London, July 31: British forces are reportedly considering renting helicopters from other countries to meet their security needs in war-torn Afghanistan.

The Independent has learnt that the Ministry of Defence will hold a crisis meeting this evening to discuss leasing helicopters from former Warsaw Pact countries as well as commercial companies like the US-based Blackwater.

Chaired by the Defence Secretary Des Browne, the summit will be attended by senior military and government personnel who will be expected to solve the acute helicopter shortage.

Washington - The top leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq has left the country for Afghanistan, the Washington Post reported Thursday, citing named sources in both the Sunni militant group and the Iraqi military.

The report quoted the group's local leader in Fallujah, Abdullah al-Ansari, as saying in an interview with a Washington Post special correspondent that the group's national leader since 2006, an Egyptian known by the aliases Abu Hamza al-Muhajer or Abu Ayyub al- Masri, had departed Iraq and was now in Afghanistan, having transited through Iran. It was "not known yet" if his departure was permanent.

Miranshah (NWFP), July 31: An Afghan woman who was suspected of spying for the US was reportedly gunned down by militants in North Waziristan. Her body was found dumped in a sewer, said a witness and intelligence officials.

The body of Gulzada Bibi, in her mid-30s, was found with three bullet wounds in her chest near Degan village, 35 km west of Miranshah, the Daily Times quoted the officials as saying.

“A note pinned to her body said she belonged to Afghanistan’s Paktia province and was caught with a satellite phone she had been using to spy for the US,” said Abdullah, a resident of the village.

Lahore, July 30 : US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher has reportedly said that the US could not tackle extremism and terrorism in Afghanistan without the help of Pakistan.

He also said that Pakistan could defeat terrorism and extremism only when it was willing to use military power against them.

Washington, July 30 : Within a week of the July 7 suicide attack on Indian embassy in Kabul killing more than 50 persons, including four Indian staffers, and which was directly blamed on Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI by Afghan government, the deputy director of the US intelligence agency CIA Stephen R. Kappes made a secret visit to Islamabad to caution its officials that ISI was having links with militants.

Kabul - A soldier serving in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) died of wounds sustained in an explosion in southern Afghanistan, the ISAF said Wednesday.

The blast occurred after an ISAF convoy came under militant attack Tuesday in the Nahri Sarraj district of Helmand province, it said in a statement.

The ISAF did not disclose the nationality of the soldier; however, mostly British soldiers are stationed in Helmand.