RAY SUAREZ: Pakistani troops pressed an offensive against pro-Taliban militants today. The operation began at the end of last week and focused on the Khyber tribal area bordering Afghanistan. The army attacked fighters threatening Peshawar.
Today, an explosion at a militant compound in the region killed as many as eight people. There were conflicting accounts of what caused the blast.
U.S. efforts to hunt down top al-Qaida leaders in Pakistan were said to be on hold today, that despite signs the group has created a new haven there. The New York Times reported a Pentagon plan would have made it easier for U.S. special forces troops to operate inside Pakistan, but the report said the CIA, the State Department, and others raised objections.
There was word today of more fighting in Afghanistan between U.S.-led troops and Taliban militants. The governor of Nimruz province in the southwest said U.S.-led forces killed at least 28 rebels on Sunday.
And an American special forces soldier was fatally wounded in Kandahar province Friday.
At least 44 foreign troops have died in Afghanistan during the month of June; 31 international troops were killed in Iraq, including 29 Americans. It's the second straight month that deaths in Afghanistan exceeded those in Iraq.
In Iraq today, bombings in Baghdad targeted five judges; all escaped unharmed.
And the Iraqi government opened eight oil and gas fields to foreign investment. Major U.S. and British firms led the approved bidders.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Tom Casey confirmed U.S. officials advised the Iraqis, but he insisted they did not boost American companies.
TOM CASEY, State Department Spokesman: These are Iraqi contracts. They were made by Iraqis, for Iraqis. They're made independent of the United States. And they weren't done at the behest of the United States or with a wink or a nudge or any kind of influence on our part.
So I think it's misleading for anyone to suggest that there was some kind of U.S. government role in this.
RAY SUAREZ: Iraq said its goal is to boost daily oil output by 60 percent. We'll have more on this story later in the program.
President Bush signed a bill today paying for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan past the end of his term. The measure included $162 billion, funding operations well into next year.
So far, the U.S. has spent an estimated $650 billion in Iraq since 2003, plus $200 billion in Afghanistan since the invasion there in 2001. The bill also includes added G.I. college benefits and flood relief for the Midwest.
A Saudi Arabian man will be charged with "organizing and directing" the bombing of the USS Cole" in 2000. Pentagon officials announced today Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri will face a military tribunal at Guantanamo. If convicted, he could get the death penalty. The attack killed 17 sailors off the coast of Yemen.
Zimbabwe's president Robert Mugabe sought new support today against Western pressure. Over the weekend, he claimed victory in a run-off election after the opposition withdrew in the face of violent government intimidation.
Today, Mugabe was in Egypt for an African Union summit. Behind the scenes, some leaders did press Mugabe to share power. And Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who was not at the meeting, said Mugabe should have been banned from the summit.
The U.S. pressed for United Nations sanctions against Mugabe's government. White House press secretary Dana Perino also said the door was open for Washington to act alone, if need be.
A large shipment of U.S. food aid arrived in North Korea overnight. The U.N. food agency reported a freighter brought in 37,000 tons of wheat. It docked just days after North Korea offered an accounting of its nuclear program, and the U.S. eased sanctions. American officials said today there's no linkage between the food aid and the nuclear talks.
In the U.S. presidential campaign today, Democrat Barack Obama vowed to fight attacks on his patriotism. And he went on to say, "I will never question the patriotism of others in this campaign."
He spoke amid a furor over comments by retired General Wesley Clark, a supporter. On Sunday, Clark said John McCain's time as a pilot and POW in Vietnam did not necessarily qualify him for president.
In response today, Republican McCain said, "That kind of thing is unnecessary." We'll have more on the campaign later in the program tonight.
On Wall Street today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 3.5 points to close at 11,350; the Nasdaq fell more than 22 points to close just under 2,293.
