25th Anniversary: Soviet Forces Begin Afghan Withdrawal. Dad of suspect: ‘We are not terrorists’

Radio Free Europe - 25th Anniversary: Soviet Forces Begin Afghan Withdrawal - Twenty-five years ago, on May 15, 1988, Soviet troops began the nine-month process of withdrawing from Afghanistan. Some 100,000 troops would leave the country by February 15, 1989, after nine years of war that killed more than 14,000 Soviet soldiers and hundreds of thousands of Afghan combatants and civilians.

The Diplomat - Iran’s Elections: The Maneouvering Begins - While Saeed Jalili appears the early frontrunner, the early chaos of Iran’s presidential elections underscores the unpredictability of the race.

BBC - Boston suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev 'left note in boat' - The Boston marathon bombing suspect wrote a message in a boat where he hid, describing victims of the attack as "collateral damage", US media report.

Boston Herald - Dad of suspect: ‘We are not terrorists’ - The father of one of the Kazakh college students accused of covering up for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev said yesterday he is confident his son soon will be released from the Essex County jail because he has done nothing wrong.

Deutsche Welle - Erdogan and Obama discuss Syria policy - While the two leaders agree that Syria's President Assad must be ousted to end the slaughter, the meeting was by far not all Erdogan had hoped for: Obama continues to reject Syrian opposition armourment.

Euromoney - A Kazakh horror show nears its ending - Four years after being nationalized and restructured by the Kazakh government, a trio of troubled Kazakh lenders are eyeing a return to private-sector control.