2 US Troops Killed in Attack on Afghan Base

Insurgents take control of remote outpost where 8 troops were killed last week

(NEWSER) - The Taliban claimed to have won a major victory over the US yesterday as American troops abandoned a remote base in eastern Afghanistan where eight soldiers were killed in a firefight last weekend. "The white flag of the Taliban is raised above Kamdesh," crowed a Taliban spokesman. NATO commanders say the pullout was planned long before the battle as part of a new strategy to concentrate forces in populated areas. More»

(NEWSER) - The Taliban says it will execute a captured American soldier if the US does not withdraw from two districts in southeastern Afghanistan, the Voice of America reports. A Taliban rep said today the soldier is healthy but will be killed if operations in Paktika and Ghazni continue. The fate of the soldier, whom the military has classified as "believed captured," will be decided by Taliban leader Mullah Omar, the AP adds. More»

Hillary Clinton calls incident possible war crime

(NEWSER) - Investigators have identified the four Marines shown in a video apparently urinating on Taliban corpses, and they could be charged today, CBS News reports. The military has interviewed at least two of the men on the matter as officials scramble to address its fallout. "Anyone, anyone found to have participated or know about it, having engaged in such conduct, must be held fully accountable," said Hillary Clinton yesterday, calling the incident a potential war crime. All four were members of a sniper team in a unit that lost seven members in action last summer in Afghanistan. More»

Danger to convoys forcing military to rely on pricey airlifts

(NEWSER) - By the time it reaches remote military bases in Afghanistan, gasoline costs the US military as much per gallon as Dom Perignon champagne, the Wall Street Journal finds. Moving fuel and other supplies by road in Afghanistan has become so dangerous that the Air Force has increased the amount of supplies it air drops to bases 50-fold since 2005, despite the $400-per-gallon cost—and the technical difficulty of dropping pallets of fuel in rugged terrain. More»

Former supermodel proposes meditation for imprisoned insurgents

(NEWSER) - A former male supermodel thinks he knows how to heal the rift between Taliban militants and coalition troops in Afghanistan—through yoga and meditation. Cameron Alborzian, who, incidentally, played Madonna's beau in her 1989 music video for "Express Yourself" and has worked as Ellen DeGeneres' private guru, pitched his peace strategy to a British major general in Kabul in July. The 44-year-old explains the process, "American soldiers meditate, Taliban meditate, and, in jails, they meditate together ... and you can find the peace in it together." More»