Troops push into Afghan valley

Hundreds of French and Afghan troops Sunday pushed into a hostile valley in eastern Afghanistan where militants launch quick attacks, then disappear into hillside villages. The mission: secure the area for a planned bypass road around the Afghan capital to move supplies from neighboring Pakistan.

In northwestern Pakistan, militants staged a pair of attacks against anti-Taliban figures Sunday, killing one of the men as part of an escalating campaign to weaken the country’s resolve to fight Islamic extremism.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, meanwhile, said the United States is limiting its goals in Afghanistan and demanding better accountability from that country’s under performing leader, and she tied additional U.S. civilian help to results from Kabul.

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