In Afghanistan, at least eighteen people are dead and more than two dozen wounded after a suicide car bombing struck a US military convoy earlier today. Eight Afghan civilians and two American soldiers are among the dead. The attack comes as the US-led NATO force is appealing for more troops, helicopters and planes to continue its mission.

• NATO spokesperson James Appathurai: “This is in many ways moving into territory with which we were not familiar. No international forces have been there in a sustained way and of course the Taliban has this year substantially it seems upgraded its capability to resist in terms of its tactics and in terms of the numbers that it’s massing.”