Taliban violence has reached record highs in Afghanistan, the international military says, and there are fears the trend will continue as insurgents target the August presidential elections. Thousands of mostly US troops are moving in to secure the polls and to reinforce the turbulent south, a Taliban stronghold, but regional US commander General David Petraeus has warned of "tough months ...

Insurgent use of roadside bombs in Afghanistan has surged 80 percent this year, remaining the No. 1 killer of foreign troops, a NATO official said Thursday. The increase since the same period last year includes bombs that detonated or were found by troops before they ...

Military chiefs in Afghanistan say that they are expecting a spike in violence as international forces, encouraged by a US boost in troop numbers, move into the spring fighting season. US President Barack Obama has announced an extra 21,000 US troops together with a new strategy to tackle Islamic extremism in this region, for which he will seek support ...