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• NATO: 5 Americans killed in southern Afghanistan

  May 4, 2013 10:30 AM

  KABUL, Afghanistan - An official with the U.S.-led international military coalition says the five troops killed by a roadside bomb in southern Afghanistan were all Americans. Capt. Luca Carniel confirmed that the troops killed on Saturday were U.S. service members. The coalition did not disclose the location of the blast.... more »

• 2 Americans killed in helicopter crash

  April 9, 2013 9:38 AM

  KABUL, Afghanistan - Two American service members are dead after the crash of a NATO helicopter in a field in eastern Afghanistan today. Officials say the cause of the crash is under investigation, but that initial indications are that there was no enemy activity in the area at the time.... more »

• Afghan authorities seize 23 tons heroin, morphine

  March 12, 2013 9:07 AM

  KABUL, Afghanistan- Afghan officials say counternarcotics teams have seized roughly 23 tons of heroin and morphine and other chemicals in a helicopter raid. They say the bust on Monday was the largest so far this year. The raid commander, General Abdul Khalil Bahktyar, said in a news conference Tuesday that... more »

• Army vet receives Medal of Honor for Afghan fight

  February 11, 2013 2:04 PM

  WASHINGTON - An Army veteran received the Medal of Honor Monday for his courageous leadership during a daylong firefight in Afghanistan. President Obama presented former Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha with the honor at a White House ceremony. The president described the dramatic 2009 battle near the Pakistan border... more »

• US military deaths in Afghanistan at 2,045

  January 29, 2013 4:01 PM

  WASHINGTON - As of Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, at least 2,045 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan as a result of the U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to an Associated Press count. The AP count is two less than the Defense Department's tally,... more »

• Women in combat: Baton Rouge veterans respond Play Video

  January 24, 2013 5:37 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta lifted the ban on combat for women and said, "if they can meet the qualifications for the job, then they should have the right to serve." With those words, roles are changed. A change that will open over 200,000 jobs including infantry,... more »

• Marine faces charges for urinating on corpses

  January 16, 2013 6:06 AM

  CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. - A U.S. Marine faces court martial for urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters in Afghanistan and then posing for photos with the corpses. Court proceedings are set to start today against Staff Sgt. Edward W. Deptola, who was charged after a video surfaced showing... more »

• Obama, Karzai agree to speed military transition

  January 11, 2013 4:08 PM

  WASHINGTON - Within a few months, U.S. troops in Afghanistan will be shifting to a support role, letting Afghanistan's own troops take the lead in providing for the security of their country. The accelerated timetable was announced today by President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai after a meeting... more »

• Obama, Karzai to meet in Washington on Friday

  January 7, 2013 6:25 PM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama will host Afghan President Hamid Karzai at the White House on Friday. It's the first in-person meeting for the two leaders since Obama won re-election. His victory meant the continuation of his administration's plans to bring the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan to a close by... more »

• US quickly going through commanders in Afghan war

  November 13, 2012 5:15 PM

  KABUL, Afghanistan - The job of commanding U.S. forces in Afghanistan is starting to seem like it's cursed. At least, that's the joke around international military headquarters in Kabul. The last four U.S. generals to run the Afghan war were either forced to resign or saw their careers tainted by... more »

• Hearing airs sex crimes case against US general

  November 5, 2012 10:53 AM

  FORT BRAGG, N.C. - U.S. Army prosecutors are charging a general with sex crimes against five women, including four military subordinates and a civilian. The first details of the charges filed in September emerged at a military justice hearing Monday for Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair at Fort Bragg in North... more »

• NATO: Afghanistan drawdown plans unchanged

  October 18, 2012 6:55 AM

  KABUL, Afghanistan - NATO says its drawdown plans for Afghanistan remain unchanged and that the coalition will stay on in the country until 2014, despite calls for a quicker withdrawal. Thursday's remarks by visiting Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen come amid speculation that the U.S.-led alliance could accelerate its departure... more »

• Romney defends Afghanistan omission

  September 6, 2012 4:10 PM

  CONCORD, N.H. - Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is defending his decision not to discuss the Afghanistan war in his convention speech. And he says President Barack Obama should use his convention speech to "report on the promises he made." Romney on Thursday visited veterans in New Hampshire. Asked why... more »

• Textron gets 4th vehicle order from Afghan army

  June 13, 2012 3:41 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Textron Marine & Land Systems has gotten an order for 71 mobile strike force vehicles for the Afghanistan National Army, with a cost cap of just under $79.2 million. A news release from the Textron Inc. subsidiary says the order brings the total made for Afghanistan, including... more »

• Crash, attack kill 3 NATO troops in Afghanistan

  May 28, 2012 1:00 PM

  KABUL, Afghanistan - As Americans observe Memorial Day, three NATO service members have been killed in Afghanistan. The U.S.-led coalition says a helicopter crash killed two service members in the eastern part of the country, while a third died in an insurgent attack in the south. Authorities are investigating the... more »

• Poll: Support for Afghan war at new low

  May 9, 2012 8:36 AM

  WASHINGTON - Support for the war in Afghanistan has plummeted. An AP-GfK poll finds only 27 percent of Americans saying they back the effort. And about half of those who oppose the war say the continued presence of American troops in Afghanistan is doing more harm than good. The poll... more »

• Excerpts from President Obama's address tonight

  May 1, 2012 5:51 PM

  BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN - President Barack Obama says the U.S. is emerging from more than a decade under the "dark cloud of war," with the U.S. combat role in Afghanistan ending and the war in Iraq now over. In excerpts released ahead of a televised address Tuesday, President Obama... more »

• President signs commitment with Afghanistan

  May 1, 2012 3:05 PM

  KABUL - President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai have signed an agreement aimed at cementing a lasting U.S. commitment to Afghanistan after the long and unpopular war there comes to an end. Mr. Obama says the deal with Afghanistan allows the U.S. to wind down the war,... more »

• More photos of troops posing with corpses

  April 18, 2012 9:01 AM

  WASHINGTON - In an embarrassment to the Pentagon, newly published photographs purport to show U.S. troops posing with the bodies of dead insurgents in Afghanistan. Top U.S. military and civilian officials rushed to condemn the soldiers' actions Wednesday, calling them repugnant and a dishonor to the sacrifices of hundreds of... more »

• Soldier comes home to excited family Play Video

  March 29, 2012 10:24 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Four tours of duty earned Sergeant Alvin Roane a hero's welcome home Thursday. As he arrived in Baton Rouge, family and friends met him with cheers and signs. Roane has served over four years fighting in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and he will have to... more »

• No intention to stay in Afghanistan

  March 20, 2012 11:31 AM

  WASHINGTON - The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan says the process of winding down the war there is on track, and the U.S. has no intention to stay in the country forever. Marine General John Allen told the House Armed Services Committee that coalition forces are making progress in... more »

• Army sergeant meeting with attorney

  March 19, 2012 12:04 PM

  SEATTLE - The Army sergeant accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians meets with his attorney face-to-face for the first time today. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales is in isolation at Fort Leavenworth's military prison in Kansas. The 38-year-old sergeant has not been charged yet, but that's expected to... more »

• Soldier accused of shooting Afghan villagers arrives at military prison

  March 17, 2012 10:46 AM

  FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan - The soldier accused of gunning down 16 Afghan villagers has arrived at a U.S. military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Army officials said in a statement released early to The Associated Press that Staff Sgt. Robert Bales arrived Friday night at the prison in northeast Kansas.... more »

• Obama phones Karzai, discusses troop pullback call

  March 16, 2012 11:41 AM

  ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE - President Obama has telephoned Afghan President Hamid Karzai to discuss Karzai's call for NATO troops to withdraw from rural villages. Spokesman Jay Carney says that during the early-morning call, the leaders agreed to talk further about the demand. Karzai has told reporters in Afghanistan he's... more »

• NATO troops told to leave rural areas

  March 15, 2012 10:27 AM

  KABUL - U.S. efforts to end the 10-year-old war in Afghanistan have suffered a double blow today. The Taliban announced it will break off peace talks. Afghan President Hamid Karzai demanded NATO troops immediately pull out of rural areas after last weekend's murders of 16 civilians. A U.S. solider accused... more »

• 2 more US troops killed in Afghanistan

  March 1, 2012 8:02 AM

  WASHINGTON - A U.S. official says two more American troops have been killed in Afghanistan, the latest in a series of attacks following protests over the burning of the Quran. The official said details of the killings Thursday in Southern Afghanistan are still unclear but officials believe there were three... more »

• Marine from Mississippi dies in Afghanistan

  February 2, 2012 8:43 AM

  JACKSON, Miss. - The Defense Department says a Marine from Greenville, Miss., has died in Afghanistan. In a news release Thursday, the Defense Department says Lance Cpl. Edward J. Dycus of Greenville, Miss., died Feb. 1 while conducting combat operations in the Helmand province in Afghanistan. He was 22. The... more »

• Taliban claims responsibility for 3 NATO deaths

  December 28, 2011 5:37 AM

  KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - The Taliban is claiming responsibility for an attack in Afghanistan that killed three NATO service members. The three were killed Tuesday by a roadside bomb in the eastern part of the country, 60 miles south of Kabul. NATO hasn't given the nationalities of the dead, but... more »

• Returned soldier celebrates Thanksgiving with family Play Video

  November 24, 2011 6:44 PM

  BATON ROUGE - A Louisiana Guardsman ate dinner with his family for the first time in a year today after he arrived home yesterday from a tour in Afghanistan. Sgt. First Class Garrick St. Romain talked with Rob Krieger about why the meal was one of his tastiest in... more »

• National Guard members return from deployment Play Video

  November 23, 2011 11:52 AM

  CARVILLE - Family members welcomed home 120 members of the Louisiana National Guard this morning after a one-year deployment to Afghanistan. Gov. Bobby Jindal was also on hand as the 415th Military Intelligence Unit arrived in Carville this morning. "Many mothers and fathers have been away from their... more »

• US-led coalition: Insurgent attacks trending down

  September 29, 2011 12:08 PM

  KABUL, Afghanistan - U.S.-led coalition forces fighting militants in Afghanistan have released new data they claim as evidence that violence is trending downward in their favor. However, the United Nations released its own report a day earlier saying that the monthly average of violence was significantly higher than last... more »

• Commander: More US trainers heading to Afghanistan

  September 26, 2011 12:01 PM

  WASHINGTON - The U.S. general in charge of training in Afghanistan says the number of American military trainers there will increase by 800 by next March, a nearly 45 percent jump. Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, commander of NATO's training mission in Afghanistan, told Pentagon reporters Monday that even as... more »

• Military killed Taliban who downed US helicopter

  August 10, 2011 10:07 AM

  WASHINGTON - The top commander in Afghanistan says international forces killed the Taliban insurgents responsible for downing a U.S. helicopter and killing 38 U.S. and Afghan forces over the weekend. Marine Corps Gen. John Allen told a Pentagon news conference Wednesday that forces learned where the insurgents had fled... more »

• Jindal orders flags at half-staff

  August 8, 2011 5:58 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Gov. Bobby Jindal has ordered the flags on all state buildings to be flown at half-staff through sunset Friday in remembrance of two Louisiana Navy Seals killed in Afghanistan over the weekend. Lt. Com. Jonas Kelsall and Chief Petty Officer Robert James Reeves, both of Shreveport,... more »

• SEALs were on mission to aid Rangers

  August 7, 2011 12:11 PM

  WASHINGTON - U.S. officials say the Navy SEALs and other troops lost in Saturday's helicopter crash in Afghanistan had rushed to the area to help fellow U.S. troops under fire. The officials say the SEALs had responded to a request by U.S. Army Rangers who were taking heavy fire after... more »

• 31 US troops killed in Afghan crash

  August 6, 2011 10:32 AM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is mourning the deaths of 31 U.S. special operations troops in a helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Seven Afghan soldiers also died in the crash. Obama says it's a reminder of the "extraordinary sacrifices" being made by America's military and its families. An American... more »

• Afghan official: Afghan president's brother killed

  July 12, 2011 2:47 AM

  KABUL- An Afghan official says Afghan President Hamid Karzai's half brother has been killed in southern Afghanistan. Zalmai Ayubi, the spokesman for Kandahar province, says that Ahmad Wali Karzai was shot dead on Tuesday. A provincial health official and a security guard protecting Ahmad Wali Karzai, who both spoke on... more »

• With abuse increasing, Army limits addictive meds

  July 11, 2011 1:25 PM

  FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - The Army is restricting how many prescription painkillers soldiers can buy at one time as it responds to rising abuse of potentially addictive drugs. Many troops are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan with chronic pain from combat or training injuries. Army data requested... more »

• Louisiana soldier killed in Afghanistan

  July 6, 2011 2:44 PM

  BOSSIER CITY, La. - A Louisiana soldier has died from injuries suffered while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Staff Sgt. Michael J. Garcia, 27, of Bossier City, died July 4th in Logar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device, the... more »

• Marines to be among first to leave Afghanistan

  July 6, 2011 12:49 PM

  WASHINGTON - The second-ranking U.S. commander in Afghanistan is providing new details on the planned pullout of U.S. troops this year. Army Lt. Gen. David Rodriguez told reporters at the Pentagon on Wednesday that by the end of this summer the 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment - based in... more »

• Mitt Romney, Ron Paul clash on Afghanistan pullout

  June 14, 2011 3:30 AM

  MANCHESTER, N.H.- Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Texas Congressman Ron Paul are disagreeing on how quickly to withdraw U.S. troops from Afghanistan. Romney said at a Republican presidential debate Monday that generals in Afghanistan should guide the pullout schedule based to conditions on the ground. He said the troops... more »

• La. Marine killed in Afghanistan

  June 10, 2011 10:20 AM

  WASHINGTON - A 21-year-old Marine from Acadia Parish has been killed in Afghanistan. The U.S. Department of Defense announced Friday the death of Cpl. Matthew T. Richard of Iota. Officials say Richard died June 9 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province. He was assigned to 2nd... more »

• Textron has contract for Afghanistan National Army

  June 2, 2011 4:21 PM

  NEW ORLEANS - Textron Marine & Land Systems has a contract to build up to 440 medium armored security vehicles in New Orleans for the Afghanistan National Army. Textron says a one-year base contract will pay $125.9 million at first and up to $257 million total for 240 vehicles... more »

• US troops remember their fallen comrades

  May 30, 2011 3:52 AM

  KABUL, Afghanistan- U.S. troops fighting in Afghanistan are remembering their fallen comrades on this Memorial Day. They prayed and held flag-raising ceremonies at dawn today to recognize the more than 1,400 killed in combat since the nearly decade-old war began. Brig. Gen. Lewis Craparotta, who spoke at a ceremony,... more »

• Top lawmakers says risk of photo release too high

  May 4, 2011 12:30 PM

  WASHINGTON - A top Republican who has seen the death photo of Osama bin Laden says releasing the picture publicly could endanger U.S. forces in Afghanistan or elsewhere. Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, says the picture could inflame anti-U.S. sentiments around the world and hamper... more »

• Governor addresses soldiers deploying to Afghanistan

  April 12, 2011 10:30 AM

  ZACHARY - Family members and dignitaries gathered in Zachary to see off members of the Louisiana Army National Guard this morning. About 100 members of the 926th Mobilization Augmentation Company unit are deploying for a year to Afghanistan. While there they'll be conducting route-clearance operations in support of Operation... more »

• Biden says US to be out of Afghanistan by 2014

  December 19, 2010 1:36 PM

  WASHINGTON- Despite uneven progress in Afghanistan, Vice President Joe Biden said next summer's planned withdrawal would be more than a token reduction and that the U.S. would be out of the country by 2014 "come hell or high water." Biden's prediction appeared to go further than statements by his... more »

• Obama: Taliban, al-Qaida diminished in Afghanistan

  December 16, 2010 11:30 AM

  WASHINGTON - Declaring significant progress in disrupting al-Qaida and combating the Taliban, President Barack Obama said Thursday the United States will start withdrawing U.S. troops from Afghanistan in July as promised. He still warned of sobering days, saying the war will remain a "very difficult endeavor." Heralding a review of... more »

• U. S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke dies

  December 13, 2010 7:22 PM

  WASHINGTON - An administration official says Richard Holbrooke, a longtime U.S. diplomat who wrote part of the Pentagon Papers, was the architect of the 1995 Bosnia peace plan and served as President Barack Obama's special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, has died. He was 69. The official spoke on condition... more »

• President makes surprise trip to Afghanistan

  December 3, 2010 10:09 AM

  BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan - President Barack Obama slipped unannounced into dangerous Afghanistan on Friday, one year after widening an ever deadlier war and just days before a pivotal review about the 9-year-plus conflict. Under intense security, Obama landed in night's darkness after a clandestine departure from the White House... more »

• Obama places Thanksgiving call to troops overseas

  November 25, 2010 11:18 AM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has called 10 members of the armed services stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan to wish them and their families a happy Thanksgiving. The White House says Obama thanked two each from the Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy for their service and... more »

• Fallen Marine is back home in La.

  November 19, 2010 8:54 AM

  SHREVEPORT - The casket of a Marine from Louisiana who was killed in Afghanistan has arrived in Shreveport. Lance Cpl. Dakota Huse's casket was accompanied by an honor detail of Marines and was escorted to a Shreveport funeral home by leather-clad motorcyclists and local police and sheriff's vehicles. The Defense... more »

• Funeral Wed. for La. soldier killed in Afghanistan

  November 2, 2010 6:30 AM

  MILTON - Funeral services for Spc. Steven Lloyd Dupont will be held Wednesday at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Milton. The 20-year-old soldier died in Rangrizan, Afghanistan, while nearing the end of a one-year tour of duty with the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, stationed in Vilseck, Germany. The... more »

• Lafayette soldier killed in Afghanistan

  October 26, 2010 7:13 AM

  The Department of Defense says a 20-year-old soldier from Lafayette was killed in Afghanistan on Sunday. The DOD says Spc. Steven L. Dupont died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device. Dupont was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany. more »

• Soldier killed in Afghanistan buried in Louisiana

  October 24, 2010 9:46 AM

  More than 100 people turned out for the funeral of a 20-year-old Louisiana native killed in Afghanistan. U.S. Army Spc. Matthew C. Powell of Slidell died Oct. 12 after his military vehicle was attacked near the Pakistan border. He was the 23rd Louisiana service member killed in Afghanistan. ... more »

• 20-year-old La. soldier killed in action

  October 14, 2010 11:53 AM

  Military officials at Fort Campbell say improvised explosives killed a U.S. Army truck driver. Spc. Matthew C. Powell of Slidell, La., was assigned to Company A., 526th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). A news release from the post states that Powell was 20... more »

• Interpol warns of terror threat from Somalia

  September 30, 2010 1:01 PM

  Interpol's secretary general says that militants in Northern Africa and Somalia will soon pose more of a terrorist threat than those based in Afghanistan. Ronald K. Noble tells The Associated Press that al-Qaida's North African branch and Somali Islamists will eclipse Afghanistan in terms of terror threats in the... more »

• Iranian leader defends 9/11 statement

  September 24, 2010 12:43 PM

  The Iranian president is defending his remarks at the U.N. in which he claimed most people in the world believe the United States was behind the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. He also is challenging the United Nations to set up a commission to study the attacks. "I... more »

• Florida minister has no plans to cancel Quran burning

  September 8, 2010 1:16 PM

  The leader of a small Florida church that espouses anti-Islam philosophy says he is going forward with his plans to burn copies of the Quran on Sept. 11 despite pressure from the White House, religious leaders and others to call it off. Pastor Terry Jones told a press conference... more »

• Soldier's family concerned about Koran burning consequences

  September 7, 2010 10:20 PM

  A pastor in Florida threatens to burn the Koran as payback for the 9/11 attacks, but a Prairieville family fears retaliation against US soldiers, including one of their loved ones, by terrorists. Those fears come on the heels of military leaders warning and worrying about the same thing, while officials... more »

• US commander says burning Qur'an may endanger troops

  September 7, 2010 1:16 PM

  The leader of a small evangelical Christian church in Florida says he's taking seriously the warning from the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, who says the church's planned burning of a Qur'an on the anniversary of 9/11 could endanger Americans worldwide. But Terry Jones also defended the... more »

• Afghanis protest US church's plans to burn Quran

  September 6, 2010 10:35 AM

  A protest by hundreds of people in the Afghan capital has ended, after demonstrators burned American flags and chanted "Death to America." They also burned a cardboard effigy of a Florida pastor whose church has announced plans to burn copies of the Quran on church grounds to mark the ninth... more »

• Iraq veteran: 'Operation may be over, but war isn't'

  August 31, 2010 10:33 PM

  More than 4,400 troops died in the seven-year war in Iraq out of more than a million and a half that served. One survivor, a Baton Rouge native, said he's relieved the combat mission is over but does not think this is the end of the war. After six... more »

• Fort Polk combat brigade deploys Sept., Oct.

  August 26, 2010 5:45 AM

  The Army combat brigade stationed at Fort Polk will leave for Afghanistan in October. A deployment ceremony for the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, is scheduled Sept. 30 at Fort Polk's Honor Field. It will take about a month for all 3,600 soldiers to leave. The brigade was... more »

• White House says Obama is Christian, prays daily

  August 19, 2010 1:09 PM

  The White House says President Barack Obama is a Christian who prays daily. White House spokesman Bill Burton made the remark Thursday, hours after a poll showed 18 percent of Americans think Obama is Muslim, up from 11 percent who thought so last year. A third think he's... more »

• Obama: Nothing new in leaked documents

  July 27, 2010 12:12 PM

  President Obama spoke this morning, for the first time, on the massive leak of sensitive documents about the Afghanistan war. He said the disclosure of classified information from the battlefield "could potentially jeopardize individuals or operations," but he said the papers don't bring any new information to the table.... more »

• New al-Qaida threat: Somali group claims blast

  July 12, 2010 12:49 PM

  East Africa saw the emergence of a new international terrorist group Monday, as Somalia's most dangerous al-Qaida-linked militia claimed responsibility for the twin bombings in Uganda that killed 74 people during the World Cup. The claim by al-Shabab, whose fighters are trained by militant veterans of the conflicts in... more »

• Lawmakers voice opposition on Obama's Afghan plan

  July 4, 2010 10:39 AM

  Leading Republican lawmakers and the Afghan ambassador to the United States are voicing opposition to President Barack Obama's plan to begin withdrawing troops from Afghanistan starting next year. Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham, appearing on the Sunday talk shows while in the Afghan capital, said Obama's decision to... more »

• Obama, Brit leader: Afghanistan in critical period

  June 26, 2010 2:54 PM

  President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron say it is critical to get the Afghanistan war right this year. Speaking to reporters Saturday after their first meeting since Cameron took power, the two leaders said their nations have the right strategy in Afghanistan. Obama said at a meeting... more »

• Obama replaces McChrystal with Petraeus

  June 23, 2010 12:51 PM

  President Barack Obama sacked Gen. Stanley McChrystal as his top commander in Afghanistan and will replace him with Gen. David Petraeus, head of U.S. Central Command, a senior administration official said. McChrystal was pushed out over his blistering remarks about administration officials, quoted in a Rolling Stone magazine interview.... more »

• McChrystal out, no word on new Afghan commander

  June 23, 2010 12:26 PM

  A source tells The Associated Press that President Barack Obama has decided to oust Afghanistan commanding Gen. Stanley McChrystal over inflammatory remarks he made about Obama and other high administration officials. McChrystal had apologized for several disparaging remarks he made in an interview about his civilian superiors. more »

• White House: July 2011 Afghan withdrawal 'firm'

  June 20, 2010 10:35 AM

  The Obama administration is reaffirming its pledge to begin pulling U.S. troops out of Afghanistan next summer. But the Pentagon and the White House are still saying different things about how many troops will leave - and when. President Barack Obama's chief of staff tells ABC's "This Week"... more »

• NFL to fund scholarship honoring late Pat Tillman

  June 9, 2010 1:31 PM

  The NFL is supporting a scholarship in honor of the late Pat Tillman. The league announced Tuesday it will fund one of the scholarships in the Pat Tillman Foundation's military scholars program. There are currently 52 Tillman Military Scholars. The scholarships are available to veteran and active... more »

• Oil spill keeps pilots almost as busy as war

  May 28, 2010 5:14 AM

  The commander of the Louisiana National Guard's State Aviation Command says the Gulf oil spill is keeping pilots and crews almost as busy as war duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. Col. Patrick R. Bossetta says that when all the pilots are counted, they're flying 40 to 50 hours a day.... more »

• Dubberly soldier killed in Afghanistan

  May 20, 2010 7:23 AM

  The Defense Department says a soldier from Dubberly, La., is among those killed earlier this week in Afghanistan. Army Spc. Joshua A. Tomlinson of Dubberly was killed in the May 18 blast. Tomlinson was was assigned to a Special Troops Battalion in Heidelberg. He was among five soldiers killed in... more »

• President Obama makes surprise visit to Afghanistan

  March 28, 2010 2:40 PM

  President Barack Obama told American forces during his surprise visit to Afghanistan that U.S. lives would be at risk if the Taliban retook control of the country. Obama says difficult days lie ahead in the 8-year-old war and he says there will be setbacks. But he says the U.S.... more »

• Progress against Taliban in Afghanistan

  February 22, 2010 3:29 PM

  The nation's top defense leaders say forces are making progress against the Taliban in southern Afghanistan, but that it's been more difficult than expected, and will take much longer than hoped. The chairman of hte Joint Chiefs of Staff says the efforts are inefficient and messy. He says that's... more »

• Obama accepts Nobel Peace Prize

  December 10, 2009 10:52 AM

  President Obama accepted the Nobel Peace Prize Thursday in Oslo, Norway, acknowledging he hasn't done much compared to other Nobel laureates. But he vowed to use the prize to "reach for the world that ought to be." He accepted the prize just over a week after announcing plans to deploy... more »

• Military families react to planned troop surge

  December 1, 2009 4:13 PM

  Local military families are reacting to President Barack Obama's plan to increase the number of troops in Afghanistan. President Obama wants to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan. That's 10,000 less than the U.S. Commander in Afghanistan recommended. The President will ask NATO to send the additional 10,000. ... more »

• Pres. Obama to send thousands more troops to Afghanistan

  December 1, 2009 8:50 AM

  President Obama has decided to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, 10,000 less than the U.S. Commander in Afghanistan recommended. He's asking NATO to send the additional 10,000. They are to be deployed over six months. The new troop surge will bring the total in Afghanistan to more than... more »

• La. soldiers make it home for Thanksgiving

  November 26, 2009 4:06 PM

  Eight soldiers made it home for Thanksgiving after a year-long deployment to Afghanistan. Louisiana Army National Guard's 415 th Military Intelligence Battalion was greeted by Major General Bennett C. Landreneau, the adjutant general of the LANG, and other leadership as they stepped off the helicopters to a crowd of... more »

• President's Afghanistan policy takes shape

  October 8, 2009 8:11 PM

  A senior Obama Administration official says the President is considering focusing more on al-Qaida and not the Taliban in Afghanistan. The official close to policy talks would not be identified because he is not authorized to disclose the information. Downgrading the emphasis on the Taliban would also pave the way... more »

• Preliminary, uncertified vote shows Karzai wins Afghan election

  September 16, 2009 10:04 AM

  Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has taken 54.6% of the nation's vote in a preliminary count, according to Afghan officials. However, the election still hasn't been certified. A U.N.-backed complaints commission is examining thousands of potentially fraudulent votes from the August election. If the probe proves enough votes fraudulent,Karzai's returns... more »

• National Guard Recruiting Strong

  September 13, 2009 2:22 PM

  Despite the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, recruiting for the Louisiana National Guard remains strong. Recruiting numbers averaged higher in the past three years than when the wars first started. According to military leaders, it has a lot to do with incentives and benefits. The National Guard had to... more »