Hundreds of Afghans gathered in eastern Afghanistan on Monday to express support for President Hamid Karzais threat to send troops after Taliban militants inside Pakistan.
About 1,500 people including tribal elders and pro-government religious leaders gathered in Sharan, the capital of Paktika province, to back Karzai, provincial government spokesman Ghamai Khan Mohammadyar said.
Muhammad Akram Akhpelwak, Paktikas governor, said gatherings of support were also being held in three other areas of Paktika, AP reported. Tribal chief Amin Jan told AFP from Sharan by telephone: We support Karzai. Pakistanis are coming to Afghanistan and we have evidence.
Afghans love to fight. I'd let them ...
In Paktia, about 300 tribesmen gathered in a hall to express their support to the Karzais statement, said Rohullah Samoon, a provincial government spokesman.
Analysts said they doubt military action by Afghanistan is imminent, but Pakistans prime minister said the threat will not be taken well. A spokesman for NATOs International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) said he would not comment. But another ISAF official said he thought Karzais comments should be seen as a reflection of frustration with militant safe havens but not as a sign that an attack is imminent. Karzais comments raise the spectre that a US-trained Afghan military could be used to attack Pakistan. The ISAF official dismissed that idea.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
About 1,500 people including tribal elders and pro-government religious leaders gathered in Sharan, the capital of Paktika province, to back Karzai, provincial government spokesman Ghamai Khan Mohammadyar said.
So the tribal elders and religious leaders are all for it, huh? What about the boys who would actually have to go?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
06/17/2008 15:11 Comments ||
Top||
Cleric Abu Qatada, who has been described as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe, is to be released on bail in the next 24 hours. Qatada will be required to wear an electronic tag and remain in his home for 22 hours a day, according to papers released by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission.
The cleric has been convicted in his absence in Jordan of involvement with terror attacks in 1998. In April, he defeated the efforts of the British Government to deport him back to Jordan.
Somebody was afraid that a convicted terrorist would have his rights abridged in some way?
Home Office minister Tony McNulty pledged at the time that the cleric would not be released, and said ministers would appeal against the ruling.
Qatada once called on British Muslims to martyr themselves. Tapes of his sermons were found in a flat in Germany used by some of the September 11 aircraft hijackers. Just f*ckin dandy...
Posted by: Howard UK ||
06/17/2008 10:35 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Britain
#1
This would make it easier for him to fall off a roof or under a subway train.
A Senate investigation has concluded that top Pentagon officials began assembling lists of harsh interrogation techniques in the summer of 2002 for use on detainees at Guantanamo Bay and that those officials later cited memos from field commanders to suggest that the proposals originated far down the chain of command, according to nameless congressional sources briefed on the findings.
The sources said that memos and other evidence obtained during the inquiry show that officials in the office of then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld started to research the use of waterboarding, stress positions, sensory deprivation and other practices in July 2002, months before memos from commanders at the detention facility in Cuba requested permission to use those measures on suspected terrorists.
The reported evidence -- some of which is expected to be made public at a Senate hearing today -- also shows that military lawyers raised strong concerns about the legality of the practices as early as November 2002, a month before Rumsfeld approved them. The findings contradict previous accounts by unspecified top Bush administration appointees, setting the stage for new clashes between the White House and Congress over the origins of interrogation methods that many lawmakers regard as torture and possibly illegal. Cover for the issues of gas prices and the sucess of the Iraq war.
"Some have suggested that detainee abuses committed by U.S. personnel at Abu Ghraib in Iraq and at Guantanamo were the result of a 'few bad apples' acting on their own. It would be a lot easier to accept if that were true," Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, wrote in a statement for delivery at a committee hearing this morning. "Senior officials in the United States government sought out information on aggressive techniques, twisted the law to create the appearance of their legality, and authorized their use against detainees." Bad apples used panties, Carl, Senior Officals didn't authorize the use of women's undergarments. But you're probably too old to remember that.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/17/2008 06:37 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
You give these guys a razor thin majority and look at the trouble they cause. Can you imagine what this country would look like if they held any real power to ram this stuff through.
#4
"....research the use of waterboarding, stress positions, sensory deprivation and other practices in July 2002"
My Dad tells me that his unit kept WWII captured German infantry silent and standing at attention for days on end as a part of Army policy. The German upper eschalon officers were taken away by Army intel to points unknown.
What would THAT be considered?
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
06/17/2008 9:12 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Richard, and those were carried out against LEGAL POWs. Of course, when German soldiers were discovered using American uniforms during the Battle of the Bulge, they were summarily executed, in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. The people we have captured and sent to Gitmo are NOT LEGAL combatants. They are alive only through our forbearance. The Geneva Convention of requiring only name, rank, serial number and date of birth as the only thin POWs can be forced to reveal does not apply.
I really have to wonder whose side these Congrescritters are on. I know they are not on George Bush's side - but I think they have gone too far in taking the side of the enemy.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
06/17/2008 12:42 Comments ||
Top||
#6
I think harsh interrogation of congress is in order.
#7
Another reason for not taking prisoners but interrogating then executing on the battlefield of capture. "If they bring a gun then we will bring our surfboards waterboards" (BHO 6/13/08).
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/17/2008 12:53 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Another reason for not taking prisoners but interrogating then executing on the battlefield of capture. "If they bring a gun then we will bring our surfboards waterboards" (BHO 6/13/08).
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/17/2008 12:54 Comments ||
Top||
#9
Another reason for not taking prisoners but interrogating then executing on the battlefield of capture. "If they bring a gun then we will bring our surfboards waterboards" (BHO 6/13/08).
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/17/2008 12:54 Comments ||
Top||
#10
Sorry about that multi-posted comment but my screen acts like its NOT posting but stalling.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/17/2008 12:55 Comments ||
Top||
#11
You give these guys a razor thin majority and look at the trouble they cause. Can you imagine what this country would look like if they held any real power to ram this stuff through.
My guess is it'd look like the 1960's when LBJ was in the White House, escalating Vietnam and running up a HUGE national debt. These creeps are not against war and they are certainly not opposed to deficit spending. They are against George Bush.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
06/17/2008 15:24 Comments ||
Top||
The government is testing drugs with severe side effects like psychosis and suicidal behavior on hundreds of military veterans, using small cash payments to attract patients into medical experiments that often target distressed soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, a Washington Times/ABC News investigation has found.
In one such experiment involving the controversial anti-smoking drug Chantix, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) took three months to alert its patients about severe mental side effects. The warning did not arrive until after one of the veterans taking the drug had suffered a psychotic episode that ended in a near lethal confrontation with police.
Chantix is a new drug whose side effects weren't completely known even after phase III trials.
James Elliott, a decorated Army sharpshooter who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after serving 15 months in Iraq, was confused and psychotic when he was Tasered by police in February as he reached for a concealed handgun when officers responded to a 911 call at his Maryland home.
Mr. Elliott, a chain smoker, began taking Chantix last fall as part of a VA experiment that specifically targeted veterans with PTSD, opting to collect $30 a month for enrolling in the clinical trial because he needed cash as he returned to school. He soon began suffering hallucinations and suicidal thoughts, unaware that the new drug he was taking could have caused them.
Just two weeks after Mr. Elliott began taking Chantix in November, the VA learned from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the drug was linked to a large number of hallucinations, suicide attempts and psychotic behavior. But the VA did not alert Mr. Elliott before his own episode in February.
In failing to do so, Mr. Elliott said, the VA treated him like a "disposable hero." "You're a lab rat for $30 a month," Mr. Elliott said.
In all, nearly 1,000 veterans with PTSD were enrolled in the study to test different methods of ending smoking, with 143 using Chantix. Twenty-one veterans reported adverse effects from the drug, including one who suffered suicidal thoughts, the three-month investigation by The Times and ABC News found.
Mr. Caplan, who reviewed the consent and notification forms for the study at the request of The Times and ABC News, said the VA deserved an "F" and that it has an obligation to end the study, given the vulnerability of veterans with PTSD and the known side effects of Chantix. "Continuing it doesn't make any ethical sense," he said.
The VA continues to test Chantix on veterans, even as reported problems with the drug increase and have prompted at least one other federal agency to take action. On May 21, the Federal Aviation Administration banned airline pilots and air traffic control personnel from taking Chantix, citing the adverse side effects.
The VA responds
VA officials defend their use of veterans in medical studies, saying that helping PTSD sufferers to stop smoking would prolong their lives. As for the three-month delay in notifying its patients about the Chantix problems, the VA said bureaucracy slowed down their warning because the alert letters had to be issued through an Institutional Review Board (IRB) that oversees the experiment at each VA location. "We don't have the authority to just send directly to patients material that has not been approved by the IRB sites,"said Miles McFall, director of the VA's programs for PTSD sufferers. "We did sense urgency. And we respond to that urgency doing just what we did here, which was, I think, incredibly quick response for a governmental institution.
"We believe that we took responsible action by informing the clinicians who are the people most in touch with the patients to be on the lookout for any potential side effects and to respond appropriately," he said.
He's correct: the IRB has to be notified, has to review the data, and has to approve shutting down the study and notifying the patients.
While Mr. Elliott blames Chantix for his mental breakdown and confrontation with police, VA officials said they cannot be sure. "We don't know that Chantix was the cause of this, first of all. And it's presumed that that's the case. We don't know that to be a fact," Mr. McFall said.
Mr. McFall said the veterans with PTSD in the anti-smoking study "are at high risk to use tobacco" and the goal of the experiment is to determine how best to deliver treatment - through a mental health counselor or a smoking clinic. Chantix was one of several options tested on the veterans. Eight pages (six more) at the Washington Times site, D.C.'s 'other paper, including other experiments that "sound like torture" according to the radio.
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/17/2008 05:59 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
No surprise there, the VA has been a disgrace for decades. But usually their modus operandus is neglect, not ethical lapses.
#2
This is not just the VA, so it is not fair to single them out. Chantix, an anti-smoking drug, has been found to have marked neurological effects in civilian use as well. It is not an example of the VA testing "experimental" drugs.
HOWEVER, these side effects are not all bad.
I know a man who suffered substantial lifelong neurological tremors who after he started taking Chantix, suddenly normalized. His doctor contacted the drug maker, and they have been very carefully documenting and video recording this effect.
The bottom line is that Chantix may cause problems in some people, but may be a godsend to many afflicted with this severe neurological condition.
#3
Smoking is generally bad for you health, but in a combat environment that extra edge of nicotine alertness can definitely be good for your health (same thing with amphetemines.) It's hard enough qo quit smoking under normal conditions - even harder when you are abandoning an old friend who saved your life. Compound that with PTSD and I can see why the VA might be interested in testing new drug therapies - but it looks like they pushed it too far, either on purpose or through neglect.
#6
We have too many that consider smoking to be worse than the PTSD. I personally had to quit smoking a pipe as I was burning my gums from smoking too much however I find that there are many that are acting worse than a religious zealot w/r smoking. Their righteousness and bigotry are amazing to see and like a jihadi they can't leave others to make their own decisions or use persuasion to make their point.
It can be an interesting insight into the human mind. Zealotry takes many forms.
#7
I remember these kinds of allegations against the military and the VA during the Viet Nam era.
These birdbrains in the media are dusting off every old story and old thinking they can find to defame the military and impune the president.
Posted by: James Carville ||
06/17/2008 15:30 Comments ||
Top||
#8
You gotta wonder what the hell were these idiots at the VA thinking in giving an insufficiently tested drug to PTSD people, especially one that ends up causing psychosis, suicidal thoughts, and hallucinations.
Odd thing is that most on the left who want to use this as a cudgel against Bush really do not care at all for the troops (except how to use them politically and discard them). And they are the same crew that wants to foist government controlled medicine LIKE THIS on the entire population.
#10
And they are the same crew that wants to foist government controlled medicine LIKE THIS on the entire population.
Polite golf clap increasing to a resounding cheer. Thanks for making this VERY imporant point OS. You want government healthcare, go check out the VA. What frickin maroons liberals are.
DETROIT, June 16 (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Monday he plans to visit Iraq and Afghanistan before November's election and was encouraged by a recent reduction in violence in Iraq.
Obama, who later picked up the endorsement of former Vice President Al Gore at a Detroit rally on Monday night, spoke by telephone with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari and reiterated his support for a pullout of U.S. troops.
"I told him that I looked forward to seeing him in Baghdad," Obama said in Flint, Michigan, an important state in the November election against Republican John McCain. "I emphasized to him how encouraged I was by the reductions in violence in Iraq but also insisted that it is important for us to begin the process of withdrawing U.S. troops, making it clear that we have no interest in permanent bases in Iraq," he said.
Putting the cart before the horse, aren't you? First you get elected, then you start making policy ...
Obama aides did not give details of the visit. McCain, a staunch advocate of the war and frequent visitor to Iraq, has repeatedly criticized Obama for his failure to visit the country since 2006.
Obama spoke to Zebari one day after the Iraqi official met McCain in Washington. The Arizona senator has made foreign policy and national security a campaign focus and criticizes Obama as too inexperienced to run the country.
McCain, who strongly backed the buildup of U.S. troops ordered by U.S. President George W. Bush in Iraq, on Monday questioned Obama's judgment on Iraq. "He was wrong when he said the surge would not succeed, he was wrong when he said that we were failing in Iraq as a result of it and he is wrong today," McCain said at his campaign headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.
McCain said he hoped Obama would meet with the U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus. "I ask him to request a meeting with General Petraeus and sit down and get his assessment of the military situation," McCain said. "I don't know how you can draw conclusions such as Senator Obama has without even sitting down and talking directly to our commander on the ground."
Obama says he would begin a pullout of U.S. troops from Iraq shortly after taking office. His plan calls for the removal of one or two brigades a month, which would allow a pullout of combat troops to be completed within 16 months.
The first-term Illinois senator said he told Zebari that if he wins the White House, "an Obama administration will make sure that we continue with the progress that's been made in Iraq, that we won't act precipitously."
That won't make the Kos Kiddies happy ...
But he said it was important to begin a withdrawal of troops to send a signal that the U.S. occupation of Iraq is not permanent.
McCain economic adviser Carly Fiorina said Obama's trip to Iraq was "a very good thing" and could force him to adjust his views.
#1
"But he said it was important to begin a withdrawal of troops to send a signal that the U.S. occupation of Iraq is not permanent."
IE he will pull out a brigade immediately, with no commitment to pull any more after that. IE precisely whats going to happen anyway, likely before the inauguration, from what Petraeus has been hinting.
If Petraues recommends a withdrawl of a brigade before the election, does that count as sending a signal, so no further immediate withdrawl is necessary? Probably not, as that would really piss off the Kossacks, to the point some would stay home or vote for Nader. So Obama would be forced to promise SOME immediate withdrawl beyond what Petraues recommends pre-election. Obama is better off if Petraeus makes no such recommendation, and leaves him more flexibility.
#4
My God, would you send your 10 year old child to Iraq, now? Then why do we get so worked up about him not having been there for years? He is nothing more than a petulant, ignorant, immature girly-boy that makes Dukakis look like Patton and Urkely look like Mr.T. I think McCain blew it by getting him to reconsider the visit - the contrast of McCain and Obama would have been one of the more clearest now it will only be muddled by his visit regardless of any change in position (which there won't be). In fact, I bet his visit results in a STRONGER position by Obama for immediate removal and disengagement which then puts McCain on the defensive since Obama did visit and nothing he saw changed his mind. So, it is McCain stuck in the past and Obama with a much clearer and fresher vision. Bad move on McCain's part. Why invite the WCTU to a cocktail party since the press is sure to want to cover that confrontation?
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/17/2008 13:03 Comments ||
Top||
#5
"I told him that I looked forward to seeing him in Baghdad, but first I have to come up with a BIG wage increase and salary bonus proposal for all the servicemen. Jimmy Carter and I are discussing the percentages right now" Obama said in Flint,
#7
This SOB exudes arrogance and treachery. He might want to have a quick look at the support he'll get in November below the Mason-Dixon BEFORE he starts making policy statements. His use of the term "US occupation of Iraq" is just over the top, disgusting.
Democrats in the Congress, who came to power last year on a call to end the combat in Iraq, will soon give President Bush the last war-funding bill of his presidency without any of the conditions they sought for withdrawing U.S. troops, congressional aides said on Monday. Lawmakers are arranging to send Bush $165 billion in new money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, enough to last for about a year and well beyond when Bush leaves office on January 20. A House of Representatives vote on the bill was expected this week. Anything the House passes would have to be approved by the Senate before the legislation is sent to Bush. With the Pentagon running out of money to continue fighting the two wars, Congress is trying to approve new funds before its July 4 holiday recess.
"It'll be the lump sum of money, veterans (funding) and that's it," said one House aide familiar with the negotiations on the legislation. The aide was referring to the funding for the unpopular Iraq war and a measure being attached to expand education benefits for combat veterans.
Since January, 2007, when Democrats took majority control of the House and Senate, they have tried to force Bush to change course in Iraq, mostly through troop withdrawal timetables and requirements that U.S. soldiers be more thoroughly trained, equipped and rested before returning to combat. And while various versions have passed each chamber since then, there have not been enough votes in Congress to enact the war conditions over Bush's objections. The result is that the 110th Congress will wrap up most of its work this fall, before November's congressional and presidential elections, without forcing any changes to Bush's open-ended war policy, the defining issue of his presidency.
#1
As DER SPEIGEL reminds > ISRAELI LEADERS MULL PLANS FOR MILITARY STRIKE AGZ IRAN. Israel considering options to attack Iran's nucprograms while PRO-ISRAEL POTUS DUBYA IS STILL PREZ [read - ISRAEL is UNCERTAIN about MCCAIN, OBAMA].
Lest we fergit, IRAN > any attack on Iran by ISRAEL will be considered as synonymous wid a US ATTACK ON IRAN PER SE, AND JUSTIFIES ANY AND ALL RETALIATORY MIL MEASURES BY IRAN, AGZ ISRAELI ANDOR US INTERESTS WORLDWIDE, BY EXTENS INCLUDING WITHIN CONUS, AND ALSO BY PROXY [Terror].
BARACK OBAMA > as POTUS, reportedly desires to unilater withdraw all US forces from Iraq within 16 months.
TOPIX > MILITANT LEADER: SADR'S DECLARATION OF WAR AGZ THE USA? + HAS MUGTADA AL-SADR DECLARED WAR ON THE US? Militant interviewee indics training had begun for NEW TERROPS both in the ME + OUTSIDE OF THE ME, AGZ ENEMIES OF ISLAM???
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
06/17/2008 7:21 Comments ||
Top||
#5
That Pelosi sure is a political genius. Huffing and puffing and traveling abroad.
And, Ms Pelosi, when do we get that cheap gas you promised ? u ho.
#8
The Democrats can't even win a budget battle when they have the majority, the power of the purse and the authorship of the budget. And Americans elect these ponces to lead them to victory over genocidal Islamic fanatics?
Posted by: ed ||
06/17/2008 21:38 Comments ||
Top||
#9
"And Americans elect these ponces to lead them to victory over genocidal Islamic fanatics?"
Not on your life, ed.
I'm not sure what people elect Dems for, exactly, other than pork and welfare payments, but it sure as hell ain't to fight islamonutcases.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
06/17/2008 21:47 Comments ||
Top||
(Xinhua) -- Afghan ambassador to Pakistan Mohammad Anwar Anwarzai on Monday defended President Hamid Karzai's remarks on cross-border attack, saying his words were wrongly interpreted. "The statement of Afghan President was taken out of context here. His statement does not mean that Afghanistan will send troops to Pakistan tomorrow or the day after for military action," Anwarzai told News Network International (NNI) news agency.
Karzai on Sunday told a news conference that Afghanistan had the right to self-defense, and because militants crossover from Pakistan "to come and kill Afghans and kill coalition troops, it exactly gives us the right to do the same."
Pakistan has protested Karzai's remarks, demanding Afghanistan refrain from making irresponsible threatening statements. "It is regrettable that such a statement (of Karzai) was made at a time when the two sides had agreed to close the ranks in the fight against terrorism," said the statement posted on website of Pakistani foreign ministry.
Pakistani foreign ministry also summoned Anwarzai regarding Karzai's statement. "Mr.Karzai has renewed his old stand that training centers of Taliban and other militants should be closed down," the Afghan envoy said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
The police have freed a key suspect in a suicide bombing that killed around 150 people at last years homecoming rally for former premier Benazir Bhutto, an official said on Monday.
Bail? Bail? BAIL?
Prisons Inspector General (IG) Yameen Khan told AFP Qari Saifullah Akhtar was released on June 8. We released him on Friday after the expiry of his detention period, the IG said.
Akhtars lawyer Hashmat Habib said he was freed because of a lack of evidence. He is a free person. There is no case against him anywhere in Pakistan, Habib said, adding that the authorities had facilitated his return to Lahore.
The witnesses, all 150 of them, are dead ...
Benazir accused Qari Saifullah Akhtar in her book Reconciliation: Islam, Democracy and the West, of plotting against her. Akhtar was arrested in February 2008 in Lahore soon after the book was published.
A court in Karachi released him on bail after police said they had no evidence against him, but he was re-arrested in late March under the Maintenance of Public Order Ordinance. He met Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden several times in Afghanistan, security officials said.
The attorney admitted that Akhtar used to command a guerrilla group that fought the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, but said his client had renounced militancy, denying that Akhtar had anything to do with the Karachi attack, AP reported.
"Lies! All lies!"
Akhtar was arrested in the United Arab Emirates in August 2004 and later extradited to Pakistan, where he was released under unclear circumstances.
Perfectly clear to the astute observer ...
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
United States and the United Nations (UN) atomic watchdog must be allowed to question Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan to learn if he sold blueprints to Iran or North Korea, Former UN Arms Inspector David Albright said on Monday.
David Albright now suspects Khan, the father of Pakistans atomic bomb, who was placed under house arrest for overseeing a network that sold nuclear weapons secrets and equipment, for spreading the plans for an advanced nuclear warhead in a new report. After details of the report appeared in US newspapers, Albright said that there was a danger that Khan might be released without answering questions about the sensitive blueprints, which show how to build a warhead compact enough to fit on a ballistic missile.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
ELBaradei = UNIAEA wants to visit PENN STATE???
Pakistan Army spokesman Maj Gen Athar Abbas said on Monday that he was unaware of the arrival of any US team to Pakistan for a joint probe into the Mohmand agency incident in which 11 Pakistani troops, including a major, were killed in an airstrike by US-led coalition forces in Afghanistan.
We do not have any information about the arrival of a US team, nor have we been contacted by any such team for a joint probe, Abbas told Daily Times.
He said that although Pakistan had accepted the US offer to investigate the attack together, level and modalities in this regard were yet to be settled.
US Embassy spokeswoman Elizabeth Colton refused to comment when asked about the arrival of a US team to Pakistan. She confirmed however that US had made the offer of a joint probe.
Aaj TV however quoted its sources in the US diplomatic circles as saying that a Pak-US joint investigation into the Mohmand Agency attack has already begun.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
#1
Translation: Pakis know they were caught red handed, fighting with terrorists.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has said Baitullah Mehsud and Mullah Fazlullah posed danger to both Pakistan and Afghanistan, Geo TV reported on Monday. Talking to journalists in Kabul Karzai questioned Pakistans policy of holding talks with Mehsud when it had accused him of Benazir Bhuttos murder.Karzai also said he respected Pakistans government, while adding that some elements unrelated to its administration were responsible for creating unrest in Afghanistan, the channel reported.
Karzai expressed trust in the Awami National Partys (ANP) initiative to engage Taliban for peace in the region, saying it would not act against the interests of the Pashtuns and Afghans. Karzai, however, urged Pakistan government to hold peace jirga soon, Geo reported. Meanwhile, Afghan Ambassador in Pakistan M Anwar Anwarzai said Karzais statement about sending troops into Pakistan was misrepresented.
Talking to Dawn News on Monday, the ambassador said the statement was not a threat to Pakistan, adding that the statement had been misinterpreted by certain quarters. Afghanistan is not in a position to attack Pakistan, Anwarzai said. He also confirmed his visit to Pakistani Foreign Office, saying it conveyed to him Pakistans concerns over the statement. Those concerns have been reported to Kabul, Anwarzai told the channel, adding that he was awaiting his governments response.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Taliban
Way back in the dark days of 2007, when the only popular question about the Iraq war concerned the degree of tragedy, Congresss Iraq benchmarks were all the rage among Democrats. Every argument against a continued U.S. presence in Iraq was constructed around the Maliki administrations apparent inability to meet the political and security-based milestones as outlined by Americas Democratic-majority Congress.
Then something happened. The gains of the troop surge allowed the Iraqi government and citizenry to implement the security measures and legislative acts called for by the U.S. The benchmark line of argument quietly died. Here, then, is the brief life and glorious death of the great benchmark trope. . . .
Posted by: Mike ||
06/17/2008 14:30 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Typical liberals and their press lapdogs - scream like hell over something, and when proven wrong, bury it so nobody will notice just how long, how many things, and how many times you've been that wrong.
#2
These carping lapdogs have nipped at "W's" heels for 8 years. I heard Al Gore endorse BO in Michigan last night as reported by CNN. Gore regurgitated all the old liberal garbage that has been tossed around for 8 years. When it was all said and done, the endorsement was more about Al Gore than it was BO. Gore didn't really do anything risky endorsing BO after he has been selected by whatever you call that process the donks went through. Gore and BO are still trumpeting that we shouldn't have gone into Iraq and that we should have focused on getting Bin Laden in Afghanistan. These guys have really spun their story over and over again. They are totally unwilling to give Bush credit for anything good and everything bad.
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- A military judge has dismissed all charges against a Marine officer accused of failing to investigate the killings of 24 Iraqis.
Col. Steven Folsom dismissed charges Tuesday against Lt. Col. Jeffrey Chessani after defense attorneys raised concerns that a four-star general overseeing the prosecution was improperly influenced by an investigator probing the November 2005 shootings by a Marine squad in Haditha. Screw you Murtha
#3
Murtha will walk outta this smelling like a rose.
Haditha? What's that? Oh, yeah. Well, my comments were obviously misconstrued. Let's all just...move on.
#4
Murtha's district is union central. When the union says vote, everybody votes for the Dem. Murtha will vacate his seat when he's carried out feet first. Alas.
Posted by: Jonathan ||
06/17/2008 13:28 Comments ||
Top||
#5
I wish someone would arrange that feet first thing. If nothing else the fat old bastard has to have coronary problems - just keep startling the old SOB by blowing up a paper bag and popping it near him. If he doesn't have a coronary, he'll probably piss himself like the coward he is.
#6
Johnstown - the anal abcess of the rust belt...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
06/17/2008 13:32 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Jonathan, that is exactly the problem with Congress in general. For representatives, it doesn't matter if the entire population of 434 Congressional districts hate the guts of a Congresscritter, as long as the people in his district vote for him, he will continue to serve. And he ensures they will vote for him by bringing in the pork.
Which is why we need term limits for Congress. And why we will never have them - it will take a constitutional amendment, and the first step in passing an amendment is getting through Congress.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
06/17/2008 13:33 Comments ||
Top||
#8
Oh yeah - and for Lt. Col. Chessani, OORAH!
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
06/17/2008 13:34 Comments ||
Top||
#9
"Are people in PA that f***ing stupid?"
No they aren't stupid. He brings MILLIONS of dollars of graft into that Podunk area. Without him and his earmarks, there wouldn't be anything going on there to keep the local aristocracy rolling in cash.
#10
You got it, Crosspatch. Do away with earmark life support for dying districts and they go poof! Murtha's district is one that should have disappeared a long time ago. As for the unions, they are mainly to blame for the fact that most of Jtown's factories are shuttered and the rest of the place is a giant unreclaimed brownfield.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
06/17/2008 13:41 Comments ||
Top||
#11
I believe Murtha will get his via civil rights, slander and defamation suits to be brought by the Marines individually. I would also like to see the Corps sue him, but that would never happen. Maybe the Commandant can just declare him an ex-Marine. I suspect this is the only price he will pay, but I also suspect he will be watching Michael Nifong's bankruptcy shenanigans for tips on how to deal with his problem.
#12
And don't forget... Lt. Colonel William Russell (RET) moved his entire family to PA just to run again Murtha ---William Russell for Congress
Lt. Colonel William Russell is a decorated combat veteran who has served in Desert Storm, the Iraq War, and the Pentagon on 9/11.
He's a Republican, and he came home to run against Jack Murtha in November but they kicked him off the ballot.
For Republicans to have a choice for Congress this November, 1000 write-in votes were needed. OVER 4000 REPUBLICAN VOTERS PUT BILL BACK ON THE BALLOT!
(About 1000 Democrats wrote him in for the Democratic ticket also!)
#15
a four-star general overseeing the prosecution was improperly influenced by an investigator
I am gonna guess that he was made an offer he couldn't refuse, not without risking his career. Of course, the fact that he made this calculation ought to result in him being cashiered post-haste.
#18
Murtha is to the House as Kennedy is to the Senate. Except Ted has an excuse - he's a Kennedy; Murtha WAS a Marine, so he has absolutely no excuse for being in such dire need of some paper bag poppings.
#19
Fred needs to replace Steve White as a mod. He sinktraps far too often and usually over pretty damned benign comments. Shows what happens when you let a self-proclaimed lib have any power of any sort: it goes straight to their head. Maybe somebody should remind him that the name of this blog is "Rantburg," not "Miss Manners on Etiquette."
Maybe White is prepping for a job on a Canadian Human Rights Commission.
Posted by: Thaimble Scourge of the Pixies4707 ||
06/17/2008 19:13 Comments ||
Top||
#20
For representatives, it doesn't matter if the entire population of 434 Congressional districts hate the guts of a Congresscritter, as long as the people in his district vote for him, he will continue to serve.
Actually, either the House or the Party can strip the individual of all offices, chairs, and powers leaving the individual with a simple vote in the assembly.
Can one of you military or legal guys spell out what that really means?
TITLE 10 > Subtitle A > PART II > CHAPTER 47A > SUBCHAPTER IV >
949b. Unlawfully influencing action of military commission
(a) In General.â
(1) No authority convening a military commission under this chapter may censure, reprimand, or admonish the military commission, or any member, military judge, or counsel thereof, with respect to the findings or sentence adjudged by the military commission, or with respect to any other exercises of its or his functions in the conduct of the proceedings. (2) No person may attempt to coerce or, by any unauthorized means, influenceâ
(A) the action of a military commission under this chapter, or any member thereof, in reaching the findings or sentence in any case;
(B) the action of any convening, approving, or reviewing authority with respect to his judicial acts; or
(C) the exercise of professional judgment by trial counsel or defense counsel.
which then leads to -
Art. 92. Failure to obey order or regulation
Any person subject to this chapter whoâ
(1) violates or fails to obey any lawful general order or regulation;
(2) having knowledge of any other lawful order issued by a member of the armed forces, which it is his duty to obey, fails to obey the order; or
(3) is derelict in the performance of his duties;
shall be punished as a court-martial may direct.
#22
P2K, I meant ordinary people in the other districts. You know - voters. Besides, why would the other members of Congress attack Rep. Murtha? All he has done is a) slander members of the military, and b) bring much money to his contributors constituents. To many Congressional Democrats, a and b are both part of his job. For Republicans, b is still part of his job.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
06/17/2008 19:48 Comments ||
Top||
#23
The line here is pretty clear. We do not call for the death of US citizens. No matter how much we may feel they deserve it. And Murtha's high on the list of those who invoke such feelings -- in me, in Steve and in other mods too.
Capice?
This is not Steve White's policy - it's the site's policy and all us mods enforce it. Steve's been doing yeoman's duty modding while some of us have been swamped elsewhere, is all.
I personally was attending to the widow and children of an Army officer, a friend and colleague we buried with military honors today, or I might have been the one to sinktrap our esteemed Old Spook's comment in this thread.
Fred's on the line for potential legal liability from such comments. Those who value Rantburg will respect the pretty minimal rules here and not force the mods to have to sinktrap such comments.
#24
Folks, please do not taunt the mods on my behalf.
I posted my other comment because I found it rather humorous that my first sink trapping iin recent memory would be over popping paper bags to frighten an old coot...
Its not like I was specifiing a sniper attack, IED or other things our military faces, whilest being sold down the road by some politicians.
You have to admit its unique in terms of dropping a post into the sinktrap - no high explosives, direct assaults, rifle bullets or evne ACME Anvils dropped on the head.
#26
And to be very clear, even in jest and with such a very indirect, inscrutable (even humorous) way, it was a call for someon to be killed (as opposed to simply die), and thus was over the line.
But the Iraqis came away with a different impression in Chicago, where they had hoped to meet with Mr. Obama but ended up talking to a staff aide. "We noticed there was a concentration on the negatives," the governor recalls. "The Democrat kept saying that Americans have committed a lot of mistakes. Yes, that's true, but why don't you concentrate on what the Americans have achieved in Iraq?"
The Iraqis are even more incredulous about Mr. Obama's willingness to negotiate with Iran, which they see as a predatory regime. "Do you Americans forget what the Iranians did to your embassy?" asks the governor. "Don't you know that Ahmadinejad was one of [the hostage takers]?"
Here Hussein Ali al-Shalan, a Shiite from Diwaniyah in southern Iraq, offers a view. "For a long time, Iran has felt like Iraq is theirs. Our fear [about U.S. negotiations with Iran] is, you will be giving them something that we believe would prolong our agony. We are not against Iran. We have to coexist and work toward our mutual interests. The question is, is this possible at this stage? That's why we need the army to give a final push so the Iraqis can feel the fruits of our democracy."
It's not just Iran. "There is no other country that supports us," says Gov. Awani. "What is happening in Iraq scares everyone," by which he means the neighboring autocracies that have something to fear from a successful democratic model in their midst.
#1
I wonder if they will be putting McCain in '08 signs up in Anbar Province or hanging them off balconies in the Green Zone? I know for a fact that there will be Obama in '08 banners hanging in the bars of every journalist hotel in Baghdad.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
06/17/2008 13:07 Comments ||
Top||
#2
We noticed there was a concentration on the negatives.
Welcome to our world in dealing with the dhimocrats.
#3
They need to insure that all Iraqi Americans stateside register and vote for McCain.
Posted by: Andy Cravising4731 ||
06/17/2008 14:24 Comments ||
Top||
#4
We noticed there was a concentration on the negatives.
No kidding. We have been dealing with that in this country for some time now. The donks have been inventing the lies and the MSM has been disseminating these lies for some time; these are our domestic enemies that have most likely lengthened the war and caused many unnecessary deaths. They have also given encouragement to our enemies abroad.
#5
For a long time, Iran has felt like Iraq is theirs. Our fear [about U.S. negotiations with Iran] is, you will be giving them something that we believe would prolong our agony.
The Czechs felt the same way when others gave away their country too. All for the common good and stuff.
#3
"This is the sort of thing you might expect at Bush-style offshore prisons or gulags or concentration camps."
I'm glad to see the author is not biased or anything. Come On! Where are the gas chambers and ovens? Those guys are slipping up on their NAZI references.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
06/17/2008 11:24 Comments ||
Top||
#4
What a friggen joke of an article. Goebbels woudl be proud of the hatred, vitrol and lies spewing forth from it.
Interesting that "Al Mathaba (meaning center) is the Libyan center for anti-imperialist propaganda which has funded third world guerilla groups. The Anti-Imperialism Center (AIC) - also known as Mathaba - is used by the Libyan Government to support terrorist networks and thus plays an important role in Qadhafi's terrorism strategy. Established in 1982 to support "liberation and revolutionary groups, the AIC has sponsored a number of stridently anti-Western conferences in Tripoli." source
probably a coincidence...
Posted by: Bobby ||
06/17/2008 12:30 Comments ||
Top||
#7
According to the CIA Factbook, Iraq has a land area of about 432,162 sq km.
So we're building 58 mega-bases each 20 miles (32 km) around. Each base then is 64 sq km, thus 3,712 sq km total taken. That's about 0.86% of the land mass available. That's assuming that we're building 58 big bases, of course, as is claimed.
No thoughts of perspective in that article, I suppose.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/17/2008 16:02 Comments ||
Top||
#8
There's nothing "mega" about the examples:
"added approximately 90,000 square feet of pavement to the airfield"
That's equal to just two 50 ft by 900 ft runways.
"constructed more than 25,000 square feet of living, dining and operations buildings"
That's roughly equal to one building that's 80 ft by 100 ft by three stories -- a single suburban office building.
"replaced approximately 30 cubic meters of concrete over newly installed power line cables."
I believe at typical concrete truck carries about 5 to 8 cubic meters, so that's only about 4 to 6 truckloads.
Amara, Jun 16, (VOI) - Muthanna governor on Monday ordered leaders of security forces to remove all concrete blocs in the province, except for al-Muhafaza street, which contain most of the security departments. Today I met with leaders of security authorities and consulted with them on removing the concrete blocs throughout the province, Ahmed Marzouq al-Salal told Aswat al-Iraq Voices of Iraq. There is no need for these blocs as the province witnesses stable security condition thanks to the security forces efforts in the province with some help from chieftains and other political blocs, he also said.
We excluded al-Muhafaza street because it contains most of the provinces security departments, he explained. A number of important issues have been tackled during the meeting with leaders of security authorities, including removing the concrete blocs, he added.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/17/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency
A military judge who has heard days of arguments over motions in the case against a Marine officer charged criminally after U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., publicly accused service members of being murderers abruptly has changed a hearing that had been scheduled for three days to one hour.
The confirmation comes from the Thomas More Law Center, which is defending Lt. Col Jeffrey Chessani.
Officials with the law center today said Col. Steven Folson, the military judge assigned to the case, "informed counsel that the hearing in the Chessani case, originally scheduled for three days, June 16-18, has been changed to only one hour on Tuesday, June 17, 2008, at 9 a.m. PST. "Col. Folsom indicated that the only business he will address is his ruling on the defense motion to dismiss Lt. Col. Jeffery Chessani's case because of unlawful command influence," the law center said.
That certainly suggests that he's grant the motion to dismiss.
Folsom only recently ruled that there was evidence in the Chessani case of unlawful command influence, which is considered the "mortal enemy" of justice within the military judicial structure. The judge's conclusion was based on evidence two generals who controlled Chessani's case were influenced by Marine lawyer Col. John Ewers, one of the investigators assigned to the case. Ewers was allowed to attend at least 25 closed-session meetings in which Chessani's case was discussed.
Defense lawyers note that shifted the burden of proof to prosecutors to convince the judge that the facts presented by the defense were untrue, don't constitute unlawful command influence or would not affect the proceedings.
More and more it's looking like the military screwed up with the investigation. And we have John Murtha to thank for it.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/17/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: Iraqi Insurgency
#1
And dont forget the politically motivated articles by Time reporter McGurk. I hope the Haiditha Marines sue him and Murtha for all they own.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
06/17/2008 2:26 Comments ||
Top||
#2
DISMISSED!
Undue Influence is the cause. In other words somone pushed the prosecution of the charges when there really was not enough evidence not enough to go there.
MURTHA you traitorous hole, rot in hell for smearing these men.
GAZA - Journalists in the Gaza Strip held a symbolic work stoppage on Monday as part of a protest to demand that Israel explain why its troops killed a Reuters cameraman in the Palestinian enclave two months ago to the day. The demonstration, during which journalists laid down their cameras, came on a day when U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will unveil a memorial dedicated to journalists killed while reporting on wars around the world.
Reuters Middle East Managing Editor Mark Thompson said: "We are deeply disappointed that the Israeli army has failed to provide an account of the circumstances in which Fadel Shana was killed by a tank shell on April 16, nor any evidence to support its claim that they could not identify him as a journalist.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/17/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
With current anti-sniper tech... YOU DO NOT TAKE A LENS INTO A COMBAT ZONE.
Officials said on Monday thar it was likely that the cease-fire with Hamas would go into effect in the next few days. On Sunday, a Hamas delegation met in Cairo with Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman to discuss the format of the deal. Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said that the cease-fire talks were nearing completion.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday that one of the goals of the cease-fire was to expedite the release of kidnapped IDF soldier Cpl. Gilad Schalit. Once and if the cease-fire goes into effect, Barak said, Israel will need to make "painful decisions" on the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Schalit. "It will be difficult to renew negotiations over Schalit if we are in the midst of a wide-scale conflict with Hamas in Gaza," Barak said during a Labor Party meeting in the Knesset.
Also Monday, a US military delegation arrived along the Egyptian-Gaza border and was assisting border police there in setting up tunnel-detection equipment to counter smuggling under the Philadelphi Corridor. Egyptian officials said Cairo had spent $30 million on the advanced tunnel-detection devices.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
Meaning from now on, all terr attacks are attributed to Al Aqsa Brigades and/or Islamic Jihand---rather than Hamas?
Despite intense lobbying by Egypt and the Palestinian Authority, the European Union on Monday - in a sign of vastly improved European-Israeli relations over the last few years - agreed to a significant upgrade of relations.
The upgrade was announced in Luxembourg during the annual EU-Israel Association Council meeting, headed by foreign ministers, which conducts the bilateral relations between Israel and the EU. The announcement was made at a meeting attended by Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and the ministers of the 27 EU states.
A statement put out by the foreign ministry said this agreement "will usher in a new era in Israeli-European relations."
Palestinian Prime Minister Salaam Fayad last week sent a letter to the EU countries urging them not to upgrade ties unless Israel halted construction in east Jerusalem and the West Bank. Similar appeals in all the European capitals have been made over the last few weeks by Egyptian diplomatic officials as well.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
A well known IRANIAN Officio was quoted on IRNA today as saying ISRAEL CANNOT SURVIVE, AND *SHOCK* 'TWASN'T MOUD, but which in turn helps explain AGAIN Israel's desire to join NATO + US GMD-TMD.
(Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of state Condoleezza Rice on Monday extended U.S. support to Lebanon's future democratically-elected government but said Washington still lists Shiite militant group Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.
Rice's remarks came after meeting Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and were in reply to a question about the U.S. stand regarding a new Lebanese cabinet which will include Hezbollah ministers, LBC TV reported.
Talking to reporters after the meeting, Rice voiced U.S. support to Lebanon's forthcoming democratically elected government, adding that she congratulated Berri for the achievement of Doha accord, election of President Michel Suleiman and reopening of the parliament.
Rice made a surprising visit to Lebanon's capital on Monday, meeting majority leader MP Saad Hariri, designated Prime Minister Fouad Seniora and the newly-elected president.
After talks with Seniora, she reiterated U.S. support to Lebanon's sovereignty and democracy, saying that "I look forward to working with the Lebanese government and democratic institutions."
She expressed hope that UN resolution 1701 and other related resolutions would be implemented and that the issue of Shebaa farms would be solved.
The Lebanese territory was captured by Israel during the 1967 Mideast war. Israel pulled out of south Lebanon in 2000, but kept control over the disputed Shebaa farms, where the borders of Lebanon, Syria and Israel meet.
Hezbollah was the only Lebanese group which did not have to hand over its weapons in 1989, according to the Taef accord which ended its 15 years of civil war. Hezbollah said the group will keep its arms as long as there are Lebanese territories under the Israeli occupation.
Rice revealed that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is working on the implementation of UN resolutions.
Upon her arrival earlier Monday, Rice met Suleiman at the presidential palace and said the U.S. supports "democratically elected government in Lebanon."
"Doha accord serves the interest of the Lebanese people, so the U.S. supports this accord," Rice said.
Under the aegis of the Arab League, the Western-backed ruling majority and the Hezbollah-led opposition reached an agreement in Doha on May 21, ending a 18-month-long political deadlock in the country.
The first phase of the agreement led to the election of Suleiman as the new president on May 25 after six months of a presidential vacuum.
The second step is to form a national unity government giving the opposition led by Hezbollah the long-awaited veto power, but formation of the cabinet has been delayed by disagreement over keyportfolio since late May.
The rival leaders also agreed to adopt the 1960 electoral law under the Doha accord which came after a 18-month-long political crisis in the country turned violent earlier in May.
The latest visit of Rice to Lebanon was in July 2006 during the33-day war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Hezbollah
(Xinhua) -- Israeli and Syrian representatives on Monday concluded the second round of indirect peace talks in Turkey, local daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported on its website.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's negotiation delegates, Yoram Turbovich and Shalom Turgeman, reported positive atmosphere during the two-day talks, said the report.
Israeli officials in Jerusalem, however, clarified that the upcoming meeting between Olmert and Syrian President Bashar al- Assad in Paris on July 13 will not revolve around the peace talks. "This is a French initiative, if it happens - great. Olmert said he will attend the meeting and has emphasized his willingness to meet with Arab leaders," the sources were quoted as saying.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/17/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
RENSE/TOPIX > TURKEY, SYRIA MAY BECOME PARTNERS IN NUCLEAR ENERGY.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Cleric Abu Qatada, who has been described as Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe, is to be released on bail in the next 24 hours. Qatada will be required to wear an electronic tag and remain in his home for 22 hours a day, according to papers released by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission.
The reported evidence -- some of which is expected to be made public at a Senate hearing today -- also shows that military lawyers raised strong concerns about the legality of the practices as early as November 2002, a month before Rumsfeld approved them. The findings contradict previous accounts by 
The government is testing drugs with severe side effects like psychosis and suicidal behavior on hundreds of military veterans, using small cash payments to attract patients into medical experiments that often target distressed soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, a Washington Times/ABC News investigation has found. 
DETROIT, June 16 (Reuters) - Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Monday he plans to visit Iraq and Afghanistan before November's election and was encouraged by a recent reduction in violence in Iraq.
Democrats in the Congress, who came to power last year on a call to end the combat in Iraq, will soon give President Bush the last war-funding bill of his presidency without any of the conditions they sought for withdrawing U.S. troops, congressional aides said on Monday. Lawmakers are arranging to send Bush $165 billion in new money for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, enough to last for about a year and well beyond when Bush leaves office on January 20. A House of Representatives vote on the bill was expected this week. Anything the House passes would have to be approved by the Senate before the legislation is sent to Bush. With the Pentagon running out of money to continue fighting the two wars, Congress is trying to approve new funds before its July 4 holiday recess.
The police have freed a key suspect in a suicide bombing that killed around 150 people at last years homecoming rally for former premier Benazir Bhutto, an official said on Monday.
United States and the United Nations (UN) atomic watchdog must be allowed to question Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan to learn if he sold blueprints to Iran or North Korea, Former UN Arms Inspector David Albright said on Monday.
