US Central Command

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Biden Promises Response After Drone Strike Kills 3 US Troops

President blames Iran-backed militias for attack that wounded 34 Americans based in Jordan

(Newser) - A drone attack killed three US soldiers stationed in Jordan, near the Syrian border, and at least 34 were injured, US Central Command reported Sunday. President Biden said the attack was carried out Saturday night by Iran-backed militia groups. He called the three Army troops "patriots in the highest...

Navy SEALs Were Lost Boarding This Boat
Navy SEALS Who
Went Missing Are Dead
UPDATED
Jan 22, 2024 12:30 AM CST

Navy SEALS Who Went Missing Are Dead

US Central Command makes announcement after 10 days of searching

(Newser) - The two Navy SEALS who went missing off the coast of Somalia while attempting to board a boat during a nighttime raid have been declared dead. "We regret to announce that after a 10-day exhaustive search, our two missing US Navy SEALs have not been located and their status...

US Navy Sailors Go Missing Off Coast of Somalia

Search and rescue operation is underway

(Newser) - A search and rescue operation is underway off the coast of Somalia after two sailors from the US Navy went missing on Thursday night, reports Reuters . "For operational security purposes, we will not release additional information until the personnel recovery operation is complete," read a statement from US...

Pentagon: Navy Sank 3 Houthi Boats, Killing Their Crews

Militants had attacked container vessel in Red Sea, Central Command says

(Newser) - Navy helicopters attacked four small boats in the Red Sea carrying Houthi militants on Sunday after coming under fire, US military officials said, sinking three of them. The boats' crews were killed, US Central Command reported, after militants attacked and tried to board a Denmark-owned Maersk Hangzhou container vessel. Navy...

New Video Shows US Drone Strike That Killed 7 Kids

'We deeply regret the loss of life,' says US Central Command rep

(Newser) - The Pentagon has released video footage of last year's botched drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, which killed 10 civilians, seven of them children. In two silent videos obtained by the New York Times through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, two drones observe a car backing into a walled...

US Announces Major Drawdown in Iraq

Just 3K troops will remain at the end of this month

(Newser) - The Trump administration is pulling nearly half of its troops out of Iraq. The US commander in the Middle East said Wednesday that troops would be reduced this month from 5,200 to 3,000—about the number that were in the country in 2015, during the early phase of...

Iran: US Fighter Jets Came Within 100 Meters of Plane

US official says single fighter jet came no closer than 1K meters

(Newser) - Several passengers aboard an Iranian jet flying from Tehran to Beirut were injured Thursday when the plane was "harassed" by US fighter jets over Syria, according to Iranian and Syrian media. Syrian state media reported that two jets, part of the US-led coalition against the Islamic State, "intercepted"...

US Bombings in Afghanistan Hit Record High

7,423 munitions dropped in 2019, compared to 947 in 2015

(Newser) - The US dropped more bombs on Afghanistan in 2019 than in any other year since the Pentagon began keeping track in 2006. A total of 7,423 munitions were dropped, up from 7,362 in 2018 and 4,361 in 2017, Military.com reports based on data from the US...

Target of Yemen Raid Escaped, Is Now Taunting Trump

Qassim al-Rimi calls him a 'fool' in recording

(Newser) - Military officials who've been trying to justify a Jan. 29 raid that killed a Navy SEAL in Yemen now say the goal was to capture al-Qaeda leader Qassim al-Rimi, who they believe escaped unscathed. They believe this because al-Rimi—considered the third most dangerous terrorist in the world, per...

Military Uses Decade-Old Video to Justify Yemen Raid

It falsely claimed the video was recovered last Sunday

(Newser) - US Central Command said video posted to the Pentagon website this week was recovered during last Sunday's raid in Yemen and shows the kind of important al-Qaeda intelligence recovered during President Trump's first counter-terrorism operation, the Hill reports. There's only one problem: The video was actually recovered...

US Airstrike Kills ISIS Chemical Weapons Expert

Mission near Mosul took out Abu Malik, who worked under Saddam

(Newser) - The Pentagon is claiming a big kill within ISIS: An airstrike last weekend near the Iraqi town of Mosul took out a top chemical weapons expert with the Islamic State, reports NBC News . US Central Command says the airstrike killed Abu Malik, a chemical weapons engineer under Saddam Hussein who...

CentCom's Twitter Hacked by Purported ISIS Backers

Hackers warn US soldiers to watch their backs

(Newser) - The US Central Command's Twitter page was ominously hacked today by a group claiming to be allied with ISIS—a particularly bold move, notes Politico , because President Obama was delivering a speech on cybersecurity at the FTC. US officials are confirming the hack and @CentCom is currently suspended; the...

US Hit 90 Targets in Mosul Dam Fight: Pentagon

President calls recapture of dam a 'major step forward'

(Newser) - President Obama hailed the recapture of Mosul dam today as a "major step forward" as a barrage of US airstrikes helped Kurdish and Iraqi forces score the biggest victory of its counteroffensive against the Islamic State militants. Obama also urged the badly fractured and largely dysfunctional Iraqi government to...

Armed Pair Busted at Florida Air Force Base

Weapons, uniforms found in couple's SUV

(Newser) - A heavily armed man and woman were taken into custody last night after trying to gain unauthorized access to the Florida base that houses US Central Command. The pair were stopped at a gate at MacDill Air Force Base after they failed to show the proper ID, CNN reports. A...

Petraeus for President: UK Journo

Disaffected voters look to military for credibility, inspiration: Toby Harnden

(Newser) - The American political parties are in shambles, and in the credibility gap that plagues voters and candidates alike, a dark horse is emerging: David Petraeus. The head of Central Command evokes Dwight Eisenhower, because not since Ike's heyday "have the chances of a military man winning the White House...

No American Troops to Yemen: Petraeus, Obama

Security funding to Yemen will more than double, general says

(Newser) - The US has "no intention" of dispatching troops to Yemen or Somalia but will more than double the funding it allots for security aid in Yemen, according to the president and rthe head of Central Command. It's "quite clear that Yemen does not want to have American ground...

Petraeus Sorry for Razzing Air Force

Central Command head apologizes after 'outrageous' joke

(Newser) - The head of US Central Command has apologized to the Air Force after making a joke at the service's expense, the Air Force Times reports. A rep for the Air Force chief of staff said the apology was accepted. David Petraeus, an Army general who commands US operations in Iraq...

Petraeus Gets New Title, Plans Pakistan Visit

Chief of US Central Command headed to region he oversees

(Newser) - Gen. David Petraeus’ first official trip as head of the US military’s Central Command will be to Pakistan, the Tampa Tribune reports. Petraeus was sworn in today at MacDill Air Force base, in Tampa, taking over from Lt. Gen. Martin Dempsey. Petraeus’ new responsibilities at Centralcom include planning in...

Pentagon May Prevent Petraeus From Testifying

General's views may not gel with brass' assessment

(Newser) - When David Petraeus next comes to Washington, he won’t be speaking on Capitol Hill, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Pentagon officials have denied requests for more hearings with the Iraq commander because they’re not sure they’ll agree with his recommendations. Petraeus has been criticized for being too...

Petraeus to Head Centcom
 Petraeus to Head Centcom 
Apr 23, 2008 10:49 AM CDT

Petraeus to Head Centcom

Predecessor had been at odds with Bush; Odierno will take over in Iraq

(Newser) - Gen. David Petraeus was tapped today to be the next commander of US Central Command, in charge of military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan. If confirmed, Petraeus would replace Adm. William Fallon, who stepped down over disagreements with President Bush over Iran policy, the AP reports. "I don't know...

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