WBEZ 91.5 Chicago

The death of Osama bin Laden last month was a huge and much-needed boost for U.S. counterterrorism efforts, but it has also ignited a debate over the ongoing U.S. operation in Afghanistan.

Afghans have plenty of serious issues to contend with, but a surprising number of them are concerned with ... a number: 39.Many cultures consider certain numbers to signify luck or disaster.

It's not unusual for laborers the world over to cross borders, sometimes illegally, to find a safer environment and better wages.

For years the Sangin District in southern Afghanistan has been one of the deadliest areas of operation. For the British, who controlled the area until U.S.

Europe is too dependent on American defense spending, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said on Thursday, citing the drastic change in the breakdown of defense expenditures under NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

Wounded troops often spend months in physical therapy to regain strength in their damaged bodies.

The daring assault that killed Osama bin Laden last week has been seen by many as a vindication of the tactic of "targeted killing," which Gen. David Petraeus has utilized at an unprecedented level in Afghanistan.U.S. military sources say the tactic has turned back the Taliban's momentum.