Afghanistan

[Cluster]

U.S. soldier killed in Afghanistan

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KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 30 — Insurgents killed a U.S. soldier and wounded two others in a fierce gunbattle, the military said Tuesday, violence that underscored the stiffening resistance nearly two years after a U.S.-led coalition ousted the Taliban from power.

U.S. military denies Taliban making a comeback in Afghanistan

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KABUL, Afghanistan, Oct. 1 — The U.S. military said Wednesday that rebels were not making a comeback in Afghanistan, nearly two years after U.S.-led forces began efforts to oust the Taliban, despite the deaths of five U.S. soldiers in the past six weeks.

Afghan national army strength approaches 6,000 as training continues

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KABUL, Afghanistan, Sept. 29 — Afghanistan's national army gained a new battalion on Monday, boosting the force to about 6,000 and raising hopes that government troops will one day take control from warlord militias that hold sway over large parts of the country.