The first court conviction of a Gitmo detainee does little to push Obama closer to closing the prison. Thursday, NATO released the details of the Afghan clash that killed five American soldiers.

NATO details Afghan clash that killed 5 Americans

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — NATO released Thursday the first details on an insurgent attack that killed five U.S. soldiers over the weekend, saying the Americans were trying to rout militants from a volatile valley in eastern Kunar province when they came under fire.

Top US, Israeli Military Leaders Meet Amid Iran Controversy

The top U.S. and Israeli military officers met Wednesday amid some disagreement among senior leaders of the two countries on how best to pressure Iran to abandon its alleged nuclear weapons program.  The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, hosted his Israeli counterpart, General Gabi Ashkenazi at the Pentagon

Analysis: Assertive Karzai bewilders allies

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — With the war at a critical stage, Afghanistan’s president is publicly berating his NATO allies, criticizing military tactics and occasionally reminding them that they are not the only players in his country.

Asking a tough question for suicide prevention

YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — “Are you thinking about killing yourself?”

It is one of the toughest questions that Petty Officer 3rd Class David Callahan and others who recently became “suicide first-aid responders” at bases in mainland Japan and Okinawa could imagine asking anybody. It is uncomfortable to do even in a role-playing exercise.

Conviction Unlikely to Help Obama Shut Gitmo

WASHINGTON — The first court conviction of a Guantanamo Bay detainee did little to push President Obama closer to shuttering the island prison, making it increasingly likely his campaign promise will remain unmet by the time his current term expires.

In Afghanistan, Can NATO’s ‘Security Bubbles’ Last?

After nine years of war in Afghanistan, NATO is getting ready to ask its member countries to commit to the fight until at least 2014. That’s the date that the Obama administration has set to complete a full transition to Afghan control.

Israel OKs Withdrawal From Lebanon Border Town

Israel on Wednesday approved the withdrawal of troops from the northern half of a divided village that straddles the border with Lebanon — a step that would end its four-year presence in the volatile area.

Obama: Medal of Honor recipient Giunta ‘as humble as he is heroic’

WASHINGTON — Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta was stoic as President Barack Obama hung the Medal of Honor around his neck, shook his hand and embraced him.

NATO Is Razing Booby-Trapped Afghan Homes

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — In the newly won districts around this southern city, American forces are encountering empty homes and farm buildings left so heavily booby-trapped by Taliban insurgents that the Americans have been systematically destroying hundreds of them, according to local Afghan authorities.

Obama’s New START Treaty Prospects Fade

WASHINGTON — An agreement between the United States and Russia to slash their nuclear arsenals was in danger of collapse after an influential Republican senator said it should not be voted on this year.

Karzai’s comments are latest frustration for Petraeus, NATO

KABUL, Afghanistan — President Hamid Karzai’s call for a smaller U.S. military footprint in Afghanistan has ratcheted up tensions between the two strategic partners just days before the nations are expected to present a unified front at the NATO summit in Lisbon, Portugal.