US troops

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Marines Try to Wean Iraq From US Pocketbook

Saddam-era budget network can't provide to expanded security forces

(Newser) - As Iraq becomes safer, the Marines have focused on the next challenge: weaning the country’s security forces off US financial and logistical support, USA Today reports. To spur the independence of the nascent Iraqi police, the Marines now refuse to refuel their vehicles, and it's gotten the Iraqis' attention....

Afghanistan Commander Calls for More Troops, Now

US General appeals for political support, manpower

(Newser) - The top US commander in Afghanistan today asked for more troops, as well as additional political and economic aid, "as quickly as possible" to combat a growing influx of foreign insurgents in the country, the AP reports. The fight against Islamic militants is going to get harder before it...

Pakistani Troops Fire on US Helicopters

US forced back across border to Afghanistan

(Newser) - Pakistani troops fired on two US helicopters crossing the border apparently to attack militants last night and drove them back into Afghanistan, Reuters reports. The aircraft crossed the border in the restive North Waziristan tribal region, according to Pakistani sources. US officials refused to confirm the report. Pakistani officials have...

Afghanistan's Insurgency Endures

Attacks highlight security decline

(Newser) - The insurgency in Afghanistan is mushrooming, and targeting the refurbished highway that provides a weak connection between the country's ethnic halves, the New York Times reports. A series of deadly attacks in June has exposed the tribulations of the United States' 6-year-old effort to defeat the Taliban.

Deal Would Set Oct. 2010 for US Pullout: Iraqi Official

Legal immunity for troops remains stumbling block in talks

(Newser) - Significant progress has been made on the security agreement being negotiated between Iraq and the US, the AP reports, with two Iraqi officials saying that the deal sets October 2010 as the deadline for a near-complete withdrawal. Legal immunity for troops remains an issue, and contributed to a “very...

French Troops Head to Afghanistan

Will train local forces to fend off Taliban

(Newser) - Hundreds of French troops have been deployed to train local infantry battalions in southern Afghanistan to help them fend off Taliban fighters, according to NATO officials. The deployment was one of the largest ground military convoys in the area in years, and came in response to NATO commanders' repeated requests...

Retirement Plan Hurting US Military: Study

'Inequitable, inefficient' system handcuffs brass, needs overhaul

(Newser) - The retirement plan for the US military is "inequitable, inflexible, [and] inefficient," says a study released today by the Pentagon. It recommends the current system be swapped for a combination of cash and deferred compensation that kicks in with as few as 10 years of service, the Military...

Saddam's Palace Is Tourist Hotspot for US Troops

Ruins are all the sightseeing most get to do

(Newser) - It’s impractical—not to mention dangerous—for US troops to do much sightseeing in Baghdad, but Saddam Hussein’s ruined presidential complex is one exception. As one of the few places off-duty service members can go, the palace has become a magnet for military tourists, the Wall Street Journal...

McCain Ad Slams Obama for Skipping Troop Meeting

But 'he had time to go to the gym,' snipes spot

(Newser) - A new John McCain ad goes on the offensive, attacking Barack Obama for canceling a meeting with wounded troops, Politico reports. The clip, which aired in Denver during Saturday Night Live last night, criticizes Obama over his track record with members of the military, sniping: “He made time to...

Iraq Sands Shifting Under McCain Position
Iraq Sands Shifting Under McCain Position
ANALYSIS
Jul 21, 2008 1:40 PM CDT

Iraq Sands Shifting Under McCain Position

Move by Bush, Maliki toward timetable is 'devastating blow'

(Newser) - Republican presidential candidate John McCain is stuck in an awkward position after both President Bush and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki moved closer to a withdrawal timetable favored by Barack Obama, Politico notes. McCain has opposed such a measure, but in 2004 asserted that if a sovereign Iraqi government asked...

Army Waivers Linked to Suspect Soldiers

Criminals allowed to fight in US wars likely to continue troubles

(Newser) - Dozens of US criminals who were granted Army waivers to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan have been linked to in-service problems, the Sacramento Bee reports. In a year-long study, the paper connected "suspect soldiers"—accused of beating prisoners, stealing weapons, and more—to troubles back home. Of 18...

Emboldened Iraq Stands Up to Washington
Emboldened
Iraq Stands Up to Washington
ANALYSIS
Jul 10, 2008 7:41 AM CDT

Emboldened Iraq Stands Up to Washington

Maliki's demand for US withdrawal the latest sign of new confidence

(Newser) - Nouri al-Maliki and the Iraqi government are now openly demanding a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces, reports the New York Times. While nobody expects Baghdad to boot American troops, several military victories and greater political stability have emboldened Maliki, and the increasingly loud demands reflect a new confidence...

New US Tax Law Looks Heartless to Foreign Workers

Would-be tax evaders will pay, but so will wealthy green-card holders

(Newser) - A new tax law set up to help troops and veterans, offset by taxing wealthy Americans who give up citizenship to beat the IRS, hits some others in the wallet, Portfolio reports. Long-term, legal foreign workers who return home will see unrealized capital gains taxed—potentially damaging the perception of...

Afghan War Hamstrung by Troop Shortage

But Joint Chiefs chair says that Iraq's needs limit US options

(Newser) - The US needs more troops in Afghanistan but lacks the available forces because of the Iraq war, the nation’s top military officer said yesterday. In his most pointed remarks to date, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen said that countering the country's resurgent Taliban and booming...

US Deaths in Afghanistan Hit Record

More troops die there than in Iraq for second straight month

(Newser) - More troops from the United States and coalition countries died in Afghanistan last month than at any other time since the 2001 invasion. For the second month in a row, deaths among American-led forces were higher in Afghanistan, where 46 servicemen died, than in Iraq, where 31 were killed. The...

Soldier Suicides Set Record
 Soldier Suicides Set Record 
May 30, 2008 3:51 AM CDT

Soldier Suicides Set Record

115 Army suicides last year

(Newser) - The Army recorded it highest ever number of suicides last year, with 115 soldiers killing themselves, Reuters reports. The rate is staying high this year, with 38 soldier suicides so far. The military said the statistics showed no direct link between the increase in suicides and repeated deployments to combat...

Pentagon Quits Cremating Troops Alongside Pets

Military remains had been sent to facility handling animals

(Newser) - The Pentagon will stop sending fallen troops to a crematorium that also handles pets, McClatchy reports. A Delaware Air Force base had been sending the bodies of troops killed in battle to a crematorium that had two separate facilities, one for humans, another for pets. The move was prompted by...

Dems Assail McCain on War
Dems Assail McCain on War
Apr 27, 2008 4:33 PM CDT

Dems Assail McCain on War

Obama would defy Petraeus to withdraw; DNC ads knock Mac's '100 years' in Iraq

(Newser) - Barack Obama and John McCain clashed over Iraq today, as the DNC readies an ad campaign criticizing McCain's now-infamous remark about keeping troops in Iraq for 100 years. In a Fox News interview, Obama pledged to withdraw troops from Iraq even if Gen. David Petraeus advised against it. But the...

Military Families Fight for Right to Sue

High court ruling forbids suits against military hospitals

(Newser) - Many grieving families are outraged that they cannot sue over medical malpractice in military hospitals, the Los Angeles Times reports. Some have seen sons and husbands—all active duty service members—die in hospitals where resources are stretched thin. But a 1950 Supreme Court ruling created the Feres doctrine, which...

Petraeus Sees No New Troop Buildup in Iraq

General wraps up two days of testimony before Congress

(Newser) - Gen. David H. Petraeus told the House Armed Forces Committee today that he does not foresee another buildup of US armed forces in Iraq, calling the possibility of a new surge "a pretty remote thought in my mind." If violences escalates again, the Army will make do with...

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