Reuters - Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said on Thursday he expects to recommend further troop cuts this year after a 45-day pause in withdrawals that begins in mid-July.

Reuters - The United States should increase diplomatic and economic pressure on Iran to counter its rising influence, while retaining possible military action as a "last resort," a top U.S. military officer said on Thursday.

AFP - President George W. Bush warned Thursday that a premature US military withdrawal from Iraq would be "catastrophic for our country", strengthen Al-Qaeda and embolden Iran's nuclear ambitions.

AFP - The top US commander in Iraq said Thursday he expects to recommend further cuts in US forces in Iraq before he relinquishes command in September because of improved security.

AP - The Defense Department said Wednesday it has shelved a plan to take greater control in parts of Afghanistan where NATO is in charge after the Dutch and British agreed to extend their commands.

AP - The Defense Department said Wednesday it has shelved a plan to take greater control in parts of Afghanistan where NATO is in charge after the Dutch and British agreed to extend their commands.

AP - As of Wednesday, May 21, 2008, at least 432 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department. The department last updated its figures May 17 at 10 a.m. EDT.

AFP - A federal appeals court has reinstated a lawsuit challenging the legality of the US military's ban on homosexuals.

Reuters - U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus, praised for curbing violence in Iraq, seeks to persuade senators on Thursday he can handle the task of heading the U.S. military in the entire Middle East and beyond.

AP - An assembly line worker charged with vandalizing a military helicopter at a Boeing plant was upset about a job transfer and cut a bundle of about 70 electrical wires during his last shift on the Chinook line, federal investigators said Tuesday.

AP - As of Tuesday, May 20, 2008, at least 432 members of the U.S. military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department. The department last updated its figures May 17 at 10 a.m. EDT.

AFP - US financial services giant Citigroup and Spain's Abertis Infraestructuras have won a bidding war to run a major US toll road, the Pennsylvania Turnpike, with a bid of 12.8 billion dollars, officials said Monday.

AFP - The Pentagon notified Congress on Monday of the possible sale of 48 F-16 fighters to Romania as part of a deal valued at 4.5 billion dollars.

AFP - An influential architect of the war in Iraq defended the case for US military action on Monday, saying the failure to find weapons of mass destruction did not mean the decision to invade was a mistake.