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12 Jan 2012 10:12

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World: Reaction to shocking Marine corpse desecration video extremely strong

  • The actions portrayed are not consistent with our core values and are not indicative of the character of the Marines in our Corps. This matter will be fully investigated.
  • A statement from the Marine Corps Headquarters • Angrily criticizing a video, posted on YouTube, that appears to show Marines urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban fighters. However the video, which has floated around YouTube for the past day, has not been verified. The Pentagon, however, said there is no indication that the video isn’t authentic. The video has drawn a number of angry responses from officials as varied as Sen. John McCain, Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the Council on Islamic-American Relations. In Karzai’s case, he called the video “completely inhumane.” If the video is accurate, he’ll find us agreeing with him. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Dec 2011 11:41

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U.S.: Eight men charged in Chinese-American soldier’s suicide

  • No plea bargaining. There must be a strong message sent that this type of unlawful misconduct cannot be tolerated. … They have to create an atmosphere in which Asian-Americans feel safe.
  • OCA New York chapter president Elizabeth R. OuYang • Discussing the apparent suicide of Pvt. Danny Chen, a Chinese-American soldier found shot to death in a guard tower in Afghanistan. Chen died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, one which may have been precipitated due to hazing by other soldiers. Eight men have been charged in Chen’s death on an array of charges, including manslaughter and negligent homicide. Officials with ties to the Chinese-American community, like OuYang, have pressed for a deeper investigation by Army officials, but the Army has largely remained mum on said investigation. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Dec 2011 00:04

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World: Afghanistan: We need foreign aid for at least twelve more years

  • Your continued solidarity, your commitment and support will be crucial so that we can consolidate our gains and continue to address the challenges that remain.
  • Afghan President Hamid Karzai • Thanking those who pledged their support of Afghanistan during an event on Monday, in which representatives from about 100 nations and international groups met on Monday to discuss the continued financial support of the war-torn country through 2024. Foreign troops plan to exit the country by 2014, but the country will need financial help building and sustaining its own security forces. The nations there offered support — but only on the condition that the next stages in the country avoids violence and terrorism, supports the constitution, and continues to build a positive human rights record. Absent from the meeting was Pakistan, who boycotted the United States’ presence after a deadly, controversial border attack last month.  source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

27 Nov 2011 10:43

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World: Who fired first in Saturday’s deadly NATO airstrike on Pakistan?

  • claim Pakistani officials claim that Saturday’s early-morning NATO airstrike on two military posts along the border came after Afghan forces fired on them, unprovoked. The airstrike allegedly killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
  • rebuttal However, Afghan military officials claim this wasn’t the case; they reacted to fire reportedly coming from a Pakistan military outpost, then called for NATO to come in. “It was a response to incoming fire,” one official said. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

26 Sep 2011 21:19

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U.S.: U.S. Army cutting nearly 9 percent of its forces by 2016

  • 50k number of troops the U.S. Army plans to trim from its roster
  • 8.6% the share of the Army being cut over the next five years
  • 22k number of soldiers getting cut in the first round source
  • » Going on a diet: With over half a million soldiers, the U.S. Army isn’t lacking in warm bodies, but those numbers went way up in recent years, in part due to the troop surge in Afghanistan. With the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan winding down, the Army is ready to move on. “We feel that with the demand going down in Iraq and Afghanistan, and given the time to conduct a reasonable drawdown, we can manage (the force reduction) just as we have managed drawdowns in the past,” noted Lt. Gen. Thomas Bostick. Is this nearly enough?
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

20 Sep 2011 11:34

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World: Ex-Afghan president Burhanuddin Rabbani killed by attacker

Rabbani, president of Afghanistan from 1992 and 1996 and the leader of the Afghan Peace Council, was reportedly killed Tuesday. This is a serious blow to any sort of diplomatic process with the Taliban. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Sep 2011 21:11

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World: General: Afghan attack near 9/11 anniversary shows Taliban weakness

  • two Afghan citizens were killed in an attack on a coalition base on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary
  • 25 Afghan citizens were wounded in the attack, which the Taliban took credit for
  • 77 NATO forces were wounded; all of them were Americans, officials say source
  • » “A high-profile attack”: That’s how U.S. coalition leader Gen. John R. Allen described the vehicle bomb attack that injured over 100 people. But Allen sees the silver lining from a logistical perspective: “They have been ejected from the population in so many places around the country that their only ability to influence the battlefield on many occasions is simply to go for a high-profile attack,” he explained, “And that’s how we view this particular attack.”
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

01 Sep 2011 10:40

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World: War casualties: Iraq War hits historic low, Afghan War hits historic high

  • 4,464 number of U.S. troops that have died in the Iraq War since fighting began in mid-2003; combat operations ended last year, but training and support staff remain
  • zero number of U.S. troops that died in the country in August; the shocking part is that this is literally the first month without a casualty since the start of the war source
  • » Afghan War in sharp contrast: Part of the reason for the lack of troop deaths in Iraq is that the war in Afghanistan has picked up. There, it was a record month where 66 Americans died — a total which was much higher than it would’ve been due to the deadly Chinook helicopter crash that killed 30 highly-specialized troops.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

03 Aug 2011 00:49

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U.S., World: Jon Stewart’s words of inspiration from a soldier in Khandahar

  • We cooperate and we fight as hard as we can, because there will perhaps be disappointment but there will be no shame.
  • A specialist in the 655th TC, writing to Jon Stewart • In a letter Stewart mentioned on Monday’s episode of “The Daily Show.” Stewart used the episode to pay tribute to the soldiers fighting overseas after he paid a visit to Khandahar this past weekend. After displaying several t-shirts that he had promised to wear, he read some of his observations and thank yous. Stewart then read this quote from a letter from a young specialist, from one of the nicest letters he’s ever received. source
Posted by samimain • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Jul 2011 13:29

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World: Pakistani Defense Minister dim on U.S. plan to cut military aid

  • If at all things become difficult, we will just get all our forces back. If Americans refuse to give us money, then okay. I think the next step is that the government or the armed forces will be moving from the border areas. We cannot afford to keep military out in the mountains for such a long period.
  • Pakistani Defense Minister Ahmed Mukhtar • Discussing American aid to the Pakistani military. The U.S. spends about $2 billion per year in military aid to Pakistan, and as we mentioned over the weekend, the U.S. wants to withhold $800 million of that, the stated reason being a response to the Pakistani government’s limiting of visas for U.S. personnel, and removing U.S. military trainers. This is a situation we rather expected, as the discovery of Osama bin Laden within Pakistan put a big strain on relations, and left many Americans wondering what they were paying for. The tone of Mukhar’s reply strikes us, honestly, as pretty snarky and passive-aggressive (acknowledging the possibility of a rough translation), especially in light of the huge sums the U.S. has paid Pakistan for military aid over the past decade or so. This is, as much as anything, an implied threat — give up the money or the Taliban runs wild. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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