tagged w/ US Military
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The My Lai Massacre was the mass murder conducted by a unit of the U.S. Army on March 16, 1968 of 347 to 504 unarmed citizens in South Vietnam, all of whom were civilians and a majority of whom were women, children (including babies) and elderly people.
Many of the victims were sexually abused, beaten, tortured, and some of the bodies were found mutilated. The massacre took place in the hamlets of Mỹ Lai and My Khe of Sơn Mỹ village during the Vietnam War. While 26 U.S. soldiers were initially charged with criminal offenses for their actions at My Lai, only William Calley was convicted. He served only three years of an original life sentence, while on house arrest.
When the incident became public knowledge in 1969, it prompted widespread outrage around the world. The massacre also increased domestic opposition to the US involvement in the Vietnam War. Three U.S. servicemen who made an effort to halt the massacre and protect the wounded were denounced by U.S. Congressmen, received hate mail and death threats and found mutilated animals on their doorsteps. Only 30 years after the event were their efforts honored
what a horrific thing it is to create killing monsters out of human beings, which is exactly what the military does.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Lai_MassacreThe My Lai Massacre was the mass murder conducted by a unit of the U.S. Army on March... more
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Wikileaks sparked controversy when it first appeared on the net in December 2006. For some it is lauded as the future of investigative journalism. For others it is a risk.
In March 2010 the site's director, Julian Assange, published a document purportedly from the US intelligence services, claiming that Wikileaks represented a "threat to the US Army". The US government later confirmed to the BBC that the documents were genuine. "The un-authorised publication of Army and DoD sensitive documents on Wikileaks provides foreign intelligence services access to information that they may use to harm Army and DoD interests," a spokesperson told BBC News.
Wikileaks claims to have fought off more than "100 legal attacks" in its life, in part because of what is described as its "bulletproof hosting".
The site is primarily hosted by Swedish ISP PeRiQuito (PRQ), which became famous for hosting file-sharing website The Pirate Bay.
"If it is legal in Sweden, we will host it, and will keep it up regardless of any pressure to take it down," the ISP's site says. The site now claims to host more than one million documents.
Anyone can submit to Wikileaks anonymously, but a team of reviewers - volunteers from the mainstream press, journalists and Wikileaks staff - decides what is published.
"We use advanced cryptographic techniques and legal techniques to protect sources," Mr Assange told the BBC in February.
The site says that it accepts "classified, censored or otherwise restricted material of political, diplomatic or ethical significance" but does not take "rumour, opinion or other kinds of first hand reporting or material that is already publicly available".
"We specialise in allowing whistleblowers and journalists who have been censored to get material out to the public," said Mr Assange.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8605055.stmWikileaks sparked controversy when it first appeared on the net in December 2006. For... more
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US Apache Helicopters Unprovoked Massacre Of Reuters Employee and His Rescuers…GRAPHIC WARNING!!!
Collateral Murder Overview
Wikileaks
5th April 2010
WikiLeaks has released a classified US military video depicting the indiscriminate slaying of over a dozen people in the Iraqi suburb of New Baghdad — including two Reuters news staff.
SHOCKING IRAQ VIDEO: US Apache Helicopters Unprovoked Massacre Of Reuters Employee and His Rescuers…Collateral Murder!!!....http://ctpatriot1970.wordpress.com/2010/04/05/shocking-iraq-video-us-apache-helicopters-unprovoked-massacre-of-reuters-employee-and-his-rescuers-collateral-murder/
Reuters has been trying to obtain the video through the Freedom of Information Act, without success since the time of the attack. The video, shot from an Apache helicopter gun-site, clearly shows the unprovoked slaying of a wounded Reuters employee and his rescuers. Two young children involved in the rescue were also seriously wounded.US Apache Helicopters Unprovoked Massacre Of Reuters Employee and His... more
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Calling it a case of "collateral murder," the WikiLeaks Web site today released harrowing until-now secret video of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter in Baghdad in 2007 repeatedly opening fire on a group of men that included a Reuters photographer and his driver -- and then on a van that stopped to rescue one of the wounded men.
None of the members of the group were taking hostile action, contrary to the Pentagon's initial cover story; they were milling about on a street corner. One man was evidently carrying a gun, though that was and is hardly an uncommon occurrence in Baghdad.
Reporters working for WikiLeaks determined that the driver of the van was a good Samaritan on his way to take his small children to a tutoring session. He was killed and his two children were badly injured.
In the video, which Reuters has been asking to see since 2007, crew members can be heard celebrating their kills.
In addition to the now exposed Army cover up of this story this morning, the New York Times also confirmed a gruesome cover-up by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. Officials who had repeatedly denied reports by Jerome Starkey in the Times of London have now confirmed that American Special Operations soldiers slaughtered three women in a nighttime raid in February -- and actually dug bullets out of the bodies of the women as part of a cover-up. Starkey says U.S. and NATO forces are rarely held to account for the atrocities they commit.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/05/wikileaks-exposes-video-o_n_525569.htmlCalling it a case of "collateral murder," the WikiLeaks Web site today... more
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A U.S. warship sank a pirate skiff and captured a pirate mother ship in the Indian Ocean on Thursday, according to a statement from U.S. Naval Forces Africa.
The frigate USS Nicholas came under fire from a pirate vessel shortly after midnight in international waters west of the Seychelles, according to a U.S. military statement.
The Nicholas returned fire and pursued the skiff as it fled, capturing it about 90 minutes later. Three suspected pirates aboard the skiff were taken into custody, along with two others aboard a suspected pirate mother ship that was nearby.
Experts say piracy will continue to be a problem until an effective government is established on Somalia's lawless shores. The country has not had a functioning government for 19 years.
http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/01/u-s-warship-captures-suspected-pirate-mother-ship/
http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/us-navy-frigate-captures-425103.htmlA U.S. warship sank a pirate skiff and captured a pirate mother ship in the Indian... more
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Yesterday my colleague Darren wrote about how the world is becoming increasingly dangerous for journalists. While the recent high profile events that Darren mentioned (Roxana Saberi, Laura Ling) have put a spotlight on the perils of journalism, there is an interesting corollary trend that has largely escaped mainstream attention. Slowly but steadily the world is becoming a more dangerous place for humanitarian organizations.
Non-profits, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), aid agencies all used to be afforded a larger degree of protection in the countries and conflicts in which they operated. It’s difficult to define when the trend started occurring, but there has been a rapid escalation in the last two decades of violence against aid organizations. Perhaps the most notable example is the withdrawal of Medecins Sans Frontiers (MSF, or known commonly as Doctors Without Borders in the US) from Afghanistan in 2004. Doctors Without Borders had been providing medical services in Afghanistan since 1980. They fearlessly worked throughout the bloody confrontation with the Soviets, the brutal civil war that followed, and the repressive regime of the Taliban in the 1990s. But, after 24 years of operating in one of the most difficult places on earth, coupled with an incident in which five of their staff members were killed, MSF decided that it was too dangerous to operate in the country. This left a major void and a population without access to basic medical treatment at a time it was desperately needed.
Similarly, last year in Somalia, MSF was forced to halt all operations and withdraw 87 staff members after three of its people were killed in a roadside bomb. This was on the heels of an incident in which two staff members were kidnapped. I was in Somalia in 2006 and could see the rampant escalation of violence against what used to be perceived as neutral actors. When I was in Mogadishu, the UN had pulled out all international staff, using only local Somalis as proxies to conduct their activities.
These are but a few examples. The general trend line is that more and more aid organizations are being targeted in conflict zones. The humanitarian space is rapidly shrinking. Even in places where NGOs can still operate, they have to devote a larger and larger portion of their resources to security, thereby diminishing the care they are able to give to the local population, which in turn makes them perceived less as allies and more as foreigners, which makes the aid organizations more vulnerable. It’s a vicious cycle.
Its reasonable to ask why the humanitarian space is rapidly disintegrating. There is a combination of factors. One component is that in both Iraq and Afghanistan the insurgency style conflict has blurred the lines between combatant and non-combatant. This has had spill-over effect to the NGO community. The UN peacekeeping branding has lost some of its perception as a strict peacekeeping force as well. Blue Helmets with .50 cals don’t exactly scream peace, and it is likely that the NGO community as a whole has been impacted by the changing perception of the UN. Finally there is a more worrisome reason that has been whispered about in the aid community. It has been suggested that the military itself is blurring the line between military action and humanitarian action. In an effort to win hearts and minds, the military is engaging in many of the same types of missions that have traditionally been the domain of humanitarian organizations. Detractors say that when the missions are the same, it makes it less important for combatants to distinguish between the motivations of different organizations. For example when I was in Afghanistan in 2005, I was embedded with the US military when they went on a mission called a MedCap. The purpose was to provide medical care in rural Afghanistan. Some in the humanitarian world claim this is exactly the kind of thing that pollutes the line between aid and military action, and puts providers at risk.
The military disagrees with this analysis and believes it is critical to their efforts to engender good will among the civilian populace. Its difficult to know the answer, but it is troubling that an organization like MSF which survived the Russians, a Civil War, and the Taliban in Afghanistan, couldn’t survive the American occupation.
What is clear though is that what (and who) were once considered safe in some of the most difficult areas in the world are no longer so. Aid workers joke with the gallows style humor that the famous red cross plus sign, used to act a bullet proof vest. A vehicle emblazoned with it on the side could drive through the middle of a fire fight and the shooting would stop. Now its considered a bulls-eye.
Whatever the reasons, the shrinking humanitarian space is a reality with fairly severe consequences. In many places organizations like MSF are the only people operating there. Without them, the populations, become less healthy, more impoverished, and increasingly isolated from the outside world; exactly the root conditions that make them ripe to become conflict zones in the first place.
Recently on the Vanguard Blog:
- The world: A dangerous place for reporters - Darren Foster
- Sometimes that which seemed impossible actually comes to pass - Mitch Koss
- Doctors Wanted: no experience necessary! - Cerissa Tanner
- All you ever needed to know about Vanguard, and then some. - Mariana van Zeller
- Kentucky Targets “The OxyContin Express” - Mariana van ZellerYesterday my colleague Darren wrote about how the world is becoming increasingly... more
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Kaj and I are in the final stages of piecing together our show on remote control warfare. When we came up with the idea to highlight different technologies, we wanted to focus on technologies in development to fight wars of the future. But today, I’m reminded that the future wars might just be the same wars we’ve been fighting all along...i.e. Afghanistan.
A couple of years ago, Cerissa (Vanguard producer) came up with the idea to create a thoughtful moment of remembrance for fallen soldiers to play on Current every Friday. It was a graphic package listing the name, rank, age and hometown of the fallen along with where they died and how.
If we had a Fallen Soldiers for this week (so far), it would read a little like this:
The following Marines died Oct. 26 while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Cpl. Gregory M.W. Fleury, 23, of Anchorage, Alaska.
Capt. Eric A. Jones, 29, of Westchester, N.Y.
Capt. David S. Mitchell, 30, of Loveland, Ohio.
Capt. Kyle R. Van De Giesen, 29, of North Attleboro, Mass.
*NOTE: There were at least 10 more American deaths this week in Afghanistan, but not all names have been released.
Recently on the Vanguard Blog:
- Drugs and Cambodia after the Khmer Rouge - Adam Yamaguchi
- A Geologist’s Analysis of the War in Afghanistan - Kaj Larsen
- Everything is connected: ecstasy, rainforests, and beyond - Adam Yamaguchi
- Street Hustlers, Militants, and Vanguard’s Mission - Mitch Koss
- Cambodia’s Coming Drug Crisis - Joanne ShenKaj and I are in the final stages of piecing together our show on remote control... more
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A few weeks ago, I went with Kaj Larsen to Piney Flats, Tennessee to interview Jerry Baber for our show, Remote Control War (airing December 2). Jerry is like a messiah in the gun world. He makes all sorts of guns and gun parts out of his log cabin in rural Tennessee, but his greatest contribution to the gun world is the AA12. It’s an automatic shotgun without the kick. I think Kaj said it best…the AA12 is like the Ferrari of shotguns.
After a day of filming with Jerry and Kaj, it was time for me to give the AA12 a try. I’ve never shot a gun before. In fact, I secretly wanted to leave Tennessee without having to shoot the thing, but for the sake of the story (to illustrate how easy it is to fire), and to amuse Kaj, I gave the AA12 a go!
I’ll let the video speak for itself…
The AA12 (Video)
I have to admit, firing the AA12 was unlike anything I’ve ever done. I don’t think it’s my thing, but I had a fun shooting my first gun with the gun maker standing by to help me out!
I love my job for a lot of reasons, but trying new things has to be one of the best perks of the job.
Now I can check “shooting a gun” off my list of things to try while in the field!
[Also, check out Kaj's previous Vanguard story Fully Automatic America. Plenty of gun-firing in that one too! And tune in tonight for another episode of Vanguard at 10pm ET/10pm PT]
Previously on the Vanguard Blog:
- Hearing the voices in Afghanistan - by Kaj Larsen
- Running the Math on Big Brother’s Pills - by Darren Foster
- An overview of Cuba: Past, Present and Future - by Adrian BaschukA few weeks ago, I went with Kaj Larsen to Piney Flats, Tennessee to interview Jerry... more
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After announcing the new American commitment to the war in Afghanistan, President Obama called on NATO allies to contribute more troops to the effort as well. From the NY Times story today, NATO has agreed to contribute 7,000 additional troops. The call has also gone out to individual countries to pony up as well. Britain, for example, will add another 500.
Here in Turkey, however, people are little less enthusiastic about sending more troops to Afghanistan. Turkey is NATO member, and has forces currently in Afghanistan. In fact the country just recently sent another 958 last month. But opinions in both government and on the streets were pretty sharply opposed to Obama's request. Here's the cover of my new favorite newspaper Hurriyet Daily News.
The title of this one is Turks to Obama: 'You broke it, you fix it' One of the other headlines on the front page is "Media turns on Obama" - and it seems like possibly the big theme here from an American perspective is a significant decline in Obama's popularity. Between the government, the media and the six people interviewed in the man-on-the-street feature - there's not one positive opinion about the President. Which is a bad sign for an administration that's banked a large part of its diplomacy on its charisma. Especially in rebuilding America's relationship with the Muslim world. Losing ground in Turkey, a secular Muslim country that aspires to be a part of the European Union, could be a bad bellwether for Obama.
Recently on the Current News Blog:
- Meet Zouhair al Jezairy, my new Iraqi journalist friend
- Bhopal: 25 years later
- What's news in Turkey?
- 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan: The right choice?
- Welcome to IstanbulAfter announcing the new American commitment to the war in Afghanistan, President... more
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An exciting couple of days in Afghan election news. After a nail-biting few weeks of recounts, this weekend the challenger Abdullah Abdullah dropped out of the race. Meaning that President Karzai would keep his job for another term.
So, good news right? Now Afghanistan has an uncontested President? Well unfortunately the whole point of the recount was to ensure validity for whomever ended up the victor. And with Abdullah dropping out because “transparent election is not possible” it doesn't seem to lend a lot of credibility to Karzai's win. But don't tell the US, which was already very quick to congratulate Karzai on his win.
The challenges facing stabilizing efforts in Afghanistan unfortunately seem to keep growing with time. I finally had the chance to watch "Obama's War" from Frontline this weekend, and I highly recommend it. It gives you a real sense of the challenges on the ground in Afghanistan's provinces and in Kabul working with Karzai's government. All of the warlords and possible drug smugglers he's surrounded himself with still seem to be around - will the US need to boost legitimacy in spite of Afghanistan's elected President?
Recently on the Current News Blog:
- Obama's stimulus numbers look promising
- Iran on nukes: No deal
- Honduras deal reached - Zelaya to return to power?
- The economy grows again - Champagne time yet?
- The Tamil Tigers and innovations in IEDsAn exciting couple of days in Afghan election news. After a nail-biting few weeks of... more
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As Pakistan hammers militants in South Waziristan, they've got a little help from their friends. The US military is providing video surveillance and intelligence from unmanned drones - the deepest involvement between the two militaries to date.
From the Los Angeles Times:
For months the United States and Pakistan have been sharing information from Predator flights in the volatile border regions, but until now the Pakistanis had not accepted help for their major military operations. Islamabad turned down American surveillance and targeting aid during the offensive in the Swat district that began in May.
The use of military drones for intelligence gathering in Pakistan is separate from the ongoing Predator attack campaign being carried out in that country by the CIA. Over the last 18 months, missile strikes from CIA-operated drones have killed at least 13 senior Al Qaeda or Taliban operatives in Pakistan's tribal zone.
It's a tricky situation for Pakistan's military as they're usually very careful to not seem too dependent on the US. It also could give strength to claims by Taliban militants that the Pakistani government is following the direction of the United States.
Recently on the Current News Blog:
- US police make massive Mexican drug cartel bust
- Defining 'dithering' - Dick Cheney accuses President Obama of wasting time
- North American Union conspiracy hits the big time
- Meet the Uighurs - Laura Ling's interview with China's western dissidents
- Captured by Somali pirates - A journalist's first hand storyAs Pakistan hammers militants in South Waziristan, they've got a little help from... more
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On Current News, user WakeUpPeople points to this story: Report: Taliban trying to turn US troops into heroin addicts.
Originally posted over on the The Daily Beast by Gerald Posner, the story cites an intelligence official that says despite taboos against the military discussing it, addicting American troops to heroin is a goal of the Taliban.
Today’s Taliban-fighting Americans were yesterday’s mujahideen-fighting Soviets. They saw how heroin helped disable a foreign fighting force more than 20 years ago. And that lesson isn’t lost on them. With the Afghan opium crop at record levels—generating more than 90 percent of the global supply—and the Taliban and al Qaeda increasingly relying on the drug trade to finance their war, targeting U.S. soldiers also has the potential to seed new markets.
Though the extent of the problem is unknown (and really the Daily Beast does not offer hard evidence that heroin addiction or even experimentation is widespread among soldiers deployed to Afghanistan) six anonymous soldiers painted a grim picture:
The Daily Beast spoke to six soldiers, four of whom had served in Iraq, and two from Afghanistan. All had developed opiate addictions and had sought treatment from the Veterans Hospitals in their home cities. None wanted to go on the record, because they were either in the Reserves, afraid their comments might be interpreted as criticism of the Army, or might reflect badly on their friends who were still serving honorably in the combat zones.
These six unanimously confirmed that heroin “was everywhere,” especially in Afghanistan. Each of them also talked about local suppliers who had established pipelines into American troop installations in many parts of the countries. One, who had been based at the Bagram airfield, said that heroin was “sold at a lot of the shops in the bazaar” located just outside the air base’s perimeter. They confirmed that some soldiers have bartered away military equipment, including knives, helmets, and flak jackets, for drugs. “Why do you think you can buy surplus Army equipment inside the bazaar,” one solider asked me.
Does this seem likely? Do you think bored US troops would start using heroin in Afghanistan? If so, how can we combat this problem? Leave your comment over on Current News.
Recently from the Current News Blog:
- Celebrity Oxy Watch: Big Brother Winner Adam Jasinski
- Get caught up on Cuba for tomorrow's Vanguard episode
- Oxy beats out crack in San Francisco's Tenderloin
- Witch children of Nigeria
- Maldives holds their cabinet meeting underwater (Video)On Current News, user WakeUpPeople points to this story: Report: Taliban trying to... more
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With IED deaths rising in Afghanistan, what new, futuristic counter-insurgency strategies will the military unleash? How about anti-IED ads? From Wired's Danger Room blog:
The U.S. Army is looking to battle the improvised explosive device (IED) threat with new armored vehicles, increased surveillance in the sky, and… advertising. Mad Men versus militias, if you will.
Late last month, the Information Operations division of the Army’s Combined Joint Task Force 82 sent out a call for proposals for a “comprehensive strategic marketing and information campaign” for eastern Afghanistan. “The over arching objective of this media and advertising campaign is to influence the Afghanistan people at all levels (strategic, operational and tactical) [that] will directly translate in the reduction of the number of IED devices used against the Afghanistan people and Coalitional [sic] forces.”
The upcoming season of Vanguard features an episode by Kaj Larsen called "Remote Control War" with some of the new technologies making their way to battlefield.
A few other things for you to click on:
- Fully Automatic America - Kaj reports on just how much America loves its guns
- Future of War - A Current.com group to keep you updated on technological advancements in warfare
- The Vanguard Blog - Read regular updates and commentary from your friendly neighborhood Vanguard team
- Afghanistan Wednesday - Today's update on the 8th anniversary of the start of the warWith IED deaths rising in Afghanistan, what new, futuristic counter-insurgency... more
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Marine’s Father Will Not Pay Court-Ordered Funeral Protesters’ Fees
FOXNews.com
The father of a Marine killed in Iraq whose funeral was picketed by anti-gay protesters told Fox News he will defy a court order and not pay the protesters’ appeal costs.
For the Full Story...US Marine’s Father Refuses to Pay “God Hates Fags” Church’s Funeral Protesters Fees….VIDEO...http://ctpatriot1970.wordpress.com/2010/03/31/us-marines-father-refuses-to-pay-god-hates-you-churchs-funeral-protesters-fees-video/
Albert Snyder, of York, Pa., told Fox News he does not intend to pay $16,510 to Fred Phelps, the leader of Kansas’ Westboro Baptist Church, which held protests at Marine Lance Cpl. Matthew Snyder’s funeral in 2006.Marine’s Father Will Not Pay Court-Ordered Funeral Protesters’ Fees... more
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In January this year the US Department of Defense, that bastion of socialists, published its Quadrennial Defense Review Report.
The report not only implicitly accepts climate change but also points to the dangers it poses to national security.
It’s worth reading how it expects climate change to impact the armed forces:
*Crafting a Strategic Approach to Climate and Energy (pg84)*
"Climate change and energy are two key issues that will play a significant role in shaping the future security environment.
"Although they produce distinct types of challenges, climate change, energy security, and economic stability are inextricably linked. The actions that the Department takes now can prepare us to respond effectively to these challenges in the near term and in the future.
"Climate change will affect DoD in two broad ways.
"First, climate change will shape the operating environment, roles, and missions that we undertake. The U.S. Global Change Research Program, composed of 13 federal agencies, reported in 2009 that climate-related changes are already being observed in every region of the world, including the United States and its coastal waters.
"Among these physical changes are increases in heavy downpours, rising temperature and sea level, rapidly retreating glaciers, thawing permafrost, lengthening growing seasons, lengthening ice-free seasons in the oceans and on lakes and rivers, earlier snowmelt, and alterations in river flows.
"Assessments conducted by the intelligence community indicate that climate change could have significant geopolitical impacts around the world, contributing to poverty, environmental degradation, and the further weakening of fragile governments. Climate change will contribute to food and water scarcity, will increase the spread of disease, and may spur or exacerbate mass migration."
The review also offers examples of how the US Military has reduced its carbon foot-print and secured energy supplies...
An LC reader wrote in to say: “With the Pentagon acknowledging the reality of global climate change in the latest Quadrennial Defense Review Report, this surely puts the neocons with their ‘greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people‘ at odds with their own Generals and Admirals.”In January this year the US Department of Defense, that bastion of socialists,... more
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March 6, 2010
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday called the September 11 attacks on the United States a “big fabrication” that was used to justify the U.S. war on terrorism, the official IRNA news agency reported.
Iran’s Ahmadinejad Declares 9/11 Attack a “Big Lie”…Is He Crazy? Watch 9/11 Loose Change (VIDEO)...911, Ahmadinejad 9/11, Ahmadinejad September 11th, al Qaeda, Barack Obama, bill clinton, bin laden, Breaking Politics News, Bush War Crimes, Bush War On Terror, Dick Cheney, George Bush, George W. Bush, hillary clinton, iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Osama bin Laden, Patrick Leahy, politics, Politics News, September 11th, terrorism, US Military, war crimes, World, World News
Ahmadinejad, who often rails against the West and Israel, made the comment in a meeting with Intelligence Ministry personnel.March 6, 2010
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Saturday called the... more
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More than half of the panel members appointed to review the Pentagon's latest four-year strategy blueprint have financial ties to military contractors with a stake in the planning process.More than half of the panel members appointed to review the Pentagon's latest... more
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