Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell says the first of 30,000 additional troops being sent to Afghanistan have begun to arrive. In a Pentagon press briefing, Morrell told reporters that a Marine battalion ordered to deploy earlier this month already has "some boots on the ground ...

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates assured Iraq of continued support during a surprise visit to Baghdad on Thursday, as the Pentagon insisted its troop pullout was on track despite a surge in violence. Gates's visit, following a trip to Afghanistan where Washington is ramping up its military commitment, followed massive bombings that rocked the Iraqi capital and killed 127 ...

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki accused rivals on Thursday of stoking political rows which have put Iraq's security at risk, as US Defence Secretary Robert Gates made a surprise visit to Baghdad. During questioning in parliament, Maliki said Iraq's security forces needed to be de-politicised, after coordinated bombings on Tuesday that rocked Baghdad killing 127 people. "Now if I ...