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David Cloud

Foreign military enters Bahrain from Saudi Arabia

Last updated Monday, March 14, 2011 - 11:57am

MANAMA, Bahrain -- Foreign military forces entered Bahrain on Monday across the causeway linking the island kingdom to Saudi Arabia, according to a statement by the U.S. Embassy.

The embassy statement did not give the nationality of the troops. Agence France-Presse said a Saudi official confirmed that more than 1,000 Saudi troops had crossed the 16-mile bridge linking Bahrain to Saudi Arabia, but there was no official confirmation from the Bahraini government.

Arab Protests, International Read more Comments

Gates warns U.S. allies about 'precipitous' exit from Afghanistan

David Cloud, Tribune Washington Bureau

Last updated Friday, March 11, 2011 - 1:05pm

BRUSSELS -- Five months before the Obama administration intends to begin troop withdrawals from Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates warned allies Friday against "ill-timed, precipitous or uncoordinated" drawdowns of their troops from the conflict.

"Frankly, there is too much talk about leaving and not enough talk about getting the job done right," Gates said in remarks to defense ministers from the 47 other countries that have troops in Afghanistan.

His remarks were in part an attempt to prevent allies in Europe from using the planned U.S. announcement of withdrawals in July as a pretext to bring out large numbers of their forces. The planned withdrawals are expected to be a small percentage of the overall U.S. force, but if allies with only a few thousand soldiers or fewer bring out similar numbers it could cause problems, officials said.

Afghanistan, President Barack Obama, International, Military Read more Comments