Kabul - Three Afghan provincial officials, two of their bodyguards and one civilian were killed in separate attacks in eastern Afghanistan, while Afghan police forces backed by coalition troops killed ten suspected Taliban in the southern region, officials said Saturday.

Nahim Jan Shinwari, the district governor for Goshta district of eastern Nangarhar province and one of bodyguards were killed when their vehicle was blown up by a roadside bomb in Bati Kot district of the province on Saturday, Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, spokesman for the provincial governor said.

Munich - World leaders were looking for an insight into the new US administration's foreign policy Saturday as US Vice-President Joe Biden was set to address a VIP debate on issues ranging from NATO enlargement to Russian proposals for a new security treaty.

Biden was set to close a debate entitled "The future of European security" at the prestigious Munich Security Conference, which has gathered some 350 top politicians from around the world.

London, Feb. 6 : A new ration system for British troopers with 20 different menus, plus six new ones for vegetarians, aimed at meeting Halal, Sikh and Hindu dietary requirements, will place the usual fare of corned beef hash firmly into the history books and museums. Bully beef, the cornerstone of the British Army for more than a century, is to be replaced by mushroom pasta and halal dishes. A new varied menu will be designed to counter the boiling temperatures of Helmand and a more multi-cultural military, reports The Telegraph.

Kabul - Seven suspected militants were killed in clashes with US-led troops in eastern and southern Afghanistan, while NATO forces shot to death an Afghan civilian after suspecting him to be a suicide bomber, officials said Friday.

The US military troops killed one suspected militant and detained nine others in a operation in Maghzoori area in the south-eastern province of Khost on Thursday, the US military said in a statement.

Brussels  - NATO soldiers will only be allowed to target Afghan drug traffickers if they can be shown to be providing "material support" to the Taliban insurgency, the alliance's spokesman said Wednesday.

James Appathurai said NATO Supreme Commander General John Craddock had agreed to clarify the rules of engagement following reports that senior officers on the ground were refusing to fight drug gangs which were not proven to have links with the Taliban.

Kabul - In a clear sign of discord between Afghan government and its main backer, President Hamid Karzai said Wednesday that he has come under pressure from Washington for his criticism over civilian casualties caused by the US and NATO military troops.