A top Yemeni official confirms that the Nigerian man suspected of trying to blow up an airplane last month met with an extremist Muslim cleric linked to other violence in the U.S.  But the official says that although the suspect lived for a while in Yemen, he was radicalized in Britain.  Yemen's deputy prime minister for defense and security affairs says the suspect met with Anwar al-Awlaki, a cleric popular with extremist groups, late last year.   Rashad al-Alimi told reporters in Sana'a that Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is thought to have met with the American-Yemeni cleric in Sh

Guinea's acting military leader says political parties should immediately choose a new prime minister to help lead the country to free elections.

Cyber activists in China are throwing their support behind opposition protesters in Iran.

An Afghan-international security force searched a compound west of the village of Akram Kaldy last night, in the Nawa district of Helmand after intelligence found insurgent activity in the area. During the search the assault force captured a Taliban facilitator suspected of manufacturing and placing IEDs and detained two other insurgents.

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- Airmen of the 738th Air Expeditionary Advisory Group here are training 30 Afghanistan National Army Air Corps soldiers on the M-240B rifle in January here. For some of the ANAAC soldiers it was their first time shooting the gas-powered machine gun while for others it was their second, but the Airmen mentors noticed improvement in their abilities. "Very good. That is how you are supposed to shoot," said Tech. Sgt.

Since the thwarted terrorist attack against Northwest Airlines Flight 253 on Christmas Day, news reports detailed the possibilities of security threats from Africa. Maj. Gen. William B. Garrett III, commander of U.S. Army Africa, spoke to that topic and his unit's ongoing initiatives during a Jan. 5 "DoDLive" Blogger's Roundtable. In the past year, U.S.

Two Oregon Air National Guard F-15 Eagles, under the direction of North American Aerospace Defense Command, intercepted Hawaiian Air Flight 39 Jan. 6, in the vicinity of Portland, Ore. The F-15s, stationed at Portland Air National Guard Base, escorted the aircraft until it landed at Portland International Airport without incident at about 1:15 p.m.

Pre-Commissioning Unit Independence (LCS 2) will be commissioned Jan. 16. Advanced technology, unique manning, and a very recognizable tri-hull � at first glance, nearly everything about Independence's steep angles, high bridge, and aluminum construction appears to be the first of its kind.

A suicide bombing in Russia's southern Dagestan republic Wednesday killed six policemen and wounded at least 16 other people. Authorities say a suicide bomber attempted to drive a car packed with explosives into a police station near Dagestan's capital, Makhachkala. Russian media report the blast left a two-meter wide crater, and that bomb fragments broke windows as far as 300 meters from the site. Dagestan borders Chechnya, where the long-running fight between Russian troops and Islamic separatists has spilled over into neighboring republics in the North Caucasus. Russian Presiden