Reuters, Bagram
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan on Friday, amid questions about what President-elect Donald Trump’s foreign policy will mean for the country as it faces a renewed Taliban-led insurgency.
Carter will meet U.S. troops and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani while in Afghanistan.
Trump has given few details on his foreign policy plan, with surprisingly little specifics on Afghanistan, where nearly 10,000 U.S. troops still remain more than 15 years after the Islamist Taliban were toppled by U.S.-backed Afghan forces.
Gunbattle kills 2 in Kashmir
AP, Srinagar
A 42-hour gunbattle ended in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Friday after two suspected rebels were killed in the fighting, which triggered massive anti-India protests in the disputed region.
A police officer said soldiers recovered the bodies of the two suspected militants from the debris of a destroyed house in southern Arwani village.
The officer, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with department policy, said both of the bodies were charred beyond recognition and authorities were conducting DNA tests to ascertain their identities.
Russia-Taliban ties worry Afghan
Reuters, Kabul
Afghan and American officials are increasingly worried that any deepening of ties between Russia and Taliban militants fighting to topple the government in Kabul could complicate an already precarious security situation.
Russian officials have denied they provide aid to the militants, who are contesting large swathes of territory and inflicting heavy casualties, and say their limited contacts are aimed at bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table.
US Marine pilot dead in Japan jet crash
AFP, Tokyo
A US Marine Corps pilot whose F/A-18 crashed into the Pacific Ocean has been confirmed dead, a US official said Thursday.
Japanese rescuers earlier said they had found the missing pilot, whose plane crashed off the coast of Japan on Wednesday, but they would not say if he was alive.
Marine Corps spokeswoman Captain Sarah Burns said the pilot had been “pronounced deceased,” and she identified him as Captain Jake Frederick.
