WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. probe on Thursday found both American and Pakistani forces were to blame for a border incident that killed 24 Pakistani troops last month, inflaming already strained ties and deepening doubts about whether Pakistan will help or hinder the U.S. fight in Afghanistan.

The U.S. military blamed Pakistani soldiers for firing at NATO forces as they prepared for a mission in a remote area near Afghanistan’s eastern border with Pakistan close to midnight on November 25.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A U.S. probe on Thursday found that both American and Pakistani forces were to blame for an incident that killed 24 Pakistani troops in a remote area along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border last month, inflaming already strained bilateral ties.

The U.S. military blamed Pakistani soldiers for firing at NATO forces across the border in Afghanistan, triggering the incident, which took place overnight between November 25-26.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When Defense Secretary Leon Panetta visited U.S. troops in South Korea in October and told them that they were on “the front line,” it was clearly a rhetorical flourish meant to show appreciation for the 28,500 American forces theoretically in firing range of the North.

But less than two months later, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s death has raised the possibility of true instability on the Korean peninsula. And rather than speaking with colorful bravado, U.S. officials have been at pains to avoid doing or saying anything that could escalate tensions or create the perception of looming conflict.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When Defense Secretary Leon Panetta visited U.S. troops in South Korea in October and told them that they were on “the front line,” it was clearly a rhetorical flourish meant to show appreciation for the 28,500 American forces theoretically in firing range of the North.

But less than two months later, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il’s death has raised the possibility of true instability on the Korean peninsula. And rather than speaking with colorful bravado, U.S. officials have been at pains to avoid doing or saying anything that could escalate tensions or create the perception of looming conflict.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Flying drone aircraft over Afghanistan from the comfort of a military base in the United States is much more stressful than it might seem, even for pilots spared the sacrifice of overseas deployment and separation from family and friends.

America’s insatiable demand for drone technology is taking a heavy toll on Air Force crews, with just under a third of active duty pilots of drones like the Predator reporting symptoms of burnout and 17 percent showing signs of “clinical distress.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States on Friday handed over its last detainee in Iraq to Iraqi authorities, a White House official told Reuters, after months of failed efforts by Washington to convince Baghdad to allow his extradition for trial.

White House National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said Washington had received assurances that Ali Mussa Daqduq, a suspected Hezbollah operative, would be tried for his crimes. Daqduq is accused of orchestrating a 2007 kidnapping that resulted in the killing of five U.S. military personnel.

WASHINGTON, Dec 9 (Reuters) – The top U.S. military officer
said on Friday he believed the euro zone was at great risk and
warned that any breakup could have consequences for the
Pentagon, even threatening its top weapons program.

General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the U.S. military’s
Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he met U.S. Federal Reserve
Chairman Ben Bernanke for two hours last week following a
half-day visit to the Fed in New York last month.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The crash of a CIA drone in Iran has brought into the open what U.S. intelligence agencies would prefer kept secret: intense spying efforts in a country where the United States has no official presence.

Iran on Thursday aired with great flourish footage of the captured drone, which appeared largely intact. Pentagon and CIA spokesmen would not comment on whether it was the missing U.S. RQ-170 Sentinel unmanned aircraft.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Obama administration does not know Israel’s intentions regarding potential military action against Iran, and the uncertainty is stoking concern in Washington, where the preferred course for now is sanctions and diplomatic pressure.

Although Israel remains one of the United States’ closest allies and the two countries’ officials are in regular contact, U.S. officials have a “sense of opacity” regarding what might prompt an Israeli military strike on Iranian nuclear sites, and about when such an attack might occur, according to a senior U.S. national security official.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States has pointedly ramped up its public warnings over the last few weeks about the risks of military action against Iran, accompanied by private words of caution to Israel, which sees Tehran’s nuclear push as a direct threat.

But so far, at least, comments by U.S. and Israeli officials suggest that Washington’s private lobbying has yet to convince Israeli hard-liners and even some moderates that alternatives, like sanctions and diplomatic pressure, will ultimately succeed in curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions.