The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff says he still has not received a plan for the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, which is set to begin later this year. Admiral Mike Mullen said Thursday in Washington that the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, has not […]
Mullen: No Decision Yet on Afghan Withdrawal
NATO Says Forces Capture Bin Laden Associate in Afghanistan
NATO says Afghan and coalition troops have captured an al-Qaida facilitator who was a former associate of terrorist leader Osama bin Laden. In a statement Thursday, NATO said the man was captured in the Nahr-e Shahi area of northern Balkh province, but did not give his name. The coalition said the Pakistan-based man planned attacks […]
Strong Explosions Rock Tripoli
At least three suspected NATO air strikes hit targets in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, early Thursday while yet another high-ranking official fled the country and announced his defection from leader Moammar Gadhafi’s embattled government. Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem, one of the most prominent officials to have publicly broken with the Libyan strongman, said in Rome […]
Syrian Forces Kill 41 Civilians as Crackdown Continues
Rights groups say Syrian forces have killed at least 41 civilians, including two young girls, in recent efforts to crush pro-democracy protests in central and southern areas of the country. Government troops backed by tanks continued lethal attacks for a fourth straight day Wednesday on towns around the central city of Homs, including al-Rastan and […]
Economic Worries Pummel US Stocks
Weak economic data is sparking new concerns the U.S. economic recovery is stalling, sending the major stock indexes sharply lower Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 2.2 percent to close at 12,290. The S&P 500 index plunged 2.3 percent to end at 1,315. And the NASDAQ dropped 2.3 percent to finish at 2,769. European […]