insurgents

U.S. troops have been conducting major combat operations in parts of Afghanistan's southeastern Kandahar province, and have managed to disrupt insurgent networks.

But it's hard to know how many insurgents escape to Pakistan, lay low for a while and come back.

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When Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he was holding talks with Taliban leaders this week, his spokesman was quick to clarify the remarks: talks about talks, not actual "talks." The Taliban altogether denied it.

There's an underlying issue of trust -- the government broke promises to protect insurgents who laid down their arms.

Still, a council was formed to facilitate formal talks.

Since April, European Union soldiers have been training Somali recruits to fight Islamist insurgents trying to topple their country's beleaguered government.

The trainers are finding that the soldiers -- whose salaries are paid by the U.S. -- have a lot to learn about warfare.

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