Updated at 10:27 p.m. EDT, Aug. 17, 2010
A large blast killed and wounded dozens at an army center in Baghdad, while another explosion left more casualties. Overall, at least 81 Iraqis were killed and 178 more were wounded across the country. Eight other attacks targeting judges were also reported. U.S. officials said the drawdown would continue despite the violence.
read moreThe Muslims Are Coming!
Gen. Petraeus Goes to Media War
It's already history. In mid-August 2010, the U.S. commander in Afghanistan launched a huge media campaign to prevent any substantial withdrawal of military forces the next summer. The morning after Gen. David Petraeus appeared in a Sunday interview on NBC's Meet the...
Work Permits and Ramadan in the West Bank
HIRBET DEIR, Occupied West Bank - For Muhammad el-Baradiyeh, 38, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan is always a blessing. In fact, every day of the month-and-a-half prior to Ramadan has been good for Muhammad. Thanks to a permit granted by the Israeli authorities, he's...
In for a Penny
The good news is that Defense Secretary Bob Gates is going to save money by shutting down Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) in Virginia. The bad news, as the New York Times reports, is that the White House says the money Gates saves will free money that can be “better...
Monday: 1 US Soldier, 3 Iraqis, 4 Iranians Killed; 16 Wounded
At least three Iraqis were killed and seven more were wounded in the latest attacks. A U.S. soldier was also killed during a hostile attack in Baquba. Nearby, four Iranian tourists were killed and nine were wounded in a separate attack in Diyala province. Casualties were also reported in an attack in Fallujah.
read moreWhat If Washington…?
The other day I visited a Web site I check regularly for all things military, Noah Shachtman's Danger Room blog at Wired magazine. One of its correspondents, Spencer Ackerman, was just then at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, the sort of place that – with its multiple...
The Hammer and the Scalpel
A recent New York Times report details the secret war now being waged by the Obama administration across the globe, from Africa to Central Asia – and no doubt places we don't yet know about. This is nothing new: the Bush regime started this reign of lawlessness,...
Can WikiLeaks Help Save Lives?
If independent-minded Web sites, like WikiLeaks or, say, ConsortiumNews.com, existed 43 years ago, I might have risen to the occasion and helped save the lives of some 25,000 U.S. soldiers, and a million Vietnamese, by exposing the lies contained in just one...
Sunday: 33 Iraqis Killed, 91 Wounded
Updated at 7:59 p.m. EDT, August 15, 2010
At least 33 Iraqis were killed and 91 more were wounded in fresh violence that erupted throughout central and northern Iraq. In one case, gunmen were specifically targeting Ramadan worshippers. Baghdad and nearby cities bore the brunt of the attacks. Meanwhile, new data suggest that hundreds of U.S. veterans may have misdiagnosed post-traumatic shock disorder.
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