US troops

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US Special Forces Hit Taliban in Seized City: Report

100 troops reportedly involved in mission near Kunduz airport

(Newser) - Special forces from the US-led coalition in Afghanistan, reportedly including US troops, battled Taliban militants on the ground in Kunduz Wednesday in an attempt to retake the city after Afghan forces were overrun Monday. It marks the first time foreign forces have clashed with the Taliban during the conflict in...

Banks Flout Laws Protecting Troops From Foreclosure

NYT: Mandatory arbitration clauses mean repos, foreclosures for service members

(Newser) - Deployed service members are supposed to be protected by federal laws from repossession and foreclosure. But thanks to mandatory arbitration —a clause in a contract's small print that waives one's right to court intervention—lenders are circumventing the rules, placing the homes and cars of US troops...

US Troops to Train Syrian Rebels for ISIS Takedown

Train-and-equip plan for moderate Syrian opposition designed to derail insurgents

(Newser) - In continuing efforts to thwart Islamic militants in Syria, the US Defense Department confirmed last night that it's sending 400 troops to train moderate Syrian opposition, Army Times reports. Trainers will set up shop in Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, with the six- to eight-week training sessions tentatively set...

Senate OKs Bill With $63B for Ongoing Wars

Defense hawks, Western state Republicans carry the day

(Newser) - Congress today sent President Obama a massive defense policy bill that endorses his stepped-up military campaign of air strikes and training of Iraqis and moderate Syrian rebels in the war against Islamic State militants. The Senate overwhelmingly approved the bill that authorizes funds for basic military operations, including construction of...

US Malaria Experiments in 1940s Left Troops 'Ruined'

'The Malaria Project' looks at effort to find drug

(Newser) - The goal was just, the execution anything but: In the 1940s, the US government pulled together an operation designed to find a cure for malaria, which infected some 500,000 American troops during WWII. How they went about doing so is revealed in Karen Masterson's new book, The Malaria ...

Obama to Send 200 More US Troops to Iraq

That brings total US forces there to nearly 800

(Newser) - President Barack Obama says he's sending about 200 more US troops to Iraq to protect Americans and the US Embassy in Baghdad. The announcement will bring to nearly 800 the total number of US forces in and around Iraq to train local forces, secure the embassy, and protect American...

Obama to Keep 9.8K Troops in Afghanistan

But next Afghan leader has to sign the BSA

(Newser) - On the heels of his surprise visit to American troops in Afghanistan , President Obama today will put the number of troops he intends to keep there at 9,800, with the intent to call most of those home by 2016. But there's a "but": Kabul, soon to be...

Obama Drops In on US Troops in Afghanistan

Surprise visit his 4th; won't meet with Karzai in clear snub

(Newser) - President Obama secretly slipped into Afghanistan under the cover of darkness today for a weekend visit with US troops serving in the closing months of America's longest war. Air Force One landed at Bagram Air Field, the main US base in Afghanistan, after an overnight flight from Washington. Obama...

US May Leave Less Than 5K Troops in Afghanistan

US military has said 10K is the minimum needed

(Newser) - The US military has said at least 10,000 troops must remain in Afghanistan in order to continue training Afghan forces while also keeping themselves safe —but the White House is now telling Reuters that State Department and Pentagon officials are considering dropping well below that threshold, possibly leaving...

HOA to Family: Take Down Sailor's Welcome Sign

Attorney says sign can only be up 2 weeks before, after leave

(Newser) - Anthony Marsiglia is in the Navy, currently deployed on an aircraft carrier, but coming home in the next few weeks. His family had a "welcome" sign hanging outside their Louisiana home for him—until their Lafayette homeowner's association instructed them, via attorney, to take it down. The Frenchman'...

17 Years Later, Okinawa OKs Relocation of US Base

And locals aren't too happy about it

(Newser) - As the AFP reports, it's been "a decades-long source of friction" between Japan and the US: More than 17 years ago, Tokyo and Washington decided to move the US Marine Corps base in Futenma out of the densely populated urban area. Today, the governor of Okinawa finally gave...

US Sending Troops to South Sudan

Americans there need more protection, says President Obama

(Newser) - Washington is getting in deeper: About 150 US troops are heading toward South Sudan today to help secure the US embassy and evacuate more Americans from the war-torn country, military officials said. The troops will likely first travel to Djibouti via Spain, CNN reports. The move follows a letter from...

Facing Fat Test, US Troops Use ... Liposuction

Stocky service members fight for their very careers

(Newser) - Don't be surprised to see US troops lining up at your nearest plastic surgeon's office—they're probably terrified of failing the Pentagon's body fat test, the AP reports. "They come in panicked about being kicked out or getting a demerit that will hurt their chances...

200 US Troops Headed to Jordan—and It's a Big Deal

LAT explains it's the first acknowledged step toward military involvement in Syria

(Newser) - Some 200 US troops are headed to Jordan, where some US troops are already stationed. So why is this deployment notable? How it's being played:
  • The Los Angeles Times pulls no punches in its explanation: "The move marks the first deployment that Pentagon officials explicitly described as a
...

Banks Admit Wrongly Foreclosing on US Troops

At least 700 active-duty troops lost homes during crisis

(Newser) - America's biggest banks have admitted that they wrongfully foreclosed on the homes of at least 700 military personnel, in some cases evicting families while troops were serving in war zones, the New York Times reports. The wrongful foreclosures by banks including Citigroup and Wells Fargo surfaced as part of...

Obama, Karzai Agree to Speed Military Shift in Afghanistan

(Newser) - President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai said today they have agreed to speed up slightly the schedule for moving Afghanistan's security forces into the lead across the country, with US troops shifting fully to a support role. The leaders also said Obama agreed to place battlefield detainees...

US Troops Take Charge of Missiles in Turkey

Meanwhile, Damascus gas station bombing kills 11

(Newser) - Twenty-seven US troops have landed in Turkey to operate missiles near its border with Syria. The troops, whose deployment was announced last month , will be in charge of Patriot missiles officially controlled by NATO, CNN reports. Meanwhile, in Syria itself, opposition forces are battling for control of a government-held helicopter...

Post-2014 Afghanistan: US Has 3 Options

Gen. Allen presents scenarios to Pentagon

(Newser) - Gen. John Allen has submitted three options to the Pentagon for how to maintain a presence in Afghanistan after the 2014 military withdrawal, defense officials tell the New York Times :
  • 6,000 troops, highest risk of failure: At this level, the US mission would focus on counterterrorism. Special Ops commandos
...

23% of Female Troops Suffer Sex Assaults in War Zones

And about half report sex harassment, survey finds

(Newser) - Nearly half of US women deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan say they've suffered sexual harassment, and almost a quarter say they've been sexually assaulted, a Department of Veterans Affairs study finds. But far less than that gets reported: Just 115 assaults were reported last year, though as of...

US to Send Missiles, 400 Troops to Turkey

NATO force to defend against Syrian missile threat

(Newser) - The Pentagon says it will send Patriot air defense missiles and 400 troops to Turkey as part of a NATO force meant to protect Turkish territory from potential Syrian missile attack. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta signed a deployment order today en route to Turkey from Afghanistan, a rep says. The...

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