CIA steps up drone attacks in Pakistan fearing al-Qaeda terror in Europe. And, Army may have known in February about the murder of Afghan civilians.

For parents of war dead, the combat doesn’t end

The week that Army Spc. Thomas K. Doerflinger was killed in Iraq at age 20, a friend in the neighborhood brought his parents a felt banner with a gold star. Tradition holds that a grieving mother hangs it in her window until the war is over. As it turned out, the war outlasted the banner.

CIA steps up drone attacks in Pakistan amid fear of al-Qaeda terror in Europe

A sharply escalated campaign of CIA drone strikes in Pakistan is aimed in part at al-Qaeda units suspected of planning terrorist attacks on targets in Europe, a threat that U.S. officials described as “credible but not specific” enough to allow authorities to anticipate precisely where or when a strike might occur.

Army may have known in February about Afghan murder

The Army may have known months ago about serious misconduct — including the apparently unprovoked murder of a civilian — by members of a platoon in Afghanistan but failed to act on it before at least one other murder occurred.

Petraeus Fights Time, Enemy in Afghanistan

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan — Gen. David Petraeus trudges across a gravel helicopter landing area with his aides, looking purposeful but a bit grim, as he reaches a village outpost in the violent Afghan province of Helmand. He’s here to chart progress, or lack thereof, in a war that’s running at the pace of a horse cart, in a world that runs at the speed of a text message.

NATO: Senior Al-Qaida Commander Killed

KABUL, Afghanistan — NATO said Wednesday it has confirmed that a senior al-Qaida commander who led attacks along the Pakistan border and several other militants were killed in an airstrike over the weekend in eastern Afghanistan.

Petraeus: Taliban Reached Out to Karzai

BAGRAM, Afghanistan — Top Taliban leaders have made overtures to reconcile with the Afghan government, the top commander in Afghanistan said Monday.

US Soldier Held in Slaying of 2 GIs in Iraq

BAGHDAD — An American serviceman is being held in Iraq in connection with the fatal shootings of two Soldiers and the wounding of another following an apparent argument, the U.S. military said Tuesday.

Tape shows Lewis-McChord soldier describing killings

In a video tape obtained by ABC News, a 22-year-old Army corporal from Joint Base Lewis-McChord casually describes to military investigators how his unit’s “crazy” sergeant randomly chose three unarmed, innocent victims to be murdered in Afghanistan.

Afghan government appoints 70-member peace council

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Afghan government on Tuesday announced who will sit on a 70-member peace council, formalizing efforts already underway to reconcile with top Taliban leaders and lure insurgent foot soldiers off the battlefield.

Kim Jong Un must build power base quickly in North Korea

SEOUL — As the world awaits a glimpse of the man widely expected to be North Korea’s future leader, attention is equally focused on his ailing father — dictator Kim Jong Il — whose health, or more specifically, the timing of his death, will ultimately decide whether his son succeeds or fails, experts say.

13 Die as Boat Capsizes in Navy Rescue

WASHINGTON — A U.S. Navy warship was providing humanitarian supplies to passengers aboard a broken-down boat off the coast of Somalia on Monday when the boat suddenly capsized, killing at least 13 passengers.