Afghanistan War News Updates -- January 6, 2011

8 Western Troops Die In 24 Hours In Southern Afghanistan -- L.A. Times

REPORTING FROM KABUL, Afghanistan –- Eight members of the NATO force were killed in southern Afghanistan in a 24-hour period ending Friday, Western military officials said.

NATO’s International Security Assistance Force did not disclose the troops’ nationalities, but the majority of those serving in southern Afghanistan are American or British. The south of Afghanistan includes the volatile provinces of Helmand and Kandahar, the traditional heartland of the Taliban.

Four of the eight were killed Friday in a single explosion, the military said in a statement, and a fifth died earlier as the result of an “insurgent attack,” a phrase often used to characterize a firefight with Taliban militants.

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More News On Afghanistan

FACTBOX-Security developments in Afghanistan, Jan 6 -- Newser
Combined Force Kills Taliban Leader -- US Department of Defense
Eight coalition troops die in 24 hours -- UPI
Eight Coalition Troops Dead in Afghanistan -- Wall Street Journal
8 NATO Troops Killed in Afghanistan -- FOX News/AP
Afghanistan bombs kill 5 NATO troops -- CBS/AP
Six children and five Nato troops killed by insurgent bomb attacks in Afghanistan -- Daily Mail
Eight NATO troops killed in Afghanistan -- Newser
Trash heap blast kills 6 Afghan children; 5 NATO soldiers killed in roadside bombings -- Washington Post/AP
Afghanistan: Bomb Kills 6 Children, 1 Man -- Time/AP
Senior Taliban commander killed in airstrike after being shot by Apache helicopter -- Daily Mail
Taliban 'want US prisoners sent to Qatar' -- AFP

Karzai demands transfer of U.S. military prison near Bagram to Afghan control -- Washington Post
Hamid Karzai demands U.S. return Bagram detention center to Afghan control within a month -- Daily Mail
Karzai Demands US Hand Over Prison -- Time/AP
Karzai demands US cede Afghan prison control -- Al Jazeera
Karzai Says Afghans to Take Control of Bagram Jail From U.S. Within Month -- Bloomberg

Afghanistan Closes Firm Providing Security -- New York Times
Afghanistan arrests British, Afghan security contractors over cache of weapons -- Washington Post/AP
Afghanistan Closes Firm Providing Security -- New York Times