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WASHINGTON Feb 21 (Reuters) - Raymond Davis, the American held in Pakistan on double murder charges for an incident in Lahore last month, is employed by the CIA as a contractor, U.S. sources closely following the case said on Monday.

Davis, who is being held in a Lahore jail amid a diplomatic dispute on whether he has diplomatic immunity, was working as a "protective officer," the sources said.

Today is Memorial Day in the United States, a day set aside to honor our men and women who died while in military service since the time of U.S. Civil War. In Afghanistan over 50 U.S. soldiers have been killed in just the past month, including 24-year old Marine Cpl. Jacob Leicht, who became the 1,000th serviceman killed
in Afghanistan since 2002. As the fighting season begins, Taliban militants have recently mounted several bold attacks and coalition efforts to "clear, hold and build" areas in the south have been slowed during the "hold" phase, as Afghan government capacity remains small. Collected here are images of the country and conflict over the past month, part of an ongoing monthly series on Afghanistan.