Asia/Pacific

The Taliban will retain control over wide swaths of Afghanistan for decades after U.S. and allied forces leave the country in 2014, said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Sunday.

"If we were having this conversation 10 years from now, I suspect there would be contested areas because the history of Afghanistan suggests that there will always be contested areas," Gen. Martin Dempsey told the Associated Press in an interview from Afghanistan.

"I don’t know what kind of game this young man is playing," said McCain of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

Former Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman on Sunday called North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "a crazy man," and said it's important to consider what could happen if he moves foward with threats to launch a nuclear missile at the U.S.

Rep. Ed Royce says "provocative acts" are "not unlike what we see rather routinely."

Three Republicans wrote to Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday urging him to push for the release of a Virginia military contractor they say was beaten by Afghan forces.

David Gordon was illegally detained Wednesday as a result of a commercial contract dispute with his employer, Tamerlane Global Services, the lawmakers allege. They say the Afghan government has asked for $2.4 million for his release and that he was beaten overnight.

“The threats that he is receiving and the demonstrated lack of protection during his confinement give us serious concern about his welfare,” they wrote. “We request that the Department of State intervene and expedite the release of this illegally detained American.”

The letter is signed by Reps. Scott Rigell (R-Va.), Frank Wolf (R-Va.) and Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.).

A case of friendly fire by NATO forces in Afghanistan Thursday ended with the deaths of four Afghan police officers, reigniting the debate between U.S. commanders and Kabul over the use of allied air power in the country. 

Jay Carney said the army's claim it had final approval for an attack must be viewed in "context." 

The Korean People's Army said they would notify Washington that any provocations would invite a "nuclear strike."

Caroline Kennedy said Wednesday that it would be a "wonderful honor" if stories suggesting she is President Obama's pick as the next U.S. ambassador to Japan were true.

"I don't really have anything to say about that. It was a really nice report and it would be a wonderful honor so we'll see," Kennedy told KMOX News.

The daughter of former President John F. Kennedy would replace John Roos, who was appointed to the post in 2009, and would become the first woman to represent the United States in Tokyo.

King said the United States had the right to preemptive action if there was "solid evidence" Pyongyang was planning an attack.