WASHINGTON - THE commander of a US Army base in Kentucky has ordered a three-day suspension of regular duties to focus on a spike in suicides among his troops amid concern over a wider trend across the armed services.

The 'stand-down' entered its third day on Friday at Fort Campbell, which is home to the famed 101st Airborne Division and has recorded the highest rate of suicide in the Army, with at least 11 confirmed or suspected suicides.

WASHINGTON - THE commander of a US Army base in Kentucky has ordered a three-day suspension of regular duties to focus on a spike in suicides among his troops amid concern over a wider trend across the armed services.

The 'stand-down' entered its second day Thursday at Fort Campbell, which is home to the famed 101st Airborne Division and has recorded the highest rate of suicide in the Army, with at least 11 confirmed or suspected suicides.

KABUL - AFGHAN and US-led coalition troops killed 35 militants in clashes and air strikes in southern Afghanistan, the military said Friday, announcing the latest in a series of heavy battles.

The fighting erupted on early Thursday when troops came under heavy fire while on patrol in the southern province of Zabul, the US military said.