Frank Mirabile is running in Maryland's 7th district, home of 16 year incumbent Elijah Cummings. Cummings is a radical leftist member of the Congressional Black Caucus and a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (in other words, he is a Socialist).

Frank has run a come-from-behind race on a shoestring budget that can only be described as amazing. Read the accompanying article about the race here. Time is running out as we come down to the wire for the November elections. Cummings has a big war chest and Frank needs to saturate the district with TV ads to put him over the top.

Video tribute to Roy Benavidez, awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism in the Vietnam War.

Turkish press reports said Friday that police detained five men suspected of providing support to al-Qaida militants in Afghanistan.

The five, most of them university students, were being questioned after being taken into custody during raids in several Turkish cities this week.

They are being investigated for sending money to support al-Qaida fighters and developing computer programs to jam NATO aircraft targeting al-Qaida in Afghanistan.

At least 20 people have died in Somalia in a gun battle between al-Shabab militants and pro-government forces.

A military official says the fighting broke out Thursday in Bula Hawo, an area bordering Ethiopia and Kenya. Witnesses said the violence continued early Friday.

Government and African Union troops captured the long-time rebel stronghold earlier this week. The militants were trying to take it back, but government commanders said Friday they had been driven off.

French labor unions on Thursday called on workers to demonstrate in large numbers for two more national protests against the government's plan to raise the minimum retirement age from 60 to 62, and the age for full retirement benefits from 65 to 67. Transpiration has been disrupted and there has been unrest across France for more than a week as workers and students protest proposed law.

The leaders of eight major unions announced plans for two new strike days - October 28 and November 6.

An Afghan National Security and International Security Assistance Force patrol killed several insurgents and detained two suspected insurgents during an operation in Shah Wali Kot District, Kandahar province, Thursday.

Multiple intelligence sources and tips from local citizens led the joint force to the site of a suspected weapons cache.

As the patrol entered the area, several armed insurgents attempted to flee. They ran towards another element of the security force. They presented hostile intent and were killed.

An Afghan and coalition security force captured a Haqqani Network weapons and ammunition facilitator during an operation in Khost province overnight.

The targeted individual also coordinated attacks against Afghan and coalition forces.

Iraqi and U.S. senior leaders gathered at Camp Iraqi Hero Oct. 14 to commemorate the Iraqi Army's expanding inventory of M1A1 Abrams tanks, increasing its conventional defensive capabilities.

"This is a significant milestone in the progress the Iraqi Army has made in the last seven years," said United States Forces-Iraq Deputy Commanding General for Advising and Training, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael D. Barbero.

Video by American Forces Network