U.S. troops try to fit in with locals at spartan outpost
BAGRAM, Afghanistan -- The soldier's beard was scruffy, his boots dirty. He wore jeans, a checkered scarf and a big, flat hat.

Washington in brief
Senators seek inquiry into Sept. 11 attacks, aftermath

Peacekeepers arrive as U.N. approves mandate
KABUL, Afghanistan -- The first British peacekeepers flew into Afghanistan on Thursday as the United Nations approved their mission to help the nation heal after decades of war. Even as they landed, the Afghan defense minister insisted they would have no authority to use force.

Philippines gets U.S. aid to fight extremists
MANILA, Philippines -- The U.S. Army on Thursday gave hundreds of weapons, including sniper rifles, mortars and grenade launchers, to the Philippine military for use against a Muslim extremist group linked to the al-Qaida terrorist network.

Clearing out Tora Bora caves may take months
WASHINGTON -- U.S. military officials are expanding their search of al-Qaida cave complexes in Afghanistan's Tora Bora region into what promises to be a huge and dangerous engineering project involving hundreds of American soldiers, specialized equipment to dig through tons of rubble and weeks or even months of labor.

Families may get $1.65-million, official says
WASHINGTON -- Families and victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks would likely become millionaires under the terms of a tentative settlement package announced Thursday by a federal mediator.

America strikes notebook
Translator: Bin Laden named hijackers

Alert goes out on kava herb's risks to liver
The products are almost as varied as the people who buy them: 100 percent freeze-dried kava root. Kava with valerian root. A fast-acting kava tincture best diluted in water. Bill Knabe picked up a bottle of kava and poppyseed, 45 pills for about $20.