The death toll from recent heavy rain and hail in three Afghan provinces ... the drought," said Abdullah Jan Sayeq, spokesman for Afghanistan's National Disaster Management Authority.

Dutch troops killed two of their own comrades and two Afghan soldiers during "confused" weekend skirmishes with Taliban fighters in south-central Afghanistan, the Netherlands' Defense Ministry said ...

About 1,500 people died in Afghanistan from the beginning of the year to August, according to the U.N. report released this week. The report did not say what the death toll was for August.

In Afghanistan, at least 50 people have been killed due to heavy rain and flooding in central parts of the country. The numbers of casualties are likely to rise as dozens of people are still missing.