Pakistani air strikes said to have killed civilians
Pakistani military officials and a local political official gave conflicting accounts Tuesday of attacks by Pakistani jet fighters targeting suspected militants in Pakistan's tribal region, with a politician saying at least some of the dead were civilians.
Two military officials told CNN at least 30 suspected members of the militant group Lashkar-i-Islam were killed in the aerial attacks. The attacks targeted militant hideouts, illegal radio stations, training centers and several vehicles rigged for suicide attacks, the officials said.
The attacks took place in three villages in the Tirah Valley region of Khyber, one of seven districts in Pakistan's tribal region.
U.S. wins by helping Pakistan stabilize
Editor's note: Sharjeel Kashmir is an investment banker who works on financial derivatives and banking strategy in New York City. An alumnus of Harvard Business School, he also works with international microfinance institutions, developing their corporate and governance strategies.
It was Pakistan's birthday on August 14, and no one celebrated.
The monsoon floods that engulfed most of the country and affected 20 million people have added yet another burden of misery onto the shoulders of the average Pakistani. More than 4 million people are homeless. Livestock, crops and livelihoods were destroyed.
How far this once-proud nation has fallen.
In Urdu, Pakistan means the "land of the pure." It reflects the noble intentions of its creators to build a nation that enshrined the best of Islamic principles. Unfortunately, that nobility has given way to chaos because of bad luck, incompetent political leaders, corruption and religious extremism.
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5 Americans die in bloody day in Afghanistan
Insurgents and security forces in Afghanistan have cranked up their fight in recent days, with militants ambushing coalition and government targets and an air assault pounding enemy fighters, coalition authorities said on Tuesday.
Five American service members were killed Tuesday in Afghanistan - four of them in a roadside bomb attack in eastern Afghanistan, the International Security Assistance Force said.
The NATO-led force did not release additional details about the roadside attack or where it took place.
A fifth U.S. service member died following an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan, ISAF said.
In addition, three Afghan supreme court personnel were killed and 12 were wounded in a terrorist attack in the Mosahi district in Kabul province on Tuesday, Afghanistan's Ministry of the Interior said in a written statement.
Officials: 13 would-be suicide bombers killed
Afghan and coalition soldiers killed more than 30 insurgents, including 13 would-be suicide bombers, as they fought off assaults on two military bases and government buildings in eastern Afghanistan, the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said on Sunday. FULL POST
Soldiers fight off attacks on two military bases
Afghan and coalition soldiers fought off assaults on two military bases Saturday and killed more than 20 insurgents, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said. FULL POST
Hurry up and wait
As part of an ongoing series “A Soldiers Story,” CNN's Jason Carroll follows Sgt. Randy Shorter and his unit as they head into Afghanistan.
"Hurry up and wait." It's an expression you hear a lot in the Army. Now I know why. We had hoped to arrive in Sharam, Afghanistan, a few days ago, but we are still waiting. Currently, we're bunking at Bagram Air Force Base in Afghanistan. FULL POST
French, U.S. troops end 5-day 'security sweep'
Afghan, French and U.S. troops have completed a security sweep in eastern Afghanistan, a five-day push that led to the deaths of about 40 Taliban fighters, military officials said Friday.
The fighting started Saturday with an air assault and ended Wednesday in the Uzbeen valley. Along with the killings, eight key Taliban operatives were captured. Rockets, mortars, explosives, bomb-making materials, and labs used for counterfeiting were found and destroyed. FULL POST
Golfing in Kabul
A dirt road leads to the "Kabul Golf Club," the only golf course in Afghanistan. The course was opened in 1967, but shut down when the Taliban gained power in Afghanistan's civil war.
The nine-hole course reopened in 2004 - after the fairways were cleared of abandoned Soviet tank parts, artillery pieces and mines. (More on the golf course)
Investigators probe deadly shootout
Investigators were traveling to western Afghanistan on Thursday to probe a shootout that killed two Spanish soldiers, an interpreter and a police officer. FULL POST
