Air strikes kill 28 in Afghanistan

KABUL — Air strikes, gunbattles and attacks killed 28 people across Afghanistan on Wednesday, including a government official shot dead with three of his sons near the Pakistani border, officials said.

An Afghan boy pushes a handcart among new graves of people killed after air strikes in Ganj Abad of Bala Buluk district, in Farah province, [...]

U.S. rebuffs Afghan leader’s call to halt air strikes

KABUL/WASHINGTON – The United States said on Sunday it would not halt air strikes in Afghanistan as demanded by President Hamid Karzai after civilian deaths, and it denied using burning phosphorus in the attacks.

Two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs in-flight over Afghanistan providing aerial security for coalition forces (Sgt. Aaron Allmon/USAF)
The U.S. military acknowledged on Saturday that [...]

Critics warn US air strikes bolstering Taliban

KABUL — Charges that scores of villagers died in US bombings against the Taliban have led to demands for a halt in air strikes amid warnings that civilian casualties are driving Afghans to join the insurgency.

A damaged vehicle is seen after an air strike in Gozara district of Herat province February 17, 2009 (Reuters)
But the [...]

Afghan air strikes killed 25 Taliban: US commander

KABUL, Apr 6, 2009 — At least 25 Taliban insurgents were killed in US-led air strikes in western Afghanistan this week but the number of civilian dead was not confirmed, the top US military commander said Wednesday.

An A-10 Thunderbolt II flies a combat mission over Afghanistan (Aaron Allmon/USAF)
Afghan police have said 100 people, most of [...]

Air strikes killed 14 insurgents in Afghanistan

KABUL, Apr 25, 2009 — The US military said Friday that air strikes killed 14 insurgents when troops under its command were locked in a six-hour battle with militants at a Taliban hotspot in southern Afghanistan.

A Canadian soldier of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) man a weapon on an armored vehicle as the troops [...]

US troop surge could harm Afghan civilians

KABUL, Apr 03, 2009  — The imminent deployment of extra US troops to insurgency-torn Afghanistan will likely lead to increased fighting and more civilian casualties, aid agencies warned NATO leaders on Friday.

U.S troops and Afghan soldiers inspect the site of a suicide car bomb attack in Nangarhar province March 1, 2009. (Reuters)
In a report entitled [...]

Gaza rocket hits Israel after 10 day lull: army

JERUSALEM March 24, 2009 — Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket at southern Israel on Tuesday for the first time in 10 days, causing no casualties or damage, the army said.

A Palestinian man and his son walk past a wall with three rockets painted on it in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza [...]

Israel could use ballistic missiles against Iran

JERUSALEM, March 17 – Ballistic missiles could be Israel’s weapon of choice against Iranian nuclear facilities if it decides on a pre-emptive attack and deems air strikes too risky, according to a report by a Washington think-tank.
Israel is widely assumed to have Jericho missiles capable of hitting Iran with an accuracy of a few dozen [...]

Two Gaza rockets hit Israel: military

JERUSALEM, March,14 — Two rockets fired from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip slammed into open fields in southern Israel overnight, without causing any casualties or damage, the Israeli military said on Saturday.

A pair of Palestinian Qassam rockets are launched towards Israel from Gaza City January 9, 2009 as seen from Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip [...]

Red Cross : Afghan conflict never more acute

KABUL  — Afghan civilians are suffering in the ongoing conflict more now than at any time since the 2001 fall of the Taliban, and the arrival of more US troops could make things worse, the Red Cross said Monday.

Afghans collect food handed out by the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC outside Sang-i-Khel village [...]