Afghanistan war

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Photo Flap Shows Military's Digital Generation Gap

Actions aren't new, it's all those cameras: Andrew Exum

(Newser) - The US military is dealing with yet another scandal involving soldiers' treatment of enemy remains . These kinds of incidents are nothing new in the annals of war, writes former Army officer Andrew Exum at Bloomberg View . The difference today is the "ubiquitous presence" of camera phones. Combine that with...

4 Americans Feared Dead in Afghan Chopper Crash

Black Hawk goes down in the south

(Newser) - A US Black Hawk helicopter crashed in southern Afghanistan today, and four Americans aboard are feared dead, reports CNN . The crash occurred during bad weather, though it's too early to rule out enemy fire as a cause, says a defense official. Only the four Americans were on the Army...

Pentagon Condemns 'Repugnant' Afghan Photos

Analysts fear leadership is breaking down at small-unit level

(Newser) - American officials were quick to condemn the grisly photos of US soldiers posing with the body parts of dead Afghan suicide bombers that surfaced yesterday . White House Press Secretary Jay Carney called the soldiers' behavior "reprehensible," while the US Ambassador to Afghanistan called them "morally repugnant,"...

Australia Pulling Afghan Troops a Year Early

Julia Gillard announces accelerated timeframe for withdrawal

(Newser) - Australian PM Julia Gillard today announced that she will pull home her nation's troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2013, reports Australia's ABC News . "This is a war with a purpose, this is a war with an end," Gillard said, citing improved security conditions. "...

Iran Tried to Stir Anti-US Violence After Koran Mess

Its efforts to make trouble in Afghanistan largely failed

(Newser) - As if the situation in Afghanistan isn't messy enough, American officials today revealed that Iran tried to stir the pot. Tehran apparently jumped on the news that US troops had burned Korans at Bagram in late February, ordering agents stationed in the country to try to spur on violent...

New Underwear Protects Troops
 New Underwear Protects Troops 
Apr 2, 2012 1:51 PM CDT

New Underwear Protects Troops

Protective undergarments limit IED damage

(Newser) - US troops are more protected "down there" thanks to new ballistic underwear, USA Today reports. Staff Sgt. Ross Cox was wearing the underwear when he stepped on an IED in Afghanistan: His left foot was blown off and his right leg was shattered, but his injuries could have been...

Why Afghanistan Is a &#39;Fool&#39;s Errand&#39;
 Why Afghanistan 
 Is a 'Fool's Errand' 
Thomas Friedman
Apr 1, 2012 10:28 AM CDT

Why Afghanistan Is a 'Fool's Errand'

We cannot export democracy, just support democratic institutions

(Newser) - It's no surprise that US policies are failing in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Egypt, and around the region—they're completely missing what makes countries succeed, writes Thomas Friedman in the New York Times . The key, according to a new book, Why Nations Fail , is developing "inclusive" economic and political...

Afghan Massacre Survivor: I Saw Up to 20 Soldiers

First Western journalist visits Afghan village where 17 died

(Newser) - Australia's Yalda Hakim has become the first Western journalist to interview survivors of the massacre that killed 17 Afghan civilians, and their account of events is very different from the US military's. Military officials say that Robert Bales acted alone, but some survivors spoke of seeing up to...

US Troops in Afghanistan to Get 'Guardian Angels'

...who will watch over them as they sleep. Literally

(Newser) - As the number of green-on-blue attacks steadily climbs, US troops in Afghanistan will receive a new protector: "guardian angels." These safekeepers are the flesh-and-blood kind, actual troops who will watch over their sleeping comrades. It's one of a number of new security measures ordered by the US...

Army: US Soldier Was Killed Saving Afghan Girl

Dennis Weichel was run over while moving her to safety, say officials

(Newser) - A 29-year-old soldier from Rhode Island was fatally run over in Afghanistan as he saved a young Afghan girl, say the US Army and state National Guard. As CNN recounts the story, Dennis Weichel's convoy had to stop because kids were in the road. Weichel left his vehicle to...

Afghan Soldiers Busted in Kabul Terror Plot: NYT

10 suicide vests seized at defense ministry building, officials say

(Newser) - The Afghan government has prevented what could have been the most devastating attack yet from its own forces, according to the New York Times . The Defense Ministry in Kabul went into total lockdown yesterday after more than a dozen soldiers were arrested for planning an attack on the building, and...

US Support for Afghan War Plummets
 US Support for 
 Afghan War Plummets 
all-time low
Mar 27, 2012 4:00 AM CDT

US Support for Afghan War Plummets

69% say US shouldn't be there

(Newser) - American support for the war in Afghanistan has reached an all-time low, according to the latest New York Times / CBS poll. Some 69% of those polled believe the US shouldn't be fighting in Afghanistan, up from 53% just four months ago. Support has plunged among both Democrats and...

Risky Malaria Drug: a Factor in Afghan Massacre?

US military orders emergency review of mefloquine use

(Newser) - In the wake of the shootings of 17 civilians in Afghanistan, the US military is scrambling to limit the use of an anti-malaria drug that can have serious side effects—including psychotic behavior. Mefloquine, also called Lariam, has already been implicated in a number of suicides and homicides. In 2009,...

Afghan Soldier Kills 2 NATO Troops

It's the latest 'green on blue' attack

(Newser) - Two more NATO service members were shot and killed today in the latest "green on blue" attack to hit Afghanistan. The British troops were killed in front of the main gate of a NATO base in southern Afghanistan by a shooter who has reportedly served in the Afghan army...

Robert Bales' Wife: I Don't Think He Killed Them

Karilyn Bales tells Matt Lauer, 'This is not what it appears to be'

(Newser) - When Karilyn Bales first heard that the US soldier accused of killing 17 Afghan civilians was a 38-year-old staff sergeant, it occurred to her that "I don't think there are very many of those," she told Matt Lauer on Today this morning, and she "prayed and...

Afghan Massacre's 17th Victim: Fetus

US had bumped toll from 16 dead

(Newser) - The US military raised the death toll in the March 11 massacre of Afghan villagers from 16 to 17 last week; now Afghan police explain why. The 17th victim was an unborn baby, an officer tells the New York Times : "The Americans are right and one of the females...

US Pays $50K Per Death in Afghan Rampage

US also pays $11K per wounded person, but US officials have no comment

(Newser) - The United States has paid almost $50,000 in compensation for each Afghan killed in the shooting spree attributed to a US soldier in southern Afghanistan, an Afghan official and a community elder said today. The families of the dead received the money yesterday at the governor's office, said...

US Soldier to Be Charged With 17 Counts of Murder

Robert Bales accused in Afghanistan massacre

(Newser) - Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will be charged with 17 counts of murder, assault, and a string of other offenses in the massacre of Afghan villagers as they slept, a US official said. The charges signed against Bales include six counts of attempted murder and six counts of aggravated assault...

Afghan Massacre Death Toll Now 17

No details given on why it was raised

(Newser) - The death toll in the March 11 massacre of Afghan villagers is now 17, US defense officials say. They today confirmed that investigators have increased the number of dead from the widely reported 16, but they were unable to immediately explain the change. There was initial confusion about the number...

NC Rep's Name for China: 'Uncle Chang'

Walter Jones not exactly PC in House hearing

(Newser) - Rep. Walter Jones is really not happy that China is helping the US pay for military operations in Afghanistan, and he apparently let his emotions get the better of him yesterday at a House Armed Services Committee hearing with the top US commander in Afghanistan. Jones asked Gen. John Allen...

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