BAGHDAD (Reuters) - - Saddam Hussein once commanded one of the most powerful airforces in the Middle East with 40,000 personnel and 1,000 aircraft including Soviet MiG and French Mirage fighters.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has signed a contract to buy 18 Lockheed Martin F-16 warplanes to bolster its air force, an adviser to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Monday.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to reconsider the US decision to upgrade F-16 fighters for Taiwan.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi asked Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during a meeting Monday to reconsider the US decision to upgrade F-16 fighters for Taiwan, a US official said.

The US Senate on Thursday defeated an effort to force President Barack Obama to sell Taiwan some 66 F-16 fighter jets instead of upgrading the island's existing fleet of combat aircraft.

China on Thursday strongly condemned a $5.85 billion US deal to upgrade Taiwan's fleet of F-16 fighter jets, summoning the US ambassador and warning the move would undermine warming military relations.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China stepped up its condemnation of the United States on Thursday for selling arms to Taiwan saying they could disrupt military exchanges, a warning that is likely to unsettle, but not derail, ties with Washington.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China stepped up its condemnation of the United States on Thursday for selling arms to Taiwan saying they could disrupt military exchanges, a warning that is likely to unsettle, but not derail, ties with Washington.

BEIJING (Reuters) - China stepped up its condemnation of the United States on Thursday for selling arms to Taiwan saying they could disrupt military exchanges, a warning that is likely to unsettle, but not derail, ties with Washington.

The NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan said Thursday it had killed a Taliban commander who was the target of an operation in which 30 US troops died when their helicopter crashed last month.

The Obama administration came under fire from both China and domestic critics as it approved a $5.85 billion upgrade of Taiwan's fighter jets that stopped short of selling new F-16s.

The United States announced a $5.85 billion upgrade of Taiwan's fighter jets Wednesday, triggering swift rebuke from China even though the deal stopped short of the island's ambitions to buy new F-16s.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Iraq will need U.S. military trainers even after American combat troops leave this year, ending a mission that began with the 2003 invasion to topple Saddam Hussein, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said.

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - The Obama administration told the U.S. Congress on Wednesday that it planned a $5.3 billion upgrade of Taiwan's F-16 fighter fleet, angering Beijing but disappointing new arms-sales advocates.

The United States announced a $5.85 billion upgrade of Taiwan's fighter jets Wednesday, triggering swift rebuke from China even though the deal stopped short of the island's ambitions to buy new F-16s.

WASHINGTON/TAIPEI (Reuters) - The Obama administration informed Congress on Wednesday that it plans to upgrade Taiwan's aging F-16 fighter jets, drawing strong condemnation from China which called it a "grave interference" in its internal affairs.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration formally notified Congress on Wednesday of a potential $5.3 billion upgrade of Taiwan's existing fleet of U.S.-built F-16 fighter jets despite China's opposition to such arms deals.

RICHMOND, Va (Reuters) - The Obama administration plans to supply state-of-the-art weapons for Taiwan's existing F-16 fighter fleet as part of a potential $5.85 billion upgrade, a U.S. official involved in Taiwan policy said on Tuesday, amid a push to shape perceptions about the deal.

LONDON (Reuters) - China's military build-up is forcing its Asian neighbors to ramp up their defences, offering a new source of growth to western arms makers keen to offset belt-tightening in their home markets.

A senior US official all but confirmed reports that Washington will help Taiwan upgrade its 145 US-made F-16 A/B fighters, rather than selling the more advanced jets coveted by the island.