Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Monday officially banned the nation's security forces from requesting international airstrikes during operations in residential areas.
The top American commander in Afghanistan said on Sunday that he believes the U.S.-led NATO coalition can operate effectively despite the Afghan president's decision to ban Afghan security forces from requesting airstrikes in residential areas.
The Pentagon has given Marine Gen. John Allen, the former top commander in Afghanistan, time off to rest before facing a Senate confirmation hearing on his nomination to be NATO's next supreme commander, defense officials said Wednesday, pushing back against reports that he is considering abandoning the nomination.
Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta announced Wednesday that the Pentagon is creating a new medal for cyberwarriors and drone pilots.
Defense secretary Leon E. Panetta released a statement welcoming President Obama's decision to halve the number of U.S. troops currently in Afghanistan, from about 68,000 to 34,000 by this time next year.
U.S. Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford took over Sunday as the new and probably last commander of all U.S. and international forces in Afghanistan.
Marine Gen. John Allen’s nomination to become the next commander of NATO had been postponed pending the outcome of an investigation into allegedly inappropriate emails between him and a married socialite. His exoneration clears the way for him to be confirmed as the alliance's next top leader.
The White House is moving forward with Gen. John Allen's nomination to become commander of NATO forces in Europe after the Pentagon cleared him of any wrongdoing in exchanging emails with a Florida woman linked to the sex scandal that brought down David Petraeus and forced him to resign as CIA director.
A Pentagon probe has absolved Gen. John Allen of professional misconduct in exchanging inappropriate emails with the same Florida socialite, Jill Kelley, involved in the scandal prompting former CIA director David H. Petraeus to resign.
