President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today extolled Iran's military might during an annual army parade, saying the country is so powerful that no one would dare attack it.

The top US and Nato commander in Afghanistan said today the coalition depends too much on private-sector contractors.

European countries were accused of having an anti-war attitude that is threatening world security by US Defence Secretary Robert Gates today.

US arms sales to Taiwan hurt China’s national security, its foreign minister said, escalating the rhetoric in a dispute threatening to deepen rifts between the world’s biggest and third-biggest economies.

US MILITARY helicopters swooped down on Haiti’s wrecked presidential palace to deploy troops and supplies yesterday as a huge international relief operation to earthquake survivors gained momentum.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates flew to Iraq today to meet Iraqi officials amid a wave of bombings which have killed 127 people and rattled the country’s government.

The top NATO commander in Afghanistan has claimed in a confidential report that without additional forces, the war against insurgents will end in failure.

North Korea boasted that it has become a “proud nuclear power” and threatened today to harm the US if attacked, as tensions mounted over a possible crackdown on exports of suspected missile parts from the North.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates ousted the US Air Force’s top military and civilian leaders today, holding them to account in a historic Pentagon shake-up after nuclear missile warhead fuses were mistakenly shipped to Taiwan.

Iraq’s political leaders are showing promising new signs of progress towards reconciliation, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said today.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates made an unannounced visit to Iraq today to assess the progress that has been made since the build-up of US forces began to take hold and reduce violence in some parts of the country.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates today raised the possibility of cutting US troop levels in Iraq to 100,000 or so by the end of next year, well beyond the cuts President George Bush has approved.

A firefight in southern Afghanistan left one Nato soldier dead and two others injured today, the alliance said.

US troops are to serve up to 15 months in Iraq and Afghanistan instead of the usual 12-month tours under new rules.

SERIAL numbers and markings on explosives used in Iraq provide “pretty good” evidence that Iran is providing either weapons or technology for militants there, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said yesterday.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said today that the increase in US forces in Iraq is “not the last chance” to succeed and conceded he is considering what steps to take if the buildup does not work.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates said today that the decision to send a second aircraft carrier to the Gulf region does not mean the United States is planning for a war with Iran.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates today said it remains unclear how long the “temporary” US military build up ordered by President George Bush in Iraq will last.

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates rushed back to Washington to give President George Bush advice on transforming US policy in Iraq after talks in the war zone with military and political leaders.