War in Iraq

DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has regained control of territory seized by Yemeni rebels in a cross-border incursion last week that prompted a military response from Riyadh, a top official was quoted as saying. "The situation is calm ... especially in Jabal Dukhan, of which full control has been regained," Prince Khaled bin Sultan bin Abdul-Aziz, assistant minister for defense and aviation, said on Saturday, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). Saudi Arabia on Thursday launched air strikes on rebels in northern Yemen after the Shi'ite insurgents crossed the border into the kingdom and said they had taken control of an area called ... Read Full Story

Egypt's new ambassador to Iraq has arrived in Baghdad, a diplomatic source said on Saturday of Cairo's first diplomatic representative in the country since its charge d'affaires was killed in 2005. Sharif Kamal Shahin, a diplomat with 27 years' experience and a former ambassador to Zambia, arrived in Iraq on Friday, the source said. Egypt's foreign ministry spokesman has described the move as an "important step to promote relations between the two Arab countries." Shahin's arrival in Baghdad comes just days after a visit to Egypt by Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari. Cairo has had no official diplomatic representative in Iraq since the July ... Read Full Story

RIYADH (Reuters) - Yemen's Shi'ite rebels said they had captured some Saudi soldiers on Friday, after Riyadh said it would press on with its offensive until it had cleared them from its territory. A Saudi official said on Thursday that Riyadh had launched air strikes on rebels in northern Yemen after the Shi'ite insurgents made a cross-border raid earlier in the week. But the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) said on Friday the strikes were "focused on infiltrators in Jabal Dukhan and other targets within the range of operations within Saudi territory." Rebel Yemeni spokesman Mohammed Abdel-Salam told Al Jazeera television by telephone "We will ... Read Full Story

BARCHA, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Coming face-to-face with Afghanistan insurgents' deadliest and most effective weapon -- improvised explosive devices (IEDs) -- is a near daily event for U.S. Marine Staff Sergeants Tony D'Amato and Aaron Irvin. Irvin and D'Amato are stationed in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province where they defuse the home-made bombs and where some 10,000 Marines have been deployed to try to turn the tide on the Taliban insurgency there. Facing death at such close range on a daily basis is something they try not to dwell on while they work. "It's just something we're trained to do ... I like it because you're ... Read Full Story

Saudi Arabia said Friday it carried airstrikes against "infiltrators" from Yemen that were limited to areas inside Saudi territory, and vowed to continue the military action until the border with its restive neighbor was secure. The statement, carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, did not identify the infiltrators or address claims by Arab diplomats on Thursday that the strikes hit across the boundary, targeting Shiite rebels who have been battling Yemeni government forces for the past few months in Yemen's northern Saada province. The SPA statement stressed the Saudi military action was confined to areas within the kingdom's borders. But regardless of the ... Read Full Story