tagged w/ US kills civilians
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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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In Iraq, at least seven civilians were killed this past week in a raid by Iraqi and U.S. soldiers on three houses in the city of Falluja. The tragedy came two weeks after President Obama declared an official end to combat operations in Iraq, and with no new government having formed since elections in March.In Iraq, at least seven civilians were killed this past week in a raid by Iraqi and... more
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Hundreds of people protested in eastern Afghanistan this past week over the deaths of two men killed by coalition forces and whom local Afghans insist were civilians. The protesters blocked a main highway for several hours, shouting anti-American slogans like "down with Obama" and "down with foreign forces."Hundreds of people protested in eastern Afghanistan this past week over the deaths of... more
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The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said this week that civilian casualties in Afghanistan rose 31 percent in the first half of 2010. Meanwhile, NATO forces admitted that their troops, as well as Afghan soldiers killed a number of civilians during a joint operation in eastern Afghanistan this past week, hours after US troops were urged to avoid hurting non-combatants.The United Nations mission in Afghanistan said this week that civilian casualties in... more
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After a US Special Operations Forces raid in Gardez, Afghanistan last February which killed two government officials and three civilians, General Stanley McChrystal ordered an investigation. Originally, US investigators had failed to interview any eyewitnesses, prompting accusations of a cover-up. But the secondary probe also excluded three eyewitnesses who had claimed to see U.S. troops digging bullets out of the bodies of three women, two of whom were pregnant.After a US Special Operations Forces raid in Gardez, Afghanistan last February which... more
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Hundreds of Afghans took to the streets of Mazar-i-Sharif this past weekend to protest against mounting civilian deaths as the new U.S. and NATO commander considers loosening combat rules.Hundreds of Afghans took to the streets of Mazar-i-Sharif this past weekend to protest... 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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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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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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US Special Forces raided the home of a prominent Afghan Minister of Parliament, killing one of her relatives in an operation that provoked public protests this past week.US Special Forces raided the home of a prominent Afghan Minister of Parliament,... more
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Insurgents killed the vice mayor of the southern Afghan city of Kandahar as he prayed at a mosque last week. Meanwhile, a NATO convoy in Khost province, on the border with Pakistan, fired on a vehicle carrying four boys aged between 13 and 18 who were driving home from a volleyball game.Insurgents killed the vice mayor of the southern Afghan city of Kandahar as he prayed... more
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Activists behind a website dedicated to revealing secret documents are complaining of harassment by police and intelligence services as they prepare to release a video showing an American attack in which up to 147 civilians were killed in Afghanistan.Activists behind a website dedicated to revealing secret documents are complaining of... more
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The president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, has cast doubt over NATO’s planned summer offensive against the Taliban in the southern province of Kandahar, as more than 10,000 American troops pour in for the fight.
Karzai threatened to delay or even cancel the operation — one of the biggest of the nine-year war — after being confronted in Kandahar by elders who said it would bring strife, not security, to his home province.The president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai, has cast doubt over NATO’s planned... more
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