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Suicide bombers try to storm US base in Afghanistan
Dozens of Taliban fighters and suicide bombers attacked a US military base in eastern Afghanistan early Tuesday and at least 13 were killed, some in their own suicide blasts, Afghan officials said. Dozens of Taliban fighters and suicide bombers attacked a US military base in eastern Afghanistan early Tuesday and at least 13 were k... more
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Chavez left unanswered questions about Russian military base in Venezuela
Chavez, a close ally of the regime in Havana, said he had passed on greetings to Medvedev from the former Cuban leader, Fidel Castro. During the Soviet era, Cuba was a close ally of Moscow and in 1962 the site of a major Cold War confrontation over the placement of Soviet missiles.
During a press conference, Chavez left unanswered questions on whether Russian military aircraft and naval vessels could be based in Venezuela in the future.
The mass-circulation tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda said there was speculation Chavez may allow Russia to establish a training facility or military base in the country
Medvedev, while not endorsing Chavez’ remarks about the U.S., said he was ready to work with the Venezuelan president in the “common task to achieve a more democratic, just and secure world.”
Venezuela is already Russia’s largest weapons customer in Latin America, having raised eyebrows in recent years with the signing of contracts to buy military helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov automatic rifles.
Bilateral trade reached $1 billion in 2007, mainly due to the arms trade, according to the Russian government statistics. Chavez, a close ally of the regime in Havana, said he had passed on greetings to Medvedev from the former Cuban leader, Fidel Castro. ... more -
Israeli jets using Iraq's airspace?
It is more than a month that some Israeli planes belonging to Israeli air force use the US military bases in Iraq to land and take off, Iraqi Nahrainnet news network said Wednesday, quoting informed sources close to Iraq's Defense Ministry.
The activities and traffic of warplanes- especially at nights- has lately increased in the US air bases in Nasiriya southeast of Baghdad and Haditha a city in the western Iraq province of Al Anbar, the Iraqi residents and sources said.
They said the US fighters, cargo planes, helicopters and unmanned planes have intensified their flights in the last three weeks.
The US military officials have imposed severe security measures around the bases, they said.
They said some aircraft suspected to be Israeli warplanes coming from Jordan, have landed in the US controlled al-Assad airbase near Haditha.
It is believed that these activities are parts of a joint Israeli-US training, preparation and coordination to launch an air raid against Iran's nuclear plants.
Israel has conducted a military drill under the supervision of top US military commanders over the Mediterranean Sea from May 28 to June 12, using more than 100 Israeli F-16 and F-15 fighters, along with helicopters and refueling tanks which many consider as a possible rehearsal for a strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. It is more than a month that some Israeli planes belonging to Israeli air force use the US military bases in Iraq to land and take off... more -
US Not leaving Iraq:No Deal
U.S negotiators have abandoned efforts to conclude a comprehensive agreement governing the long-term status of U.S troops in Iraq before the end of the Bush presidency, according to senior U.S. officials, effectively leaving talks over an extended U.S. military presence there to the next administration.
The failure of months of negotiations over the more detailed accord -- blamed on both the Iraqi refusal to accept U.S. terms and the complexity of the task.
The Us administration wants to secure permanent military bases in the region and have control over the government.
Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.), the presumptive Democratic nominee, has said he would immediately begin withdrawing combat troops at a rate of one or two brigades a month, a pledge he has softened recently by saying he would consult with U.S. commanders on the ground. But he has said that after 16 months in office, the U.S. presence in Iraq would be far smaller than the 144,000 troops there now, with only a "residual" number remaining.
The status-of-forces negotiations have been sharply criticized by Democrats, and some Republicans, as an attempt to tie Bush's successor to the president's policy in Iraq. Sen. John McCain (Ariz.), the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, supports the administration position. He has said he hopes to bring U.S. combat troops home by 2013 but has insisted that any timeline or lessening of U.S. control over its own operations would undercut recent military gains and aid U.S. enemies. U.S negotiators have abandoned efforts to conclude a comprehensive agreement governing the long-term status of U.S troops in Iraq befo... more -
Iraqis condemn American demands to maintain 60 military bases indefinitely
High-level negotiations over the future role of the U.S. military in Iraq have turned into an increasingly acrimonious public debate, with Iraqi politicians denouncing what they say are U.S. demands to maintain nearly 60 bases in their country indefinitely.
Top Iraqi officials are calling for a radical reduction of the U.S. military's role here after the U.N. mandate authorizing its presence expires at the end of this year. Encouraged by recent Iraqi military successes, government officials have said that the United States should agree to confine American troops to military bases unless the Iraqis ask for their assistance, with some saying Iraq might be better off without them.
"The Americans are making demands that would lead to the colonization of Iraq," said Sami al-Askari, a senior Shiite politician on parliament's foreign relations committee who is close to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "If we can't reach a fair agreement, many people think we should say, 'Goodbye, U.S. troops. We don't need you here anymore.' "
Failing to reach agreements this year authorizing the future presence of American forces in Iraq would be a strategic setback for the Bush administration, which says that such a presence is essential to promoting stability. Absent the agreements or the extension of the U.N. mandate, U.S. troops would have no legal basis to remain in Iraq. High-level negotiations over the future role of the U.S. military in Iraq have turned into an increasingly acrimonious public debate, ... more -
Italy Demands Action Against New U.S Military Bases
WHY are we building new military bases in these countries? What message does that send? If countries started building their bases in this country the people would be up in arms. Why the double standard and why are Democrats in this Congress passing these bills allowing for this military industrial complex mentality to continue? Have they learned NOTHING from the past? And they expect people around the world to believe this country is peaceful? I am with the people of Italy on this one. WHY are we building new military bases in these countries? What message does that send? If countries started building their bases in t... more
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