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Afghanistan turns disused NATO camp into drug treatment base

By Mirwais Harooni KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan officials have opened a new drug treatment center in an abandoned NATO military base in Kabul, in the latest attempt to stamp out the country's massive problem of drug abuse. Afghanistan is one of the world's biggest sources of opium, producing around 3,300 tonnes last year, despite a drop of 48 percent in output. Camp Phoenix, a former training camp on the edges of Kabul set up by the U.S. army in 2003, will take in around 1,000 homeless drug addicts who will receive food, medical attention and treatment, said Public Health Minister Ferozuddin Feroz.

U.S. soldier Bergdahl to face court-martial for deserting in Afghanistan

By Jon Herskovitz AUSTIN, Texas (Reuters) – U.S. Army Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who walked away from his post in Afghanistan and became a prisoner of the Taliban for five years, will face court-martial on charges of desertion and endangering U.S. troops, the Army said on Monday. Bergdahl, 29, was charged earlier this year and faces up to life in prison if convicted of the more serious offense of endangering troops who searched for him in lawless areas of Afghanistan after his disappearance in 2009. The date of the arraignment hearing at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, will be announced later, the U.S. Army Forces Command said in a statement.