AFP - US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama vowed Monday not to seek permanent US military bases in Iraq and reiterated his pledge to pull out the bulk of US forces by mid-2010.

AP - Thousands of Japanese rallied against the permanent basing of a nuclear-powered U.S. warship near Tokyo, saying a recent onboard fire made it unsafe.

AFP - US President George W. Bush long has vowed that the United States would leave Iraq if asked by Baghdad's leadership, but now that the request has been made, Bush is in no hurry to exit, analysts say.

AFP - The administration of President George W. is considering withdrawal of additional combat forces from Iraq beginning in September, The New York Times reported on its website.

AFP - Remains of two US soldiers missing in Iraq have been found more than a year after their capture in an ambush, the US military said Friday after notifying their families.

AP - As of Friday, July 11, 2008, at least 473 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 July 5 at 10 a.m. EDT.

AFP - Remains of two US soldiers missing in Iraq have been found more than a year after their capture in an ambush, the US military said Friday after notifying their families.

AP - As of Thursday, July 10, 2008, at least 468 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 Saturday at 10 a.m. EDT.

AFP - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates expressed optimism Tuesday that US troop cutbacks will continue in Iraq, saying the transition of control to Iraqi security forces was going well.

AFP - Four former US generals have joined a growing call to end a policy barring homosexuals from openly serving in the military, after a study showed it was out of step with the times and harming the armed forces.

AFP - Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called Tuesday for United States military bases across the world to be "eradicated" and said there must be "fundamental change" in the next US government.

AFP - Four former US generals have joined a growing call for a policy that bars homosexuals from serving openly in the military to be axed, after a study showed it is out of step with the times and harming the armed forces.

AFP - US Defense Secretary Robert Gates has directed the Pentagon to set more stringent standards for cluster munitions by 2018 to reduce the danger to civilians from unexploded munitions, a US defense official said Tuesday.