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KABUL - More than 3,000 civilians were killed in the war in Afghanistan in 2011, the fifth year in a row the number has risen, the United Nations said on Saturday in a report likely to revive tension between the Afghan government and its Western backers. Civilian deaths undermine support both in Afghanistan and the United States for the US-led war, and are one of the biggest causes of friction between President Hamid Karzai and the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Bombs planted on roads, and increasingly deadly suicide attacks that targeted civilians, killed more people than any other...

Remember when Obama said he wanted to have a civilian security force? If you forgot, here's the video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Tt2yGzHfy7s Some might argue that he was only referring to citizens being alert, but why would he say they need to be just as powerful, strong, and well-funded as the military? However, the President did not need to authorize a civilian security force; his predecessor already set one up for him: the TSA. Americans have grown accustomed to the TSA's presence at the airport, even as it now involves a naked scan or molestation (but you get to choose which one!)...

Official US military data shows that almost 90 percent of the over 4,000 suspected “Taliban” captured by US forces in Afghanistan in the second half of 2010 were civilians who were released within days. In December 2010, commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan General David Petraeus claimed in an interview that a total of 4,100 Taliban rank and file had been captured and 2,000 others had been killed in the space of six months. The claim followed another set of misleading figures that had been released three months earlier and which said US Special Operations Forces had captured...

AT JOINT BASE LEWIS-MCCHORD, WASH. The U.S. soldiers hatched a plan as simple as it was savage: to randomly target and kill an Afghan civilian, and to get away with it. For weeks, according to Army charging documents, rogue members of a platoon from the 5th Stryker Combat Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, floated the idea. Then, one day last winter, a solitary Afghan man approached them in the village of La Mohammed Kalay. The "kill team" activated the plan. One soldier created a ruse that they were under attack, tossing a fragmentary grenade on the ground. Then others opened fire....

On Tuesday, lacking even the excuse that a Rolling Stone reporter tricked him, another top U.S. military commander thumbed his nose at President Barack Obama's policies in Afghanistan. Marine Corps Commandant James T. Conway, 62, Tuesday told a roomful of reporters at the Pentagon that Mr. Obama's July 2011 deadline for beginning troop withdrawals from Afghanistan is "probably giving our enemy sustenance.... We've intercepted communications that say, ‘Hey, you know, we only have to hold out for so long.'" Gen. Conway went on to say that Mr. Obama was no doubt "talking to several audiences" when he announced the July...

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2010 – A training program is equipping Defense Department civilian employees with the knowledge and skills needed to successfully deploy in support of humanitarian, reconstruction and combat-support military missions across the globe. A class of about 150 Defense Department civilians and contractors, part of the civilian expeditionary work force, learn the basics in emergency medical aid at Camp Atterbury Joint Maneuver Training Center in central Indiana, June 29, 2010, before deploying to Afghanistan and Iraq. U.S. Army photo by John Crosby  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The joint civilian expeditionary work force training -- a 10-day...

RACINE, Wis. (AP) - President Barack Obama says U.S. troops are carrying too much of the burden in Iraq and Afghanistan and doing too many things that are more appropriate for civilians, such as buildings schools and setting up justice systems. Obama says the problem is that the U.S. doesn't have a civilian effort as large as the military. He wants to change that by building up a "civilian expeditionary force" that can go into an area once the U.S. military deems it safe to do the work of building roads, bridges and schools and setting up civil societies. Obama...

KABUL, Afghanistan (June 19) – German Army Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz, spokesman for the International Security Assistance Force, today announced a dramatic decrease in the number of civilian casualties during an operational update; over the past 12 weeks, the number of civilian casualties dropped by approximately 44 percent and the total number of killed and wounded individuals by approximately 22 percent when compared to the same time period in 2009. The main progress was recorded for close air support, with 82 percent less civilian casualties, indirect fire, with 52 percent less casualties and for road traffic accidents, with 55 percent...

KABUL, Afghanistan, May 20, 2010 – U.S. Forces Afghanistan officials have launched a criminal investigation into allegations that a small number of U.S. soldiers were responsible for the unlawful deaths of as many as three Afghan civilians. The investigations also include allegations of illegal drug use, assault and conspiracy, officials said. No charges have been preferred yet, officials said, but one soldier has been placed in pre-trial confinement. The Army's Criminal Investigation Command initiated its investigation after receiving credible information from the soldiers' unit earlier this month, according to a written statement command officials released today. Command officials are “committed...

KABUL, March 31, 2010 – The coalition record on civilian casualties has improved significantly as a new strategy has gone into place in Afghanistan, but American leaders continue to hammer home how important it is to avoid killing civilians. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited with troops serving on the front lines of the war in Regional Command South. Marines in Marja – the site of the recent offensive in Helmand province – asked him about the rules of engagement. Troops in other venues ask him about the furor over civilian casualties. One Marine...

KABUL, March 12, 2010 – Reports of civilian casualties resulting from military operations this week in Afghanistan are “completely groundless,” a senior official of the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command said here today. On March 10, an international security force unit patrolling in southern Afghanistan came under small-arms fire from an insurgent position. The patrol returned fire and requested support from ISAF aircraft. Reports from the patrol, after they inspected the area, confirmed that one insurgent had been killed. The patrol also verified that no civilians were in the area, and that no civilian property was damaged during the...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 22, 2010 – Expressing deep regret over civilian casualties resulting from a NATO air strike yesterday, Pentagon civilian and military leaders said today they support the strategy that puts as much emphasis on protecting the Afghan population as capturing or killing insurgents. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pointed to challenges the military is facing in Marja, Afghanistan, as an indication of the challenges U.S. and coalition forces face as they help Afghan security forces reverse enemy momentum there. Mullen reported steady progress in Marja, while conceding...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 28, 2010 – International Security Assistance Force officials in Afghanistan expressed regret today for the death of a religious leader who was killed when an ISAF convoy fired on what appeared to be a threatening vehicle. "Despite all the measures that we put in place to ensure the safety of the Afghan people, regrettable incidents such as this one can occur,” ISAF spokesman Brig Gen. Eric Tremblay of the Canadian army said. “On behalf of ISAF, I express my sincere regrets for this loss of life and convey my deepest condolences to his family." A thorough investigation is...

Need advice on a semi-hypothetical situation.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12, 2010 – International Security Assistance Force Joint Command officials have denied reports from a Chinese wire service that claim forces opened fire on civilians during a protest in the Garmsir district of Afghanistan’s Helmand province today. During the protest, officials said in a statement, an insurgent shot an Afghan official who was on a military base. International troops shot and killed the sniper. There were no other injuries or shots fired, the statement said. Protestors had gathered over an allegation of the desecration of the Quran in a Jan. 10 operation against the Taliban. ISAF Joint Command...

WASHINGTON, Dec. 31, 2009 – The Department of Defense’s Transition Assistance Program is working to prepare servicemembers and their families for a successful transition to civilian life. "We are trying to ensure that [servicemembers] transition from active duty back to the civilian community is a smooth and seamless one," Ron Horne, deputy director for the Transition Assistance Program at the Office of Wounded Warrior Care and Transition Policy told listeners during a “Dot Mil Docs” interview today. The idea of the program is to make them aware of the support systems that are available to them, he said. The DoD...

SOUTHWEST ASIA, Dec. 30, 2009 – A civilian administrator working for the Air Force here transforms worn out computer parts into unique works of art. Miguel Rivera, with the 386th Expeditionary Communications Squadron in Southwest Asia, stands behind the sculptures he built from old hard drives and other computer parts Dec. 19, 2009. U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Tony Tolley  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. When computer hard drives go bad, airmen from the 386th Expeditionary Communications Squadron here typically remove all of the pertinent data and send them to the local disposal unit for destruction. However,...

BAGHDAD, Dec. 18, 2009 – The “advise and assist brigade” concept is a hit with leaders of the provincial reconstruction teams in southern Iraq. The 1st Armored Division’s 4th Brigade, based at Talil Air Base, is the model of how U.S. forces will be configured when the American combat mission ends Aug. 31. The unit came in for unqualified praise from Iraqi security forces leaders, judges and provincial reconstruction team leaders who met with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff here today. John Kuschner, the head of the Muthanna provincial reconstruction team, told Navy Adm. Mike Mullen that...

KABUL, Dec. 18, 2009 – The NATO-led International Security Assistance Force is sending a team to work with Afghan officials in assessing reports of civilian casualties as a result of an operation in the Shah Wali Kot district of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province yesterday. Initial operational reports indicate that men were planting a bomb next to the road. After firing on the men from a helicopter, ISAF forces discovered civilians in a car adjacent to the site, officials said. In a written statement, ISAF officials said the command goes to great lengths to avoid, and deeply regrets, any harm to civilians....

ABOARD USS NIMITZ IN THE INDIAN OCEAN, Nov. 16, 2009 – Two soldiers working deep inside this aircraft carrier serve as liaisons between the aviators of Carrier Air Wing 11 and coalition forces on the ground in Afghanistan. Army Maj. Johnnie Gallegos and Army Sgt. 1st Class Percy Patterson joined Nimitz Carrier Strike Group as ground liaison officers when Nimitz entered the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Their work directly supports a tactical directive issued in July by Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan, that places limitations on the use of force that could...

RICHMOND, Va., Oct. 21, 2009 – Darren Costine retired from the Army in 2001, but with 22 years of service under his belt, the former first sergeant said, the Army is still in his blood. Darren Costine, a retired soldier who now works at the Defense Supply in Richmond, Va., deployed to Iraq as a civilian weapon system support manager. DoD photo by Jackie Girard  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. That’s why he volunteered to return to the Middle East for six months as a civilian support representative for Defense Logistics Agency. Costine, who lives in Chester, Va., is...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2009 – Members of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force met with village elders today after reports that civilians, including women and children, had been killed in an engagement between ISAF forces and insurgents yesterday in the Nad Ali district of Afghanistan’s Helmand province. After extensive fighting with insurgents at a compound in Nad Ali district yesterday, ISAF aircraft dropped a single precision-guided bomb on the insurgents’ position. Following the engagement, ISAF officials received reports of civilian casualties, and a number of civilians with injuries reported to ISAF troops. They were given immediate medical attention or were transported...

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill., Sept. 3, 2009 – Air Force medical evacuation airmen had the benefit of flying with a leading U.S. trauma surgeon during a recent mission to Iraq as part of a program to link military and civilian medical professionals. Thomas Scalea, physician in chief at the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, flew aboard a C-17 Globemaster III transport jet on an Aug. 19 and 20 aeromedical evacuation mission to help to shape future training for military medical teams worldwide, Air Mobility Command officials said. Scalea served as a lead contributor to the Air...

Thursday's show, I believe, it's the most controversial of all the shows this week — and maybe ever. I will give you some facts, some history but also some of the future. The reason Thursday's show is the last before Friday's solution, I wanted you to see who was advising the president and what they are doing, before I could ask you to look at this phrase from Barack Obama and think he meant it literally: (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) THEN-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BARACK OBAMA: We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives we've...

DAHANEH, Afghanistan — The British jet called in by the U.S. Marines had the Taliban position in sight, but the pilot refused to fire, a decision that frustrated Marines on the ground but was in line with new orders by the top U.S. commander to protect civilians. The Marines themselves didn't attack militants shooting at them from a compound Wednesday during the same battle because women and children were there, an approach meant to avoid civilian casualties at all costs.

WASHINGTON, June 18, 2009 – The United States and NATO must do everything possible to prevent civilian casualties in Afghanistan, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. Video Gates said NATO defense ministers stressed this point during meetings in Brussels last week. “It is clear that we need to do much more to overcome what I believe is one of our greatest strategic vulnerabilities,” Gates said during a Pentagon news conference. “The Afghan people must be reassured that U.S. and NATO forces are there as friends, partners and, along with Afghan security forces, they're protectors as well.” The...

WASHINGTON, June 15, 2009 – Coalition and Afghan forces detained a suspected Taliban leader and provided medical aid to a wounded civilian in recent operations, military officials said. Afghan and coalition forces captured an area Taliban commander and a suspected associate in a June 13 operation to disrupt Taliban activities in northern Paktika province. The suspect is tied to numerous attacks against coalition forces in the area, military officials said. The wanted Taliban leader was wounded from debris when forces gained entry into the compound, officials said. Medical specialists treated his wounds, and he was evacuated for further medical treatment....

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind., June 12, 2009 – Civilian employees representing various federal departments are being trained here alongside their military counterparts in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan. Army Sgt. Carlos Velasquez radios for medical assistance while Air Force Senior Airman Ashley Jackson delivers medical aid during a training exercise at Camp Atterbury Ind., June 9, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Robert G. Cooper III  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. As part of a broader focus of operations in Afghanistan designed to include both military and civilian assets, more than 20 civilians from the State Department, the Agriculture...

KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan, May 14, 2009 – As the gray smoke dissipates, men and women lie scattered on the gravel. Some moan, some call for help and some are silent. These U.S. servicemembers are role players taking part in a force-protection exercise simulating a mass-casualty event here. Air Force Tech Sgt. Rick Dickey, the morning shift leader of the U.S. provost marshall’s office at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, evaluates the simulated wounds of a role-player during a combined military and civilian mass-casualty exercise, April 30, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Elisebet Freeburg  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. The U.S....

WASHINGTON, May 7, 2009 – The United States, coalition and Afghan government regret even one innocent civilian death, and they will continue to do all they can to avoid civilian casualties, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in Kabul today. Gates spoke at a news conference after a day of visiting U.S. and coalition troops in Afghanistan. A joint investigative team is looking into reports of civilian casualties during a May 4 operation against Taliban insurgents in western Afghanistan and has visited the site in Farah province. The team is investigating differing accounts of the events leading up to the...

There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good is the greatest creed. – Woodrow Wilson (and his worship of the STATE) Way back when, during the campaign, Obama made the declaration that America needs a national civilian security force, that is “just as strong and just as well funded as the military.“ Well, folks, here it comes. The Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education Act, known as the GIVE Act -- sponsored by Reps. Carolyn McCarthy, D-N.Y, and George Miller, D-Calif. -- was approved by a 321-105 vote and now goes to the Senate.

OBAMA WATCH CENTRAL House adopts plan for 'volunteer' corps Also requires new evaluation of 'mandatory' service for all -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: March 19, 2009 4:58 pm Eastern By Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily The U.S. House of Representatives has approved a plan to set up a new "volunteer corps" and consider whether "a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people" should be developed.

KABUL, Afghanistan, Feb. 21, 2009 – An investigation into a Feb. 17 coalition air strike in Afghanistan’s Heart province has confirmed that 13 noncombatants and three enemy fighters were killed, military officials reported. Army Brig. Gen. Michael A. Ryan of U.S. Forces Afghanistan offers his condolences Feb. 20, 2009, to families of those killed during an operation targeting insurgents three days earlier in Afghanistan’s Herat province. U.S. Army photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. A combined Afghan National Army and coalition forces investigation team, accompanied by international observers, inspected the site this week to determine the identities of...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2009 – The Defense Department is forming a civilian expeditionary workforce that will be trained and equipped to deploy overseas in support of military missions worldwide, according to department officials. The intent of the program “is to maximize the use of the civilian workforce to allow military personnel to be fully utilized for operational requirements,” according to a Defense Department statement. Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England signed Defense Department Directive 1404.10, which outlines and provides guidance about the program, on Jan. 23. Certain duty positions may be designated by the various Defense Department components to participate in...

WASHINGTON -- If you're a criminal and you're not entitled to be in the United States, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano wants you out of the country. Napolitano wants what she calls "criminal aliens" off American streets. She is looking at existing immigration enforcement programs to see if taxpayers are getting the most bang for their buck. "That sounds very simple, but it's historically not been done," Napolitano said, speaking to reporters and senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials Thursday. About 113,000 criminals who were in the U.S. illegally were deported last year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement said. The agency...

This Christian Home Schooling Family Says “NO!” to Obama’s Plans We have home schooled our children from the very start, now almost twenty-seven years of home school education experience are behind us. We have seven children. Four are grown, graduated, and away. Two are married and have their own children. Three remain in our house and continue to be home schooled. Our youngest is seven years old. We home school with a foundation of firm Christian and traditional family convictions and objectives. We intend for our children to mature and turn out in a certain way. We do not want...

November 11, 2008 Q: Is Obama planning a Gestapo-like "civilian national security force"? I read a quote from Rep. Paul Broun from Georgia which stated that Obama wants to set up a civilian national security force that was similar to the "Gestapo" or the Nazi Brownshirts. What is the truth behind Obama's statements that he wants to create a "civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded [as the military]"? A: This false claim is a badly distorted version of Obama's call for doubling the Peace Corps, creating volunteer networks and increasing the size...

KABUL, Afghanistan, Nov. 9, 2008 – Afghan government officials and Afghan and coalition forces traveled Nov. 6 to the Shah Wali Kot district of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province to investigate claims of civilian casualties in recent operations. Results of the joint investigation to date indicate 37 civilians were killed and 35 others were wounded in a battle after a combined Afghan and coalition patrol was ambushed in the village. The combined forces met with village elders in Wech Baghtu to discuss the Nov. 3 battle. Village elders told the joint investigation team that insurgents who were not from their village came...

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2008 – Coalition, NATO International Security Assistance Force and Afghan officials are investigating possible civilian casualties during incidents in Afghanistan yesterday and Nov. 3, military officials reported. The incident yesterday occurred while forces were responding to an insurgent ambush on a route-clearance patrol in the Ghormach district of Badghis province. "The coalition, ISAF and Afghan authorities are investigating reports of noncombatant casualties in the Ghormach district last night," said Army Col. Greg Julian, a U.S. Forces Afghanistan spokesman. "We do not know all the facts at this time, but we will investigate this situation to get to...

A chilling chapter in the war between Heaven and Hell. Video HERE. Please send a link to it to everyone you know and to news and commentary sites as well. Only 3 days left to stop the dark tide of Obama. After watching this scary fascist on video, come back and spend a few minutes on the side of angels here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt2yGzHfy7s

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2008 – As a follow-on investigation into an operation by Afghan National Army and U.S. forces in western Afghanistan that claimed civilian lives nears completion, a senior defense official here emphasized the U.S. military’s strong record of accountability and follow-through. “No other military in the world goes to a greater extent to prevent civilian casualties,” said Bryan Whitman, deputy assistant secretary of defense for public affairs. “This is something that we take very seriously, and when we have allegations of loss of innocent life, we investigate it.” At issue is an Aug. 22 air strike against...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2008 – An Afghan civilian was killed and four were wounded this morning when militants attacked a village in eastern Afghanistan where coalition and Afghan troops were on patrol, military officials reported. The firefight started when militants engaged the joint forces with small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades in Matin, a village in the Pech district of Konar province, officials said. While returning fire, Afghan soldiers also provided immediate medical care to the wounded and transported them to a medical facility for treatment, officials said. The body of the civilian was recovered and returned to his village, they...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2008 – Affectionately known as “Big Jim,” James McCrindle had a Paul Bunyan-sized heart when it came time for taking care of soldiers and their families as general manager of the Armed Forces Recreation Center’s “Shades of Green” facility on the Walt Disney World resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. Affectionately known as “Big Jim,” Shades of Green general manager James McCrindle had a Paul Bunyan-sized heart when it came time for taking care of soldiers and their families at the Armed Forces Recreation Center. His battle with cancer ended June 1, 2008, at the age...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 11, 2008 – A California group is offering active-duty servicemembers the chance to secure a key component to finding a job before they reenter civilian life: experience. The group, Military Civilian Experience, created by active-duty servicemembers for their fellow troops, was partly inspired by the military’s practice of thoroughly training servicemembers before sending them to the battlefield, according to the organization’s Web site. The group’s officials feel it shouldn’t stop there, and they’re working to give servicemembers a head start on finding their civilian careers. “In our spare time since 2006, we have helped 96 servicemembers obtain...

WASHINGTON, May 16, 2008 – Psychological health issues and traumatic brain injuries are primary areas of study in military medicine, a senior Department of Defense medical official said. “What we are learning in studies will lead to some major breakthroughs in the world of medicine,” Dr. Michael E. Kilpatrick, deputy director for force health protection and readiness programs in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, said in an interview on the “Dot Mil Docs” program on BlogTalkRadio.com. Kilpatrick said that the better they understand how to prevent both psychological health issues and traumatic brain injuries...

Are you tired of the skewed accounts of what is going on in Iraq. Here is a copy of the letter I sent to the 'Iraq Body Count' web site which asks them a few questions that they will never be able to answer. Enjoy. ---------------------------------------------------- Letter to the people at 'Iraq Body Count' http://www.iraqbodycount.org/ Dear People, I stumbled upon your website regarding the Iraq Body Count and was rather amazed at the claims made: aprox 82,000 - 89, 000 civilian deaths. The reason I have doubts about such a fantastic number is because all of our military actions in...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 30, 2008 – Don’t be surprised to see a poster featuring a white-goateed Uncle Sam in a star-spangled top hat, his index finger jutting through the canvas above a row of block letters that read: “Я Xочу Bа�” -- “I Want You.” A familiar WWI recruting poster altered to reflect a shifting American cultural landscape that places greater demand on linguists. Originial poster by J.M. Flagg, modified by Fred W. Baker III for use by American Forces Press Service.   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Starting today, Uncle Sam wants skilled speakers of Russian, Mandarin Chinese,...

WASHINGTON, Jan. 17, 2008 – As U.S. servicemembers and Defense Department civilians ponder candidates during the election season, they should realize there are limits placed upon their involvement in certain political activities. Political-related “dos and don’ts” pertaining to military members of all service branches are proscribed within Defense Department Directive 1344.10, titled: Political Activities by Members of the Armed Forces on Active Duty. The federal Hatch Act delineates what federal civilians, including those working for the Defense Department, may or may not do in the political realm. For example, servicemembers and government civilians may attend political events like meetings...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Jan. 10, 2008) -- Saving a woman's life was not on the menu for three corpsman from Camp Pendleton while dining at a local sushi bar in Vista, Calif., Dec. 14. They planned to have a casual dinner out in town. The sudden sound of crashing dishes brought something else to the table. "All we heard was dishes colliding and a little girl screaming," said Petty Officer 3rd Class Margaret R. Reusi, a corpsman with Company B, 1st Medical Battalion, 1st Marine Logistics Group. "The little girl was trying to pick her mother up...