US military

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US Troop Deaths at New Low
 US Troop Deaths at New Low 
Dec 31, 2008 2:09 AM CST

US Troop Deaths at New Low

Fewest troops killed since Iraq war began

(Newser) - The US military lost 467 service members in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2008, the lowest annual death toll since the Iraq war began in 2003, reports USA Today. But the coming year could be more challenging. Up to 30,000 extra troops are being sent to Afghanistan and upcoming elections...

Who's Still at Guantanamo?
 Who's Still at Guantanamo? 
Dec 30, 2008 1:21 PM CST

Who's Still at Guantanamo?

A significant portion of the final 110 have combat, recruiting experience

(Newser) - Before he can close Guantanamo, Barack Obama must decide what to do with the 250 detainees still there. About 80 are scheduled to be tried and will serve their sentences in their home countries, USA Today reports. The Pentagon has approved the release of 60 more, but has not found...

Pakistani Offensive Shuts US Supply Line to Afghanistan

Crackdown targets Khyber Pass militants

(Newser) - Pakistan closed the main route used to ferry supplies to US and allied troops in Afghanistan today after launching a fresh offensive against militants in the area. The road through the Khyber Pass in the northwest of Pakistan has faced increasing attacks by militants seeking to squeeze Western forces fighting...

War on Terror Nears $1 Trillion
 War on Terror Nears $1 Trillion 
analysis
Dec 27, 2008 9:02 AM CST

War on Terror Nears $1 Trillion

And that doesn't count long-term costs

(Newser) - Washington's war on terror is about to cost $1 trillion, and even that is just the beginning, Mark Thompson writes in Time. Three recent government reports racked up the bills, showing that long-term costs like veterans health care and interest on loans are yet to come in. The trillion-dollar figure...

Afghans Uneasy With US Plan to Fund Militias

Strategy imported from Iraq prompts local fears of civil war

(Newser) - As the US military and Afghan government prepare to arm local militias against the resurgent Taliban, many Afghans are uneasy, fearing that militias formed along ethnic lines could spiral out of control and turn on citizens, reports the New York Times. The plan, which steals a page from the Awakening...

US Drone Strike Kills 7 in Pakistan
US Drone Strike Kills
7 in Pakistan
Dec 22, 2008 6:48 AM CST

US Drone Strike Kills 7 in Pakistan

Attack mounts pressure for government to act

(Newser) - An unmanned US drone is suspected of firing two missiles in Pakistan that killed seven people, the BBC reports. Taliban were seen pulling bodies from a fort-like house afterward as tribesmen fired at the aircraft. Since August, American-operated drones have launched more than 20 missiles in the tribal areas near...

US May Double Forces in Afghanistan to 60K

(Newser) - The US could double the number of its troops in Afghanistan to about 60,000 by next summer, the highest such estimate to date, Reuters reports. American troops currently number 31,000, but joint chiefs chairman Mike Mullen said today that an additional 20,000 to 30,000 will be...

DC Ups Defenses for Inauguration

No specific threat, says general in detailing January plans

(Newser) - The Pentagon plans a dramatic expansion of the military presence in Washington to coincide with Barack Obama’s Jan. 20 inauguration, the Los Angeles Times reports. About 4,000 National Guardsmen and 7,500 active-duty troops will augment local police and security forces, while air patrols will be increased. No...

Pentagon Closer to Air Laser Wars

(Newser) - Barack Obama's transition team is studying the Pentagon's first test of a plane firing a laser weapon, and may nix the $4.3 billion project—but the US military is still nearing its dream of laser warfare, New Scientist Tech reports. The Airborne Laser, once touted as defensive, could easily...

Bush Makes Surprise Farewell Stop in Baghdad

Will meet leaders, thank troops in mission's 'endgame'

(Newser) - President Bush has arrived in Baghdad on a surprise farewell trip, the BBC reports. A day after Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the US mission in Iraq is in its “endgame,” Bush met with President Jalal Talabani; he’ll meet with other "leaders, thank the troops, and...

Gates: Don't 'Test' Obama
 Gates: Don't 'Test' Obama 
Dec 13, 2008 12:26 PM CST

Gates: Don't 'Test' Obama

(Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates assured the world today that there would be continuity between the administrations of George Bush and Barack Obama, and that anyone who thought otherwise “would be sorely mistaken,” the BBC reports. Gates, who will be staying on in the Obama Cabinet, told an audience...

Fighter Jet Crashes in San Diego Neighborhood

Two crew members ejected; no reports of injuries on ground

(Newser) - A fighter jet returning from a training mission caught fire and crashed into a residential neighborhood in San Diego today, the Union-Tribune reports. Both crew members ejected safely before the F/A-18 barreled into a home on the ground. At least one house is on fire, but no injuries on the...

Pearl Harbor Events Short on Survivors

Few remain to mark 67th anniversary of attack

(Newser) - Death and illness have trimmed the ranks of Pearl Harbor survivors appearing at ceremonies today, the Boston Globe reports. Only one survivor was expected at a ceremony in Boston, and organizers nationwide said many groups have seen their last commemoration. Of the 60,000 military members stationed at Pearl Harbor...

US Focus in Afghanistan Shifts to Kabul

Some 3,500 troops will guard capital region

(Newser) - January’s US troop deployments in Afghanistan will focus on areas near Kabul, reflecting rising security concerns about the capital, the New York Times reports. The move marks the first time large numbers of troops will be deployed to regions south of the city. The 3,500 to 4,000...

Council Gives Iraq Security Deal Final Approval

Two bombings claim lives of Iraqi civilians, US troops

(Newser) - Iraq's presidential council today approved the security pact that lays out a 3-year timeframe for US troops to leave— the final step for the agreement to replace a UN mandate that expires Dec. 31, the AP reports. As the final legal hurdle to the deal was cleared, American soldiers and...

US Combat Deaths Hit 5-Year Low
US Combat Deaths Hit 5-Year Low
Dec 4, 2008 6:16 AM CST

US Combat Deaths Hit 5-Year Low

Military hails Iraq improvement; warns of trouble in Afghanistan

(Newser) - American combat deaths in Afghanistan and Iraq fell to their lowest level last month since the US began fighting two wars, USA Today reports. Combat claimed 11 lives, and 7 others perished in non-combat incidents. Commanders credited major security improvements in Iraq for statistics there, but warned that the situation...

Halliburton, KBR Sued for Sickening Iraq Troops

Suit charges contractors supplied spoiled food, contaminated water

(Newser) - A lawsuit filed against Halliburton and KBR accuses the military contractors of exposing troops and civilian workers on a US base in Iraq to spoiled food, contaminated water, and toxic fumes from a burn pit, the Military Times reports. The lead plaintiff in the suit said he still has nightmares...

Foreign Workers Held in Iraq
Foreign
Workers
Held in Iraq
Dec 3, 2008 7:34 PM CST

Foreign Workers Held in Iraq

Contractor kept 1,000 Asian laborers 3 months in warehouses

(Newser) - About 1,000 foreign workers brought to Iraq with the promise of lucrative jobs have been living for 3 months in Baghdad warehouses under poor sanitary conditions and in possible violation of US military rules, McClatchy reports. A Kuwaiti company that subcontracts with KBR, formerly Haliburton, brought the men from...

Army Deserter Seeks Asylum in Germany

AWOL soldier says Iraqi war violates international law

(Newser) - Specialist André Shepherd has become the first US military deserter to apply for political asylum in Germany, Der Spiegel reports. Shepherd, who disobeyed orders to redeploy to Iraq from Germany in the spring of 2007, argues in his petition that the Iraq war violates international law. "If I carried...

US Readies 20,000 Troops Against Homeland Threats

Critics fear executive-power growth in major shift

(Newser) - After years of planning, the military will have 20,000 troops stationed inside the US ready to handle domestic crises such as nuclear terrorism by 2011, the Washington Post reports. That’s almost seven times the number of domestic-response troops 5 years ago—a move that would have been “...

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