Iraq: US Army Spc. Andrew Lara

The U.S Department of Defence has announced the death of Spc. Andrew E. Lara, aged 25, from Albany, Oregon, who died on 27th April 2011, in a noncombat related incident, in Babil province, Iraq.  He was assigned to F Company, 145th Brigade Support Battalion, attached to the 3rd Battalion, 116th Cavalry Regiment.

Gaddafi offers truce but not exit

Gaddafi offers truce but not exit - Africa - Al Jazeera English

Iraq: 11 killed as violence spreads

At least 11 people were killed in a string of bombings and shootings in central Iraq, a day after a suicide bomber killed 10 worshippers in a Shia mosque.

The violence on Friday underlined the security concerns Iraq still faces as American troops prepare to leave the country by the end of this year.

In Baghdad, a bomb went off in a predominantly Shia neighbourhood, killing three police commandos and one civilian and wounding 24 policemen and five civilians, police and medical officials said.

As police arrived on the scene to investigate, a second bomb exploded. Armed groups often use such staged blasts to lure in security and medical personnel who arrive on the scene to help and then fall victim to the subsequent blast.

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Injured American soldier back in the U.S

US Army Specialist, Zachary Durham, has arrived in the U.S after being medically evacuated from Afghanistan where he suffered injuries while attempting to rescue to pilots in a helicopter crash last week. He will be treated at Walter Reed Medical Center, Washington DC.

Staff Sergeant James Justice was killed in the same rescue mission.

Ivory Coast warlord killed

An Ivory Coast militia leader has been killed by forces of the country's new President Alassane Ouattara.

The leader of the so-called Invisible Commandos, Ibrahim Coulibaly, was killed in an offensive on Wednesday, a defence ministry spokesman said.

The Commandos had helped Mr Ouattara gain control of parts of Abidjan during a post-poll dispute.

But they had since fallen out and their respective forces clashed on Wednesday in the city, Ivory Coast's largest.

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French blogger wounded in Misrata

A French blogger has been wounded in the neck in Misrata after travelling to Libya to report on the revolt against Moamer Kadhafi, according the Rue89 website which published some of his reports. 

French officials are trying to repatriate the man, named only as Baptiste, after a first operation in Libya.

He was hit by a stray bullet fired by pro-Kadhafi troops on Sunday, although he was not close to the fighting at the time, a group calling itself “Friends of Baptiste” says. They have not made his surname public out of consideration for his family. 

He underwent surgery in Misrata but the French authorities are trying to send him back to France so as to be operated on in more hygienic conditions, they say, adding that the conflict is making the plan difficult.

Baptiste went to Libya as part of a group of French activist-bloggers who covered the Libyan conflict and other uprisings in the Arab world. Rue89 published his account of the battle for Misrata.

Activists prepare new aid flotilla to Gaza

Pro-Palestinian activists say a planned convoy of aid ships to the Gaza Strip will be twice as big as a similar flotilla that was raided a year ago by Israeli forces, leaving nine people dead on a Turkish boat.

Organizers say they hope to depart around the May 31 anniversary of the fatal raid, but say it could happen later than that.

Huseyin Oruc, a spokesman for an Islamic aid group in Turkey, said Tuesday that an international coalition of 22 non-governmental organizations plans to send 15 ships with a total of 1,500 people.

The goal is to break Israel's blockade of Gaza. Israel says any attempt to reach Gaza by sea is aimed at provoking violence.

Pepsi building $60 million bottling plant in Kabul

PepsiCo, one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies has recently signed an exclusive deal with the Dubai based Alokozay Group to manufacture and distribute popular PepsiCo beverages such as Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Mountain Dew and 7-UP in Afghanistan. 

A $60 million beverage bottling plant will be built in Kabul in order to make this happen. It is expected that the new plant will come into operation in March 2012. 

The really good news for Afghans is that this deal will create 800 direct jobs. “The beverage industry in Afghanistan has grown tremendously and industry estimates point to more than 30 per cent growth year on year. 

We are delighted to take the PepsiCo franchise into Kabul as this will enable us to service the growing requirement for beverages in the country, with one of the most internationally renowned brands” said Jalil Alokozay, CEO of Alokozay Beverages Company. “As one of the largest organizations of Afghan origin, the Alokozay Group of Companies has remained committed to contributing to the economic development in Afghanistan, and the establishment of this plant is further evidence of this commitment,” he added.

Anwar-ul-Haq Ahadi, Afghanistan’s Minister of Commerce and Industries, and Najeebullah Mojadidi, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates were present at the deal signing ceremony.

Egypt: gas pipeline bombed

An explosion in Egypt's North Sinai has rocked a terminal that supplies natural gas to Jordan and Israel.

Flames shot into the air at the al-Sabil terminal on Wednesday, sending nearby residents fleeing from their homes.

A security official blamed saboteurs for the blast south of the town of El-Arish, 50km from the border with Israel.

"An unknown armed gang attacked the gas pipeline near Arish city," the unnamed security source told the Reuters news agency, adding that the flow of gas to Israel and Jordan had been hit.

"Authorities closed the main source of gas supplying the pipeline and are working to extinguish the fire," the source said.

On February 5, an explosion at a different section of the pipeline severed gas exports to neighbouring Israel and Jordan in an incident that came during an 18-day popular uprising that forced former president Hosni Mubarak from power.

Egypt's natural gas company blamed the February incident on a gas leak, although local security officials said they suspected sabotage in that blast.

Bedouin tribesmen of the Sinai Peninsula attempted to blow up the pipeline last July as tensions intensified between them and the Egyptian government, which they accuse of discrimination and of ignoring their plight.

Source: agencies

Video: Syrian army bombard Deraa

This video was recorded by a Syrian citizen 25th April 2011 as Syrian artillery began pounding the city of Deraa

Bahrain: medical centres raided

Activists in Bahrain say security forces arrested medical workers in retribution for treating protesters injured in the uprising.

Security forces have seized at least eight health workers from two separate medical facilities in Bahrain, according to Al Jazeera.

The Aali Health Centre in Manama was raided early on Tuesday morning. Medical staff working in the two centres were beaten and an unknown number were arrested.

Human rights groups have accused Bahrain of arresting patients and medical staff suspected of taking part in protests, and sacking hundreds of public workers. Bahrain says it targets only those who committed crimes during the unrest in March.

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Thai-Cambodia border dispute spreads east

Thai and Cambodian soldiers clashed on Tuesday afternoon in the disputed area around Preah Vihear temple on the border in Kantharalak district of Si Sa Ket province, and again on the border in Surin province.

The fighting began about 1.30pm, with sounds of fierce exchanges involving both small arms and heavy weapons, local reports said.

Continuous gunfire could be heard from the area near Wat Kaew Sika Khiri Savara, around the Preah Vihear temple and Phu Makhua.

The violence reportedly erupted after Cambodian soldiers at Wat Kaew Sika Khiri Savara opened fire at a Thai F16 fighter which was flying along the Thai-Cambodian border.

Second Army spokesman Prawit Hookaew said 10 Thai soldiers were wounded in an earlier clash today on the border in Surin province.

Col Prawit said the fighting occurred between 3.20am and 5am, when Cambodian soldiers tried to capture Ta Kwai and Ta Muen Thom temple ruins but were repulsed.

Renewed fighting was reported in the afternoon as the two sides exchanged heavy fire near Ta Muen Thom temple from about 3 pm. Clashes were also reported near Ta Kwai temple and Chong Krang border pass in northeastern Surin province.

There were no reports of death or injuries from either side. In late afternoon  the sound of artillery fire was still being heard.

UN aid worker killed in Sudan

Santino Pigga Alex Wani, a Senior Programme Assistant working with the UN World Food Programme was killed during an ambush by armed assailants in Jonglei state on 22nd April 2011.

Santino, a Senior Programme Assistant, was on mission with members of WFP’s cooperating partner, Joint Aid Management, or JAM, when the vehicle they were travelling in was attacked.

 

Santino first started working with WFP in 2004. He was born in the Western Equatoria State capital of Yei in Southern Sudan. He leaves behind a wife and a teenage son and daughter.

UK in Libya 'for the long haul'

The UK "must prepare for the long haul" in Libya, Downing Street has said.

Earlier Foreign Secretary William Hague briefed the cabinet about the situation in Libya.

Number 10 said progress was being made in putting greater pressure on Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and there were "grounds for optimism".

RAF fighter aircraft "successfully attacked" three armoured personnel carriers near the besieged city of Misrata over the weekend.

But a spokeswoman for the prime minister said: "We must prepare for the long haul."

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Georgian sailor liberated from captivity returns home

Georgian sailor, 29 year old Georgi Chkadua, who was freed from captivity of Somali pirates, has returned home. His father, Otar Chkadua, told journalists that the captured sailor is already in his native Vardisubani village in the Telavi region.

Chkadua was a crew member of the Greek supertanker "Irene SL", which was captured by Somali pirates. Chkadua was released earler this month.

3 killed as Yemen accepts Gulf plan

Yemen's opposition has decided to be part of a transitional government under a Gulf-brokered plan for president Ali Abdullah Saleh to step aside, an opposition source told Reuters. According to the plan, Saleh will stay in power for a further 30 days before quitting, and the opposition had earlier said it would stay out of a unity government.

As opposition leaders gathered in Sanaa to discuss the proposal, Yemeni forces killed three protesters at rallies outside the capital, witnesses said. In the city of Taez, witnesses said security men opened fire on protesters. A woman watching the clash from her balcony was shot dead, and medical sources said 25 others were shot and injured in this southern town.

Clashes reported also in the town of Ibb, where one protester was shot dead and a dozen were hurt by live bullets as police tried to break up a march, witnesses said. Security forces also shot dead a protester in the southern province of al-Baida.

source: Al Bawaba News

Jimmy Carter leads North Korea peace mission

Jimmy Carter, the former US president, has arrived in Pyongyang hoping to meet with North Korea's leader as part of a mission to discuss dangerous food shortages and stalled nuclear disarmament talks.

Carter was joined by Martti Ahtisaari, former Finnish president, Gro Brundtland, former Norwegian prime minister and Mary Robinson, former Irish president, for the three-day visit to North Korea, which started on Tuesday.

The former leaders were not told ahead of their trip who they would meet with, but said they hoped to see Kim Jong Il, the North Korean leader, and his son and heir apparent Kim Jong Un.

The mission comes as diplomats struggle to find a way to restart talks meant to persuade the North to abandon its atomic weapons ambitions.

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Britain's economic problems solved

We couldn't resist posting this obvious solution to Britain's economic woes. It's a pity politicians can never find an easy solution to anything.

Our letter to Britain's Prime Minister, David Cameron:


Dear Mr. Cameron,

Please find below our suggestion for fixing Britain's battered economy.


Instead of giving billions of pounds to banks that will squander the money on lavish parties and unearned bonuses, we suggest using the following plan. You could call it the Patriotic Retirement Plan:


There are about 10 million people over the age of 50 in the work force.


Pay each of them 1 million pounds severance for early retirement with the following stipulations:


1) They MUST retire.
Result: 10 million job openings - unemployment problem solved!


2) They MUST buy a new British car.
Result: 10 million cars ordered - ailing car industry fixed!


3) They MUST either buy a house or pay off their mortgage.
Result: Britain's housing crisis fixed!


4) They MUST send their kids to school/college/university.
Result: Crime rate solved!


5) They MUST buy 100 pounds worth of alcohol/tobacco each week.
Result: you get your money back in tax and duty!


We look forward to hearing from you.

Yours etc etc.

Real IRA Threatens More Police Killings

Northern Ireland: Dissident republicans have threatened to kill more police officers and disrupt the Queen's historic visit to Ireland.

The warning from the Real IRA was read by a masked man at an Easter Rising commemoration in Derry City Cemetery.

Referring to the police, he said: "...those who turn traitor ...are as liable for execution as anyone else regardless of their religion, cultural background or motivation."

It is three weeks since PC Ronan Kerr, a Catholic recruit, was killed by a booby trap bomb planted beneath his car in Omagh.

The group also vowed to ensure the Queen "gets the message" that she is not welcome when she visits Ireland next month.

Read more and view video at Sky

Kuwait gives $180m to Libyan rebels

Kuwait City - Kuwait on Sunday gave $180m to the Libyan opposition Transitional National Council (TNC), its chief Mustafa Abdel Jalil said.

"This amount will help us pay part of the salaries of employees," Jalil told reporters after talks with Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah. "We are in need of urgent assistance."

Kuwait's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Sabah al-Salem al-Sabah said "Kuwait will provide large and urgent humanitarian aid through the national council."

Sheikh Mohammad said Kuwait and the TNC "will work closely so that it becomes the legitimate channel of the Libyan people", but stopped short of officially recognising the council.

Source: news24

London Taliban target women and gays

'Wear a headscarf or we will kill you': How the 'London Taliban' is threatening women and trying to ban gays in bid to impose sharia law.

Women who do not wear headscarves are being threatened with violence and even death by Islamic extremists intent on imposing sharia law on parts of Britain, it was claimed today.

Other targets of the 'Talibanesque thugs', being investigated by police in the Tower Hamlets area of London, include homosexuals.

Stickers have been plastered on public walls stating: 'Gay free zone. Verily Allah is severe in punishment'.

Read full story at Daily Mail

Syria: US orders partial embassy evacuation

The United States has ordered State Department family members and some non-emergency embassy personnel to leave Syria, citing the "uncertainty and volatility" of a crackdown on protesters.

The department also urged Americans to defer all travel to Syria and advised those already in the country to get out while commercial transportation is still available.

It said the embassy would remain open for limited services.

The move came as thousands of Syrian soldiers backed by tanks and snipers moved in to the southern city of Daraa and opened fire on civilians, killing at least 11 people, witnesses said.

Source: news.com.au

Attempted Alitalia hijacking thwarted

A man has been overpowered by cabin crew on an Alitalia flight from Paris to Rome, after he drew out a small knife and demanded the plane divert to the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

A female flight attendant was slightly injured as the man was subdued.

The suspect, from Kazakhstan, was handed over to police and arrested after flight AZ329 landed at Rome's Fiumicino airport at 2005 GMT.

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Sudan: 57 dead in army and militia clash

At least 57 people have been killed in fighting between government forces and a rebel militia in South Sudan, officials have said.

South Sudan army spokesman Brig Malaak Ayuen said dozens were also wounded in the clashes in the state of Jonglei.

The local authorities accuse the government in Khartoum of backing the rebels to destabilise South Sudan, which will soon become independent.

The UN says more than 800 people have been killed in the region this year.

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Mauritania: protesters tear-gassed

Mauritanian police have fired tear gas at protesters attempting to hold a "day of rage" against President Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz's government.

A BBC reporter in the capital says police prevented hundreds of people from entering one of the main squares.

Twenty two people were arrested and opposition MPs were prevented from joining the demonstrators.

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Italy to join Libya bombing missions

Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi has approved the use of his country's air force in Nato's Libya mission.

Italy was ready to allow its jets to take "targeted military action", he said in a statement.

Earlier, a Nato air strike badly damaged buildings in Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi's compound in Tripoli.

Mr Berlusconi announced the decision after a telephone call with US President Barack Obama, and would also call other European leaders to brief them personally, said his statement.

Italy had previously said it would not take part in Nato-led air strikes, citing its 40-year colonial rule of Libya.

Read full story at BBC

Nigeria: hotel bombed

A series of bomb blasts have hit northeast Nigeria, killing at least three people and injuring 15 others in the latest spate of violence to hit the country.

Police said on Monday that they suspected a radical Islamic sect, known as Boko Haram, were behind the attacks that took place at a hotel tavern and a transport hub in Maiduguri, on Easter Sunday night.

Another explosion went off at a cattle market on Monday morning.

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Syria: troops raid rebellious city

Thousands of soldiers backed by tanks and snipers moved in before dawn to the city where Syria's anti-government uprising began, causing panic in the streets when they opened fire indiscriminately on civilians and went house-to-house rounding up suspected protesters. At least 11 people were killed and 14 others lay in the streets - either dead or gravely wounded, witnesses said.

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Thai soldier killed in Cambodia clashes

At least one soldier has been killed in fresh clashes along the Thai-Cambodian border on Saturday, bringing the total number of deaths to eight on both sides.

The latest casualty comes on the second day of the worst bloodshed since the United Nations called for a ceasefire in February.

Witnesses said the latest clash began before dawn west of Ta Krabey in the Dangrek Mountains and lasted several hours. By afternoon, heavy shelling had stopped but small-arms fire could be heard.

On Friday Thai and Cambodian troops exchanged gunfire and artillery shells, shattering a two-month lull in long-standing tensions over their disputed border.

Read full report at AlJazeera News

West Bank: Israeli killed, 4 wounded by Palestinian police

JERUSALEM – A Palestinian policeman shot and killed one Israeli and wounded four others early Sunday (24th April) near Joseph's Tomb, a Jewish holy site inside the Palestinian city of Nablus, the Israeli military said.

The circumstances of the shooting were not immediately clear. One man approximately 30 years old reached an Israeli base outside Nablus before dying of his wounds, the military and rescue services said.

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Failed suicide bomber a 'sleeper' from London

A suicide bomber who was shot dead before he could detonate himself in Afghanistan's defence headquarters had travelled from London, it's believed.

The Times are reporting that Britain's intelligence services have been handed details of the militant who infiltrated the base on Monday.

Sources high up in Afghanistan said the would-be bomber's name and other personal information had been forwarded to London, suggesting that he had been living here in Britain.

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Taliban killer interviewed by BBC

It was one of the most brutal Taliban attacks of the past ten years in Afghanistan.

A gunman entered a bank in the eastern city of Jalalabad, and shot dead 42 Afghans. The victims included women and children.

The BBC's Quentin Somerville has spoken to the killer, and the man who recruited him.

Click here to watch video interview

French bread and croissants in Kabul

On the wall of Le Pelican cafe in Kabul's dusty suburbs are photographs showing a baker's dozen of Afghan children beaming over a tray of pastries fresh out of the huge oven behind them.

Nearby shelves are stacked with their wares - croissants, pains au chocolat, baguettes, apple and peach tarts and turnovers, sugar cookies, a variety of breads - which teenagers Habib and Zahir carefully put in paper bags for enthusiastic customers.

In a city that has little trace of the sophistication of its past, Le Pelican Boulanger is more than just a welcome oasis for an expatriate community living and working as if under siege.

The cafe's French owners, Jacques and Ariane Hiriart, have built it from scratch to educate children from Afghanistan's ethnic Hazara community, who have long suffered discrimination and exclusion.

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Brit soldier puts suicide bomber in headlock

A HERO soldier subdued a suspected suicide bomber with his bare hands after a high-speed desert chase.

Unarmed Pte Lee Stephens grabbed the Taliban bomb-making expert from a motorcycle and put him in a headlock.

Afterwards the modest 30-year-old said: “My muckers were getting shot at and I thought ‘I’m not having that’. It’s like the Wild West out here.”

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Russia to supply helicopters to Afghanistan

MOSCOW: Russia has finalised a deal with NATO to supply two dozen combat helicopters to Afghanistan and train local pilots.

Russia and NATO will set up a trust fund for the supply and maintenance of Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters, said a top Russian diplomat.

“We have carried out a large amount of preparatory work to assess Afghanistan's need in helicopters, their maintenance and personnel training,” Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told the Itar-Tass news agency on Friday.

“Some NATO countries have announced readiness to make national contributions to the fund.”

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Russia eyes a Soviet-era Kabul icon

Bombed hollow and bullet scarred, the ruins of Russia's Cultural Centre stagger over Kabul like a modern day Ozymandias, warning would-be imperialists of the perils of meddling in Afghanistan.

Amid burgeoning nostalgia for what the Soviets achieved, disillusionment at Nato failures and the looming prospect of an American withdrawal, Moscow has decided to tear down the ruins and reassert its presence in Kabul once more.

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Pakistani suspect arrested for NATO base attack

Afghanistan's intelligence agency said Tuesday it had arrested a suspected Pakistani militant who led an attack on a NATO base in eastern Afghanistan, DPA reported.

The suspect, identified as Zarmalook, was arrested in the eastern province of Nangahar after he led a group of 12 men to attack a NATO base near the provincial capital Jalalabad on April 6, spy agency spokesman Lutfullah Mashal told reporters in Kabul.

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Taliban open office in Turkey

The Turkish foreign minister has confirmed that preparations are underway for opening an office in Turkey for the Afghan Taliban. 

During a recent visit to Turkey, the president of Pakistan, together with his Turkish counterpart, made a commitment to support political initiatives to end the war in Afghanistan.

Ankara has been calling for talks with the Taliban, and having strong ties with both Afghanistan and Pakistan is seen as a key element in facilitating talks.

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Soldier Missing from Korean War Identified

The U.S Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announcedon 12th April that the remains of a serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

Army Cpl. John W. Lutz, 21, of Kearny, N.J., will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery. From May 16-20, 1951, Task Force Zebra, a multinational force made up of Dutch, French, and U.S. forces, was attacked and isolated into smaller units. Lutz, of the 1st Ranger Infantry Company, part of Task Force Zebra, went missing while his unit was attempting to infiltrate enemy lines near Chaun-ni, South Korea, along the Hongcheon River Valley.

After the 1953 armistice, surviving POWs said Lutz had been captured by enemy forces on May 19, marched north to a POW camp in Suan County, North Korea, and died of malnutrition in July 1951.

Between 1991-94, North Korea gave the United States 208 boxes of remains believed to contain the remains of 200-400 servicemen. North Korean documents turned over with one of the boxes indicated the remains inside were exhumed near Suan County. This location correlates with the corporal’s last known location.

Two US soldiers killed in drone attack

WASHINGTON — A U.S. Marine reservist and a Navy corpsman were killed in a drone airstrike in Afghanistan last week in an apparent case of friendly fire, U.S. military officials tell NBC News.

Marine Staff Sgt. Jeremy Smith and Navy Corpsman Benjamin Rast were reportedly killed Wednesday by a Hellfire missile fired from a U.S. Air Force Predator in what appears to be a case of mistaken identity, NBC reported. Smith and Rast were part of a Marine unit moving in to reinforce fellow Marines under heavy fire from enemy forces outside Sangin in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan.

The Marines under fire were watching streaming video of the battlefield being fed to them by an armed Predator overhead. They saw a number of "hot spots," or infrared images, moving in their direction. Apparently believing that those "hot spots" were the enemy, they called in a Hellfire missile strike from the Predator.

It's believed that this is the first time that U.S. service members have been killed by a Predator in a friendly fire incident.

Smith, 26, of Arlington, Texas, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division out of Houston. Rast, 23, was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division out of San Diego.

The U.S. military is investigating the incident. Military officials say the families of both service members have been informed of the possibility this was a friendly fire incident.

British submarine officer shot dead

A British Royal Navy officer shot dead on board a nuclear-powered submarine in the British port of Southampton has been formally named by the Ministry of Defence as Lieutenant Commander Ian Molyneux.

He was killed on board HMS Astute yesterday when another member of the crew opened fire with a SA80 assault rifle.

Lt Cmdr Molyneux was 36 and from Wigan.

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Afghan imans preach anti-West

(Reuters) - Enayatullah Balegh is a professor at Kabul University and preaches on Fridays in the largest mosque in central Kabul, where he advocates jihad, or holy war, against foreigners who desecrate Islam.

After a fundamentalist U.S. pastor presided over the burning of a copy of the Koran last month, there has been a growing perception among ordinary people that many of the foreigners in Afghanistan belong in just one category: the infidels.

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Afghanistan: Bomb kills 3 tribal elders

KABUL, Afghanistan: An Afghan government official says a roadside bomb in western Afghanistan has killed three tribal elders who were on their way to a meeting with other tribal representatives.

Farah province’s deputy provincial governor says Sunday morning’s bomb ripped through the station wagon the men were driving through Balak Buluk district. All three were immediately killed.

The official, Yonus Rasouli, says many in the area knew of the planned meeting and that the elders were probably directly targeted. Rasouli did not give any reason they would have been singled out for attack.

Tribal elders regularly hold such meetings to discuss local issues. It was unclear if there was anything particular about Sunday’s meeting that would have made its participants a target.

Bomb sniffing dog gets Purple Cross award

An explosives detection dog that spent more than a year missing in action in Afghanistan has received the RSPCA's purple cross award at the Australian War Memorial.

Sarbi served with Australian troops in Afghanistan but became separated from her handler during an attack in 2008.

War Memorial spokeswoman Carol Cartwright says it is only the second time the award has honoured an animal in war.

"The only two that are war-related are for Murphy, Simpson's donkey, and for all of the donkeys from World War I, and now this one for Sarbi," she said.

"The award is an RSPCA award and it has gone to dogs that have saved people in house fires and heart attacks and things like that."

Ms Cartwright says Sarbi was found 14 months after she went missing at an isolated patrol base.

"An American saw an Afghan with this particular dog and thought 'that looks a bit like the Australian dog', so the microchip was tested and yes indeed it was Sarbi," she said.

Source: ABC News

British Para Commanders face the sack

Three British Parachute Regiment commanders fighting in Afghanistan and one of Britain’s most senior Special Forces officers have been told they could be sacked within months.

The commanding officers of all three Para battalions received letters telling them they were “in the zone for possible redundancy”. One officer heard the news only hours after returning from a patrol fighting the Taliban.

A similar letter was sent to the officer in line to become the next head of Britain’s Special Forces. He fought with the SAS in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The three Para commanders are completing six-month tours in Afghanistan, where one has been shot by insurgents. Another is likely to be decorated for leadership in combat.

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Las Vegas National Guard home from Afghanistan

To the cheers and tears of flag-waving families and friends, about 50 soldiers from a Las Vegas Valley National Guard unit returned home safely Saturday after a yearlong deployment in Afghanistan.

For 4-year-old Genevah Thomas, it was the long-awaited hug from her father, Spc. Anthony Thomas, that made her crack a grin from cheek-to-cheek with her brown eyes sparkling beneath a princess crown.

"I really missed my daughter," said the 6-foot-2 Thomas, a military policeman who joined the unit after moving to Las Vegas from Wisconsin in 2002.

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UN attack Afghanistan: two suspects in custody

KABUL - Afghan officials claim they have in custody two insurgents suspected of involvement in the killing of seven United Nations workers in Mazar-i-Sharif on 1st April.

Reports claim an Afghan government team investigating the attack has identified three men thought to be involved in the killings. An investigator with the Interior Ministry, Mohammad Akbari, said two of the suspects were in possession of a rifle used in the attack.

The UN employees killed in the attack are: Siri Skare (a Norwegian military officer); Joakim Dungel (a Swedish lawyer) and Filaret Motco (a Romanian citizen). Also killed were four Gurkha security guards.

NATO halts enemy attack in Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan – NATO forces killed seven insurgents who tried to storm their way onto a base in eastern Afghanistan, the coalition said Wednesday.

NATO said the attack was carried out late Tuesday in the city of Jalalabad by insurgents firing assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades. A statement from the coalition added that NATO forces returned fire and called in an attack helicopter. It said there were no coalition casualties; there were no further details on the killed insurgents.

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Iran and Russia - cooperation on Afghanistan

Iran and Russia have underlined the need for joint cooperation to help restore stability in Afghanistan ahead of a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) on the war-ravaged country.

Head of the Iranian Foreign Ministry's Afghanistan Headquarters Mohsen Pak-Ayin and Russian president's special envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov met and held talks on Afghanistan, Mehr news agency reported Tuesday.

In the meeting, the two officials called for more cooperation in the campaign against drug trafficking and terrorism to help bring back security to Afghanistan. 

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French troops deploy to Ivory Coast

French troops and United Nations peacekeepers are joining the fight against Ivory Coast's incumbent president as forces backing the country's internationally recognized leader launch another attack for control of the commercial capital, Abidjan.  

United Nations and French helicopters in Abidjan have fired on forces loyal to incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo to stop them from using heavy weapons.  A spokesman for the U.N. mission in Ivory Coast says helicopters fired on Gbagbo's troops at the main military barracks as well as the presidential palace and Gbagbo's residence.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy ordered French forces to join U.N. operations to protect civilians and remove Gbagbo's heavy artillery.

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon asked President Sarkozy for what he called "urgent" military operations to silence mortars and rocket launchers that have been used against civilians and U.N. headquarters in Abidjan.

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Fresh protests in Kabul over Koran burning

KABUL (AFP) – Fresh protests erupted in the Afghan capital Kabul on Tuesday 5th April over the burning of a Koran by a US pastor, taking angry and violent demonstrations into a fifth day, an AFP photographer said.

Several hundred people gathered at Kabul University chanting "death to America" and "we want the burner of the Koran to be tried" in the wake of previous protests which have left 24 people dead, including seven UN staff.

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UK to reduce Gurkha Brigade size

KATHMANDU, 4th April - With a view to restructuring its forces and to ensure that they are sufficiently flexible and adaptable to meet the demands of an uncertain future, the British Government has announced that it is going to reduce the size of the Gurkha Brigade by 700 by 2015. 

Read full report

U.S Military Police welcomed home from Afghanistan

U.S Soldiers from the 190th Military Police received a heroes’ welcome in Paulding County Sunday morning. The soldiers just got back from a year serving in Afghanistan.

Family and friends gathered Sunday to welcome the soldiers home. The soldiers said the homecoming meant a lot.“It means I’m back home with my family,” one soldier said.

Those families spent the day eating and playing games, making up for time they lost while overseas.

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Scots soldiers deploy to Helmand

Hundreds of Scots soldiers have carried out their final preparations before flying out to Afghanistan.

About 500 troops from The Highlanders 4th Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (4 SCOTS) are travelling to the war-torn country to perform a ground-holding role.

The soldiers will spend six months in the Lashkar Gah region of Helmand province, taking over the position currently held by 2 SCOTS (Royal Highland Fusiliers).

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Bikers ride for fallen soldiers

Bikers have roared off on a Ride of Respect to show appreciation of soldiers' sacrifice in Afghanistan.

Some 10,000 set off in waves of 500 from Hullavington airfield in Wiltshire, UK, to ride through the town of Wootton Bassett, scene of many moving homecomings for service personnel killed in the conflict.

They have paid donations to the charity, Afghan Heroes, to take part in the event.

Laurence Phillips, a spokesman for the charity, said: "This has been organised by the biking fraternity from across the UK, and it is their way of expressing their gratitude to the soldiers, who have given the ultimate, and also to the town.

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Protesters march on U.N. office in Kandahar

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Reuters) – Hundreds of peaceful protesters blocked the main highway in eastern Afghanistan on Sunday and marched through the southern city of Kandahar toward a United Nations office, denouncing the burning of a Koran by a radical fundamentalist U.S. pastor.

The demonstrations come after two days of deadly violence at similar gatherings, but officials promised a larger police and army deployment in Kandahar, the birthplace of the Taliban, to keep control. The protests in Jalalabad, the main city in the east, dissolved after several hours.

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Muslims burn effigy of Obama

Enraged demonstrators took to the streets of Afghanistan for a third day Sunday, killing two and injuring dozens of others after a fundamentalist Florida pastor burned the Koran.

President Hamid Karzai repeated his call to the White House, Senate and United Nations to bring to justice Terry Jones, the Gainsville, Fla. pastor who organized a mock "trial" that resulted in the burning of Islam's holy book on Friday, officials said.

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9 more dead in Koran burning riots

KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghans rioted for a second day Saturday to protest the burning of a Quran in Florida, killing nine people in Kandahar and injuring more than 80 in a wave of violence that underscored rising anti-foreign sentiment after nearly a decade of war.

The desecration at a small U.S. church has outraged Muslims worldwide, and in Afghanistan it further strained ties with the West. On Friday, 11 people were killed, including seven foreign U.N. employees, in a protest in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

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NATO forces repel attack on Kabul base

KABUL, Afghanistan – Three insurgents attacked a NATO base on the outskirts of Afghanistan's capital Saturday but were killed by coalition forces before they could enter the compound, NATO and Afghan police said.

NATO told The Associated Press in an email that three of its soldiers were wounded in Saturday's attack against Camp Phoenix, but that their injuries were not serious. The coalition said at least one attacker was possibly wearing a suicide vest. It added that the attack had ended.

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Foreign UN workers killed

Mazar-i-Sharif : Eight foreign employees of the United Nations were killed on Friday 1st April 2011 in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif after protesters over-ran their compound, police said, in what looks to be the deadliest ever assault on the UN in Afghanistan.

Two of the dead were beheaded by attackers who also burned parts of the compound and climbed up blast walls to topple a guard tower, said Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai, a police spokesman for the northern region.

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