The number of U.S. troops in Iraq has fallen below 50,000 for the first time since the 2003. Illiteracy and desertion slow Afghan training, yet the ambitious mission presses forward, says top NATO training commander.

Number of US troops in Iraq falls below 50,000

BAGHDAD (AP) — The number of U.S. troops in Iraq has fallen below 50,000 for the first time since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion and ahead of the end-of-the-month deadline mandated by President Barack Obama, the American military said in a statement Tuesday.

Billions of aid dollars buy U.S. little goodwill in Pakistan

They came with their blueprints, their engineering know-how and their money. By the time they left in the early 1970s, they had helped build a world-class dam that kept parts of Pakistan dry this month while vast stretches of the country drowned.

Biden addresses vets on Iraqi withdrawal

INDIANAPOLIS — Vice President Joe Biden on Monday told several thousand veterans that “politics and not war has broken out in Iraq” — a route to peace made possible by the sacrifices of American service men and women.

Troops Fire Shots to Disperse Protesters

KABUL, Afghanistan — U.S. troops fired warning shots to disperse a protest in eastern Afghanistan over the arrest of a religious leader suspected of a rocket attack, NATO said Tuesday.

Afghan security forces aim to grow quickly despite high attrition rate

ARLINGTON, Va. — The top NATO training commander in Afghanistan said the mission to grow the Afghan National Security Force at an ambitious pace is pressing ahead, but still struggling to overcome illiteracy rates as high as 85 percent and attrition rates at nearly 50 percent in some units.

Illiteracy, desertion slow Afghan training

Extremely high illiteracy and desertion rates among Afghan army and police recruits have become the top challenges to standing up reliable Afghan security forces, a top Army general said Monday.

Nebraska Drops Case Against Westboro Member

PAPILLION, Neb. — Family members of a fallen U.S. service member expressed disappointment Monday after prosecutors and protesters from Kansas-based Westboro Baptist Church reached a deal that will keep both sides out of court over actions stemming from a church member’s 2007 protest of the serviceman’s funeral.

Air base expansion plans reflect long-term investment in Afghanistan

Three $100 million air base expansions in southern and northern Afghanistan illustrate Pentagon plans to continue building multimillion-dollar facilities in that country to support increased U.S. military operations well into the future.

4 U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan fighting

KABUL, Afghanistan — Four U.S. troops were killed in fighting in eastern and southern Afghanistan on Sunday, and a former guerrilla leader who battled Soviet invaders decades ago was killed by a roadside bomb in the country’s north.

Benefits for military caretakers divides haves, have nots among vets

Families were changed forever by injuries suffered while Army veterans served their country. But not all of them would likely qualify for all the benefits provided for veterans’ caregivers under a new law that favors service members injured on or after Sept. 11, 2001.

The inequity is angering many veterans locally and nationally.

Taliban birthplace next target for U.S. troops

HOWZ-E-MADAD, Afghanistan — As Army Lt. Col. Peter N. Benchoff prepares for an assault next month into the birthplace of the Taliban, he doesn’t sugarcoat the hurdles his troops face in this crucial swath of southern Afghanistan.

Thousands strain Fort Hood’s mental health system

FORT HOOD, Texas — Nine months after an Army psychiatrist was charged with fatally shooting 13 soldiers and wounding 30, the nation’s largest Army post can measure the toll of war in the more than 10,000 mental health evaluations, referrals or therapy sessions held every month.