Copyright (c) 2009 Yahoo! Inc. All rights reserved. http://news.yahoo.com/i/1898 world Afghanistan en-us Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:30:53 GMT 5 142 18 http://news.yahoo.com/i/1898 http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/nws/th/main_142b.gif http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/ap_on_re_as/us_afghan_us_deaths ap/20090703/us_afghan_us_deaths AP world Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:30:53 GMT AP - As of Friday, July 3, 2009, at least 642 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department. The department last updated its figures Thursday at 10 a.m. EDT. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan ap/20090703/as_afghanistan AP world Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:08:37 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090703/capt.1b56ce73bb4a4d4fb4cec3abdadae2b6.afghanistan_xdg105.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=l04IKZttJ4obL4PfFjBoAQ--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="U.S. Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, 1st Battalion 5th Marines takes positions along a tree line in the Nawa district in Afghanistan's Helmand province Friday, July 3, 2009. U.S. forces have encountered little resistance in the initial phase of a massive operation by some 4,000 Marines in Taliban-controlled areas of southern Afghanistan, but that's a common tactic by insurgents. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)" border="0" /></a>AP - NAWA, Afghanistan — U.S. Marines pushed deeper into Taliban areas of southern Afghanistan on Friday, seeking to cut insurgent supply lines and win over local elders on the second day of the biggest U.S. military operation here since the American-led invasion of 2001.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/ap_on_re_as/as_afghanistan"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090703/capt.1b56ce73bb4a4d4fb4cec3abdadae2b6.afghanistan_xdg105.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=l04IKZttJ4obL4PfFjBoAQ--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="photo" title="U.S. Marines from the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, 1st Battalion 5th Marines takes positions along a tree line in the Nawa district in Afghanistan's Helmand province Friday, July 3, 2009. U.S. forces have encountered little resistance in the initial phase of a massive operation by some 4,000 Marines in Taliban-controlled areas of southern Afghanistan, but that's a common tactic by insurgents. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090703/wl_afp/afghanistanunrestus afp/20090703/afghanistanunrestus AFP world Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:29:12 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090703/wl_afp/afghanistanunrestus"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090703/capt.photo_1246619447072-2-0.jpg?x=130&y=78&q=85&sig=faBjLshxRYYqJE_MyNdB5w--" align="left" height="78" width="130" alt="Interactive graphic on Afghanistan where 4,000 US Marines poured into the Taliban heartlands in Helmand Province.(AFP iactiv)" border="0" /></a>AFP - US Marines are in a "hell of a fight" as they storm into Taliban strongholds during a major assault in Afghanistan, their commanding officer said Friday.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090703/wl_afp/afghanistanunrestus"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090703/capt.photo_1246619447072-2-0.jpg?x=130&y=78&q=85&sig=faBjLshxRYYqJE_MyNdB5w--" align="left" height="78" width="130" alt="photo" title="Interactive graphic on Afghanistan where 4,000 US Marines poured into the Taliban heartlands in Helmand Province.(AFP iactiv)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090703/wl_nm/us_afghanistan nm/20090703/us_afghanistan Reuters world Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:14:41 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090703/wl_nm/us_afghanistan"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20090702/i/r3917997675.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=z3tAL3WKdaKVRLDBGfGcQg--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="A U.S. soldier shakes hands with a local elder, Mohammad Akbar, in the village of Sorkhdoz in Helmand River Valley in Afghanistan July 2, 2009. Thousands of U.S. Marines stormed deep into Taliban territory in an Afghan valley on Thursday, marking the start of a major new effort by the Obama administration to regain the initiative in the war. Locals expressed cautious reactions to the arrival of the U.S. forces. REUTERS/Baris Atayman" border="0" /></a>Reuters - Hundreds of British troops have seized key canal crossings in a Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan, military officials said on Friday, part of a new U.S.-led operation to wrest the initiative from insurgents.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090703/wl_nm/us_afghanistan"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20090702/i/r3917997675.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=z3tAL3WKdaKVRLDBGfGcQg--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="photo" title="A U.S. soldier shakes hands with a local elder, Mohammad Akbar, in the village of Sorkhdoz in Helmand River Valley in Afghanistan July 2, 2009. Thousands of U.S. Marines stormed deep into Taliban territory in an Afghan valley on Thursday, marking the start of a major new effort by the Obama administration to regain the initiative in the war. Locals expressed cautious reactions to the arrival of the U.S. forces. REUTERS/Baris Atayman" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (Reuters) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090703/wl_uk_afp/afghanistanunrestbritain afp/20090703/afghanistanunrestbritain AFP world Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:34:20 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090703/wl_uk_afp/afghanistanunrestbritain"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090703/capt.photo_1246605940085-3-0.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=7FBMQcfDSjVUUI5J.zVq9g--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="A British soldier keeps watch during a patrol on the outskirts of Kabul, 2008. Tributes poured in Friday for the most senior army officer to be killed in action, since the Falklands War.(AFP/File/Shah Marai)" border="0" /></a>AFP - Tributes poured in Friday for the most senior army officer to be killed in action since the Falklands War.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090703/wl_uk_afp/afghanistanunrestbritain"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090703/capt.photo_1246605940085-3-0.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=7FBMQcfDSjVUUI5J.zVq9g--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="photo" title="A British soldier keeps watch during a patrol on the outskirts of Kabul, 2008. Tributes poured in Friday for the most senior army officer to be killed in action, since the Falklands War.(AFP/File/Shah Marai)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan ap/20090703/as_pakistan AP world Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:27:58 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090703/capt.8e663d4a7cc34b0d8e2ca16add65719d.pakistan_missiles_gfx355.jpg?x=52&y=130&q=85&sig=FVcFDbiEkHqBCEA6veJSbQ--" align="left" height="130" width="52" alt="Map locates South Waziristan, Pakistan and the location of suspected U.S. missile strikes" border="0" /></a>AP - U.S. missiles struck a training facility operated by Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud and a militant communication center Friday, killing 17 people and wounding 27 others, intelligence officials said.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090703/capt.8e663d4a7cc34b0d8e2ca16add65719d.pakistan_missiles_gfx355.jpg?x=52&y=130&q=85&sig=FVcFDbiEkHqBCEA6veJSbQ--" align="left" height="130" width="52" alt="photo" title="Map locates South Waziristan, Pakistan and the location of suspected U.S. missile strikes" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_afghan_soldier_captured ap/20090703/us_us_afghan_soldier_captured AP politics Fri, 03 Jul 2009 00:17:56 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_afghan_soldier_captured"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090702/capt.359eafe08d3b46f6b250b1a0361365f2.afghan_us_soldier_2_gfx342.jpg?x=98&y=130&q=85&sig=E6gwv3ve_caxDPRpuGWZ7A--" align="left" height="130" width="98" alt="Map locates Paktika province, Afghanistan, where a U.S. soldier was captured by insurgents" border="0" /></a>AP - An American soldier is believed being held by the Taliban after he walked off his base in eastern Afghanistan without his body armor and weapon, officials said Thursday.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090703/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_afghan_soldier_captured"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090702/capt.359eafe08d3b46f6b250b1a0361365f2.afghan_us_soldier_2_gfx342.jpg?x=98&y=130&q=85&sig=E6gwv3ve_caxDPRpuGWZ7A--" align="left" height="130" width="98" alt="photo" title="Map locates Paktika province, Afghanistan, where a U.S. soldier was captured by insurgents" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_afp/afghanistanunrestuskhanjar afp/20090702/afghanistanunrestuskhanjar AFP world Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:51:15 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_afp/afghanistanunrestuskhanjar"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090703/capt.photo_1246528858408-7-0.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=leeTn0nrNEvEA5FRp9Anww--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="Map locating Helmand province in Afghanistan. Thousands of US Marines poured into Afghanistan's Taliban heartlands Thursday, quickly capturing a district in the first major assault of President Barack Obama's new war plan.(AFP/Graphic)" border="0" /></a>AFP - Thousands of US Marines poured into Afghanistan's Taliban heartlands Thursday, quickly capturing a district in the first major assault of President Barack Obama's new war plan.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_afp/afghanistanunrestuskhanjar"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090703/capt.photo_1246528858408-7-0.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=leeTn0nrNEvEA5FRp9Anww--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="photo" title="Map locating Helmand province in Afghanistan. Thousands of US Marines poured into Afghanistan's Taliban heartlands Thursday, quickly capturing a district in the first major assault of President Barack Obama's new war plan.(AFP/Graphic)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090702/ap_on_re_us/us_afghanistan_marines ap/20090702/us_afghanistan_marines AP us Thu, 02 Jul 2009 18:01:03 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090702/ap_on_re_us/us_afghanistan_marines"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090703/capt.photo_1246653352160-1-0.jpg?x=92&y=130&q=85&sig=wSbME0pkzIa9Z3oqk_msNQ--" align="left" height="130" width="92" alt="Canadian soldiers with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) stand guard during a patrol in Panjwayi district, some 30 kms to the west of Kandahar province, in March 2008. A Canadian soldier travelling in the same convoy as the commander of Canadian forces in Afghanistan was killed in an improvised explosive device attack, the Canadian military said Friday.(AFP/File/Shah Marai)" border="0" /></a>AP - The Marine Corps says one Marine has been killed in fighting in southern Afghanistan during a major offensive against the Taliban.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090702/ap_on_re_us/us_afghanistan_marines"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090703/capt.photo_1246653352160-1-0.jpg?x=92&y=130&q=85&sig=wSbME0pkzIa9Z3oqk_msNQ--" align="left" height="130" width="92" alt="photo" title="Canadian soldiers with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) stand guard during a patrol in Panjwayi district, some 30 kms to the west of Kandahar province, in March 2008. A Canadian soldier travelling in the same convoy as the commander of Canadian forces in Afghanistan was killed in an improvised explosive device attack, the Canadian military said Friday.(AFP/File/Shah Marai)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090702/ap_on_re_eu/eu_nato_change_of_command ap/20090702/eu_nato_change_of_command AP world Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:51:45 GMT AP - NATO's new commander said Thursday that the situation in Afghanistan remains "very challenging," but that the Taliban and other insurgents can be defeated. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090702/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_afghanistan ap/20090702/us_obama_afghanistan AP politics Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:17:57 GMT AP - President Barack Obama tells The Associated Press that he will reassess the possible need for additional U.S. troops in Afghanistan after the Afghan national elections in August. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090702/ap_on_re_as/as_afghan_opium_glance ap/20090702/as_afghan_opium_glance AP world Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:50:48 GMT AP - Helmand province, where 4,000 U.S. Marines launched a major anti-Taliban offensive Thursday, is the world's largest cultivator of opium poppies — the crop used to make heroin. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_afp/usmilitaryafghanistanmissing afp/20090702/usmilitaryafghanistanmissing AFP world Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:20:00 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_afp/usmilitaryafghanistanmissing"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090702/capt.photo_1246531934112-2-0.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=NlBwYgL8aunCwXAbhappUw--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="A US soldier takes a rest during a mission in Afghanistan. A US soldier is believed to have been captured by insurgents in Afghanistan, the military said, as a commander for a hardline Taliban faction said his militia had the trooper.(AFP/File/Liu Jin)" border="0" /></a>AFP - A US soldier is believed to have been captured by insurgents in Afghanistan, the military said Thursday, as a commander for a hardline Taliban faction claimed his militia had the trooper.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_afp/usmilitaryafghanistanmissing"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090702/capt.photo_1246531934112-2-0.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=NlBwYgL8aunCwXAbhappUw--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="photo" title="A US soldier takes a rest during a mission in Afghanistan. A US soldier is believed to have been captured by insurgents in Afghanistan, the military said, as a commander for a hardline Taliban faction said his militia had the trooper.(AFP/File/Liu Jin)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_sthasia_afp/afghanistanunrestuskhanjardistrict afp/20090702/afghanistanunrestuskhanjardistrict AFP world Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:40:01 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_sthasia_afp/afghanistanunrestuskhanjardistrict"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090702/capt.photo_1246514559078-2-0.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=Hnz5k8D1iRMjoSdV8e5vOw--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="US Marines walk towards a helicopter at Camp Dwyer in Helmand province in Afghanistan on July 2. US Marines and Afghan troops captured a remote southern district from the Taliban Thursday in one of the first successes of a major operation in militant strongholds, commanders said.(AFP/Manpreet Romana)" border="0" /></a>AFP - US Marines and Afghan troops captured a remote southern district from the Taliban Thursday in one of the first successes of a major operation in militant strongholds, commanders said.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_sthasia_afp/afghanistanunrestuskhanjardistrict"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090702/capt.photo_1246514559078-2-0.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=Hnz5k8D1iRMjoSdV8e5vOw--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="photo" title="US Marines walk towards a helicopter at Camp Dwyer in Helmand province in Afghanistan on July 2. US Marines and Afghan troops captured a remote southern district from the Taliban Thursday in one of the first successes of a major operation in militant strongholds, commanders said.(AFP/Manpreet Romana)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090702/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan_afghan ap/20090702/as_pakistan_afghan AP world Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:15:49 GMT AP - Pakistan's army has deployed more troops to a stretch of the Afghan border to stop Taliban militants fleeing a major U.S. offensive in southern Afghanistan, a spokesman said Thursday. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090702/ap_on_re_us/quotes ap/20090702/quotes AP us Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:18:37 GMT AP - "Where we go we will stay, and where we stay, we will hold, build and work toward transition of all security responsibilities to Afghan forces." — Marine Corps Brig. Gen. Larry Nicholson on a major operation involving 4,000 U.S. Marines to clear out Taliban insurgents in southern Afghanistan. http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_sthasia_afp/afghanistanunrestusmilitaryhelicopter afp/20090702/afghanistanunrestusmilitaryhelicopter AFP world Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:27:54 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_sthasia_afp/afghanistanunrestusmilitaryhelicopter"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090702/capt.photo_1246518607609-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=83&q=85&sig=Tkqum2Iqc0dJfAGpz1Tieg--" align="left" height="83" width="130" alt="US Marines wait to board helicopters at Camp Dwyer in Helmand province on July 2. In the cool of an Afghan desert just before daybreak, 300 US Marines rustled in sleeping bags beside a helicopter pad as the wake-up orders were whispered from man to man.(AFP/Manpreet Romana)" border="0" /></a>AFP - In the cool of an Afghan desert just before daybreak, 300 US Marines rustled in sleeping bags beside a helicopter pad as the wake-up orders were whispered from man to man.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_sthasia_afp/afghanistanunrestusmilitaryhelicopter"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090702/capt.photo_1246518607609-1-0.jpg?x=130&y=83&q=85&sig=Tkqum2Iqc0dJfAGpz1Tieg--" align="left" height="83" width="130" alt="photo" title="US Marines wait to board helicopters at Camp Dwyer in Helmand province on July 2. In the cool of an Afghan desert just before daybreak, 300 US Marines rustled in sleeping bags beside a helicopter pad as the wake-up orders were whispered from man to man.(AFP/Manpreet Romana)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_sthasia_afp/afghanistanunrestvotetaliban afp/20090702/afghanistanunrestvotetaliban AFP world Thu, 02 Jul 2009 06:39:14 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_sthasia_afp/afghanistanunrestvotetaliban"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090702/capt.photo_1246515795046-1-0.jpg?x=90&y=130&q=85&sig=YuL2UFKHd.NuFTKCMO6.Yw--" align="left" height="130" width="90" alt="Mullah Abdul Salam Rocketi attends a ceremony in Kabul on June 11. Rocketi, former Taliban commander and would-be president of Afghanistan, admits he had a certain flare for firing rocket-propelled grenades on Soviet soldiers in his youth.(AFP/Shah Marai)" border="0" /></a>AFP - Mullah Abdul Salam Rocketi, former Taliban commander and would-be president of Afghanistan, admits he had a certain flare for firing rocket-propelled grenades on Soviet soldiers in his youth.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090702/wl_sthasia_afp/afghanistanunrestvotetaliban"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/afp/20090702/capt.photo_1246515795046-1-0.jpg?x=90&y=130&q=85&sig=YuL2UFKHd.NuFTKCMO6.Yw--" align="left" height="130" width="90" alt="photo" title="Mullah Abdul Salam Rocketi attends a ceremony in Kabul on June 11. Rocketi, former Taliban commander and would-be president of Afghanistan, admits he had a certain flare for firing rocket-propelled grenades on Soviet soldiers in his youth.(AFP/Shah Marai)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AFP) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090702/wl_nm/us_afghanistan_assault nm/20090702/us_afghanistan_assault Reuters world Thu, 02 Jul 2009 03:24:10 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090702/wl_nm/us_afghanistan_assault"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20090702/i/r1759461815.jpg?x=130&y=73&q=85&sig=aJJN0EjePAAmEzGKCEvSJg--" align="left" height="73" width="130" alt="Marines dismount from a vehicle in a convoy in Taliban-held territory during an assault in the lower Helmand river valley July 2, 2009. REUTERS/Peter Graff" border="0" /></a>Reuters - Thousands of U.S. Marines stormed into an Afghan river valley by helicopter and land on Thursday, launching the biggest military offensive of Barack Obama's presidency with an assault deep in Taliban territory.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090702/wl_nm/us_afghanistan_assault"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/rids/20090702/i/r1759461815.jpg?x=130&y=73&q=85&sig=aJJN0EjePAAmEzGKCEvSJg--" align="left" height="73" width="130" alt="photo" title="Marines dismount from a vehicle in a convoy in Taliban-held territory during an assault in the lower Helmand river valley July 2, 2009. REUTERS/Peter Graff" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (Reuters) http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090702/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_afghanistan ap/20090702/us_us_afghanistan AP politics Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:00:54 GMT <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090702/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_afghanistan"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090625/capt.7a191ae3314248caaf7c951d66d664c0.afghanistan_xdg104.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=OAQb4WmTuw9AKe2wHLeAkQ--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="U.S. Marines 1st Lt. Jared Sprunk from Port Charlotte, Fla., and from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines raises his weapon after his vehicle came under fire from Taliban positions near the town of Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province, Thursday, June 25, 2009. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)" border="0" /></a>AP - Thousands of U.S. Marines and hundreds of Afghan troops moved into Taliban-infested villages with armor and helicopters Wednesday evening in the first major operation under President Barack Obama's revamped strategy to stabilize Afghanistan.</p><br clear="all"/> <p><a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/afghanistan/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090702/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_us_afghanistan"><img src="http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20090625/capt.7a191ae3314248caaf7c951d66d664c0.afghanistan_xdg104.jpg?x=130&y=86&q=85&sig=OAQb4WmTuw9AKe2wHLeAkQ--" align="left" height="86" width="130" alt="photo" title="U.S. Marines 1st Lt. Jared Sprunk from Port Charlotte, Fla., and from the 2nd MEB, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marines raises his weapon after his vehicle came under fire from Taliban positions near the town of Now Zad in Afghanistan's Helmand province, Thursday, June 25, 2009. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)" border="0"/></a></p><br clear="all"/> (AP)