tagged w/ war casualties
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The Associated Press says it has obtained interviews, e-mails and military documents which describe dozens of grisly photos of soldiers posing with newly killed bodies, decaying corpses and severed fingers. Troops allegedly shared the photos by e-mail and thumb drive like electronic trading cards. Now 60 to 70 of them are being kept tightly shielded from the public and even defense attorneys because of fears they could wind up in the news media and provoke anti-American violence.The Associated Press says it has obtained interviews, e-mails and military documents... more
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According to a report from ProPublica, more private contractors than soldiers were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan in recent months, the first time in history in which corporate casualties have outweighed military losses on America’s battlefields.According to a report from ProPublica, more private contractors than soldiers were... more
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The Pentagon wants $33 billion in additional funding to pay for the war in Afghanistan this year and to train the Afghan military. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said, “We are in this intense phase that will be several years. Obviously, I don’t know that either of us could put a time-line on it.”The Pentagon wants $33 billion in additional funding to pay for the war in Afghanistan... more
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British government documents show that corruption, desertion and drug abuse within the Afghan police are threatening its ability to take over the fight against the Taliban and the chances for foreign troops to exit the country.British government documents show that corruption, desertion and drug abuse within the... more
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Military officials in Afghanistan say American and NATO troops firing from passing convoys and military checkpoints have killed 30 Afghans and wounded 80 others since last summer, but in no instance did the victims prove to be a danger to troops.Military officials in Afghanistan say American and NATO troops firing from passing... more
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The number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan has roughly doubled in the first three months of 2010 compared to the same period last year as the Obama administration has sent tens of thousands of additional soldiers into war with the Taliban.The number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan has roughly doubled in the first three... more
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The U.S. government’s plan to rapidly grow the ranks of Afghan police officers has run into a shortage of instructors and training camps, prompting U.S. and NATO officials to cut basic training for Afghan recruits from eight weeks to six.The U.S. government’s plan to rapidly grow the ranks of Afghan police officers... more
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In Afghanistan, a law that provides an amnesty to perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity was brought into force when it was published in January in the official gazette. After the amnesty law was passed by parliament in 2007, President Karzai said he would allow the law to go into effect. Despite his pledge, the law is now on the books in the country.In Afghanistan, a law that provides an amnesty to perpetrators of war crimes and... more
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A family whose members were killed in a botched night raid in eastern Afghanistan have rejected what they are calling “blood money” from the government and are vowing to carry out suicide attacks unless the perpetrators are brought to justice.A family whose members were killed in a botched night raid in eastern Afghanistan have... more
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In a hearing of the Senate Armed Services committee this past week, it emerged that employees of mercenary company Blackwater took more than 500 assault rifles that
were intended for the exclusive use of the Afghan police force. The guards routinely carried weapons without permission, and used them on drunken shooting rampages that killed two Afghan civilians and injured at least two more.In a hearing of the Senate Armed Services committee this past week, it emerged that... more
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US forces have detained a senior police officer in Afghanistan for alleged corruption and links to insurgents. A statement by the US military said Atahullah Wahaab, deputy police chief in Kapisa province, facilitated the storage, distribution and installation of improvised explosive devices on roads in his region.US forces have detained a senior police officer in Afghanistan for alleged corruption... more
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Ten of thousands of Afghan civilians are abandoning an area of central Helmland where US and British soldiers are have just launched one of the biggest operations of the year. However, most of the area's population, estimated at up to 100,000, remain.Ten of thousands of Afghan civilians are abandoning an area of central Helmland where... more
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Pakistanis are united in anger after a US court convicted Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a US-educated neuroscientist previously accused of al-Qaida links, on charges of assault and attempted murder.Pakistanis are united in anger after a US court convicted Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a... more
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The Obama administration has decided not to sign an international convention banning land mines. The U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines, a coalition of scores of activist groups, said the announcement is “shocking,” while Human Rights Watch says the refusal is "reprehensible".The Obama administration has decided not to sign an international convention banning... more
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The Associated Press reports that there are already more than 100,000 international troops in Afghanistan working with 200,000 Afghan security forces and police. This adds up to a 12-1 numerical advantage over Taliban rebels, but it hasn't led to anything close to victory.The Associated Press reports that there are already more than 100,000 international... more
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More than 1,000 US troops have been wounded in battle over the past three months in Afghanistan, accounting for one-fourth of those injured in combat since the U.S.-led invasion in 2001. The dramatic increase in amputees and other seriously injured service members comes as October marks the deadliest month for U.S. troops in Afghanistan.More than 1,000 US troops have been wounded in battle over the past three months in... more
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Despite having one of the largest war victim populations in Asia, Afghanistan does not have a law on how to deal with hundreds of thousands of war widows, orphans and disabled.Despite having one of the largest war victim populations in Asia, Afghanistan does not... more
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The figure includes eight military civilians killed in action. At least 3,397 military personnel died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.
The AP count is the same as the Defense Department's tally, last updated Friday at 10 a.m. EST.
The British military has reported 176 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine,18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia and Georgia, three each; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand and Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan and South Korea, one death each.
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The latest deaths reported by the military:
— A Marine died Saturday from a non-combat related incident in Iraq.
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The latest identifications reported by the military:
— No identifications reported.
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On the Net:
http://www.defenselink.mil/news/The figure includes eight military civilians killed in action. At least 3,397 military... more
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Len Aldis is Secretary of the Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society. He recently sent this open letter (item 1) to Monsanto's president and Chief Executive Officer.
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http://www.nhandan.com.vn/english/life/300908/life_le.htm
Mr Hugh Grant
President and Chief Executive Officer
Monsanto
800 North Lindbergh Boulevard
St Louis. USA
Dear Mr Grant,
In 1961, three years after you were born, U.S. forces began their ten-year use of Agent Orange in South Vietnam. Over those years Eighty Million litres of the chemical was sprayed destroying forests, poisoning the rivers, lakes and the land. An even greater crime was the many thousands of Vietnamese people that died from the chemical and the hundreds of thousands that were crippled.
1981, six years after the American War on Vietnam ended; you joined the company that, along with others, was responsible for the manufacture of Agent Orange. Today in Vietnam there are 3.5 million people from new born babies to veterans suffering from the effects of the chemical your company made. Not to forget the many U.S. veterans also affected, like the Vietnamese many have died and are dying.
You were Mr Grant, at the time you joined Monsanto, fully aware of the effects that Agent Orange had had, you certainly knew when you became the company's president and its chief executive. Yet Mr Grant you failed to take any steps to alleviate the consequences of Monsanto's manufacture of Agent Orange. Indeed, not one word of regret to the Vietnamese victims has come from your lips despite facing lawsuit after lawsuit by victims from Vietnam, U.S. and South Korea.
Monsanto is, as you well know, the leading company involved with Genetic Modified (GM) crops. Your company has gone from creating one poison to another, both have and are still killing many thousands of people. Where does it end Mr Grant?
How can you live with the knowledge that you, and Monsanto through the use of Agent Orange and GM seeds etc are responsible for the deaths and physically crippling millions of people in the countries that your products were used and are sold?
I regret that here in my country Monsanto has also left a legacy, by its disposal of tonnes of chemical waste in a number of municipal sites. A particular site, Brofiscin Quarry in Wales, is causing acute concern by your chemical waste leaking into the water supply and into the atmosphere. Farmers nearby have reported abnormal births among their animals. Despite questions to government ministers it would appear that they, like Monsanto, are not concerned.
In August a junior minister Phil Woolas, MP from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), on the instructions of the Prime Minister, met with a group of companies that included Monsanto, Dow Chemical (one of your partners in the Agent Orange crime) to discuss introducing GM crops in the UK. This meeting and proposed policy has met with great hostility from people and organisations anxious about our food being poisoned by genetic engineering.
Thankfully, people here and in other countries are becoming more aware of the products of Monsanto and the danger they hold for the people. They are also becoming aware of the lawsuit brought by the Vietnamese people against your company and others in the U.S. Courts, and know that documents are being prepared to be placed before the U.S. Supreme Court seeking Justice for the crimes that Monsanto, Dow Chemical etc committed on the Vietnamese people.
Mr Grant, there is still time for you and your company to make amends for these crimes. Accept your responsibility for the manufacture of Agent Orange and its use on Vietnam. Make financial compensation to the victims, and their families. For many thousands of Vietnamese it is too late, they have died, their suffering is at an end, but for the present 3.5 million, their suffering continues.
Yours sincerely Len Aldis Secretary: Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society
Len Aldis is Secretary of the Britain-Vietnam Friendship Society. He recently sent... more
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