Afghanistan war

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'Jesus Rifles' Draw Fire
 'Jesus Rifles' Draw Fire 
Jan 18, 2010 6:20 PM CST

'Jesus Rifles' Draw Fire

US military firearms with coded messages raise issue of 'crusade'

(Newser) - A rifle scope commonly used by the US military is inscribed with references to the Bible. The scopes, made by Trijicon of Michigan, bear codes that refer to verses glorifying God and Jesus—even though the military, leery of being accused of waging a Crusade, bans proselytizing in Iraq and...

Obama's First Year in Numbers

 Obama's 
 First Year 
 in Numbers 
DOW'S UP, AT LEAST
Jan 18, 2010 12:10 PM CST

Obama's First Year in Numbers

The Dow is up more than 2,600 points, at least

(Newser) - President Obama is about to celebrate—maybe that's not the right term—one year in office, and the AP takes a look at some numbers that have defined his inaugural turn around the sun.
  • The Dow: Perhaps the only clear victory. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen from 7,
...

Army Charges Single Mom for Going AWOL

She faces prison time for refusing to deploy to Afghanistan

(Newser) - The Army has filed court-martial charges against Alexis Hutchinson, an Army cook who refused to deploy to Afghanistan because she couldn't find anyone to look after her 1-year-old son. Hutchinson, 21, is charged with "missing movement" and absence without leave, among other things, reports the Savannah Morning News . Missing...

70% of Afghan Civilian Deaths Caused by Taliban

Death caused by allied forces down 28%

(Newser) - The number of Afghan civilians who died in war-related violence last year soared to the highest annual level since the conflict began in 2001, with nearly 70% blamed on insurgents, according the the UN, and 25% to allied forces. The UN mission in Afghanistan said 2,412 civilians were killed...

US Kills 16 in Rare Afghanistan Drone Attacks

UAVs typically stick to neighboring Pakistan

(Newser) - Unmanned US drones killed 16 insurgents in a pair of airstrikes within Afghanistan yesterday, the military announced today, in an unusual case of the drones being used inside Afghan borders. The drones are typically used only for assaults over the border in Pakistan—and by the CIA, not the US...

To Honor Troops, Stop Playing the National Anthem

Instead, read names of fallen service members

(Newser) - If you don't know anyone in the military, it can be shockingly easy to forget that the US has been at war for almost an entire decade. A good remedy would be making the cost, particularly in human terms, more visible, writes John Baldoni. He suggests that the national anthem...

3 US Troops Killed in Afghan Fighting

At least 10 have died this month

(Newser) - Three US servicemembers were killed in battle in southern Afghanistan today, the latest casualties of the escalated fighting in the region that's accompanied President Obama's troop surge. NATO said the men died in an engagement with the enemy, but gave no further details. Earlier today, authorities said another servicemember and...

Afghan Blast Kills UK Journo, US Marine

Mirror correspondent Rupert Hamer slain, photographer wounded

(Newser) - A roadside bomb blast in southern Afghanistan yesterday killed the Sunday Mirror's defense correspondent and an American Marine. Rupert Hamer, 39, was the first UK journalist killed while covering the war in Afghanistan. "He was a gregarious figure ,a wonderful friend who was hugely popular with his colleagues,"...

Double Agent Far Scarier Than Underwear Bomber
Double Agent Far Scarier Than Underwear Bomber
Joe Klein
Jan 8, 2010 11:11 AM CST

Double Agent Far Scarier Than Underwear Bomber

Detroit incident gets the headlines, but Afghan attack is worse for US

(Newser) - Public reaction to the two recent terrorist attacks has Joe Klein puzzled. The underwear bomber failed but is getting all the attention. The successful suicide attack against CIA agents in Afghanistan has far more profound implications, but it's slipping off the radar. "Make no mistake: it has to be...

CIA Thought Double Agent Was Key to al-Qaeda

Balawi was agency's best hope in years

(Newser) - The CIA was more optimistic than they had been in years about finding al-Qaeda's leaders—until their Jordanian double agent turned out to be a triple agent, officials say. Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi—who killed seven CIA operatives and one Jordanian when he blew up himself up last week—established...

General: Brace for Thousands of GI Casualties

McCaffrey predicts Afghan spring offensive will take heavy toll

(Newser) - America should prepare for thousands of casualties when the beefed-up US force in Afghanistan begins its spring offensive against the Taliban, warns a retired general and military expert. Gen. Barry McCaffrey, an analyst who has visited the war zone several times, predicts US casualties will rise to as many as...

David Petraeus: GOP's 2012 Dark Horse
 David 
 Petraeus: 
 GOP's 2012 
 Dark Horse 
BUZZING AROUND DC
Jan 5, 2010 9:39 PM CST

David Petraeus: GOP's 2012 Dark Horse

General considered rising star by key righty pundits

(Newser) - Looking for a “true dark horse” to win the Republican presidential nomination in 2012? Put your money on Gen. David Petraeus, the architect of the Iraq and Afghanistan war strategies, who’s soon to receive a big award from the conservative American Enterprise Institute, Paul Bedard writes for US ...

Obama Returns to DC, Packing Epic To-Do List

Terrorism trumped health care over vacation, and there's more

(Newser) - President Obama is back at the White House after an 11-day vacation in Hawaii, and he has his work cut out for him. USA Today runs down the most pressing issues awaiting the president in 2010.
  • Terrorism: The attempted bombing of Flight 253 returned security to the top of the
...

Roadside Bomb Kills 4 Americans

IED use on the rise in Afghanistan

(Newser) - A roadside bombing killed four US service members, the first American combat deaths of the year in Afghanistan, while a British soldier died during a foot patrol elsewhere in the volatile south of the country, officials said today. The blast that killed the Americans took place yesterday somewhere in the...

Journalist, 4 Canadian Troops Killed in Afghan Blast

Roadside bomb claims life of award-winning reporter Michelle Lang

(Newser) - An award-winning Calgary Herald journalist was among five Canadians killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan yesterday. Michelle Lang, 34, was embedded with troops on a security patrol when their vehicle was hit in the Kandahar area. She had arrived in the country 2 weeks earlier on an assignment to...

Afghanistan '09 Twice as Deadly as Iraq for US

Military expects further rise in casualties

(Newser) - This has been the first year since the Iraq war began that more Americans troops were killed in Afghanistan than Iraq, and next year is expected to be even worse. Some 319 American troops have died in Afghanistan this year, compared with 148 for Iraq, USA Today reports.

Afghan Suicide Bomb Killed CIA Employees

Sources ID victims as agents, contractors

(Newser) - The complex in eastern Afghanistan where a suicide bomber struck today was a CIA facility, and the eight people killed were agents and contractors, a source tells ABC . Government officials refused to give specifics about the victims because relatives were still being notified. The attack, in Khost province near the...

Army Historians Fault Early Afghan War Strategy

Forces were undermanned, and planning was shoddy

(Newser) - The US missed out on chances to stabilize Afghanistan early in the war because it devoted too few troops and too little planning to the conflict, write Army historians in an official chronicle of the conflict. "It should have become clear” in late 2003 “that the coalition presence...

Afghan Suicide Blast Kills 8 Americans
Afghan Suicide Blast Kills 8 Americans
updated
Dec 30, 2009 4:02 PM CST

Afghan Suicide Blast Kills 8 Americans

Victims at base may have been military contractors

(Newser) - A suicide bomber detonated his explosive vest at a military base in eastern Afghanistan today, killing eight Americans. The explosion occurred at Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost province near the Pakistan border. In Kabul, a spokesman for the international coalition force in Kabul said no US or NATO troops...

Elite US Forces Take Bigger Role in Afghanistan

Navy Seals, Army's Delta Force make gains against top militants

(Newser) - Elite US military units are taking on a larger role in the hunt for the most dangerous Taliban militants in Afghanistan. Navy Seals and the Army's Delta Force have had enough success over the past few months that their operations will be expanded next year, reports the New York Times...

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