Airmen, U.S. Embassy and national defense officials from Senegal and Mali gathered during the latest U.S. Air Forces Africa senior leader engagement in Mali and Senegal Oct. 26 through 30. Brig. Gen. Michael W. Callan, the U.S. Air Forces Africa vice commander, spent the week visiting with key leaders and touring facilities for a firsthand look at the capabilities of the two nations' air forces. The general was accompanied by Chief Master Sgt. Steven Scott, the Air Forces Africa command chief; and Maj.

The Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided-missile frigate USS Thach (FFG 43) returned to San Diego Nov. 5 after an independent five-month surge through all of the numbered fleets. Thach was operating in support of Task Group Iraqi Maritime (TGIM), which operates in the Northern Arabian Gulf (NAG) and is primarily responsible for defending the critical Iraqi infrastructure located in the area, as well as protecting the sovereignty of Iraqi waters. Thach and TGIM also trained Iraqi forces in maritime security operations.

Five new accounts of good guys who got the bulge on bad guys.

HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFNS) -- An Airman with the 49th Fighter Squadron here died in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on Nov. 4. Base officials here identified the Airman as Staff Sgt. David Booher. The incident is currently under investigation by the Mexican State Police.

A U.N. tribunal has ruled that former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic will be appointed a lawyer for his war crimes trial. Judges at the tribunal ruled Thursday the lawyer will represent Karadzic whenever he fails to appear in court. They also ruled that his trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia will resume on March 1, 2010.

A suspected U.S.

Former Cuban President Fidel Castro has criticized U.S. President Barack Obama over a U.S. agreement with Colombia that allows American troops access to Colombian military bases. In a column published in Cuba's state-run Granma newspaper, Mr.

ISAF can confirm that shortly before 7:30 p.m., Nov. 4, a single surface-to-surface rocket strike took place near Babaji village in Lashkar Gah against a group of nine individuals whom were believed to be involved in emplacing an IED. ISAF forces were not aware of any civilians in the vicinity at the time of the strike. Only those involved in the IED emplacement were targeted. Through media reports, ISAF has been made aware of allegations of civilian casualties during an operation the evening of Nov. 4 in Lashkar Gah, Helmand province.

An Afghan-international security force killed several enemy militants and detained a group of suspected militants in Wardak province while pursuing a Taliban facilitator linked to local senior Taliban leadership and responsible for managing the supply of IED components into the area Wednesday. The joint security force targeted a compound near the village of Babur Kheyl in Sayed Abad District after intelligence indicated militant activity. After entering the compound, the joint force received hostile fire and returned fire, killing the enemy militants.