Fort Bragg brigade 1 of 3 units to deploy to Afghanistan

The brigade, part of the 82nd Airborne Division, will send about 1,725 soldiers to Afghanistan. It was one of three units identified for an upcoming deployment by the Pentagon.

FAA extends Israel flight ban amid caution after jet downed in Ukraine

“The Ukraine incident is a game changer in many, many ways,” said Billie H. Vincent, a former FAA official. “There will be a great deal more caution in flying over areas with political and military insecurity.”

Army: Of 1,100 captains pink-slipped, 48 were in Afghanistan

Of the more than 1,100 Army captains notified last month their military careers would soon end, 87 were deployed worldwide and 48 were serving in Afghanistan at the time, Army officials said Wednesday.

Afghanistan criticizes Pakistan; policeman killed

The Afghan intelligence service has accused Pakistan of stoking instability by backing militants who stage attacks in Afghanistan.

FAA bars US flights to Israel after rockets land near country’s main airport

American and European air carriers suspended flights to Israel on Tuesday after a rocket landed near the country’s international airport as fighting between Israeli forces and Islamist militants in the Gaza Strip entered its third week.

Suicide bomber kills 4 foreign guards in Kabul

A suicide bomber on a motorcycle targeted a police compound housing foreign advisers in Kabul on Tuesday, killing four foreign security guards and wounding six, Afghan officials said.

US troops in Afghanistan sent waste to open burn pits, report finds

Although the U.S. has spent millions to build incinerators in Afghanistan to avoid exposing anyone to toxic smoke from open burning, American troops sent waste to an Afghan-operated open pit for five months last year, according to an inspector general’s report issued late Monday.

ANALYSIS

As US draws curtain on combat role, resilient Taliban plans patient comeback

In the twilight of a U.S.-led combat mission that has claimed the lives of more than 3,300 foreign troops and tens of thousands of Afghans, the Taliban’s military position is in many ways as strong as ever.

Afghan official: Suicide bombing kills 2 in south

An Afghan official says a suicide bomber has targeted a police convoy in the southern province of Helmand, killing two people, a policeman and a civilian.

FEATURE REPORT

Afghan army's rusty tank relics still roll into battle

The Afghan National Army's tanks barely look ready to drive around the block, let alone fight a war. But from a base on the outskirts of the capital city of Kabul, a few hundred Afghan soldiers still ride rusting museum pieces into battle against the Taliban.

Operation Proper Exit allows wounded warriors to visit Afghanistan one last time

In recent months, current and former Fort Bragg soldiers have been returning to Afghanistan to see the country one last time before the war's end.

Some lawmakers want Obama to rethink Afghanistan drawdown plan

Afghanistan's disputed election and Iraq's unraveling are giving members of Congress and U.S. allies in the region reason to think President Barack should rethink his decision to withdraw virtually all Americans troops from Afghanistan by the close of 2016.

Officials: US drone strike kills 11 in NW Pakistan

A U.S. drone fired several missiles at a sprawling compound in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan on Saturday, killing eleven militants, two Pakistani intelligence officials said.

Militants kill 8 security personnel in NW Pakistan

A group of militants attacked a security checkpoint in a troubled northwestern tribal region before dawn on Friday, and eight security forces and four militants were killed, a government official said.

US military didn't seek Afghan pullout in 2017

Military commanders did not recommend that the White House announce the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in 2017 as the president ordered, the top U.S. commander there told senators Thursday.