tagged w/ US war crimes
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The Wikileaks war logs reveal assault and systematic torture of prisoners at the hands of Iraqi soldiers – all with the tacit permission of coalition forces. According to the documents, coalition forces were specifically ordered under Fragmentary Order 242 not to investigate any breach of the laws of armed conflict, such as the abuse of detainees, unless it directly involves members of the coalition.The Wikileaks war logs reveal assault and systematic torture of prisoners at the hands... more
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Fresh evidence that US soldiers handed over detainees to a notorious Iraqi torture squad has emerged in army logs published by WikiLeaks. The 400,000 field reports published by the whistleblowing website contain an official account of deliberate threats by a military interrogator to turn his captive over to the so-called Iraqi "Wolf Brigade". The interrogator told the prisoner in explicit terms that: "He would be subject to all the pain and agony that the Wolf battalion is known to exact upon its detainees."Fresh evidence that US soldiers handed over detainees to a notorious Iraqi torture... more
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WikiLeaks says its release of nearly 400,000 classified U.S. files on the Iraq war show that 15,000 more Iraqi civilians died than previously thought.WikiLeaks says its release of nearly 400,000 classified U.S. files on the Iraq war... more
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Al Jazeera reports that despite Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's campaign promise to no longer award military contracts to Blackwater --the now renamed notorious security contractor-- the US state department has recently awarded the company another lucrative contract.Al Jazeera reports that despite Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's campaign... more
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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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Unexploded bombs dropped on Laos by the US military during the Indochina War have killed or injured around 50,000 people since the mid-1960s, according to state media.Unexploded bombs dropped on Laos by the US military during the Indochina War have... more
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Blackwater Worldwide tried for two years to secure lucrative defense business in Southern Sudan while the country was under U.S. economic sanctions. The Obama administration, however, has decided for now not to bring criminal charges against Blackwater.Blackwater Worldwide tried for two years to secure lucrative defense business in... more
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The CIA has hired Xe Services, the private security firm formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide, to guard its facilities in Afghanistan and elsewhere. The firm has been fighting off prosecution and lawsuits since an incident in 2007 in Baghdad, when its guards allegedly killed 17 unarmed civilians and wounded 24. Since then, the company has been accused of murder, distribution of controlled substances, tax evasion, child prostitution, weapons smuggling and defrauding the government.The CIA has hired Xe Services, the private security firm formerly known as Blackwater... more
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The American Bar Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, and numerous other legal organizations are demanding that the Senate Armed Services Committee reject a provision in a House of Representatives bill that would mandate an investigation into lawyers representing Guantanamo Bay detainees.The American Bar Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, and numerous other... more
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U.S. military officials and documents have revealed that the top American commander in the Middle East has ordered a broad expansion of covert military activity in an effort to disrupt militant groups or counter threats in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and other countries in the region.U.S. military officials and documents have revealed that the top American commander in... more
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In a major victory for the Obama administration, a key appellate court has concluded that prisoners held at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan cannot challenge their captivity through rights granted under the U.S. Constitution.In a major victory for the Obama administration, a key appellate court has concluded... more
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A Spanish prosecutor has asked a judge there to authorize the arrest of 13 CIA agents for their alleged role in the Bush administration's extraordinary rendition program. The agents are accused of participating in the rendition of Khaled El-Masri, a German citizen who was kidnapped in 2003 and flown to a CIA-run "black site" in Afghanistan, where he was secretly detained and tortured for months before being abandoned on a hillside in Albania. He was never charged with a crime.A Spanish prosecutor has asked a judge there to authorize the arrest of 13 CIA agents... more
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Website Raw Story reports that the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who helped break the story that detainees at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq were being tortured by their US jailers is now saying that American soldiers are executing prisoners in Afghanistan.Website Raw Story reports that the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist who helped break... more
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A civilian was shot dead in eastern Afghanistan last week after police fired at thousands of villagers protesting against NATO raids which they say killed 11 civilians.A civilian was shot dead in eastern Afghanistan last week after police fired at... more
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Although it's just beginning, the U.S.-led effort to pacify the Taliban's spiritual capital in southern Afghanistan already appears to be faltering.
Key military operations have been delayed until the fall, efforts to improve local government are having little impact and a Taliban assassination campaign has brought a sense of dread to Kandahar's streets.Although it's just beginning, the U.S.-led effort to pacify the Taliban's... more
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The US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, who was boasting of military progress only three months ago, confessed last week that "nobody is winning".The US and NATO commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, who was boasting... more
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A former interrogator at the US prison in Bagram, Afghanistan said in court testimony that he and other interrogators would terrify detainees into confessing by threatening them with dying from multiple gang rape "by four big black guys" who would catch little Afghan boys in the shower of a U.S. prison.A former interrogator at the US prison in Bagram, Afghanistan said in court testimony... more
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An independent government report raises new questions about the likelihood of success for President Barack Obama's Afghanistan policy, which nearly doubles the number of U.S. troops there.
The report, by the Government Accountability Office, found that despite the boost in U.S. troops, the Taliban remain a resilient fighting force, and it suggests many factors remain in place that will allow the Taliban to survive U.S. efforts to eradicate them.An independent government report raises new questions about the likelihood of success... more
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Afghanistan’s drug and corruption economy of $5.3 billion in 2009 was more than the $4.4 billion earmarked in 2010 for running the government and financing the development budget.Afghanistan’s drug and corruption economy of $5.3 billion in 2009 was more than... more
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Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry says that civilian casualties there are on the rise as U.S. and NATO reinforcements stream into the country as part of a military buildup to combat the resurgent Taliban.Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry says that civilian casualties there are on the... more
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