President's brother shot dead in Kandahar

Taliban claims responsibility for death of Ahmed Wali Karzai, considered the 'super governor' of southern Afghanistan.
Ahmed Wali Karzai, half brother to the Afghan president and one of the most powerful men in the country, has been killed by one of his own bodyguards, according to a member of his security team.
Wali Karzai was shot dead on Tuesday morning inside his house by Sardar Mohammad, a bodyguard who regularly visited him, the security source told Al Jazeera.

US: Troop drawdown in Afghanistan to begin slowly

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's drawdown in Afghanistan will begin slowly, with the departure of just 800 National Guard troops this summer, followed by some 800 Marines in the fall, U.S. officials said on Wednesday.

The details provided by Lieutenant General David Rodriguez, the outgoing No. 2 commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, and Pentagon officials offered the most detailed look so far at how the U.S. military intends to carry out the withdrawal ordered by Obama in June.
Story: 9 feared dead in cargo plane crash in Afghanistan Facing growing political opposition to the nearly decade-old war, Obama announced plans to pull out about a third of the 100,000 U.S. forces in Afghanistan by the end of summer 2012 -- a faster timetable than the military had recommended.

US: Obama lays out Afghanistan troops drawdown

WASHINGTON, (Xinhua): U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday night laid out his plans for Afghanistan troops drawdown that is set to begin next Month, ordering 10,000 troops from that country by year-end with a total of 33,000 troops to be out by next summer.

The plans would withdraw all the "surge troops" he sent to Afghanistan in late 2009 to strengthen the fight against the Talibans.