Dozens of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan copter crash
More than two dozen American troops are believed to have died in a deadly Chinook helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan overnight, a U.S. military official told CNN on Saturday.
Among those killed were a mix of special forces from different services, the official said. If the numbers are confirmed, the incident would be the most deadly for coalition forces in the Afghan war, according to a CNN count of international troop deaths.
FULL STORYNATO readies for greater fight from insurgents in Afghanistan
The NATO alliance in Afghanistan anticipates insurgents will attempt to launch an extensive new round of attacks against U.S. and coalition forces as well as Afghan civilians "in the coming days," according to an International Security Assistance Force military official.
The assessment comes as the Pentagon issued its latest semi-annual report to Congress on Afghanistan, which concludes that gains are significant enough to allow for the beginning of transferring security to the Afghans in parts of the country.
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U.S. troops killed by Afghan pilot were armed, NATO says
The eight American troops killed by an Afghan pilot earlier this week at an airport in Kabul were all armed with "weapons and ammo," according to the preliminary findings released Friday of an investigation by NATO and the Afghan government.
The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan has said the military pilot opened fire on the troops, sparking a gunfight on Wednesday.
The investigation centers around how the gunman managed to kill eight armed troops, an ISAF official briefed on the investigation told CNN. A private American contractor was also killed in the shooting.
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Insurgents infiltrate Afghan forces
Separate attacks killed nine members of Afghan security forces on Monday, including two national army staff members who were shot to death at the Afghan Defense Ministry compound in Kabul, authorities said.
That attack happened before a scheduled meeting between French Defense Minister Gerard Longuet and Afghan military officials. The meeting has since been canceled. Longuet was not inside the building when the attack took place, according to a French Defense Ministry spokesman. FULL POST
Attack kills police chief, 2 others in Kandahar
An attack on police headquarters Friday killed the police chief for the southern Afghan province of Kandahar and two others, the Interior Ministry said.
The police chief, Khan Mohammad Mujahed, and the two others were killed, but authorities knew little beyond that, the ministry said. Kandahar is the birthplace of the Taliban and has been the scene of fierce fighting between international forces and insurgents.
ISAF accident, friendly fire lead to deaths
Two NATO-led soldiers died in a friendly fire incident in southern Afghanistan, and a civilian was killed in an accident with a coalition convoy in the Afghan capital, NATO's International Security Assistance Force said.
An ISAF Joint Command incident assessment team is looking into the troop deaths, which occurred Wednesday. There were no details about what happened, and the precise location of the incident was not available.
ISAF said it plans to "determine the circumstances" of the friendly fire, the term for troops killing or injuring their allies or comrades.
In Kabul, the nation's capital, the civilian was killed and two others were injured when one of the three ISAF vehicles in the convoy "accidentally struck some civilians who were in the road," ISAF said.
"A nearby ISAF patrol provided a security cordon while first aid was administered." The injured were taken to a medical facility, the statement said, adding that no shots were fired by ISAF members.
The ISAF is the NATO-led mission helping the Afghan government in stabilizing the country and establishing security.
Warrior robots in Afghanistan
Robots haven't taken over the future, but they may be taking over combat in Afghanistan. CNN's Fareed Zakaria reports.
Official: 2 Americans killed while training Afghan policemen
Two American NATO-led troops were killed by an Afghan Border Police officer Monday, a local official told CNN.
The victims were teaching a group of border policemen in a meeting room in Faryab in northern Afghanistan, according to the deputy governor of Faryab province, Abdul Sattar Bariz.
The gunman escaped on foot, running toward the desert, Bariz said.
"Initial reports say that there were about six Americans inside the meeting room and only two of them have been killed," he said, adding that he did not have many other details.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force said earlier two NATO troops had been killed after an individual wearing an Afghan police uniform opened fire.
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Afgan National Army graduation
Afghan National Army officers march through colored smoke during a graduation ceremony in Kabul.
Afghanistan's police and army are due to take control of security in the some areas from July and across Afghanistan by 2014.
Read more on the July handover
Afghan police say Taliban kidnap 50, including officers
Taliban fighters kidnapped 50 people - including police officers - in northeastern Afghanistan on Sunday, police said.
The officers were among a group of people in four vehicles traveling in the Chapa Dara district, said Kunar province Police Chief Khalilullah Zaiyee.
The captured were unarmed and on leave, he said.
A Taliban spokesman said there were no civilians among the group captured.
"We have got documents and evidence that shows all the 50 captured people are policemen and they have also (confessed) during the investigations too," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told CNN.
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