A U.S. air strike killed at least eight policeman in Afghanistan's Helmand province, a government official said on Friday, the latest casualties from a rise in air and ground operations against the Afghan Taliban.

Donald Trump's administration asked Congress to reimburse the Taliban for travel expenses, lodgings and food at peace talks aimed at bringing over 17 years of war in Afghanistan to an end. The funds would have been used "in cases where lodging and transportation would be required to facilitate the participation of all required parties to negotiate a local peace deal," the Pentagon said. The Pentagon was seeking "to lay the groundwork in anticipation of opportunities to facilitate talks with the Afghan government to find a way to end the war", said Pentagon spokeswoman Commander Rebecca Rebarich. We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more...

Afghan officials say an airstrike killed 17 policemen by mistake during a battle with the Taliban just outside the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah in the country's southern Helmand province.

The Pentagon said on Thursday that it had asked Congress for the authority to help fund lodging and transportation for Taliban members who were interested in negotiating local ceasefires with the Afghan government, as the Washington seeks an end to the more than 17-year-old war.

A budget request was made to refund the militants for food and lodging at peace talks, says an aide.

The defence department sought to reimburse the militants for expenses at peace talks, says an aide.

A budget request was made to refund the militants for food and lodging at peace talks, says an aide.

The murder case against a decorated former Green Beret charged in the 2010 killing of an unarmed suspected Taliban bombmaker will proceed to a trial by general court-martial, Army officials said Wednesday.