Free Republic

WASHINGTON — War-weary Republicans and Democrats yesterday sent the strongest message yet to President Obama to end the war in Afghanistan as the commander in chief decides how many US troops to withdraw this summer A measure requiring an accelerated timetable for pulling out the 100,000 troops from Afghanistan and an exit strategy for the nearly 10-year-old conflict secured 204 votes in the House, falling just short of passage but boosting the hopes of its surprised proponents. “It sends a strong signal to the president that the US House of Representatives and the American people want change," Representative James McGovern,...

Dressed in a t-shirt and Army shorts, a 22-year-old corporal from Wasilla, Alaska casually describes on a video tape made by military investigators how his unit's "crazy" sergeant randomly chose three unarmed, innocent victims to be murdered in Afghanistan.

SSG Sal Giunta, a paratrooper w/ the 173rd Airborne, will be awarded the first Medal of Honor given to a living recipient since the Vietnam War. He earned this by charging a group of Taliban who were trying to make off with a wounded comrade in the Korengal Valley of Afghanistan. His actions broke the Taliban’s attack and allowed him to regain control of SGT Josh Brennan. He also saved the lives of the many other members of his unit who had been caught in a fixed ambush by the Taliban. Giunta didn’t hesitate one second before advancing on his...

Courtesy Australian Government Department of Defence Special Force reservists from 1st Commando Regiment have successfully completed their mission in Afghanistan of providing protection for the local Afghan population.Thanks to their efforts in Uruzgan province, Taliban insurgents now have less access to the population and local Afghan police have a stronger presence.Their mission over winter was Population Centric Operations, which involved heading to remote and dangerous parts of Uruzgan that were at risk of insurgent influence, and working to build the support of local communities for the Afghan National Security Forces and International Security Assistance Force efforts to maintain security...

Poland set to buy aerial drones for its troops in Afghanistan RIA Novosti. Alexei Danichev 21:5201/02/2010 Poland is set to buy eight unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) from an Israeli defense firm to strengthen its contingent in Afghanistan, the country's defense minister said on Monday. "Four drones will be delivered to Afghanistan [for the Polish contingent there] and the four others will be used for training in Poland," Bogdan Klich told a news conference in Warsaw. The contract with the Aeronautics firm is worth about $32 million, he added. Klich said Poland was also planning to buy five Mi-17 helicopters to...

Barack Obama staged another photo op Tuesday night when he delivered his Afghanistan speech to cadets at West Point for the purpose of screwing with their heads. Obama’s message was: I’m sending more troops to Afghanistan, but only for a few days. Deal with it. As always, the Commander in Chief of the most powerful military in the world studiously avoided use of the word “victory” in expounding on our wartime objectives. Rumor has it that Camp Victory will soon be renamed “Camp of Successful Resolution”. The president justified his dithering over whether to send the troops requested by his...

WASHINGTON, June 24, 2009 – The Afghanistan-Pakistan strategy unveiled earlier this year has garnered unprecedented cooperation among U.S. government agencies, the top Pentagon policy official said today. Michelle Flournoy, undersecretary of defense for policy, said in a statement submitted to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee that a “whole of government” approach to the region is being coordinated. “We have launched what I believe is a truly unprecedented interagency effort to implement our new strategy,” states Flournoy’s testimony, which Wallace “Chip” Gregson, assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs, read to Congress today on behalf of...

All Things Considered, May 1, 2009 · Public education is among the many casualties of the growing war in Afghanistan, and the threat of violence is especially acute for Afghan girls. Parents, who in the past did not allow their daughters to go to school because of societal taboos, are once again keeping them at home because of the threat of attacks by militants wielding acid or worse. But many girls are refusing to give up their schooling — no matter what the cost.

Australian troops kill Taliban commanderStory Highlights (CNN) -- Australian commandos have killed a Taliban chief blamed for numerous attacks on coalition troops in southern Afghanistan, including one that killed an Australian soldier last week, the country's defense ministry announced. Australian soldiers of NATO-led International Security Assistance Force patrol in Uruzgan province in 2007. The death of Mullah Abdul Rasheed "is a significant achievement for the Special Operations Task Group," Australian Lt. Gen. Mark Evans said in a statement over the weekend announcing the attack. Australia's military called Rasheed a "senior commander" in the Taliban, the Islamic fundamentalist militia that once...

WASHINGTON, May 22, 2008 – Army Gen. David H. Petraeus gave senators his view of the U.S. Central Command during confirmation testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee here today. Petraeus, nominated to be the next CentCom commander, currently commands Multinational Force Iraq. The general spoke of the challenges in the diverse and strategically important CentCom area, which he described as “a region of regions,” and spoke frankly on the threat Iran poses to the region and the world. Violent extremism is the biggest threat in CentCom, where U.S. servicemembers are engaged in two wars, Petraeus told the committee. “Al-Qaida...

KABUL, Afghanistan - With Bush administration already planning a build-up of troops in Iraq, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday that military commanders in Afghanistan have appealed for more U.S. soldiers to reverse the gains of Taliban insurgents at a time of growing violence. Gates, wrapping up his first visit to Afghanistan, did not say how many troops were requested. But other military officials have suggested that an additional 1,000 or 1,200 troops are needed, especially in anticipation of a spring offensive by the Taliban. Gates indicated he would recommend a troop increase to President Bush. "I think it is...

NEW DELHI, July 15 - American troops killed 24 men suspected of being Taliban fighters fleeing Afghanistan into Pakistani territory, the Pakistani military said Friday, but left unclear whether American forces had crossed into Pakistani territory. Maj. Gen. Shaukat Sultan, the Pakistani Army spokesman, said in a telephone interview from Islamabad that American-led coalition forces attacked the suspects on Thursday in the eastern Khost region of Afghanistan, prompting them to flee across the border. "They were hit by coalition forces on the Pakistan side, when they were trying to run away from the operation," General Sultan said. American forces in...

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai arrived in New Delhi today on a three-day 'working' visit for talks with Indian leaders. The visit is also expected to explore the possibility of a $3.3 billion gas pipeline project from Turkmenistan via Afghanistan Pakistan and then India. Karzai is leading a high-level delegation including eight Cabinet ministers. The visit comes just a week after External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh pledged continuing assistance to the war torn country. India has already pledged aid to the tune of $400 million to rebuild the country. New Delhi is expected to sign a series of agreements in the...

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Suspected al-Qaida terrorists attacked a contingent of U.S. and Afghan troops in eastern Afghanistan, sparking a firefight in which five fighters were killed, a spokesman for the U.S. military said Monday. The attack occurred Friday in the Barmal district of eastern Paktika province, U.S. military spokesman Maj. Bryan Hilferty told The Associated Press. "Anti-coalition forces attacked U.S. and Afghan National Army forces in the Barmal area," Hilferty said. "We returned fire and killed five al-Qaida terrorists," he said, adding that eight Afghan soldiers were wounded in the clash. He did not say what led coalition forces...

SAS soldier Martin "Jock" Wallace thought he would die when he was dropped into the jaws of an enemy ambush in the dusty Shahi Kot valley in eastern Afghanistan. Now, for the first time, a member of the Special Air Service Regiment has been allowed to go public with his story about the operation that almost killed him. On March 2 this year, Wallace, an SAS comrade and 80 US Rangers fought for their lives, honouring the regimental motto: Who Dares Wins. Allied intelligence failed to predict the presence of up to 1000 heavily armed al-Qaeda fighters in the ridges...

Kirghiz border services are concerned with the drug flow that increases monthley. The most curious thing is that the drug smuggling has increased to such an extent. Almost nobody crosses the border with a mere several grams of heroin. Now, the drug dealers carry kilograms.

<p>The Pentagon declared victory yesterday in the battle of Zawar Kili, saying its forces had cleansed the huge terror complex of Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda fighters, destroyed 60 buildings and closed 50 cave hide-outs.</p> <p>"We have leveled the remaining structures that were found on the surface, and we have closed all the caves that we would intend not be reoccupied," Navy Rear Adm. John Stufflebeem told reporters at the Pentagon. "So I guess the best way to term it is: It's now time to go look elsewhere."</p>