the Pakistan People's Party, Asif Ali Zardari, should withdraw from the presidential race due to his mental health, an opposition official says.
  • Thursday, August 28

  • Pakistan tightens nuclear security   UPI / 3:05PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- Pakistani officials are trying to alleviate Western concerns over the security of its nuclear weapons program.
  • Fever claims life of two-headed baby   UPI / 1:34PM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- A baby born with two heads has died in Bangladesh after contracting a fever and suffering breathing difficulties, The Mirror said Thursday.
  • Wednesday, August 27

  • Prison break showed Taliban strength   UPI / 1:35PM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- A June prison break that freed 900 prisoners has pointed out the renewed strength of Taliban forces and the weakness of the Afghan government, observers say.
  • Militants take Kashmiri family hostage   UPI / 10:14AM
    MUMBAI, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- Muslim militants took a family of six hostage in the troubled state of Kashmir Wednesday after shooting at least three people, including an Indian army officer.
  • Monday, August 25

  • Sharif: PML-N out of coalition government   UPI / 10:24PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Pakistan's coalition government collapsed Monday after minority party leader Nawaz Sharif said his party would withdraw from the 5-month-old government.
  • Sri Lankan journalist facing terror charge   UPI / 12:44PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Aug. 25 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan journalist J.S. Tissainayagam has been officially charged under the Asian nation's terrorism act after five months in custody, activists say.
  • Sunday, August 24

  • Pakistan claims 50 Taliban slain in raids   UPI / 6:44AM
    SWAT VALLEY, Pakistan, Aug. 24 (UPI) -- Pakistani soldiers, responding to an earlier powerful suicide bomb blast, pounded Taliban positions in the Swat Valley, killing 50 militants, officials say.
  • Saturday, August 23

  • Karzai criticizes U.S. for civilian deaths   UPI / 3:54PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai blamed U.S. forces Saturday for civilian deaths in his country's western region.
  • Friday, August 22

  • Pakistan Taliban vow more attacks   UPI / 1:04AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 22 (UPI) -- Pakistan's Taliban, claiming responsibility for two separate bombings this week that killed about 100 people, have vowed more such attacks.
  • Thursday, August 21

  • Twin blasts hit Pakistan plant, 70 dead   UPI / 12:04PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Twin suicide bombings at Pakistan's main military weapons plant north of Islamabad Thursday killed a reported 70 people and wounded 90 others, officials said.
  • British PM visits troops in Afghanistan   UPI / 7:24AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made a surprise visit Thursday to Afghanistan to meet with British troops in Helmand province and President Hamid Karzai.
  • Tuesday, August 19

  • Pakistan's Ruling Coalition Split Over Reinstating Judges   AP / 7:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- The Pakistani ruling coalition showed signs of fracture Tuesday, only a day after embattled President Pervez Musharraf resigned to avoid impeachment, raising questions about how the coalition will tackle the major crises facing the South Asian nation.
  • Musharraf departure creates challenges   UPI / 1:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- The Pakistani ruling coalition that engineered President Pervez Musharraf's resignation must show it is ready to lead, political analysts said.
  • Coalition to decide future after Musharraf   UPI / 12:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- The leadership of the Pakistani ruling coalition met again Tuesday to decide on a course of action following the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf.
  • Monday, August 18

  • Musharraf resignation accepted   UPI / 5:44PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, facing possible impeachment, announced his resignation Monday and lawmakers immediately accepted it.
  • Sources: Taliban caused civilian deaths   UPI / 1:24PM
    LASKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- British defense sources contend Taliban forces in Afghanistan caused the deaths of several civilians by placing them at risk.
  • Musharaff resignation no surprise   UPI / 8:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 18 (UPI) -- The events leading up to embattled Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's resignation Monday may have left him with no other choice.
  • Sunday, August 17

  • Dozens of Taliban killed   UPI / 5:24PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- More than two dozen Taliban fighters were killed during an unsuccessful ambush of a NATO supply convoy Sunday, Afghan officials said.
  • Pakistani military unlikely to intervene   UPI / 7:44AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- The Pakistani military, which has directly ruled the country for half its existence, appears determined to not intervene in the latest crisis, analysts say.
  • Saturday, August 16

  • Nepal prime minister to take oath Monday   UPI / 3:14PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Nepal's newly elected prime minister will take his oath of office Monday, political leaders say.
  • Friday, August 15

  • Pakistan military says 32 militants killed   UPI / 1:24AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Pakistan says 32 militants were killed in clashes in the Bajaur tribal area but it was not clear whether the dead included a senior Taliban commander.
  • Thursday, August 14

  • Report: Musharraf set to resign   UPI / 9:44PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf intends to resign before his nation's parliament takes up impeachment proceedings against him, CBS News reported Thursday.
  • Musharraf calls for reconciliation   UPI / 2:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- President Pervez Musharraf, under impeachment threat, said in a televised address Pakistan needs political stability to fight terrorism and for economic growth.
  • Wednesday, August 13

  • Blast kills 14 in Pakistan   UPI / 1:14PM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Aug. 13 (UPI) -- The roadside bombing of a Pakistani military vehicle by suspected Islamic militants has left at least 14 people dead, authorities said Wedbesday.
  • Tuesday, August 12

  • Blast kills 12 in Pakistan   UPI / 6:54AM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- A bomb, apparently targeting a Pakistani air force bus, went off Tuesday in Peshawar, killing at least 12 people, police said.
  • Musharraf to fight impeachment effort   UPI / 1:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, refusing to resign, says he will disprove the charges against him from the ruling coalition that wants to impeach him.
  • Monday, August 11

  • 50 militants killed in Pakistan   UPI / 6:04PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- Pakistani security forces engaged in pitched battles with Taliban fighters Monday, leaving an estimated 50 militants dead, local media reported.
  • Afghan civilians among 33 dead in air raid   UPI / 7:54AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- At least 33 people, including eight civilians, died in a coalition airstrike in southern Afghanistan, military officials said Monday.
  • Minister: Charge against Musharraf strong   UPI / 1:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- The charge-sheet against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, who faces impeachment, are strong and voluminous, a government minister said.
  • Message attacks Pakistani leadership   UPI / 12:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- An English-language audio message purportedly from al-Qaida No. 2 leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has urged Pakistanis to support the Jihadi movement.
  • Sunday, August 10

  • Khan's wife says Musharraf lied   UPI / 5:24PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- The wife of Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan said President Pervez Musharraf lied about her husband's role in the country's nuclear program.
  • Saturday, August 9

  • Dispute rages over Kashmir shrine   UPI / 5:05PM
    NEW DELHI, Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Violence in Indian-controlled Kashmir has erupted over 98 acres in the Himalayas, Hindus and Muslims say.
  • Friday, August 8

  • Nepal govt. formation efforts intensify   UPI / 6:34AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- Major political parties in Nepal scrambled to form a government before a Friday deadline set by the president of the Himalayan republic.
  • Thursday, August 7

  • Coalition agrees to impeach Musharraf   UPI / 11:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Pakistan's ruling coalition has agreed to impeach President Pervez Musharraf in an unprecedented move hailed as "good news for democracy."
  • Report: 25 militants killed in Pakistan   UPI / 7:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Pakistani military forces claimed it killed 25 militants and injured 35 more in clashes in the Bajaur tribal agency.
  • Tuesday, August 5

  • New Afghan rules bar military aid-giving   UPI / 11:34AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- The United Nations says NATO forces in Afghanistan have agreed to new guidelines meant to stop the blurring of distinctions between soldiers and aid workers.
  • Italian climber rescued from K2   UPI / 10:34AM
    SKARDU, Pakistan, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- A third climber who survived a deadly ice avalanche on K2, the world's second highest mountain, was rescued Tuesday, a Pakistani official said.
  • Report: 94 Pakistani militants killed   UPI / 7:44AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Clashes in the Swat valley in Pakistan's north-west region claimed the lives of at least 94 militants and 14 soldiers, an army official told the BBC.
  • Monday, August 4

  • K2 climb survivors airlifted to hospital   UPI / 3:05PM
    SKARDU, Pakistan, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Two survivors of a deadly avalanche on K2, the world's second-tallest mountain, were airlifted to a Pakistani hospital Monday, officials said.
  • Taliban may be gaining upper hand   UPI / 11:15AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- The strategy of a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan is not to control territory but to outlast NATO and U.S. forces, the militant group's leaders assert.
  • Observers monitor Bangladesh elections   UPI / 11:15AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Local elections Monday in Bangladesh were being watched closely to determine if the country's emergency security decree would hamper freedom, observers said.
  • Sunday, August 3

  • MI5 searching for Taliban supporters   UPI / 2:14PM
    LONDON, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The British intelligence group MI5 is using surveillance aircraft to find British nationals who fought with the Taliban in Afghanistan, the Daily Mail says.
  • Thursday, July 31

  • 13 civilians killed in Pakistan clashes   UPI / 9:54PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 31 (UPI) -- At least 13 civilians were killed in Pakistan's northwestern Swat valley when their homes were hit by mortar shells, officials said.
  • Wednesday, July 30

  • No Afghanistan reinforcements on horizon   UPI / 10:14AM
    WASHINGTON, July 30 (UPI) -- U.S. Defense Department officials say they are looking for more troops and assets to send to Afghanistan, but nothing has presented itself so far.
  • Tuesday, July 29

  • India, Pakistan border firing reported   UPI / 7:14AM
    NEW DELHI, July 29 (UPI) -- Indian and Pakistani border troops in Kashmir exchanged fire, resulting in an Indian soldier's death, defense sources told the Press Trust of India.
  • Decision on Pakistani ISI control reversed   UPI / 7:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 29 (UPI) -- The Pakistani government has had to reverse its decision to put its powerful spy agency under civilian control but is yet to explain its move.
  • Monday, July 28

  • Taliban cleric in Pakistan issues warning   UPI / 6:44AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 28 (UPI) -- A Pakistani Taliban cleric says a large number of suicide bombers are ready to take on the military if it launches more operations in the Swat valley.
  • Saturday, July 26

  • Gilani vows to fight Pakistani terrorism   UPI / 2:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 26 (UPI) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani vowed Saturday to increase anti-terrorism efforts in his country.
  • Four civilians killed in Afghanistan   UPI / 12:44PM
    LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, July 26 (UPI) -- Four civilians were killed by British troops Saturday in southern Afghanistan after allegedly failing to stop at a checkpoint, NATO said.
  • British dog handler, dog killed in Helmand   UPI / 12:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 25 (UPI) -- A British Army dog handler and a bomb-sniffing dog were killed by small arms fire while on patrol in Helmand Province in Afghanistan, the Army said Friday.
  • Thursday, July 24

  • Nepal's new govt. formation under way   UPI / 7:14AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, July 24 (UPI) -- Efforts to form a government in Nepal under its new president began Thursday but the task may prove difficult with the Maoists sitting out.
  • Wednesday, July 23

  • British solider killed in Afghanistan   UPI / 7:44AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 23 (UPI) -- A bomb struck a military vehicle in Afghanistan's Helmand province, killing a British soldier and injuring two others, the defense ministry said Wednesday.
  • Pakistan province gets Taliban warning   UPI / 3:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 23 (UPI) -- Baitullah Mehsud's Pakistani Taliban group has warned officials in the tribal northwest province of severe attacks if their military operations don't stop.
  • Deadline set for Pakistan coalition   UPI / 3:24AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 23 (UPI) -- The party of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has given an Aug. 15 deadline to its coalition partner to resolve various pending issues.
  • Monday, July 21

  • A.Q. Khan freed from Pakistan house arrest   UPI / 2:14PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 21 (UPI) -- A Pakistani court has ordered nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan freed from house arrest in Islamabad.
  • 39 Tamil Tigers die in Sri Lanka fighting   UPI / 1:34PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, July 21 (UPI) -- Heavy fighting broke out Monday in Sri Lanka, with 39 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam rebels slain as troops advanced on LTTE strongholds, officials said.
  • Obama meets with Karzai in Kabul   UPI / 4:15AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 20 (UPI) -- Presumptive Democratic U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama met with Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai Sunday in Kabul, officials said.
  • Sunday, July 20

  • Nine police die in Afghan friendly fire   UPI / 6:34AM
    FARAH, Afghanistan, July 20 (UPI) -- Nine police officers were killed by friendly fire in southwestern Afghanistan Sunday, military officials said.
  • Saturday, July 19

  • Bomb kills Canadian soldier in Afghanistan   UPI / 4:24PM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, July 19 (UPI) -- A bomb detonated and killed a Canadian soldier on patrol in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, military officials say.
  • Official: Karzai, Obama to meet   UPI / 3:14PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 19 (UPI) -- Presumptive Democratic U.S. presidential nominee Barack Obama will meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai during his visit to Afghanistan, an official says.
  • Nepal presidency undecided; runoff needed   UPI / 3:05PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, July 19 (UPI) -- A runoff will be held in Nepal to determine the country's first president after Saturday's election failed to produce a majority winner, an official says.
  • Thursday, July 17

  • Report: Musharraf ouster effort seen   UPI / 7:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 17 (UPI) -- A leader of Pakistan's coalition reportedly plans a Washington visit to win support to remove Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.
  • Constituent assembly to pick president   UPI / 2:04AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, July 17 (UPI) -- Nepal's 601-member constituent assembly has two more days to elect the republic's first president but as of Thursday no common candidate had been found.
  • U.S. may up troop count in Afghanistan   UPI / 12:54AM
    WASHINGTON, July 17 (UPI) -- The United States may consider raising troop strength in Afghanistan even as it considers cuts in Iraq, top defense officials indicated.
  • Wednesday, July 16

  • Dengue fever in Islamabad, Pakistan   UPI / 3:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 16 (UPI) -- A patient with dengue virus was receiving treatment at an Islamabad, Pakistan, hospital, officials have confirmed.
  • NATO abandons attacked Afghan outpost   UPI / 2:14PM
    WANAT, Afghanistan, July 16 (UPI) -- NATO-led forces say they have abandoned an Afghanistan military outpost that Taliban insurgents overran this week, killing nine U.S. soldiers.
  • U.S., Pakistan disagree on friendly fire   UPI / 12:14PM
    WASHINGTON, July 16 (UPI) -- The United States and Pakistan disagree over what went wrong when U.S. airstrikes killed 11 Pakistani fighters last month, sources say.
  • Tuesday, July 15

  • Karzai against strike on Iran   UPI / 8:24PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 15 (UPI) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Tuesday he opposes the United States' possible use of Afghanistan for an attack against Iran.
  • McCain calls for surge in Afghanistan   UPI / 4:24PM
    ALBUQUERQUE, July 15 (UPI) -- John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee for U.S. president, said Tuesday the strategy that worked in Iraq can work in Afghanistan.
  • Pakistan general: No NATO buildup fear   UPI / 2:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 15 (UPI) -- There is no reason to be concerned about a buildup of NATO forces on the Afghan border, a Pakistani general said Tuesday.
  • U.S. commanders ask for MRAP vehicles   UPI / 7:24AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 15 (UPI) -- U.S. commanders in Afghanistan, where roadside bombings have risen, have asked for hundreds of the new armored vehicles that can withstand such attacks.
  • Sunday, July 13

  • Bloody weekend in Sri Lanka fighting   UPI / 7:54PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, July 13 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan military claimed Sunday its troops had killed 36 Tamil Tiger rebels and wounded 16 others in intense weekend fighting.
  • At least 25 die in Afghan bombings   UPI / 2:14PM
    TARIN KOWT, Afghanistan, July 13 (UPI) -- A pair of suicide bombings killed at least 25 people in Afghanistan Sunday, officials said.
  • Taliban kills 16 Pakistani militiamen   UPI / 6:44AM
    HANGU, Pakistan, July 13 (UPI) -- Sixteen pro-government paramilitary fighters were killed by Taliban forces in Pakistan's restive North West Frontier Province, media reports said Sunday.
  • Friday, July 11

  • Civilian deaths blamed on U.S. airstrike   UPI / 12:24PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 11 (UPI) -- Afghan government officials say a U.S. aircraft bombed a civilian wedding party in Afghanistan last Sunday, killing 47 people, almost all women and children.
  • Friendly fire injures 9 British soldiers   UPI / 8:04AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 11 (UPI) -- An investigation is under way into an incident of friendly fire in which nine British soldiers in Afghanistan were injured, British military officials said.
  • Thursday, July 10

  • ICRC deplores Afghan civilian casualties   UPI / 6:44AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 10 (UPI) -- Deploring the growing violence in Afghanistan, the Red Cross says at least 250 civilians have died or been injured since last Friday in various attacks.
  • Tuesday, July 8

  • Aircraft carrier moves to Gulf of Oman   UPI / 4:14PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 8 (UPI) -- U.S. military officials said Tuesday the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln has moved into the Gulf of Oman to give its warplanes access to Afghanistan.
  • Monday, July 7

  • Khan: Musharraf approved nuclear sale   UPI / 3:26PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 5 (UPI) -- The Pakistani scientist accused of operating a nuclear proliferation ring says President Pervez Musharraf approved a sale of weapons to North Korea.
  • Lawmaker shot on bloody day in Afghanistan   UPI / 3:26PM
    NURISTAN, Afghanistan, July 5 (UPI) -- An Afghan lawmaker was gunned down on a day when 10 Taliban fighters were killed by their own bomb and others died in a disputed U.S. air strike, officials say.
  • At least 23 dead in Afghanistan bombing   UPI / 3:26PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 6 (UPI) -- At least 23 people were killed in Afghanistan Sunday when coalition aircraft dropped bombs that exploded near a group walking to a wedding party, officials say.
  • Suicide bombing in Pakistan kills 19   UPI / 3:26PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 6 (UPI) -- At least 19 people, including 15 police officers, were killed Sunday when a suicide bomber attacked a rally in Islamabad, Pakistan, officials say.
  • Karzai orders probe into civilian deaths   UPI / 3:26PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 6 (UPI) -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai has ordered an investigation into allegations that 15 civilians were killed in a U.S. military strike against militants.
  • 32 rebels, 2 soldiers die in Sri Lanka   UPI / 3:26PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, July 4 (UPI) -- Fighting in Sri Lanka's northern region Friday left 32 rebels and two government soldiers dead, the Asian nation's military said.
  • Friday, July 4

  • Politicians opposing Pakistani offensive   UPI / 4:16AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 3 (UPI) -- The Pakistani government's new offensive against Islamist insurgents is "not very effective," several Pakistani politicians say.
  • Afghan deaths hit highest-ever totals   UPI / 4:16AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 2 (UPI) -- Coalition deaths in Afghanistan reached their highest-ever monthly totals in June as U.S. military officials warned they face a more complex insurgency.
  • Wednesday, July 2

  • Italian defense minister on Afghan visit   UPI / 4:15AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, July 1 (UPI) -- Italian Defense Minister Ignazio La Russa visited Italian troops Tuesday in two regions of Afghanistan.
  • Tuesday, July 1

  • 8 dead in Pakistan blast   UPI / 3:35AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, July 1 (UPI) -- An explosion killed eight people and destroyed a pro-Taliban commander's compound in Pakistan's northwest region, the scene of an anti-insurgency campaign.
  • Monday, June 30

  • Would-be Karzai assassins were Afghans   UPI / 2:14PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 30 (UPI) -- The alleged members of an assassination plot against Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai were mostly government employees, officials said.
  • Sonic boom frightens Pakistanis   UPI / 12:44PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 30 (UPI) -- Pakistan's Air Force says a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier was responsible for two loud blasts Monday morning that frightened residents of Rawalpindi.
  • Report: Al-Qaida strategy mired in dispute   UPI / 8:34AM
    WASHINGTON, June 30 (UPI) -- Arguments within the Bush administration and the CIA have hampered efforts to counter an al-Qaida build-up in Pakistan, The New York Times reported Monday.
  • Saturday, June 28

  • Sri Lankan president vows no cease-fire   UPI / 9:14PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, June 28 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse expressed no interest Saturday in easing off his military's offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels.
  • Oil impasse continues in Nepal   UPI / 5:44PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, June 28 (UPI) -- Nepalese government officials were unable to reach an agreement Saturday with the Nepal Petroleum Dealers Association, news media says.
  • Pakistan shells Taliban positions   UPI / 3:14PM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan, June 28 (UPI) -- Pakistan officials said they shelled Taliban positions outside Peshawar Saturday in response to the militants' increasing forays into the city's outskirts.
  • Wednesday, June 25

  • Eastern Afghanistan shows rise in attacks   UPI / 2:34PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 25 (UPI) -- Insurgent activity in Afghanistan has increased and spread into areas once considered stable, U.S. military data indicate.
  • Ruling against Sharif to be appealed   UPI / 1:24AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 25 (UPI) -- Pakistan's ruling coalition plans a Supreme Court appeal of a court ruling barring former Prime Minister Nawz Sharif from contesting a parliamentary election.
  • Tuesday, June 24

  • Kidnapped filmmaker released   UPI / 2:15PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 24 (UPI) -- British documentary director Sean Langan, who was kidnapped in Afghanistan and held hostage for three months, reportedly has been released.
  • Germany sends more troops to Afghanistan   UPI / 2:15PM
    BONN, Germany, June 24 (UPI) -- In a move likely to be politically unpopular, the German government Tuesday said it wants to contribute more combat troops to the NATO mission in Afghanistan.
  • Report: 36 dead in Sri Lanka violence   UPI / 4:16AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, June 24 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan military said at least 31 Tamil Tiger rebels were killed while the government lost five soldiers in clashes in the northern region.
  • Court says Sharif cannot contest election   UPI / 4:16AM
    LAHORE, Pakistan, June 24 (UPI) -- A Pakistani court barred former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, whose party is in the ruling coalition, from contesting in a parliamentary by-election.
  • NATO forces shell militants in Pakistan   UPI / 4:16AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 23 (UPI) -- Militants hiding in Pakistan were shelled by Afghanistan's NATO forces, who said they retaliated following rocket and military attacks from across the border.
  • Sunday, June 22

  • Six killed in Afghan bombings   UPI / 4:15AM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, June 21 (UPI) -- Six members of the international forces in Afghanistan were killed Saturday in several bomb attacks, military officials say.
  • Tiger kills three in Bangladesh   UPI / 4:15AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, June 21 (UPI) -- A Royal Bengal tiger has killed three villagers in southwestern Bangladesh, officials say.
  • Germany may increase Afghan force   UPI / 4:15AM
    BERLIN, June 21 (UPI) -- The German defense minister plans to send 1,000 more soldiers to Afghanistan, a spokesman said Saturday.
  • Thursday, June 19

  • Governor: Taliban pushed out of villages   UPI / 7:05AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 19 (UPI) -- Afghan troops, supported by NATO, drove out Taliban militants from villages in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, the governor said Thursday.
  • Wednesday, June 18

  • Afghanistan army to expel Taliban in south   UPI / 1:54PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 18 (UPI) -- Two Afghan soldiers and at least 23 militants died during a military push to expel Taliban rebels from some southern villages, Afghan defense officials said.
  • Tuesday, June 17

  • Accused Smuggler of Nuclear Secrets Denies New Charges   AP / 5:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Rogue Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan on Tuesday angrily rejected chilling new allegations against him that he sold a blueprint for a sophisticated nuclear warhead, claiming that Pakistan did not have the technology to have produced the design.
  • Afghans downplay Kandahar battle reports   UPI / 3:05PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 17 (UPI) -- Persistent reports that Taliban militants are readying an offensive in Afghanistan's Kandahar province were downplayed Tuesday by military officials.
  • Monday, June 16

  • Blast kills 12 Sri Lanka police personnel   UPI / 7:14AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, June 16 (UPI) -- A suicide bomb attack Monday on a police station in northern Sri Lanka's Vavuniya region killed 12 police personnel, including three women, the military said.
  • Sunday, June 15

  • Afghanistan Leader Threatens to Send Troops to Pakistan to Combat Taliban   AP / 4:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Afghan President Hamid Karzai Sunday inflamed relations with Islamabad by threatening to send troops into Pakistan to hunt down Taliban fighters who find sanctuary across the border.
  • Sri Lanka destroys Tamil command post   UPI / 10:34AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, June 15 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan armed forces bombed and destroyed a key Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam command center Sunday, military officials said.
  • Pakistan nuke smuggling ring accused again   UPI / 8:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 15 (UPI) -- U.S. and U.N. investigators say a busted Pakistani nuclear smuggling ring trafficked in much more advanced bomb designs than previously thought.
  • 15 Taliban reported killed in Afghanistan   UPI / 8:04AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 15 (UPI) -- Military officials say the search for hundreds of escaped Taliban militants in Afghanistan has left 15 insurgents dead and led to the capture of five more.
  • Saturday, June 14

  • Canadian soldier dies in Afghanistan   UPI / 2:34PM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, June 8 (UPI) -- A 26-year-old Canadian soldier died in Afghanistan after stepping into a deep uncovered well while on night patrol outside of Kandahar, officials say.
  • Kandahar governor says he warned troops   UPI / 2:24PM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- The governor of Kandahar blamed Canadian soldiers for a deadly suicide bombing in Afghanistan, saying they ignored his warning of a bomber.
  • Four U.S. soldiers die in Afghanistan   UPI / 8:44AM
    FARAH, Afghanistan, June 14 (UPI) -- Military officials said four U.S. soldiers were killed and another was seriously wounded in Afghanistan Saturday in a roadside bomb blast.
  • Friday, June 13

  • Nepal leader favors 'equidistance' policy   UPI / 7:54AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, June 13 (UPI) -- Maoist leader Prachanda, who may become Nepal's next prime minister, says he wants his country to keep a policy of "equidistance" between China and India.
  • Sharif says Musharraf on way out   UPI / 6:54AM
    LAHORE, Pakistan, June 13 (UPI) -- Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says President Pervez Musharraf is on his way out but that he won't be allowed to flee the country.
  • Nepal Maoist ministers quit interim govt.   UPI / 2:14AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, June 13 (UPI) -- Nepal's Maoist ministers, whose party won the most seats in recent polls, quit the interim regime in a bid to form their Maoist-led government.
  • Thursday, June 12

  • U.S. says Afghan airstrikes justified   UPI / 11:05PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 12 (UPI) -- The U.S. military says a video of its deadly airstrike in the Afghan-Pakistani border region proves that U.S. forces were targeted by pro-Taliban militants.
  • Ousted Nepal king leaves palace   UPI / 4:16AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, June 12 (UPI) -- Ousted Nepal King Gyanendra and his family have moved out of their sprawling Kathmandu palace -- the final act of the Himalayan nation's 240-year-old monarchy.
  • Pakistan Condemns NATO Strike   AP / 4:16AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- Pakistan on Wednesday accused U.S.-led NATO forces of killing 11 paramilitary troops in an "unprovoked" and "senseless" air strike Tuesday night on their post just inside Pakistan's mountainous border with Afghanistan.
  • Wednesday, June 11

  • Pakistan says deadly attack unprovoked   UPI / 7:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 11 (UPI) -- Pakistan accused U.S.-led forces of killing 11 Pakistani troops with an airstrike near the border with Afghanistan.
  • Opposition leader to be treated in U.S.   UPI / 7:24AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, June 11 (UPI) -- Officials have released Bangladeshi opposition leader Sheikh Hasina from prison so she may be treated in the United States for several medical conditions.
  • Rebels attack Sri Lankan navy post   UPI / 7:05AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, June 11 (UPI) -- A Tamil Tiger rebel attack on a Sri Lankan navy outpost Wednesday left three sailors and four rebels dead, the military said.
  • Monday, June 9

  • Laura Bush visit troops in Afghanistan   UPI / 7:34PM
    BAGRAM, Afghanistan, June 9 (UPI) -- Afghan women have made terrific strides since she first visited the country, U.S. first lady Laura Bush told U.S. troops at Bagram Air Base Monday.
  • Russia may resume Afghan arms shipments   UPI / 6:24PM
    MOSCOW, June 9 (UPI) -- A top Russian official said Monday the country may resume shipping Russian arms to Afghanistan after the shipments ceased in 2005.
  • Sri Lankan violence takes heavy toll   UPI / 7:14AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, June 9 (UPI) -- Several people died in the beleaguered northern region of Sri Lanka, with the military and rebels making counterclaims regarding results of the fighting.
  • Sunday, June 8

  • Afghan journalist killed   UPI / 9:44PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 8 (UPI) -- The body of an Afghan journalist was found Sunday, a day after he was reported abducted, his employer, the BBC, reported.
  • Canadian soldier dies in Afghanistan   UPI / 7:44PM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, June 8 (UPI) -- A 26-year-old Canadian soldier died in Afghanistan after stepping into a deep uncovered well while on night patrol outside of Kandahar, officials say.
  • Musharraf says he will not quit   UPI / 1:24AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 8 (UPI) -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf told reporters Saturday that rumors he plans to resign have no basis in fact.
  • Saturday, June 7

  • Pakistan asks U.N. to probe Bhutto killing   UPI / 11:05PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, June 7 (UPI) -- The government of Pakistan has asked the United Nations to investigate the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
  • Friday, June 6

  • Pakistani police seize explosives   UPI / 8:04AM
    RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, June 6 (UPI) -- Police in Pakistan said they seized two vehicles carrying hundreds of pounds of explosives in Rawalpindi, foiling a possible bombing.
  • Wednesday, June 4

  • General: More troops needed in Afghanistan   UPI / 4:15AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 3 (UPI) -- More troops and equipment are needed to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan, the outgoing U.S. general in charge of NATO forces said.
  • Opposition decries Bangladesh arrests   UPI / 4:15AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, June 3 (UPI) -- Mass arrests in Bangladesh that have swept up thousands of political leaders, students and others won't stop anti-government movements, opposition leaders say.
  • Canadian officer killed in Afghanistan   UPI / 4:15AM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, June 3 (UPI) -- Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan shot and killed a Canadian soldier on foot patrol Tuesday in the volatile Panjwai district, military officials said.
  • Tuesday, June 3

  • Heavy toll in Sri Lanka violence, floods   UPI / 2:34AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, June 3 (UPI) -- Flooding and fighting took a heavy toll in Sri Lanka where the military and Tamil rebels have been battling for months in the rebel areas in the north.
  • Monday, June 2

  • NATO pounds Taliban positions   UPI / 10:24AM
    BADGHIS, Afghanistan, June 2 (UPI) -- Military officials said Monday NATO air raids over western Afghanistan, conducted in the wake of an attack on a police post, have killed 10 insurgents.
  • Bangladesh-Myanmar road planned   UPI / 7:24AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, June 2 (UPI) -- Work on a proposed 15.5-mile long Bangladesh-Myanmar direct road link is expected to start next year, a Bangladeshi official said.
  • Sunday, June 1

  • Sri Lankan violence kills 17 people   UPI / 5:44PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, June 1 (UPI) -- At least 17 people have been killed in Sri Lanka in a fresh wave of clashes between militants and government troops, officials said Sunday.
  • 1 dead, 5 injured in Afghanistan blast   UPI / 8:14AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, June 1 (UPI) -- A remote-controlled bomb hit a mini-bus carrying Afghan troops to the defense ministry Sunday, killing one person and injuring five others, police reported.
  • Friday, May 30

  • Pakistani scientist regrets confession   UPI / 3:44PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 30 (UPI) -- Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan says he regrets his 2004 confession to transferring nuclear technology and centrifuges to other countries.
  • PM:Parliament will decide Musharraf's fate   UPI / 7:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 30 (UPI) -- Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani says it would be up to parliament to decide whether to impeach President Pervez Musharraf.
  • Thursday, May 29

  • Reports on Musharraf leaving denied   UPI / 7:05AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 29 (UPI) -- A spokesman for President Pervez Musharraf denied news reports that the Pakistani leader planned to resign.
  • Wednesday, May 28

  • Journalist killed in Sri Lanka   UPI / 10:34PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 28 (UPI) -- A journalist and a friend were found hacked to death in Sri Lanka Wednesday, a media group said.
  • Afghan roadside bomb kills NATO soldier   UPI / 9:24AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 28 (UPI) -- A NATO soldier died and four other coalition soldiers were wounded Wednesday in a roadside bomb explosion in Afghanistan, the military said.
  • Tuesday, May 27

  • Nepal has new Constituent Assembly   UPI / 8:25AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 27 (UPI) -- Nepal's Constituent Assembly, elected in April, was sworn in Tuesday with members preparing to abolish the Himalayan nation's 240-year-old monarchy.
  • Monday, May 26

  • Pakistan to curtail presidential power   UPI / 1:16AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 25 (UPI) -- The Pakistan People's Party announced in Islamabad proposed constitutional amendments that would re-seat deposed judges and limit presidential authority.
  • Elderly man breaks Everest record   UPI / 1:16AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 25 (UPI) -- A 77-year-old man set a record Sunday for being the oldest person to reach the summit of Nepal's Mount Everest, officials say.
  • Car bomber attacks NATO convoy, kills boy   UPI / 1:16AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 25 (UPI) -- One boy was killed and two more were injured Sunday when a car bomber crashed into a NATO convoy in southern Afghanistan, authorities said.
  • Saturday, May 24

  • Taliban leader says he honors ceasefire   UPI / 11:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 24 (UPI) -- A Taliban commander based in Pakistan says he's intent on honoring a ceasefire with the new Pakistan government, as long as the army doesn't attack civilians.
  • Wednesday, May 21

  • Musharraf says country committed to peace   UPI / 7:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 21 (UPI) -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf told visiting Indian officials Wednesday that Pakistan is committed to the 2004 peace process between the countries.
  • Monday, May 19

  • Afghan reporter appeals death sentence   UPI / 11:05AM
    JALALABAD, Afghanistan, May 19 (UPI) -- An Afghan journalist sentenced to death for downloading and distributing an article questioning Islam says his confession was extracted by torture.
  • Dozens die in Sri Lankan violence   UPI / 7:14AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 19 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan military and Tamil Tiger rebels fought fierce battles in the troubled northern region during the weekend, leaving dozens of people dead.
  • Minister: India open to talks with Nepal   UPI / 1:44AM
    NEW DELHI, May 19 (UPI) -- India's Foreign Ministry says New Delhi is open to talks with Nepal on the 1950 peace and friendship treaty the Himalayan country's Maoists want to scrap.
  • Suicide attack kills 12 in Pakistan   UPI / 1:14AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 19 (UPI) -- A suicide bomb attack in a military garrison area in the northwest Pakistan town of Mardan Sunday killed 12 people and injured several more.
  • Sunday, May 11

  • Fraud claims taint Sri Lanka poll   UPI / 10:29AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 11 (UPI) -- The ruling Sri Lankan coalition Sunday won 20 seats in debut elections in the country's eastern provinces amid claims of fraud and intimidation, officials said.
  • Ruling party wins Sri Lanka polls   AP / 5:29AM
    BATTICALOA, Sri Lanka - Sri Lanka's ruling party won control of the country's tense Eastern Province on Sunday after an election that monitors said was marred by voter intimidation and fraud.
  • Saturday, May 10

  • Voters in eastern Sri Lanka worry about future   AP / 4:30AM
    VALAICHCHENAI, Sri Lanka - A climate of fear hung over elections in Sri Lanka's tumultuous east Saturday following a series of attacks blamed on the rebels and accusations of intimidation against a breakaway rebel group backing the ruling party.
  • Sri Lanka holds vote in liberated east   AP / 3:55AM
    BATTICALOA, Sri Lanka - Eastern Sri Lanka residents voted Saturday in their first major election, less than a year after the separatist rebels lost control of the region. The poll was hailed as a democratic milestone but marred by a rebel attacks, one that left 11 people dead.
  • Friday, May 9

  • Nepal reopens Everest after China event   UPI / 7:00AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, May 9 (UPI) -- Nepal reopened Mount Everest to climbing expeditions following China's success Thursday in taking its Olympic flame atop the world's tallest peak.
  • Thursday, May 8

  • Pakistan leaders discuss judges' issue   UPI / 8:10AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 8 (UPI) -- Pakistan's coalition leaders met in London to discuss a draft parliamentary resolution on reinstating judges dismissed by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf.
  • Tuesday, May 6

  • Marines ignore Taliban cash crop to not upset Afghan locals   AP / 3:11PM
    GARMSER, Afghanistan - The Marines of Bravo Company's 1st Platoon sleep beside a grove of poppies. Troops in the 2nd Platoon playfully swat at the heavy opium bulbs while walking through the fields. Afghan laborers scraping the plant's gooey resin smile and wave.
  • Monday, May 5

  • Al-Qaida blamed for assassination attempt   UPI / 11:30AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, May 5 (UPI) -- Afghan officials blamed al-Qaida-backed militants for an attempt to kill President Hamid Karzai, despite the arrests of two low-ranking government workers.
  • Saturday, May 3

  • Sri Lankan violence leaves 25 dead   UPI / 6:31PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 3 (UPI) -- Fighting between members of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and government troops has left 25 dead in Sri Lanka, officials said.
  • Thursday, May 1

  • Taliban retake control of region   UPI / 3:13AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, May 1 (UPI) -- The Taliban reportedly has regained control of Pakistan's Darra Adamkhel region and resumed its activities despite the presence of security forces.
  • Wednesday, April 30

  • Prince William secretly flew to Kandahar   UPI / 9:20AM
    LONDON, April 30 (UPI) -- Britain's Prince William secretly flew a C-17 military transport from England to Afghanistan to visit troops on the front line, royal officials said.
  • Judges issue threatens Pakistan govt.   UPI / 3:51AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 30 (UPI) -- The unresolved issue of Pakistani judges ousted during President Pervez Musharraf's emergency rule threatens to unravel the month-old coalition government.
  • Tuesday, April 29

  • Iranian leader visits South Asia   UPI / 7:30AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 29 (UPI) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad received a warm welcome in Sri Lanka where his country is assisting in two major energy projects.
  • BBC: Nepal says no Everest reporting   UPI / 7:30AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, April 29 (UPI) -- Nepal, apparently bowing to Chinese pressure, has reportedly asked the BBC to leave the base camp on its side of Mount Everest in the Himalayas.
  • Afghan intel: Karzai was warned of assassination plot   AP / 3:50AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghanistan's intelligence chief says he warned the president of a weekend assassination plot against him.
  • Monday, April 28

  • Hundreds held in Karzai shooting attempt   UPI / 9:31AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, April 28 (UPI) -- Funeral services were conducted Monday for a Shiite Muslim leader, one of three people killed in an assassination attempt on Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
  • Sunday, April 27

  • Study: Oil painting predated European art   UPI / 5:50PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, April 27 (UPI) -- Oil-based paint likely was used in Afghanistan up to 800 years before it first appeared in European art, a study of cave paintings has found.
  • Saturday, April 26

  • Tamil Tigers reportedly stage air raid   UPI / 8:31PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 27 (UPI) -- Violence escalated in Sri Lanka with the arrest of nine suspects in a deadly bus bombing and a report that Tamil Tigers used light aircraft in a raid Sunday.
  • Friday, April 25

  • Pakistan, Taliban continuing peace talks despite new attack   AP / 4:31PM
    PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Pakistan's new government and Taliban militants said Friday that they would press ahead with peace talks despite American skepticism and a militant bombing that killed three people at a police station.
  • Maoists big winners in Nepal election   UPI / 2:50PM
    KHATHMANDU, Nepal, April 25 (UPI) -- The Maoists won 220 seats in the new Nepali parliament, winning more than any other party in both direct and proportional voting, officials said Friday.
  • Sri Lankan troops recapture shrine   UPI / 9:09AM
    MADHU, Sri Lanka, April 25 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan troops, embroiled in a renewed civil war, took control of a church that has the country's most important Roman Catholic shrine, army officials said.
  • TAPI gas deal reached   UPI / 7:09AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 25 (UPI) -- India has joined Pakistan and Afghanistan in the $7.6 billion, 1,043-mile pipeline project to transport natural gas from Turkmenistan.
  • Taliban commander in Pakistan orders halt to attacks   AP / 1:50AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The top Taliban commander in Pakistan called a cease-fire Thursday and ordered followers to halt attacks, while the government said it was pursuing peace talks with tribal elders in the volatile border region.
  • Thursday, April 24

  • Nepal completes vote counting   UPI / 8:06AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, April 24 (UPI) -- Nepalese officials Thursday finished counting votes cast in the April 10 election to the 601-constituent assembly, saying results will be announced soon.
  • Heavy casualties reported in Sri Lanka   UPI / 1:45AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 24 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan troops and Tamil Tiger rebels reportedly took heavy casualties in one of their fiercest clashes in the current wave of violence.
  • Wednesday, April 23

  • Afghanistan bans soap operas   UPI / 4:20PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, April 23 (UPI) -- Afghanistan's government has barred soap operas from television stations in an effort to thwart liberal reforms, officials said.
  • Denial lack of equipment endangers troops   UPI / 3:21PM
    OSLO, Norway, April 23 (UPI) -- Norwegian military authorities deny a lack of crucial equipment is endangering the country's troops fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan.
  • Berlin neglecting forces in Afghanistan   UPI / 8:30AM
    BERLIN, April 23 (UPI) -- An official with the German military union accused the government of neglecting troops in Afghanistan by not bolstering German peacekeeping forces.
  • Report: Afghan troops kill 16 insurgents   UPI / 2:10AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, April 23 (UPI) -- Troops in Afghanistan reportedly killed 16 suspected Taliban militants in the past two days in the southern and eastern parts of the country.
  • Monday, April 21

  • NATO falls short in Afghanistan   UPI / 11:30AM
    BRUSSELS, April 21 (UPI) -- Bush administration efforts to persuade NATO members to send more troops to Afghanistan fell far short of the total needed, NATO leaders say.
  • Germans say U.S. is holding innocent man   UPI / 10:27AM
    BERLIN, April 21 (UPI) -- German intelligence officials say they believe a German national held by the U.S. military in Afghanistan is innocent of terrorist charges.
  • Afghan forces could secure country by 2011   UPI / 9:27AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, April 21 (UPI) -- Most of Afghanistan should be secured by 2011, allowing international peacekeeping forces to withdraw, a U.S. general said.
  • Canada's Afghan bill to top $1B this year   UPI / 8:57AM
    OTTAWA, April 21 (UPI) -- The cost of Canada's combat role in Afghanistan in 2008 is expected to surpass $1 billion, a Defense Department document says.
  • Sunday, April 20

  • Pakistan considers commuting executions   UPI / 10:20AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 20 (UPI) -- The Pakistani government has asked President Pervez Musharraf to abolish the death penalty, officials said.
  • Nepal says torch protesters will be shot   UPI / 9:10AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, April 20 (UPI) -- Nepal security forces have been authorized to open fire on pro-Tibet protesters while the Olympic flame is carried up Mount Everest, an official said.
  • Son of Dutch military chief killed by bomb   UPI / 12:46AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, April 20 (UPI) -- The son of a Dutch general was killed in Afghanistan the day after his father became commander-in-chief of the country's armed forces.
  • Saturday, April 19

  • Pakistan tests long-range missile   UPI / 9:57AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 19 (UPI) -- Pakistan successfully test-fired a long-range surface-to-surface missile Saturday, Pakistani military officials said.
  • Friday, April 18

  • Bomb kills 2 Dutch soldiers in Afghanistan   UPI / 3:50PM
    TARIN KOWT, Afghanistan, April 18 (UPI) -- A roadside bomb exploded in the Afghan province of Uruzgan, killing two Dutch soldiers and injuring two others, military officials said.
  • Thursday, April 17

  • Pakistani judges may be restored to bench   UPI / 12:50PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 17 (UPI) -- Pakistani justices fired by President Pervez Musharraf when he imposed emergency rule could be restored to office soon, a senior government official said.
  • Tuesday, April 15

  • U.N. probe of Bhutto's death sought   UPI / 11:50AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 15 (UPI) -- Pakistan's National Assembly adopted a resolution to ask the United Nations to investigate the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
  • Monday, April 14

  • Maoists lead Nepalese elections   UPI / 12:30PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, April 14 (UPI) -- The Maoists opposition group in Nepal may become the largest bloc in the 240-member Nepalese Constituent Assembly, poll results as of Monday showed.
  • Sunday, April 13

  • Maoists wins not predicted, analysts say   UPI / 5:36PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, April 13 (UPI) -- Maoists won more seats than expected in a test of the group's decade-long insurgent campaign, election observers said.
  • Friday, April 11

  • Inflation hits record in Pakistan   UPI / 1:00PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 11 (UPI) -- Inflation in Pakistan reached a monthly record 14.12 percent in March, the government reported.
  • Thursday, April 10

  • Nepal vote called success despite 2 deaths   UPI / 12:20PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, April 10 (UPI) -- International observers hailed Nepal's elections Thursday as a success despite violence that left two people dead.
  • Wednesday, April 9

  • Taliban attack kills 18 in Afghanistan   UPI / 2:40AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, April 9 (UPI) -- Taliban militants in Afghanistan reportedly killed at least 18 guards protecting a road construction crew in an ambush near the border with Pakistan.
  • Monday, April 7

  • Sri Lankan forces attack rebels   UPI / 4:00PM
    KOTTE, Sri Lanka, April 7 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan air force attacked Tamil Tiger positions in the north Monday, the day after a suicide bombing killed a Cabinet minister, military officials said.
  • Sunday, April 6

  • Sri Lanka Bombing Kills 12; Dozens Hurt   AP / 8:10AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - A suicide bomber attacked the opening ceremony of a marathon outside Sri Lanka's capital Sunday, killing a government minister and 11 other people, authorities said. Dozens were wounded.
  • Friday, April 4

  • Gates: More troops for Afghanistan in '09   UPI / 4:20PM
    BUCHAREST, Romania, April 4 (UPI) -- President George Bush expects the United States will send a "significant" number of troops to Afghanistan in 2009, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Friday.
  • Pakistan leader promises constitution   UPI / 10:50AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 4 (UPI) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani promised Friday to restore the constitution and ensure an independent judiciary.
  • Sir Lanka strikes Tamil rebel base   UPI / 7:01AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, April 4 (UPI) -- Sri Lanka said Friday that its jets bombed and destroyed a Tamil Tiger rebel training base in the northern part of the island nation.
  • Thursday, April 3

  • Pakistan wants no direct U.S. action   UPI / 10:30AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 3 (UPI) -- Pakistan says any direct U.S. action against militants in its violence-hit tribal areas would undermine the war against terrorism.
  • Speaker talks on Musharraf's future   UPI / 7:10AM
    KARACHI, Pakistan, April 3 (UPI) -- Pakistan's parliament under the constitution will decide the future of President Pervez Musharraf, the new speaker of the national assembly says.
  • Wednesday, April 2

  • More NATO troops expected in Afghanistan   UPI / 7:26AM
    BUCHAREST, Romania, April 2 (UPI) -- NATO leaders likely will approve deployment of more troops to Afghanistan, the military alliance leader said Wednesday in Bucharest, Romania.
  • Pakistan's A.Q. Khan wants to be free   UPI / 7:16AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 2 (UPI) -- Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan, who passed nuclear secrets to North Korea, Libya and Iran, has claimed he is being illegally detained in his home.
  • Tuesday, April 1

  • France may send more troops to Afghanistan   UPI / 4:10PM
    PARIS, April 1 (UPI) -- France may increase its forces in Afghanistan if other NATO countries also send more troops, French Prime Minister Francois Fillon told Parliament.
  • New Pakistani Cabinet takes over   UPI / 7:10AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 1 (UPI) -- The new 24-member Pakistani Cabinet, led by Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gillani, is made up of mostly members of the country's two main parties.
  • Monday, March 31

  • Norwegian base in Afghanistan attacked   UPI / 10:31AM
    MEYMANEH, Afghanistan, March 31 (UPI) -- Three rockets targeted a Norwegian military base in northern Afghanistan early Monday, prompting the evacuation of the base, military officials said.
  • Thursday, March 27

  • Violence roils Pakistani tribal areas   UPI / 7:16PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 27 (UPI) -- About 40 people were reported dead Thursday in two days of sectarian fighting in the Northwest Frontier Province of Pakistan.
  • U.S. conducts more airstrikes in Pakistan   UPI / 6:46PM
    WASHINGTON, March 27 (UPI) -- U.S. airstrikes targeting al-Qaida in Pakistan have increased because commanders fear the new government may ban some U.S. military operations, a report said.
  • Afghan munitions supplier suspended   UPI / 7:36AM
    NEW YORK, March 27 (UPI) -- A fledgling company identified as the main supplier of munitions for Afghanistan has been suspended from U.S. government contracting.
  • Wednesday, March 26

  • 2 police killed by landmine in Sri Lanka   UPI / 8:10PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 26 (UPI) -- A landmine detonated in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, Wednesday, killing two police officers and injuring four others, the military said.
  • U.S. envoys arrive in Pakistan   UPI / 2:11AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 26 (UPI) -- Nawaz Sharif, a key figure in Pakistan's new coalition government, says the country should not become a killing field while fighting extremism.
  • Monday, March 24

  • All Judges Jailed by Musharraf Freed   AP / 1:10PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan's state-run news agency is
  • Rhinoceros numbers rise in Nepal   UPI / 7:06AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, March 24 (UPI) -- The number of the endangered one-horned rhinoceros in the animal's Royal Chitwan National Park habitat in Nepal has gone up by 36 to 408, a new census showed.
  • Sri Lankan military clashes with rebels   UPI / 12:00AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 23 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan troops killed 48 rebel fighters in its separatist territory, a report said Sunday.
  • Sunday, March 23

  • Bloody day of violence in Afghanistan   UPI / 10:15AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 23 (UPI) -- Heavy bloodshed was reported in Afghanistan Sunday, with NATO forces claiming to have killed many Taliban insurgents and two NATO troops killed.
  • Saturday, March 22

  • Teenage singer wins 'Afghan Star'   UPI / 6:35PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 22 (UPI) -- A 19-year-old singer is this year's winner of "Afghan Star," the pop music TV competition akin to the United States' "American Idol."
  • British troops target Afghan drug trade   UPI / 1:10PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 22 (UPI) -- British special forces reportedly killed an alleged drug trafficker and his 6-year-old son in new military efforts aimed at drug lords in southern Afghanistan.
  • Sci-Fi writer Clarke buried   UPI / 1:00PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 22 (UPI) -- Sir Arthur C. Clarke, the renowned British science-fiction guru, was buried in a secular funeral Saturday in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
  • Sri Lankan gunship sinks, 10 missing   UPI / 12:40PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 22 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan military combed the waters off the northeast coast Saturday for 10 sailors missing after their patrol boat exploded and sank, the navy said.
  • Friday, March 21

  • Pakistan bombing kills 5 soldiers   UPI / 7:37AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 21 (UPI) -- A suicide bomb attack killed five Pakistani soldiers in a tribal area bordering Afghanistan, where U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney was visiting.
  • Thursday, March 20

  • Cheney praises troops for Afghan success   UPI / 6:00PM
    BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan, March 20 (UPI) -- Afghanistan is making history and U.S. troops stationed there deserve much of the credit, Vice President Dick Cheney said during a visit to Bagram Air Base.
  • Cheney meets with Afghan president   UPI / 12:30PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 20 (UPI) -- U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney restated a U.S. commitment to Afghanistan Thursday and said he envisioned that country enjoying peace and freedom.
  • EU, U.N. condemn election killing in Nepal   UPI / 7:16AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, March 20 (UPI) -- The European Union and the United Nations have condemned the killing of a left party candidate in Nepal weeks before elections are to be held in the country.
  • Wednesday, March 19

  • Civilians among Afghan casualties   UPI / 8:00PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, March 19 (UPI) -- A woman and child were killed Wednesday by coalition forces engaged in a firefight with enemy militants in Afghanistan, military officials said.
  • Tuesday, March 18

  • Woman may become Pakistan's Speaker   UPI / 7:47AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 18 (UPI) -- A 51-year-old medical school graduate, who is also a businesswoman, is expected to become the first woman speaker of Pakistan's national assembly.
  • Monday, March 17

  • Four dead in latest attacks in Afghanistan   UPI / 1:46PM
    LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, March 17 (UPI) -- A suicide bomber smashed his vehicle into a military convoy in Afghanistan Monday killing four soldiers and wounding several others, Afghan officials said.
  • Sunday, March 16

  • Pakistani rebel seeks conditional truce   UPI / 7:20PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 16 (UPI) -- A Taliban leader in Pakistan's tribal area reportedly is ready for a cease-fire if the new coalition government stops supporting President Pervez Musharraf.
  • Pakistan State TV: Missiles Kill 16   AP / 8:10AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - At least 16 people have been killed in a missile strike near the border with Afghanistan that destroyed the house of a suspected militant leader, Pakistani state television said Sunday.
  • Saturday, March 15

  • Nepal to close Everest for Olympic torch   UPI / 7:47AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, March 15 (UPI) -- Acting on a request from China, which is facing Tibetan protests, Nepal reportedly will close its Everest route during the Olympic Torch relay to the summit.
  • Friday, March 14

  • Canada to extend Afghan mission -- maybe   UPI / 7:56AM
    OTTAWA, March 14 (UPI) -- Canada's Parliament voted to extend its combat mission in Afghanistan into 2011 but only if NATO comes through with 1,000 reinforcements and aircraft.
  • Zardari cleared of graft charges   UPI / 7:36AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 14 (UPI) -- Asif Ali Zardari, husband of slain Benazir Bhutto whose party will lead Pakistan's coalition government, Friday was cleared of the last remaining graft charge.
  • Report: Sri Lanka arrests journalists   UPI / 7:36AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 14 (UPI) -- A media freedom group has condemned the arrest by Sri Lankan police of five Tamil journalists, saying some of the journalists were beaten.
  • Pakistan coalition parties reach deal   UPI / 12:21AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 14 (UPI) -- The two main Pakistani parties set to form a coalition government have reportedly reached a deal on power sharing.
  • Wednesday, March 12

  • Nepal PM to retire after election   UPI / 7:26AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, March 12 (UPI) -- Nepalese Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala says he will retire from politics after the April 10 constituent assembly elections.
  • Tuesday, March 11

  • Musharraf gets advice on deposed judges   UPI / 7:20AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 11 (UPI) -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf may not have to reinstate judges deposed by his regime when the new government takes over.
  • Explosions in Lahore kill 22 people   UPI / 7:00AM
    LAHORE, Pakistan, March 11 (UPI) -- Powerful explosions Tuesday rocked Lahore, killing at least 22 people in the second such major attack this month in Pakistan's second largest city.
  • Consumer prices skyrocket in Pakistan   UPI / 3:16AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 11 (UPI) -- Besides rising violence in the country, the new coalition government in Pakistan also must tackle the problem of skyrocketing prices of basic consumer goods.
  • Monday, March 10

  • Turk general warns Pakistan about Taliban   UPI / 4:25PM
    ANKARA, Turkey, March 10 (UPI) -- The head of Turkey's military told a conference in Ankara that cozying up to the Taliban could backfire for Pakistani opposition political parties.
  • A.Q. Khan leaves Pakistan hospital   UPI / 12:35PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 10 (UPI) -- Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan, who passed nuclear secrets to North Korea, Libya and Iran, has been discharged from a hospital where he was taken last week.
  • Sri Lankans vote in rare local elections   UPI / 11:40AM
    BATTICALOA, Sri Lanka, March 10 (UPI) -- Election observers predicted a huge voter turnout Monday amid high security in the first municipal elections in the Sri Lankan city of Batticaloa in 14 years.
  • PPP leader says party unity is priority   UPI / 6:40AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 10 (UPI) -- A top leader of Pakistan People's Party Monday vowed to work for party unity, easing speculation about a rift with the party co-chairman.
  • Sunday, March 9

  • Pakistan to have coalition government   UPI / 12:02PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 9 (UPI) -- Pakistan is set to have a coalition government following an agreement between the leaders of the country's two former opposition political parties.
  • Saturday, March 8

  • Reprinting cartoon sparks Afghan protests   UPI / 11:51AM
    HERAT, Afghanistan, March 8 (UPI) -- Thousands of Muslims in Afghanistan Saturday protested the reprinting of a political cartoon that sparked riots when initially published in Denmark.
  • Friday, March 7

  • Report: Violence in Sri Lanka kills 42   UPI / 12:51PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 7 (UPI) -- Thirty-eight Tamil Tiger rebels and four Sri Lankan government soldiers were killed during fighting in the country's northern region, a report said.
  • France moving on Canadian Afghan help   UPI / 9:50AM
    BRUSSELS, March 7 (UPI) -- France's foreign minister indicated his country is responding to Canada's appeal for 1,000 troops in the NATO mission in Afghanistan.
  • Thursday, March 6

  • Sri Lankan police seize military equipment   UPI / 10:02PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 6 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan officials seized a supply of high-tech devices while it was being taken to rebels in a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam-held area.
  • Sri Lanka accused of creating crisis   UPI / 8:30AM
    NEW YORK, March 6 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan government forces were accused Thursday of causing a national crisis through widespread abductions and "disappearances."
  • Tuesday, March 4

  • Pakistan asked to return to Commonwealth   UPI / 11:50PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 4 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown reportedly wants Pakistan to return to the Commonwealth group of nations from which it was suspended in November.
  • Pakistan vows to fight terrorism   UPI / 10:46PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 4 (UPI) -- The Pakistani government will not let up on its fight against extremism and terrorism despite recent bombings that killed dozens, a spokesman said.
  • Suicide attack hits Pakistan navy college   UPI / 2:40PM
    LAHORE, Pakistan, March 4 (UPI) -- Two suicide bombers set off explosive vests Tuesday at the Pakistani Naval War College in Lahore, killing at least seven people.
  • Britain sends instructors to Pakistan   UPI / 12:10AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 3 (UPI) -- Britain is joining the United States in sending instructors to train the Pakistani military in counter-insurgency operations, the BBC reported.
  • Monday, March 3

  • U.S. military chief visits Pakistan   UPI / 11:40PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 3 (UPI) -- The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff visited Pakistan Tuesday to offer help in the fight against terrorists and domestic militants in tribal areas.
  • Sri Lankan navy rescues 71 boat people   UPI / 9:26AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, March 3 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan navy Monday reported finding a wooden trawler that had been adrift 12 days in the Bay of Bengal, with 71 survivors and 20 dead aboard.
  • Afghan bomb kills 79th Canadian soldier   UPI / 9:16AM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, March 3 (UPI) -- A roadside bombing in Afghanistan killed a Canadian soldier just days away from the end of his six-month tour of duty, military officials said.
  • Sunday, March 2

  • Official says PPP can work with Musharraf   UPI / 11:50PM
    LAHORE, Pakistan, March 2 (UPI) -- A Pakistan People's Party prime ministerial candidate suggested Sunday his party could work with President Pervez Musharraf, Dawn reported.
  • Violence in Sri Lanka leaves 25 dead   UPI / 9:26PM
    VAUNIYA, Sri Lanka, March 2 (UPI) -- Fighting in Sri Lanka left at least 25 people dead Sunday as the military and Tiger rebels clashed, military officials said.
  • Pakistani forces may receive U.S. training   UPI / 1:46PM
    WASHINGTON, March 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. military may soon send nearly 100 trainers to Pakistan to help train the country's paramilitary forces for combat, military officials say.
  • Saturday, March 1

  • Pakistani opposition leader acquitted   UPI / 8:31PM
    LAHORE, Pakistan, March 1 (UPI) -- Shahbaz Sharif, a Pakistani opposition leader and brother of a former prime minister, has been acquitted in the deaths of five youths, a published report said.
  • Friday, February 29

  • Canada resumes Afghan detainee hand-overs   UPI / 10:00AM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Feb. 29 (UPI) -- The Canadian military in Afghanistan has resumed handing over prisoners to Afghan authorities, apparently satisfied detainees won't be tortured, officers said.
  • Nepal group agrees to end election boycott   UPI / 1:06AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Feb. 29 (UPI) -- A coalition of ethnic parties in Nepal agreed Thursday to participate in upcoming elections.
  • Thursday, February 28

  • Musharraf plans to remain president   UPI / 8:47PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Pervez Musharraf, threatened with impeachment by the opposition, plans to complete his term as president of Pakistan, a close associate said.
  • Missile fired on Pakistan militants   UPI / 12:30PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 28 (UPI) -- A missile struck a house in a remote part of Pakistan, killing at least eight suspected militants and injuring three others, intelligence officials said.
  • Tuesday, February 26

  • Nawaz Sharif to contest by-elections   UPI / 12:20PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said he plans to run in the by-elections that would fill vacant Parliament seats from the general elections.
  • Monday, February 25

  • Rebels, Sri Lankin soldiers die in clashes   UPI / 12:21PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Skirmishes between Sri Lankan solders and Tamil Tigers in the Mannar and Vavuniya districts killed 26 rebels and five soldiers, military officials said Monday.
  • Suicide bombing kills three   UPI / 7:56AM
    RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Feb. 25 (UPI) -- A suicide bombing in Rawalpindi Monday killed at least three people, including the Pakistani army's top surgeon, government officials said.
  • Sunday, February 24

  • Party leader: Musharraf 'sulking'   UPI / 6:30PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- A top official in Pervez Musharraf's party says the Pakistani president has a "bunker mentality" since the parliamentary election went against his party.
  • Sri Lankan capital locked down after blast   UPI / 1:20PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- Security checkpoints were set up around Colombo Sunday after a bombing occurred just outside the Sri Lankan capital.
  • Saturday, February 23

  • Party leader: Musharraf 'sulking'   UPI / 6:00PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- A top official in Pervez Musharraf's party says the Pakistani president has a "bunker mentality" since the parliamentary election went against the party.
  • Alliance rejects autonomous Madhes request   UPI / 5:15PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Nepal's Seven Party Alliance decided Saturday that the Nepali region of Madhes would not be granted the status of an autonomous state.
  • Sri Lankan rebel violence intensifies   UPI / 4:25PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- A Tamil Tiger rebel camp was targeted by the Sri Lankan military Saturday, resulting in 51 deaths, as violence in the Asian country intensified.
  • Threat made in Pakistani judicial conflict   UPI / 4:05PM
    LAHORE, Pakistan, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- The head of the Pakistani Supreme Court Bar Association said Saturday a "long march" will occur if several deposed judges are not reinstated soon.
  • Bomb Kills 7 Afghan Security Guards   AP / 7:10AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan - Seven Afghan security guards died Saturday when their car hit a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan, while a gunman killed a district police chief in the region, police said.
  • Friday, February 22

  • Pakistan opposition parties plan coalition   UPI / 11:01AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Pakistan's victorious opposition parties say their coalition government will leave the issue of the ousted judiciary to be determined by the new Parliament.
  • U.S., Pakistan said in secret attack plan   UPI / 8:40AM
    NEW YORK, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- United States officials reportedly have reached a quiet agreement with Pakistani leadership to step up secret air strikes against suspected terrorists.
  • Harper: Canada quits Afghanistan in 2011   UPI / 8:20AM
    OTTAWA, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper proposed to parliament in Ottawa Canadian troops end their NATO mission by 2011.
  • Thursday, February 21

  • U.S. payments to Pakistan scrutinized   UPI / 8:20PM
    WASHINGTON, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Pakistan's impending government change means closer scrutiny of how millions in U.S. aid to the country's military is spent, it was reported Thursday.
  • Sharif, Zardari agree on coalition   UPI / 6:40PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- Leaders of the two parties that won the most seats in Pakistan's parliamentary elections agreed Thursday to create a coalition government, it was reported.
  • Taliban Commanders Killed in Afghanistan   AP / 4:26AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan - Afghan and NATO-led troops killed two regional Taliban commanders in southern Afghanistan, and an explosion in the same province claimed the life of a British soldier, officials said Thursday.
  • Wednesday, February 20

  • Zardari not a PM candidate in Pakistan   UPI / 9:40PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of the late Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, said Wednesday he is not running for prime minister.
  • Musharraf says he'll help in transition   UPI / 1:20PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- President Pervez Musharraf, whose party lost in Monday's parliamentary elections in Pakistan, says he will stay in office to aid the democratic transition.
  • Bush calls Pakistan elections significant   UPI / 10:56AM
    ACCRA, Ghana, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Parliamentary elections in Pakistan were fair, and U.S. President George Bush said Wednesday the countries still share interests in battling terrorists.
  • Kandahar governor says he warned troops   UPI / 12:10AM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- The governor of Kandahar blamed Canadian soldiers for a deadly suicide bombing in Afghanistan, saying they ignored his warning of a bomber.
  • Tuesday, February 19

  • White House: Pakistan elections fair   UPI / 5:41PM
    WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. officials hope Pakistan's new government will "work with us as partners in counter terrorism," a White House spokeswoman said Tuesday.
  • Winning parties to talk forming government   UPI / 2:46PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Leaders of the two Pakistani parties winning the most seats in National Assembly polls said Tuesday they were ready to discuss forming a coalition government.
  • Musharraf resignation call rejected   UPI / 1:46PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- A spokesman for Pervez Musharraf Tuesday rejected any demand for the resignation of the Pakistani president in the wake of his party's rout in elections.
  • Musharraf party leaders lose   UPI / 10:40AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's ruling party was headed toward a big defeat Tuesday in parliamentary elections.
  • Pakistan voter turnout put at 44.9 percent   UPI / 9:51AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- The Pakistan election commission Tuesday reported voter turnout for 147 of the 272 parliamentary seats contested was 44.91 percent.
  • Musharraf's party concedes election   UPI / 8:20AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- The party of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf accepted defeat Tuesday as election results indicated opposition parties gained control of Parliament.
  • Monday, February 18

  • Musharraf praises Pakistan poll   UPI / 11:50AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, praising parliamentary elections held Monday, said the polls must pave the way for a policy of reconciliation.
  • Car Bomb Kills 37 Afghan Civilians   AP / 10:10AM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A suicide car bomber targeting a Canadian military convoy killed 37 civilians at a busy market in southern Afghanistan on Monday, officials said.
  • Zardari predicts win for party in Pakistan   UPI / 9:20AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Asif Ali Zardari, co-chairman of Pakistan People's Party, predicted a big win for his party in the Pakistani parliamentary polls which closed Monday.
  • Blast kills 35; suicide bombing deaths 100   UPI / 8:20AM
    SPIN BOLDAK, Afghanistan, Feb. 18 (UPI) -- An explosion Monday in southern Afghanistan killed at least 35 people and injured 20 others, including three NATO soldiers, a police official said.
  • Sunday, February 17

  • 80 Killed in Afghan Bombing   AP / 4:15AM
    KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A suicide bombing at an outdoor dog
  • Saturday, February 16

  • Charity warns of Bangladesh monsoon risk   UPI / 4:21PM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- The charity Oxfam warns more than 1.3 million people in Bangladesh will be at risk during the impending monsoon rains due to housing limitations.
  • Friday, February 15

  • Retired official says Pakistan vote rigged   UPI / 12:01PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- A retired Pakistani intelligence official says the agencies have rigged next week's polls to favor President Pervez Musharraf, a report said Friday.
  • Pakistan army chief move welcomed   UPI / 11:20AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 15 (UPI) -- Analysts say Pakistani army chief Ashfaq Kayani's orders to withdraw officers from civilian posts will help improve the military's image.
  • Thursday, February 14

  • Musharraf assures free, fair poll   UPI / 10:00AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf Thursday warned against violence in Monday's elections and urged against pre-judging the poll results.
  • Wednesday, February 13

  • Pakistan tests nuclear-capable missile   UPI / 10:30AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 13 (UPI) -- Pakistan Wednesday announced the test firing of a short-range, nuclear-capable Ghaznavi-Hatf III ballistic missile.
  • Tuesday, February 12

  • Report: Dozens die in Sri Lanka violence   UPI / 8:50PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan officials Tuesday accused Tamil Tiger rebels of shelling a military base near a church, with six soldiers among those killed.
  • Troops on duty for Pakistani polls   UPI / 2:10PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Pakistani troops reportedly will be on duty throughout the country to ensure the security of parliamentary polls scheduled for Monday.
  • Climate risks concern Everest climber   UPI / 1:40PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Dawa Steven Sherpa already has climbed Mount Everest in Nepal but the 23-year-old wants to do it again to draw attention to the dangers of global warming.
  • Monday, February 11

  • Pakistan election agency role questioned   UPI / 10:40PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Pakistan's election commission under the Musharraf regime cannot be expected to be impartial in elections set for next week, the Human Right Watch warned.
  • Report: 80 rebels killed in Sri Lanka   UPI / 8:10PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan military Monday claimed its security forces had killed at least 80 Tamil Tiger rebels in weekend clashes in the northern region.
  • Canadian vehicle escapes Afghan bombing   UPI / 1:16PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- A roadside bomb explosion Monday in Afghanistan barely missed a Canadian convoy of vehicles but disrupted a meeting of village elders and coalition forces.
  • Airport to be named after Everest climbers   UPI / 12:46PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- Lukla, the airstrip near the foot of Mount Everest, is to be named after the first conquerors of the world's tallest peak in Nepal's Himalayan range.
  • Suicide attack kills eight in Pakistan   UPI / 10:50AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- A suicide bomber set off his device Monday at an election rally in Pakistan's North Waziristan region, killing eight people and injuring 11 others.
  • Taliban operative caught in Pakistan   UPI / 9:36AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- A leading Taliban operative in Pakistan was captured Monday after being wounded by Pakistani forces in Baluchistan province, military officials said.
  • Sunday, February 10

  • U.S. seeks Turkey's help in Afghanistan   UPI / 7:10AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- The United States has reportedly asked Turkey to send combat troops to fight Taliban and al-Qaida militants in Afghanistan.
  • Saturday, February 9

  • Germany to boost Afghan contingent   UPI / 1:50PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Germany plans to increase the number of troops it has stationed in Afghanistan from 1,000 to 4,500, it was reported Saturday.
  • Bombing rocks Pakistan election rally   UPI / 10:30AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Pakistan authorities say a bomb killed 14 people Saturday at an election rally in an area frequented by Taliban militants near the Afghan border.
  • Friday, February 8

  • HRW: Pakistani judges remain under arrest   UPI / 8:00PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- The detention of independent Pakistani judges will seriously affect the credibility of this month's national elections, Human Rights Watch warned Friday.
  • Canada eyes permanent Afghan mission   UPI / 7:10PM
    OTTAWA, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Canada's government asked Parliament Friday to extend the country's Afghanistan combat mission indefinitely if other NATO nations send 1,000 more troops.
  • France aids Canadian troops in Afghanistan   UPI / 4:10PM
    PARIS, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- France relieved NATO tensions by agreeing to send troops to aid Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, a report said.
  • Bangladesh battles rat infestation   UPI / 10:40AM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- A once-in-50-years rat infestation predicted in local folklore has struck Bangladesh this year, decimating the crops of tens of thousands of people.
  • Two more suspects arrested in Bhutto death   UPI / 10:00AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- The Pakistani government said it arrested two more suspects in the investigation into the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
  • Bhutto death said caused by head injury   UPI / 9:40AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto died from hitting her head after a bomb blast and not from a gunshot wound, a Scotland Yard team concluded.
  • France responds to Canadian NATO plea   UPI / 8:10AM
    TORONTO, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- France has responded to Canada's plea for more NATO combat troops in Afghanistan at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Lithuania, Canadian media reported.
  • Wednesday, February 6

  • Report: Observers get visas for polls   UPI / 10:07AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- Pakistan has issued more than 500 visas to foreigners to observe the Feb. 18 parliamentary elections, the state-owned news agency reported Wednesday.
  • Pakistani officers killed in copter crash   UPI / 9:20AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 6 (UPI) -- A Pakistani major general and seven other military personnel died Wednesday in the crash of their helicopter in tribal South Waziristan.
  • Monday, February 4

  • Taliban retraining camp idea irks Kabul   UPI / 1:20PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Afghanistan's government bristled Monday over allegedly secret British plans to set up camps to train anti-Taliban militias.
  • Pakistani troops find 'torture cells'   UPI / 11:46AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Pakistani troops reportedly destroyed several torture cells in the tribal regions where they are fighting escalating militant violence.
  • Bus blast kills several in Pakistan   UPI / 10:50AM
    RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Feb. 4 (UPI) -- A suicide bomber in Pakistan Monday rammed his explosives-laden motorcycle into a bus in the violence-hit garrison city of Rawalpindi, killing several people.
  • Sunday, February 3

  • Suicide Blast in Pakistan Kills Six   AP / 11:10PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - A suicide bomber on a motorbike rammed into a minibus carrying security personnel, detonating a blast Monday that killed at least six people in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, police said.
  • Saturday, February 2

  • Canada's plan for Afghanistan criticized   UPI / 4:36PM
    OTTAWA, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Canada's top military officer has criticized a proposal to end all of his country's combat efforts in Afghanistan by February 2009.
  • NATO pressuring Germany's Afghan efforts   UPI / 1:56PM
    BERLIN, Feb. 2 (UPI) -- The secretary-general of NATO urged German officials Saturday to deploy troops into the troubled southern portion of Afghanistan.
  • Friday, February 1

  • No more German troops for Afghanistan   UPI / 11:00PM
    BERLIN, Feb. 1 (UPI) -- Germany will not send more soldiers or allow its troops to be deployed in southern Afghanistan, Defense Minister Franz-Josef Jung said Friday.
  • Wednesday, January 30

  • Hasina's corruption case opens   UPI / 7:10PM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- The trial of former Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina, accused of corruption by the military-backed emergency government, opened Wednesday in Dhaka.
  • Monday, January 28

  • Musharraf, Barak meet in Paris   UPI / 11:01AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 28 (UPI) -- Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak met in Paris last week, the Pakistan Foreign Office confirmed Monday.
  • US Shift Seen to Pakistan, Afghanistan   AP / 12:11AM
    WASHINGTON - In a shift with profound implications, the Bush administration is attempting to re-energize its terrorism-fighting war efforts in Afghanistan, the original target of a post-Sept. 11 offensive. The U.S. also is refocusing on Pakistan, where a regenerating al-Qaida is posing fresh threats.
  • Sunday, January 27

  • Musharraf snubs U.S. intelligence chiefs   UPI / 9:50AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- Top U.S. intelligence chiefs met with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to lobby for increased CIA autonomy in alleged al-Qaida territories, officials said.
  • Friday, January 25

  • Pakistan tests nuclear-capable missile   UPI / 11:40AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Pakistan Friday test-fired a nuclear-capable ballistic missile reportedly able to hit targets in India, which along with Pakistan possesses nuclear weapons.
  • Pakistan militants seize ammunition trucks   UPI / 10:40AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Pakistan military forces killed up to 30 pro-Taliban fighters in an area from where militants seized four ammunition trucks a day earlier, a report said.
  • Wednesday, January 23

  • Progress seen in Afghanistan security   UPI / 2:10PM
    WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Military and political progress in eastern Afghanistan is being made, but challenges remain, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez said Wednesday.
  • Mehsud issues warning to Pakistan   UPI / 10:46AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- The Taliban militant blamed for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto reportedly has warned the Pakistani military to end operations in tribal areas.
  • Tuesday, January 22

  • Pakistan claims 37 militants killed   UPI / 7:40PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- The Pakistani military Tuesday claimed its security forces killed 37 militants in clashes in the South Waziristan tribal area.
  • Sri Lankan pres against military solution   UPI / 6:40PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa said Tuesday he is against a military solution to the decades-long Tamil ethnic conflict on the island nation.
  • Panel airs plan for Canada's Afghan role   UPI / 4:35PM
    OTTAWA, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- Canada must emphasize diplomacy and reconstruction in Afghanistan, and its military must move from combat to training Afghan forces, a panel recommended.
  • Sri Lanka govt., rebels trade claims   UPI / 3:45PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan government Tuesday claimed its forces destroyed 24 Tamil Tiger bunkers in separate clashes in the northern region, killing 15 rebels.
  • Sunday, January 20

  • Nepali alliance says monarchy is dead   UPI / 12:15AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Leaders of the Seven-Party Alliance said Saturday the upcoming elections for a constituent assembly will be the end of the Nepalese monarchy.
  • Thursday, January 17

  • Tamil Tigers deny their base was bombed   UPI / 10:02AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Separatist Tamil Tigers denied reports Thursday a Sri Lankan airstrike destroyed one of their bases in the north, local media reported.
  • Death toll reaches 47 at Pakistani fort   UPI / 8:30AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 17 (UPI) -- Taliban militants who overran a northwestern Pakistani military outpost Thursday abandoned it hours later, an army spokesman said.
  • Wednesday, January 16

  • Nepal to save vultures   UPI / 2:50PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Nepalese conservationists, alarmed by the near extinction of vulture population in the Himalayan kingdom, said they plan to breed the birds in captivity.
  • Afghanistan bans 'The Kite Runner' film   UPI / 11:30AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Afghanistan's Culture Ministry has reportedly banned the release of "The Kite Runner," a controversial film set in the country.
  • Several die in Pakistani fort attack   UPI / 11:10AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- A Pakistani paramilitary fort in the tribal area was reportedly captured by hundreds of militants after a fierce fight that left several people dead.
  • Tuesday, January 15

  • Sri Lanka rejects U.N. concerns   UPI / 9:51PM
    GENEVA, Switzerland, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- Sri Lanka's U.N. mission in Switzerland Tuesday rejected as gratuitous a U.N. warning against its proposed withdrawal from the 2002 cease-fire.
  • Taliban Plan to Attack Kabul Restaurants   AP / 8:26PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan - The Taliban said Tuesday that its suicide bombers would attack restaurants where Westerners eat in Kabul, an ominous new threat that forced American and European workers to restrict outings in the Afghan capital.
  • Monday, January 14

  • Pakistani troops kill 23 militants   UPI / 1:45PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Pakistani troops killed 23 suspected militants in clashes in the northwest region of the country, GEO TV reported Monday.
  • Bhutto killing labeled security threat   UPI / 11:45AM
    KARACHI, Pakistan, Jan. 14 (UPI) -- Some politicians and former judges in Pakistan see the assassination of Benazir Bhutto as a national security threat, a report said Monday.
  • Sunday, January 13

  • Poor conditions hindering Afghan police   UPI / 2:35PM
    GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- Police operating in the eastern and southern provinces of Afghanistan are being hindered in their efforts by a lack of supplies and overall poor conditions.
  • Musharraf: U.S. may 'regret' covert ops   UPI / 7:35AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- President Pervez Musharraf said the United States would "regret the day" its forces entered the Pakistani mountains in search of Osama bin Laden.
  • Saturday, January 12

  • Claim: 59 Tiger Tamils dead in Sri Lanka   UPI / 9:10PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Fifty-nine Tamil Tiger insurgents and one Sri Lankan soldier have been killed in a new outbreak of violence in Sri Lanka, military officials said.
  • Hillary wanted Everest to be protected   UPI / 5:40PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- New Zealand adventurer Sir Edmund Hillary wanted the site of his greatest conquest, Mount Everest, protected from climate change, it was reported Saturday.
  • Date for delayed Nepalese elections set   UPI / 5:20PM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- The Nepalese government has set April 10 as the official date for a key national election that has been twice delayed over political disagreements.
  • Report: al-Qaida on rise in Pakistan   UPI / 11:51AM
    WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- A top U.S. military leader says Pakistan must act quickly to reduce al-Qaida's growing influence in that country and elsewhere in the world.
  • Musharraf: Pakistan handling Bhutto probe   UPI / 10:10AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf says his country can investigate the assassination of Benazir Bhutto without help from the United Nations.
  • Friday, January 11

  • Musharraf party willing to share power   UPI / 11:01AM
    WASHNGTON, D.C., Jan. 11 (UPI) -- The political party allied with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf would be willing to form a coalition after the elections, a government official said.
  • Thursday, January 10

  • U.S. troop boost in Afghanistan welcomed   UPI / 6:40PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- The Afghan government says any addition of U.S. troops in the country would help its own forces in strengthening security.
  • Lieberman assured of nuke safeguards   UPI / 11:50AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman said he had been assured by Pakistani officials that the country's nuclear weapons were safe from falling into extremists' hands.
  • Musharraf assures free, fair polls   UPI / 10:01AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has assured a European election observer team the Feb. 18 parliamentary elections would be free and fair, it was reported.
  • 3 more experts join Bhutto killing probe   UPI / 9:26AM
    RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- Three more British experts have arrived in Rawalpindi to join the team assisting Pakistani authorities in the investigation of Benazir Bhutto's assassination.
  • Wednesday, January 9

  • Former Marine speaks out against shooting   UPI / 11:31PM
    NANGAHAR, Afghanistan, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- An ex-Marine testified at Camp Lejeune, N.C., that Marines shot civilians after a 2007 car bomb attack on their convoy in Afghanistan's Nangahar Province.
  • Sri Lanka says more rebel area taken   UPI / 8:10PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan military said Wednesday its forces captured a Tamil Tiger-held territory after clashes in which 19 rebels were killed.
  • Pakistan rejects IAEA chief's concerns   UPI / 9:50AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- Pakistan, rejecting reported comments by the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, said Wednesday its nuclear arsenal is fully secure.
  • Tuesday, January 8

  • Afghan bomb kills two coalition soldiers   UPI / 7:10AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- A roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan killed two soldiers in the U.S.-led coalition as they responded to a police call for help, the military said Tuesday.
  • Monday, January 7

  • Sharif calls for Musharraf resignation   UPI / 11:10PM
    LAHORE, Pakistan, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Former Premier Nawaz Sharif Monday asked President Pervez Musharraf to resign, blaming him for Pakistan being labeled a "dangerous country," reports said.
  • Thursday, January 3

  • Sri Lanka violence rages with several dead   UPI / 1:40PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan government Thursday claimed its army destroyed six Tamil Tiger bunkers in Mannar in the north, killing at least six rebels.
  • Seven dead, 12 hurt in two Afghan blasts   UPI / 1:01PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- At least seven people died and 12 others were wounded in twin blasts affecting a road construction workers' convoy in Afghanistan, officials said Thursday.
  • PPP to contest Pakistan elections   UPI / 12:00PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 3 (UPI) -- The party of slain Benazir Bhutto will take part in Pakistan's delayed elections, her husband announced Thursday.
  • Wednesday, January 2

  • Film about Benazir Bhutto in the works   UPI / 5:30PM
    KARACHI, Pakistan, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Pakistan's Skies Unlimited Films reportedly plans to make a big-screen bio-pic about Benazir Bhutto, the Pakistani leader assassinated last week.
  • Bangladeshi police firm on Hasina   UPI / 12:45PM
    DHAKA, Bangladesh, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Bangladeshi police said detained former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cannot be sent abroad for medical treatment under the jail code.
  • Parties resent Pakistan election delay   UPI / 9:35AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Pakistan's main political parties said they weren't formally consulted before the country's election commission decided to postpone this month's elections.
  • Pakistan postpones election   UPI / 9:15AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Pakistan's national parliamentary elections, set for next Tuesday, have been postponed until Feb. 18 in the wake of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
  • Report: Bhutto had conspiracy theory   UPI / 7:20AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto had written allegations of planned government vote-rigging when she was assassinated, CNN reported Wednesday.
  • Injured soldiers' bus bombed in Sri Lanka   UPI / 1:21AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- At least five people were killed and 23 injured Wednesday in a bombing aimed at a bus carrying injured Sri Lankan soldiers to a Colombo hospital.
  • Tuesday, January 1

  • Report: Bhutto death claim backtracked   UPI / 11:25AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Jan. 1 (UPI) -- Pakistan's official declaration that Benazir Bhutto died of skull fracture seemed to change Tuesday as a videotape showed she may have been struck by bullets.
  • Monday, December 31

  • Sharif says Musharraf should resign now   UPI / 4:00PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Nawaz Sharif, who was ousted as Pakistan premier in 1999 by Pervez Musharraf, said Monday the president should resign immediately.
  • New video shows Bhutto taking bullet   UPI / 11:31AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- A videotape released Monday shows former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto being struck by a bullet seconds before an explosion in Rawalpindi.
  • Sunday, December 30

  • Tamil Tigers leader possibly killed   UPI / 1:40PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa suggested an air strike may have wounded or killed Tamil Tigers leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
  • Government criticized in Bhutto's death   UPI / 11:34AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Pakistan's newspapers used editorial pages Sunday to blast the government's handling of Benazir Bhutto's death.
  • Bhutto's son named chair of PPP   UPI / 10:51AM
    LARKANA, Pakistan, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The husband and teenage son of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto will keep her Pakistan People's Party going beyond her death.
  • Bhutto remembered with prayer   UPI / 10:20AM
    LARKANA, Pakistan, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The family of late Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto Sunday urged her followers to continue her struggle for democracy.
  • Saturday, December 29

  • Germany concerned about Pakistani nukes   UPI / 2:54PM
    BERLIN, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Germany's foreign minister has expressed concern about Pakistan's nuclear weapons following the turmoil in the wake of Benazir Bhutto's assassination.
  • Bush dicusses emerging crisis in Pakistan   UPI / 2:24PM
    WASHINGTON, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush has talked with foreign policy officials about the emerging crisis in Pakistan following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
  • Pakistani elections in doubt   UPI / 1:34PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- President Pervez Musharraf's office says it will confer with all of Pakistan's major political parties before deciding whether to hold elections Jan. 8.
  • Violence continues after Bhutto's funeral   UPI / 1:10PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 29 (UPI) -- Pakistani special forces were ordered to shoot rioters as violence continued Saturday after the funeral of slain former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
  • Friday, December 28

  • Bhutto successor in party remains open   UPI / 6:20PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- The assassination of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto will make the task of picking a successor to lead her political party quite difficult.
  • 9 die in election rally blast in Pakistan   UPI / 5:20PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- An explosion Friday at an election rally in Pakistan's violence-hit Swat Valley killed nine people including a relative of a political leader, a report said.
  • Pakistan riots kill several, cause damage   UPI / 1:30PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Violent protests in Pakistan sparked by the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto have claimed several lives and caused much damage.
  • Bhutto e-mail partly blames Musharraf   UPI / 1:02PM
    WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Benazir Bhutto reportedly wrote a U.S. friend Oct. 26 Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf would be partly to blame if she was killed, which occurred Thursday.
  • Thursday, December 27

  • Benazir Bhutto shot to death in Pakistan   UPI / 6:50PM
    RAWALPINDI, Pakistan, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who ended a long self-imposed exile in October, died Thursday of gunshot wounds following a political rally.
  • Report: More Special Forces to Pakistan   UPI / 4:51PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- U.S. Special Forces are expected to expand their presence in Pakistan to train anti-terror units there starting next year, a Washington Post column said.
  • Sharif to boycott Pakistan elections   UPI / 4:15PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, reacting to the killing of Benazir Bhutto, said Thursday his party would boycott elections Jan. 8, BBC reported.
  • Sri Lanka destroys rebel navy base   UPI / 3:45PM
    SRI JAYAWARDENAPURA-KOTTE, Sri Lanka, Dec. 27 (UPI) -- The Sri Lankan military announced Thursday that it destroyed a rebel Tamil Tiger naval base in the northern part of the country.
  • Sharif Backers Wage Shootout in Pakistan   AP / 6:10AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Supporters of opposition party politician Nawaz Sharif waged a gunbattle Thursday afternoon with backers of a pro-government party outside the capital, police officials said.
  • Wednesday, December 26

  • Afghanistan, Pakistan targeting militants   UPI / 3:31PM
    ISLAMABAD, Afghanistan, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- The leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed Wednesday to share more intelligence about militants and tighten border security.
  • 200 missing after Nepal bridge collapse   UPI / 8:31AM
    KATHMANDU, Nepal, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Police in southwestern Nepal said about 200 people were missing after a bridge over the Bheri River collapsed.
  • Diplomats expected to leave Afghanistan   UPI / 8:00AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Diplomats are scrambling to prevent the Afghan government from expelling two international officials for holding talks with members of the Taliban.
  • Monday, December 24

  • U.S. funds seen wasted in Pakistan   UPI / 1:05PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Billions of dollars of U.S. funding to Pakistan reportedly have been wasted instead of going to fight al-Qaida and Taliban terrorism.
  • 10 dead in Pakistan suicide bombing   UPI / 11:54AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 24 (UPI) -- A suicide bomb attack killed 10 people, four of them soldiers, in the Swat valley, where Pakistani forces have been fighting pro-Taliban rebels for weeks.
  • Saturday, December 22

  • Sarkozy meets with Karzai in Afghanistan   UPI / 6:45AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- French President Nicolas Sarkozy pledged his country's military support against terrorism during a surprise visit to Afghanistan Saturday.
  • Thursday, December 20

  • Polish troops short of APCs in Afghanistan   UPI / 12:50PM
    WARSAW, Poland, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Polish troops serving as part of the NATO peacekeeping force in Afghanistan won't get new armored personnel carriers as scheduled.
  • Wednesday, December 19

  • Free polls not seen possible in Pakistan   UPI / 10:40PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The Human Rights Watch said Wednesday free and fair elections in Pakistan are not possible so long as judges and lawyers remain under detention.
  • Tuesday, December 18

  • Pakistan opposition seeks poll boycott   UPI / 8:25PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- An alliance of Pakistan opposition parties is urging voters to boycott upcoming elections to press its demand for the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf.
  • Sharif election ban appeal rejected   UPI / 10:50AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The Pakistan election commission has refused to review the ban on former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from running in the Jan. 8 elections.
  • Monday, December 17

  • Pakistani suicide bombing kills 9 soldiers   UPI / 9:40AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- A suicide bombing attack Monday in Pakistan, the latest in the continuing violence against security forces, killed nine army recruits.
  • Sunday, December 16

  • Roadside Bomb Kills 2 Afghan Civilians   AP / 11:25AM
    KABUL, Afghanistan - A roadside bomb blast in eastern Afghanistan killed two Afghan civilians and wounded five others Sunday, while a clash in the south left four Taliban dead, officials said.
  • Military reports more Tamil Tigers killed   UPI / 1:40AM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Violence persisted Saturday in northern Sri Lanka, with the army reporting that soldiers had killed at least 28 Tamil Tiger militant fighters.
  • Musharraf invites monitors for election   UPI / 12:10AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf promised fair elections Saturday, saying foreign groups would be invited to observe the voting.
  • Saturday, December 15

  • Musharraf promises free elections   UPI / 9:25PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf Saturday lifted his six-week-old emergency rule and later told the nation next month's elections would be free and fair.
  • Australia to maintain Afghan troop level   UPI / 7:05PM
    CANBERRA, Australia, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Australia will not increase the size of its contingent in Afghanistan until other countries do, the defense minister said after meeting with his counterparts.
  • Five Pakistanis infected with bird flu   UPI / 6:00PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Health officials in Pakistan have confirmed that five people have been infected by bird flu.
  • Bomb rigged to child, Bhutto says   UPI / 6:30AM
    WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- Benazir Bhutto said an explosion that marked her October homecoming in Pakistan came from a bomb rigged to a small child presented to her for an embrace.
  • Seven dead in Pakistan suicide bombing   UPI / 6:30AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- A suicide bombing attack Saturday near an army supply center in Pakistan killed seven people including two security officials, GEO TV reported.
  • Friday, December 14

  • Musharraf assumes command of nukes   UPI / 5:50PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has taken control of the National Command Authority which guards the country's nuclear weapons.
  • Musharraf emergency assailed   UPI / 8:55AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- A group of former Pakistani Foreign Ministry officials said that President Pervez Musharraf's emergency rule has "dangerously destabilized the country."
  • Suicide bombers strike in Quetta, Pakistan   UPI / 1:16AM
    QUETTA, Pakistan, Dec. 14 (UPI) -- Two suicide bombers struck a military checkpoint in Quetta, Pakistan, Thursday, killing at least seven people.
  • Thursday, December 13

  • Majority in poll want Musharraf to quit   UPI / 10:40AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Two-thirds of Pakistanis polled said they wanted President Pervez Musharraf to quit and slightly more dislike his political party in the upcoming election.
  • Wednesday, December 12

  • More clashes with Tigers in Sri Lanka   UPI / 8:11PM
    COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Violence between the Tamil Tigers and Sri Lankan soldiers took the lives of 49 members of the separatist group Wednesday, the government said.
  • U.S. tries to bring medics to Taliban area   UPI / 5:06PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- U.S. forces penetrating areas in Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban are struggling to treat children deprived of basic medical care, a report says.
  • Pakistani official: Expect vote-rigging   UPI / 1:40PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 12 (UPI) -- A Pakistani political analyst said there is no question next month's parliamentary elections will be rigged in favor of President Pervez Musharraf.
  • Britain: Ex-Taliban Have Role in Afghan   AP / 12:10PM
    LONDON - Prime Minister Gordon Brown said Wednesday that Taliban fighters in Afghanistan can win a role in the country's future if they renounce violence, and he pledged a long-term British troop presence.
  • Tuesday, December 11

  • Afghanistan flag flies over Musa Qala   UPI / 5:50PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- NATO claimed victory Tuesday in the four-day battle for Musa Qala as the Afghanistan flag was raised over what had been the only town held by the Taliban.
  • Pakistan election rhetoric heats up   UPI / 8:11AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf called for free and fair elections Tuesday as one of his opponents called for officials to ignore Musharraf's orders.
  • Monday, December 10

  • Brown makes surprise visit to Afghanistan   UPI / 3:20PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- British Prime Minister Gordon Brown ended up close to a war zone Monday when he paid a surprise visit to his country's troops in Afghanistan.
  • Major Pakistani parties nix vote boycott   UPI / 9:45AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A second leader of a major Pakistani political party announced the group won't boycott January parliamentary elections in Islamabad.
  • Pakistan bomber targets children in truck   UPI / 8:10AM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Five children and two adults were injured Monday by a suicide bomber targeting a military truck carrying schoolchildren in northwestern Pakistan.
  • Sunday, December 9

  • British, Afghan forces attack Taliban site   UPI / 7:30PM
    KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- An attack by British and Afghan troops on the Taliban-controlled town of Musa Qala in Afghanistan has led to the capture of two Taliban commanders.
  • Pakistani elections to be contested   UPI / 3:40PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- The general elections set to take place in Pakistan next month will be contested by Pakistani opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, officials said.
  • Pakistan to end state of emergency early   UPI / 1:40PM
    ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Dec. 9 (UPI) -- The imposed state of emergency in Pakistan will be lifted a day earlier than originally planned this month, President Pervez Musharra