Islamic State attacks Kirkuk as Iraqi forces push on Mosul

Mosul offensive going faster than planned, Iraqi PM says


EAST AND NORTH OF MOSUL, Iraq The offensive to seize back Mosul from Islamic State is going faster than planned, Iraq's prime minister said on Thursday, as Iraqi and Kurdish forces launched a new military operation to clear villages on the city's outskirts.




As Duterte embraces China, Japan's Abe set to roll out warm welcome


TOKYO Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plans private personal meetings with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in Tokyo next week, three sources said, seeking to keep him onside with U.S.-led efforts to contain Beijing's South China Sea ambitions.




NATO trains Afghan troops to make air strikes more accurate


LOGAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan NATO forces have begun a new program to train Afghan soldiers to pinpoint ground targets for aircraft flying overhead, hoping that it will help stem militant advances in recent months and reverse a sharp rise in civilian casualties.