Troops // Current TV

Because It's Time to End the Afghanistan War...

http://goo.gl/5Hl46 Tell us why YOU think it's time to end the Afghanistan War... more

bravenewfilms2
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2 years ago
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44 comments

Pakistan clashes kill 11 troops, 24 militants

Insurgents attacked five security checkpoints in a northwestern Pakistan region on the... more

harsh_007
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2 years ago
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U.S. Troops Fight Off Taliban Ambush - Helmet Cam

CarlosBobthe3rd
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2 years ago
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Restrepo, or How I learned to Love War

This film is overflowing with camaraderie, buddy love, friendship, honor, glory,... more

JonRaymond
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2 years ago
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Taliban Policeman in Training Kills Six US Troops

A man with the Afghan Border Police shot and killed six American troops during a... more

TomTucker
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2 years ago
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The Way We Treat Our Troops

Op-Ed by Bob Herbert You can only hope that the very preliminary peace efforts in... more

eternal_springs
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2 years ago
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8 comments

Even the Troops Are Waking Up

The videos below represent more than 75 years of separation between Smedley Butler and... more

rodstradamus
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2 years ago
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1 comment

U.S. Troops To Deal With Rioting Americans

'U.S. troops now being trained to boss communities and run local governments are... more

alexsmith01
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2 years ago
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32 comments

Bizarre BBC Alien Disclosure Commercial

video above has the info

alexsmith01
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2 years ago
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Taliban Capture US Base In Afghanistan

Taliban militants have claimed that they have driven US troops out of a military... more

rodstradamus
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2 years ago
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1 comment

Supporting the Troops of Sri Lanka: Scenes From Vanguard

Vanguard correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to Sri Lanka during the final days... more

MarianaVanZeller
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2 years ago
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Petraeus "Planned Burning of Qur'ans Could Endanger Troops"

KABUL—The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said the planned burning of Qurans on Sept. 11 by a small Florida church could put the lives of American troops in danger and damage the war effort.

Gen. David Petraeus said the Taliban would exploit the demonstration for propaganda purposes, drumming up anger toward the U.S. and making it harder for allied troops to carry out their mission of protecting Afghan civilians.

"It could endanger troops and it could endanger the overall effort," Gen. Petraeus said in an interview. "It is precisely the kind of action the Taliban uses and could cause significant problems. Not just here, but everywhere in the world we are engaged with the Islamic community."

Hundreds of Afghans attended a demonstration in Kabul on Monday to protest the plans of Florida pastor Terry Jones, who has said he will burn copies of Islam's holy book to mark the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Afghan protesters chanted "death to America," and speakers called on the U.S. to withdraw its troops. Some protesters threw rocks at a passing military convoy.

Military officials fear the protests will likely spread to other Afghan cities, especially if the event is broadcast or ends up on Internet video.

Mr. Jones, head of the 50-member Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., said in a statement that "We understand the General's concerns. We are sure that his concerns are legitimate." Nonetheless, he added, "We must send a clear message to the radical element of Islam. We will no longer be controlled and dominated by their fears and threats."

Mr. Jones has been denied a permit for the demonstration, but has said he plans to go forward with the protest.

Rev. Stephanie Sapp, spokeswoman for the center, said no one from the Pentagon or other federal agencies had expressed concern or asked that the event be canceled. She did say that the Federal Bureau of Investigation had discussed security measures.

Pentagon officials said they were not aware that any Defense officials have reached out directly to Mr. Jones. But military officers said they hoped that Gen. Petraeus's statement—an unusual move since military commanders rarely get involved in politics—would convince Mr. Jones to change his plans.

Gen. Petraeus declined to elaborate on the nature of the threats or violence that could occur, but westerners in Afghanistan have been warned away from restaurants and other public places amid the rising tensions.

Other senior military leaders echoed Gen. Petraeus commentsMonday. Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, who oversees the effort to train Afghan security forces said he was informed of the planned Florida protests several days ago by a senior minister in the Afghan government. (more at link)

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703713504575475500753093116.html?mod=WSJ_hp_mostpop_readKABUL—The top U.S. commander in Afghanistan said the planned burning of Qurans... more

existentialist
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2 years ago
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155 comments

Faster Than a Speeding Frat Boy

Brother MPH shows the troops what super speed can do.

TonyDiGerolamo
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2 years ago
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Mission Unfulfilled

The Financial Times
Published: August 22 2010

Seven years after his predecessor declared an end to major combat operations, Barack Obama, US president, withdrew the last American combat unit from Iraq last week. US forces leave behind a broken country. The original sins of the Iraq war – wishful thinking dressed up as intelligence and botched post-invasion planning – were visited on the innocent. Iraqis suffered a paroxysm of sectarian violence that the world’s supposed superpower was too blind to foresee and too weak to forestall.

The 2007 troop surge was a factor in improving security, which remains threadbare. But the main significance of the surge was symbolic. So it is with the current withdrawal. US combat forces had already pulled out of urban areas, where most of the fighting has taken place, and 50,000 US soldiers will remain in Iraq. The symbolism does more for US than Iraqi morale. Throughout its ranks, the new Iraqi army worries loudly about its ability to stop violence from rising without US help.

The reality is that the political space the surge was meant to open up created a vacuum that remains unfilled. Iraq’s elections are the Arab world’s freest, but nearly six months on from the last polls politicians have still not managed to form a new government. And not only the state, but Iraqi society is broken. One in six Iraqis, disproportionately middle-class professionals, have fled their homes, around half for other countries.

This is the result of two neoconservative conceits: that shock and awe made an extended presence of large troop numbers superfluous; and that liberal-democratic states spontaneously spring up where old institutions are razed even if new ones are not built.

Beyond human suffering, the collateral damage includes America’s stature. Humiliated in Iraq, the US is less feared by enemies and less loved by friends. Another casualty was the case for liberal interventionism. Though the US rid Iraq of Saddam’s tyranny, the incompetence with which it did so makes it harder to defend future military action even when the cause is just.

In a better world, the US would stay to fix what it broke. As it has proved itself incapable of that, a slow withdrawal is the least bad option. A brighter Iraqi future now depends on two unlikely things. A regional modus vivendi must be found that lets Iraq prosper and does not turn it into Tehran and Riyadh’s battling ground; and Iraqi leaders must stop the politics of spoil-splitting, and work to make the country attractive to the professional class – Iraq’s true wealth.

http://djiin.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/obama__s_iraq___withdrawal___by_latuff2.jpgThe Financial Times Published: August 22 2010 Seven years after his predecessor... more