Aaron Glantz

Last week, a 41-year-old U.S. Army sergeant from Hinesville, Ga., was released from prison after serving 13 months of a 15-month sentence for refusing to board a plane bound for Iraq. Born in Alabama and raised in rural Tennessee, Sgt. Kevin Benderman first joined the Army in 1987 out of a sense of purpose and … Continue reading “Soldier Who Chose Jail Over Iraq Goes Home”

On Thursday, 22-year-old Army Specialist Mark Wilkerson turned himself in to Fort Hood in Texas, after being AWOL (absent without leave) for more than 18 months. Wilkerson, who served in the 720th Military Police Battalion in Iraq from March 2003 to March 2004, made the decision to refuse redeployment on moral grounds, and went AWOL … Continue reading “An Army Minus One”

Twenty-one former generals and high ranking national security officials have called on United States President George W. Bush to reverse course and embrace a new area of negotiation with Iran, Iraq, and North Korea. In a letter released Thursday, the group told reporters Bush’s "hard line" policies have undermined national security and made America less … Continue reading “Former Generals: Bush Must Negotiate to Make America Safer”

With Salam Talib Southern Iraq saw the biggest outbreak of government violence against Shi’ite groups this week as Iraqi government troops attacked followers of Ayatollah Mahmoud Hassani al-Sarkhi. “The government raided the religious school of the followers of Hassani,” explains Sarmad Abdul-Karem, who heads up the agency Iraq4All news. “Hassani supporters defended the school and … Continue reading “Government Fights Militia in Southern Iraq”

The Iraqi Health Ministry is threatening to sever all ties with the U.S. military after American forces attacked the Ministry, arresting its security guards. According to the Health Ministry, the U.S. military also took money meant for employees’ salaries. The raid began at 3 a.m. Sunday, when U.S. troops in Humvees and tanks cordoned off … Continue reading “Iraqi Health Ministry Severs Ties With US Over Raid”

It’s been two months since George Bush announced the killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The Bush administration said Zarqawi was a terrorist mastermind, the head of al-Qaeda in Iraq, a man who organized attacks on innocent civilians, American troops, and the Iraqi police and military. But two months after his killing, violence and death in … Continue reading “Two Months After Zarqawi”

Kurdish officials toured the United States last week to launch a massive advertising and public relations campaign thanking the United States for overthrowing Saddam Hussein and urging U.S. companies to invest in the region. The campaign looks suspicious to some observers, however, since it is run by an A-list Republican public relations firm that refuses … Continue reading “Kurdish ‘Thank You’ a Republican Stunt?”

Ambulances appear to be have become a target of the Israeli military in its quest to oust Hezbollah from southern Lebanon. The Lebanese Red Crescent Society has reported five “security incidents” since the capture of two Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah earlier this month sparked a large-scale Israeli bombardment of southern Lebanon. At least 10 ambulances … Continue reading “Israeli Offensive Targeting Relief Efforts?”

An Afghan government proposal to reestablish the notorious Department for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice has raised concerns among U.S. human rights advocates. Under the Taliban, the virtue and vice department enforced restrictions on women and men through public beatings and imprisonment. Its agents “beat women publicly for wearing socks that were … Continue reading “Karzai’s Cabinet Proposes Return of Religious Police”

Living in Iraq is becoming absolutely impossible. The numbers tell part of the story. The United Nations announced Tuesday that, on average, 100 Iraqi civilians died every day in May and June. According to the report, about 2,700 civilians were killed in May and 3,100 were killed in June. Two days later, the Iraqi government … Continue reading “Normal Life Impossible in Iraq”