"The government has abruptly ended an inquiry into the warrantless eavesdropping program because the National Security Agency refused to grant Justice Department lawyers the necessary security clearance to probe the matter."

"Attacks by the Taliban in southern Afghanistan are on the rise and the rebels fighting US forces are increasingly using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and suicide bombings, US Lieutenant General Karl Eikenberry said.

Eikenberry, a commanding general of US forces in Afghanistan, told reporters at a Pentagon briefing that the number of Taliban fighters also appears to have increased in recent months."