Nato

KABUL, Afghanistan - The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan called on his troops to resist any urge to avenge the death of two American soldiers killed in riots over the burning of Qurans at a U.S. base, even as renewed protests Friday claimed at least nine lives. The anti-American demonstrations by thousands of Afghans who took to the streets after midday prayers were further evidence that President Obama's apology has failed to quiet the outrage over what the United States says was the inadvertent destruction of the holy books.

BAGRAM, Afghanistan - Word that NATO personnel had burned an undisclosed number of Qurans and were preparing to dispose of many more by incineration set off an angry protest here Tuesday. NATO officials rushed to apologize publicly and profusely, trying to head off what they feared could be a nationwide outburst of violence as news of the burning was gradually broadcast across the country. About 2,000 Afghans descended on the largest U.S. air base in their country in the bitter cold to protest what is generally regarded as one of the most offensive acts in the Muslim world.

KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - Gunmen in Afghan police uniforms opened fire on NATO troops yesterday in southern Afghanistan, killing an Albanian soldier, officials said. A second Albanian and another international soldier were wounded, they said. Eleven suspected policemen were arrested. Recent turncoat attacks have raised questions about the vetting of Afghan recruits and threatened the international military commitment to Afghanistan. Last month, France suspended its training program and threatened to withdraw its forces a year ahead of schedule after an Afghan soldier shot and killed four French soldiers on a base in eastern Afghanistan.

KABUL, Afghanistan - The U.S.-led military coalition said Wednesday that it regrets the killing of eight civilians in a NATO airstrike this month in eastern Afghanistan. Civilian casualties have long been a source of friction between the U.S.-led international force and Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who condemned the bombing and sent a delegation to the scene to investigate. The coalition called in the airstrike on Feb. 8 in the Najrab district in Kapisa province, after movements by eight people on the ground were assessed as a threat to Afghan police and NATO forces in the area, said Army Brig.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - Pakistan said Tuesday that it was temporarily allowing NATO to ship perishable food to its troops in Afghanistan, a sign of thawing tensions after American air strikes Nov. 26 that accidentally killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. Pakistan closed its Afghan border to NATO supplies in response to the air strikes on two of its border posts. The closure has been a headache for coalition forces, who have had to spend much more money to get goods to Afghanistan using alternative routes.

BRUSSELS, Belgium - A U.S. proposal to step back from leading combat operations in Afghanistan by the middle of 2013 divided NATO on Tuesday as some allies objected to being caught by surprise, and France suggested that the alliance completely end its involvement in fighting over the next two years. Germany, Britain, and other NATO members complained in closed talks at alliance headquarters that they had been blindsided by Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta, who described the U.S. plan to reporters on his way to Brussels on Wednesday, according to a senior NATO diplomat.

KABUL, Afghanistan - France's call for a speedier NATO exit from Afghanistan reflects the depth of war fatigue in the West and raises fears that other countries in the U.S.-led coalition will succumb to rising political pressure and pull their troops home early. French President Nicolas Sarkozy's decision to fast-track its withdrawal - just days after an Afghan soldier gunned down four French troops - is the latest crack in a coalition already strained by economic troubles in Europe and the United States, the Afghan government's sluggish battle against corruption, on-again, off-again cooperation from neighboring Pakistan, and a dogged Taliban bloodied but not beaten.

PARIS - France and Afghanistan agree that NATO should speed up by a year its timetable for handing all combat operations to Afghan forces in 2013, President Nicolas Sarkozy said Friday, raising new questions about the unity of the Western military alliance. Sarkozy also announced a faster-track exit for France, the fourth-largest contributor of troops in Afghanistan - marking a distinct break from previous plans to adhere to the U.S. goal of withdrawing combat forces by the end of 2014.

U.S. leans toward allowing Saleh in HONOLULU - The Obama administration has decided in principle to allow embattled Yemen President Ali Abdullah Saleh to enter the United States for medical treatment, subject to certain assurances, two administration officials said Monday. But those conditions, including a proposed itinerary, have not yet been submitted to the U.S. Embassy in Yemen, the officials said, and no visa has yet been issued. The decision of whether to admit Yemen's longtime leader has stirred a vigorous debate in the administration, with some officials fearing sharp criticism for appearing to provide a haven for a reviled Arab figure responsible for the death of hundreds of antigovernment protesters.

KABUL, Afghanistan - NATO will carry out nighttime kill-and-capture raids against suspected insurgents with increased participation from Afghan special forces, the alliance said Monday, after repeated protests by President Hamid Karzai. The raids have become a flash point for anger over foreign meddling in Afghanistan and whether detention operations will be run by the Afghans or Americans. Karzai has demanded that foreign troops stop entering homes, saying that Afghan citizens cannot feel secure if they think armed soldiers might burst into their houses in the middle of the night.