War_Conflict

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**FILE** Afghan men gather in a tea house in the center of Lashkar Gah, Helmand province in Afghanistan on Oct. 23, 2012. In southern Helmand province, one of Afghanistan’s deadliest battlefields, angry residents say 11 years of war has brought them widespread insecurity. Development that was promised hasn’t materialized and the Taliban’s rule is often said to be preferred. (Associated Press)

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A cleric from Al-Azhar, Egypt's most respected Islamic institution, addresses protesters in front of the presidential palace during a demonstration in Cairo on Dec. 11, 2012. Thousands of opponents and supporters of Egypt's Islamist president staged rival rallies in the nation's capital, four days ahead a nationwide referendum on a contentious draft constitution. (Associated Press)

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A Free Syrian Army fighter holds his weapon as he prepares himself for advance, close to a military base, near Azaz, Syria, on Dec. 10, 2012. The gains by rebel forces came as the European Union denounced the Syrian conflict, which activists say has killed more than 40,000 people. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** This undated file aerial photo provided by the Louisiana State Police via the Shreveport Times shows part of the smokeless explosive powder improperly stored outside Explo Systems Inc., a munitions dismantling facility at Camp Minden at Doyline, La. Explo Systems is currently under investigation for improperly storing millions of pounds of a military propellant, prompting the evacuation of the nearby town of Doyline. (Associated Press/Louisiana State Police via The Shreveport Times)

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**FILE** Convicted terrorism plotter Jose Padilla (center) is escorted to a waiting police vehicle by federal marshals near downtown Miami on Jan. 5, 2006. (Associated Press)

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In this still frame made from video provided by ORTM Mali TV, Mali's Prime Minister Cheikh Modibo Diarra resigns during a broadcast on state television from Bamako, Mali, on Dec. 11, 2012, hours after soldiers who led a recent coup burst into his home and arrested him. (Associated Press)

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Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta (right) talks to reporters on board his plane while headed to Kuwait on Monday, Dec. 10, 2012. Mr. Panetta will meet with U.S. troops as part of a visit to thank them for their service. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)

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Soldiers on a tank stand guard in front of the presidential palace in Cairo on Sunday, while at left, a boy holds up the Egyptian national flag. Supporters of President Mohammed Morsi and leaders of the liberal opposition called for major rallies to take place Tuesday in the runup to Saturday’s referendum on a draft constitution. (Associated Press)

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A Free Syrian Army fighter takes position close to a military base north of Aleppo on Monday. The gains by rebel forces came as the European Union denounced the Syrian conflict, which activists say has killed more than 40,000 people. (Associated Press)

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In this Sunday, Oct. 21, 2012 photo, members of Afghanistan's elite Civil Order Police patrol the main street in Marjah, southern Helmand province, Afghanistan, at sunset. As the U.S. and NATO close out their mission in Afghanistan preparing for the final withdrawal of combat troops by the end of 2014, the worry looms large that fresh outbursts of ethnically motivated fighting would send the country into a spiral of chaos and violence. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

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In this Friday, Oct. 19, 2012 photo, a member Afghanistan's elite Civil Order Police stands next to a bullet damaged windsheild of his armored vehicle after coming back from a patrol in Marjah, southern Helmand province, Afghanistan. The window is decorated with a picture of Afghanistan's famed anti-Taliban warrior Ahmed Shah Masood. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

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In this Friday, Oct. 19, 2012 photo, a member of Afghanistan's elite Civil Order Police looks through a window of his armored vehicle during a patrol in Marjah, southern Helmand province, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)