Karzai and McChrystal say they’ve secured backing from local leaders for an upcoming military operation in Afghanistan. In the midst of one of the deadliest months to date in Afghanistan, lawmakers wonder, “Is the US strategy working?”

Karzai, McChrystal in Kandahar to sell military operation

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) — Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, say they’ve secured backing from local leaders for an upcoming military operation in the province.

Suspect in custody after fatal Gillem shooting

FOREST PARK, Ga. — An Army reservist was shot to death and another was in custody Thursday at a post south of Atlanta that is a gathering place for area reserve units.

Is the U.S. strategy working?

In the midst of one of the deadliest months to date in Afghanistan, lawmakers wonder whether the strategy is working.

U.S. Hopes To Win Afghan Trust, Village By Village

Northwest of Kandahar city, a patrol of American and Afghan commandos slowly moves out of their mud-walled compound and toward Ezabad, a village just a football-field away and right in the middle of Taliban country.

Gates: Russians Hate US Missile Defenses

WASHINGTON — Russia will “always hate” U.S. missile defenses because it cannot match them, but that should not stand in the way of ratifying a new U.S.-Russian nuclear arms treaty, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.

Violence In Kyrgyzstan Likely Kills 2,000

Kyrgyzstan’s interim president said Friday that the death toll from the ethnic clashes that have rocked the country’s south could be near 2,000, as she made her first visit to a riot-hit city since the unrest broke out.

Why all the talk about minerals now?

Geologists working with the Pentagon have found vast reserves of untapped minerals in Afghanistan that could be worth $1 trillion, according to reports.

But there are a lot of questions about just how hard it would be to actually get the minerals out of there and even some questions about the timing of the announcement. The military didn’t just discover it. In fact, even though there was a lot of reporting about it on Monday, the report apparently was done years ago.

Outreach Key To U.S. Kandahar Mission

In Afghanistan, the battle for Kandahar may not have officially begun, but it is quietly under way.

The mission is different for every American military unit in the country. U.S. military police patrol in Kandahar city. In rural Kandahar province, American soldiers are preparing to strike at Taliban strongholds.

Petraeus reaffirms 2011 OEF pullout conditional

President Obama’s announced date for the start of U.S. troop withdrawals from Afghanistan has confused some friends, allies and enemies alike, according to lawmakers.