KABUL - A real peace process in Afghanistan has not begun and the United States does not know what has happened to Taliban prisoners released by Pakistan, the US ambassador to Kabul said. Pakistan said 26 prisoners were freed late last year to kick-start peace talks ahead of the withdrawal of US-led Nato troops from Afghanistan. "We don't know, frankly, what has happened to the people that the Pakistanis have released," James Cunningham said. AFP
BAGHDAD - A spate of bombings targeting Shiite Muslims across Iraq killed 19 people, the latest in a spike in unrest amid weeks of anti-government protests and a political crisis engulfing the country. The attacks marked the third consecutive day of violence which has claimed 78 lives overall, including that of a Sunni Iraqi MP killed by a suicide bomber and 33 others who died in twin car bombs in a northern city. AFP