US troops in Afghanistan celebrate Thanksgiving

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - It was Army Sergeant Keith Wells' first Thanksgiving Day away from his family and despite a cornucopia of food provided for the troops, his taste buds were craving for his wife's macaroni and cheese back home.

"My wife's a foodie - you know the Food Network, cooking shows. Everything she makes is golden," Sgt Wells of Charlotte, North Carolina, said on Thursday at a large international military base in the Afghan capital, Kabul.

The dining hall served up mac-and-cheese, along with traditional Thanksgiving Day fixings. Sgt Wells was thankful for the good food, but he still missed his wife's home-cooking.

Huge hunks of beef greeted the estimated 2,500 diners as soldiers lined up in the dining hall. Red-white-and-blue decorations filled the room. Brochures titled "Learn about combat stress" served as table centrepieces.