Afghanistan war

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The Tragedy of Obama's Choice in Afghanistan
The Tragedy of Obama's Choice in Afghanistan
OPINION
Sep 29, 2010 10:53 AM CDT

The Tragedy of Obama's Choice in Afghanistan

And how we might actually be able to escape the war

(Newser) - Underneath all the Beltway intrigue in Bob Woodward’s new book “lurks a saga of tragedy,” writes Fred Kaplan of Slate . The tragic hero: Barack Obama, who, after painstaking analysis, escalated a potentially unwinnable war. Fed up with a Pentagon that refused to offer him any options other...

Woodward: Obama's Directing Afghan War

President is 'strategist-in-chief'

(Newser) - President Obama is personally directing the course of the war in Afghanistan, author Bob Woodward tells ABC News . While chatting with Diane Sawyer about his new book , the famed investigative reporter calls the president "strategist-in-chief" and says, unequivocally, that Afghanistan is "Obama's war"—so much so that...

Aussie Soldiers Charged in Afghan Kids' Deaths

Three ex-soldiers face host of charges over botched raid

(Newser) - Three former Aussie commandos have been charged for their role in a late-night raid that killed five Afghan children. The soldiers, who have not been identified, face a slew of charges including manslaughter and dangerous conduct, a military rep tells the AP . The charges stem from a February 2009 attack...

Double-Amputee Returns to War

Dan Luckett joins 40 amputee vets fighting worldwide

(Newser) - Dan Luckett assumed he lost the Army when he lost one of his legs and part of his foot after a bomb exploded under his Humvee in Iraq. But two years later, the 27-year-old is back on duty—a double-amputee fighting on the front lines of America's Afghan surge in...

Karzai Diagnosed as 'Manic Depressive'
 Karzai Diagnosed 
 as 'Manic Depressive' 
WOODWARD BOOK
Sep 23, 2010 1:40 AM CDT

Karzai Diagnosed as 'Manic Depressive'

Tome exposes concerns about leader's erratic behavior

(Newser) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai's wild mood swings that have often tested the patience of his international backers could be the result of manic depression, according to Bob Woodward's new book on the Afghan war. US intelligence reports found that Karzai has been diagnosed with the condition and is taking medication...

White House Torn Apart By Afghan War

Bob Woodward book reveals deep fault lines over war policy

(Newser) - The Obama White House is a simmering pot of anger and disagreement, with too many bickering chefs handling of the war in Afghanistan, according to a new book by Bob Woodward that exposes deep rifts in the administration. Here, via the New York Times , are some of the juicy bits...

Chopper Crash Makes 2010 Deadliest Year of Afghan War
Chopper Crash Makes 2010 Deadliest Year of Afghan War
9 americans killed
Sep 21, 2010 7:52 AM CDT

Chopper Crash Makes 2010 Deadliest Year of Afghan War

Taliban claims responsibility

(Newser) - Nine American troops were killed in a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan today, making this year the deadliest one of the conflict for foreign troops, reports NBC . Some 529 foreign fighters have been killed in the country so far, compared to 521 in 2009, the previous deadliest year. The American...

Medal of Honor Recipient: It's 'Bittersweet'

Afghan war hero says he's 'mediocre,' misses slain comrades

(Newser) - Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta has mixed feelings about the Medal of Honor he’s been awarded —the first such designation for a living soldier since Vietnam. Speaking to reporters by video link from Italy, the 25-year-old called the medal “bittersweet.” He said he feels he can’t...

1 Dead, 5 Hurt in Afghan Protests Against Karzai, US

Police 'warning shots' hit crowd of protesters

(Newser) - Afghan police today fired into a crowd of rock-hurling anti-American demonstrators chanting "Death to America," "Death to Christians," and "Death to Karzai" in Kabul today. One was killed and at least five injured, two from gunshots. The US Koran-burning controversy has stirred days of outrage...

US Lets Corrupt Afghan Officials Off the Hook

Cases will be worked behind closed doors to appease Karzai

(Newser) - The Obama administration intends to dial back its attempts to clean up Hamid Karzai’s government, sources tell the Washington Post . Senior administration officials say they’ve generally agreed that instead of prosecuting allegedly corrupt Afghan officials, they should work out backroom compromises that won’t embarrass Karzai. “The...

Taliban Using Child Soldiers
 Taliban Using Child Soldiers 
Sep 12, 2010 4:32 PM CDT

Taliban Using Child Soldiers

Some are probably coerced; others likely bribed

(Newser) - The Taliban is using child soldiers as young as three years old in Afghanistan, US Marines tell USA Today . “We've seen children actually dropping mortar rounds in the (firing) tubes against us,” says one. “I've never seen a culture that cares so little for human life.”...

Rarity: Living Soldier Will Get Medal of Honor

Obama to honor soldier's bravery in Afghan firefight

(Newser) - A young Army specialist who ran through enemy fire in Afghanistan to rescue wounded soldiers will get the Medal of Honor for his bravery, reports the Washington Post . Salvatore Giunta, now a 25-year-old sergeant, will be the first living recipient since the Vietnam War. The US has awarded six medals...

Karzai to Taliban: Join Peace Talks

Afghan president calls on Taliban leader to stop fighting

(Newser) - Hamid Karzai has officially invited Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar to take part in Afghan peace talks. The Afghan president hopes Omar "gives up fratricide, gives up bombings and blasts, stops causing casualties to Afghanistan's children, women, and men" and instead "joins the peace process," he said...

Our Victory Is 'Imminent': Taliban Leader

Meanwhile, Kandahar operation not slowing attacks

(Newser) - Mullah Omar, the elusive supreme leader of the Afghan Taliban, says the US is losing the war in Afghanistan. “The victory of our Islamic nation over the invading infidels is now imminent,” he said in an address celebrating Eid al-Fitr, which the SITE Intelligence group passed to the...

Many Translators in Afghanistan Can't Speak the Languages

Ex-employee says contractor fudged exam results to boost profits

(Newser) - The contractor that supplies the military with Afghan translators is putting American lives at risk by sending out unqualified translators, a former employee charges. Paul Funk—who used to oversee the screening of Afghan linguists for Mission Essential Personnel—tells ABC News that the company inflated grades and tolerated cheating...

US Soldiers in Afghanistan Took Home 'Finger Trophies'

'Kill team' murdered Afghan civilians for sport, say investigators

(Newser) - A secret "kill team" of US soldiers in Afghanistan murdered civilians for sport and kept their fingers as trophies, according to Army investigators. Prosecutors have charged members of an American infantry brigade with some of the most serious war crimes to surface in the Afghanistan war. Five of the...

Tillman Story: Finally, Truth

 Tillman Story: 
 Finally, Truth 

MOVIE REVIEW
Sep 3, 2010 9:45 AM CDT

Tillman Story: Finally, Truth

Goes beyond death, cover-up to look at Tillman's remarkable life

(Newser) - The Tillman Story is a powerful documentary that takes a scathing look at the military's cover-up of the NFL star-turned-soldier's death by friendly fire in Afghanistan, critics say, but its real power lies in its look at Pat Tillman as the complex and remarkable man he was, instead of as...

Roadside Bomb Brings US Afghan Toll to 21 in 5 Days

Petraeus: US withdrawal will be 'thinning out,' not abrupt departure

(Newser) - Four US troops were killed by a roadside bomb in eastern Afghanistan today, bringing the American death toll to 21 since Friday. The US death toll for August now stands at 53, almost all of whom were killed in southern and eastern Afghanistan, where the Taliban insurgency is strongest, the...

Couric Goes to Afghanistan; Ratings Hit 20-Year Low

CBS average viewership dips below 4.9M

(Newser) - This doesn't say a whole lot about civic affairs: Katie Couric broadcast from Afghanistan last week, and ratings for CBS Evening News tied an all-time low. An average of 4.89 million viewers tuned in on the five days (one of which was anchored by Harry Smith and another by...

Anti-Mosque 'Patriots' Undermine Petraeus
Anti-Mosque 'Patriots' Undermine Petraeus
Frank Rich
Aug 22, 2010 10:09 AM CDT

Anti-Mosque 'Patriots' Undermine Petraeus

Fox News' Islamaphobia is going to backfire on US

(Newser) - The anti-mosque hysteria whipped up by the right—and especially by that "Islamaphobia command center" otherwise known as Rupert Murdoch's News Corp—is slimy, hypocritical politics at its worst, writes Frank Rich. In marshaling his evidence on that front, he points out a forgotten victim: Gen. David Petraeus. "...

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