Afghanistan
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Several journalists can no longer go into the military commissions happened at Guantanamo Bay. The Pentagon says four of them published the name of a witness after being told not to. The U.S. military wanted the witness identified only as \"Interrogator No. 1\" and said reporting his name was off-limits. Reporters for the Miami Herald, the Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, and Canwest News Service reported the name during hearings for a 23-year-old Canadian prisoner who is charged with killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.
May 10, 2010 -
Assistance is coming for family members who have to leave their jobs to become caregivers for severely wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, courtesy of a bill signed Wednesday by President Barack Obama. The bill, estimated to cost $3.7 billion over five years, also expands veterans care for women, the homeless, and those who live in rural areas.
May 06, 2010 -
Abdul Tawala Ibn Ali Alishtari pleaded guilty in September to charges of terrorism financing and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Judge Alvin Hellerstein sentenced him to 121 months, plus three years of supervised release. He faced up to 20 years behind bars. The Associated Press reports Alishtari was operating a phony loan investment program when he met the undercover agent. Prosecutors said he accepted an unspecified amount of money from the agent to transfer $152,500 he believed was being sent to Pakistan and Afghanistan to support a terrorist training camp. Alishtari, also known as Michael Mixon, thought the money would be used to buy night vision goggles, medical supplies and other equipment and advised the agent he had to be \"three steps away\" from the money so it could not be traced back to him. Defense attorneys had initially argued that Alishtari was more interested in potential profits from his loan business than in terrorism activity.
April 21, 2010 -
The top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan said Friday that the coalition depends too much on private-sector contractors, and insisted his forces are keeping close watch on the flow of Taliban fighters who are training in Iran. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, during a four-day visit to France, said the coalition in Afghanistan has become too dependent on private contractors in the effort to stabilize the country.
April 19, 2010 -
President Barack Obama has a full plate of important issues this week. The big one is seen as his announcement at West Point tomorrow of a new policy on Afghanistan, expected to include more troops.
November 30, 2009 -
France will not send any more troops to Afghanistan and wants instead to see an enlarged Afghan army, President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a newspaper interview released on Thursday. The United States is considering sending up to 40,000 additional troops to Afghanistan and has urged its NATO allies to do something similar. Britain announced this week that it was ready to send 500 more troops but Sarkozy told Le Figaro daily that he was sticking to a long-standing pledge not to send more forces. He said it is necessary to stay in Afghanistan? And to stay to win. \"But France will not send one more soldier.\"
October 16, 2009 -
The first round of the military’s new mine-resistant ambush-protected all-terrain vehicles have hit the ground in Afghanistan. This comes just three months after the delivery order was awarded to the OshKosh Corporation. Dave Hansen is…
October 01, 2009 -
The message that more troops needed in Afghanistan was the major theme to come out of Admiral Michael Mullen’s reconfirmation hearing in the Senate Armed Services Committee last week. But it wasn’t the only story.…
September 21, 2009 -
Contractors continue to outnumber military personnel in Afghanistan. 57-percent of the Pentagon’s force in that country is now made up of contractors. But what does the future hold? David Berteau is director of the Defense-Industrial…
September 09, 2009 -
General Stanley McChrystal’s report on Afghanistan is in the hands of military leaders, and President Obama is expected to receive it tomorrow and review it over the Labor Day weekend. The report is expected to…
September 01, 2009 -
When a soldier goes to war, who will care for his or her four-legged friend? A non-profit group in Indiana - Guardian Angels for Soldier\'s Pet -- will find foster homes for the pets of servicemembers deployed, training, or experiencing hardship. Its founder learned of pets being left at shelters and rescue groups during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The pet stays in foster care until the safe return of the servicemember.
August 24, 2009 -
There are some rather staggering numbers coming out of the war in Iraq. Four thousand soldiers killed in action, more than 34,000 wounded – and only six considered worthy of the nation’s highest military award,…
August 19, 2009 -
Federal agencies have sent hundreds of civilians to Afghanistan ahead Thursday’s presidential election. The goal is to help that country choose its next leader in a peaceful way and to help Afghans rebuild their war-torn…
August 18, 2009 -
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, used graduation ceremonies at the National Defense University for a lesson on leadership. Speaking to graduating senior military officials, Mullen says commanders, senior enlisted service members, and junior officers all need different kinds of leadership. Mullen adds that commanders must realize the toll that wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have had on troops and their families. I\'m Max Cacas.
June 12, 2009 -
Soldiers at Forward Operating Base Shank in Afghanistan recently became the first to experience a new portable recreation center contained in a metal box. It holds a big screen TV, telephones for calls back home, two computers for e-mail access, and three video game consoles. Eventually, ten of the units will be sent to Afghanistan, and ten more to Iraq. Soldiers who have used them call them a \"little piece of home.\" I\'m Max Cacas
June 04, 2009