Free Republic

http://michellemalkin.com/2009/02/24/priceless-video-bailout-prize-patrol-confronts-aig-geithner-sen-snowe/ "Taxpayers Clearing House Prize Patrol" throws cash at Tim Geithner after a hearing, presents oversized checks executives at AIG, CITI, Goldman and confronts Sentator Olympia Snowe with a large check to sign in her office. They also confront Sen. Schumer!

EL PASO, Texas — U.S. Border Patrol agents shot a man described as a suspected drug smuggler in the New Mexico desert Thursday night, federal officials said Friday.

It’s official: Border Patrol agent Nicholas Corbett won’t be tried again in an illegal immigrant’s shooting death. U.S. District Court Judge David Bury has granted a prosecution motion to dismiss second-degree murder, manslaughter and negligent homicide charges. They could be refiled if new evidence is developed. Two trials in 2008 ended with jurors deadlocked.

WHETSTONE — Like many who served during World War II, the number of men who served on the diesel submarines during the conflict is declining. On Saturday, the Cactus Chapter of World War II submariners held its annual meeting at John Robson’s Tombstone Territories RV Park. Robson, who has hosted the reunions for about six years, said it may have been the group’s last annual meeting at his RV park. While there were nearly 100 people in attendance, most of them men served on the nuclear submarines that were built long after the war. Five from World War II showed...

BALAD, Iraq, May 13, 2008 – A continued partnership aimed at enhancing the skills of the local Iraqi highway patrol has benefited local security. Combat Outpost 9’s “Punisher 3” route security team, composed mostly of U.S. military police, conducted classroom training and practical exercises May 2-6 for more than 50 of the Iraqi highway patrol’s noncommissioned officers. The NCOs were trained in basic leadership principles, pre-combat inspections, operation orders, traffic control point operations, vehicle searches and personnel searches. “These are the skills they use every day, and seeing how much they have improved, I feel much more confident about being...

Most illegal entrants selected for prosecution under a new zero-tolerance initiative are getting little jail time, but the program still might be producing the deterrent officials desired. The U.S. Border Patrol-led program, which started in January and prosecutes as many as 60 illegal entrants a day, is aimed at increasing the consequences for illegal Mexican border crossers who are used to being dropped off at the border after apprehension. Border Patrol officials say it's working — they've prosecuted 2,317 illegal entrants in the Tucson Sector through March and report that illegal entries and repeat tries have decreased in a 15-mile...

TUCSON — Judge David Bury declared a mistrial Friday in Border Patrol Agent Nicholas Corbett’s murder trial. The jury told the judge that it was deadlocked and would not be able to come to an agreement. The U.S. District Court judge then declared a mistrial. The mistrial was called after jurors spent more than two days discussing the case. On Thursday afternoon, Bury almost declared a mistrial after the jurors sent a note stating they were experiencing a tough time making a decision, but he decided instead to give them more time. Corbett is charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter and...

SIERRA VISTA — Four years before Pearl Harbor was attacked, a local man sailed on a U.S. Navy ship that was bombed and sunk by Imperial Japanese warplanes. The incident happened on Dec. 13, 1937, as the USS Panay was evacuating U.S. embassy personnel from Nanking, China’s capital of that era. It was a city under siege whose downfall became the infamous Rape of Nanking. The Panay was a gunboat that belonged to the U.S. Asiatic Fleet, whose 1930s peacetime mission included protection of American lives and property from pirates along the lawless Yangtze River, under a treaty with the...

We all remember the two Border Patrol agents who were prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced for shooting an illegal alien drug dealer. While those two agents are serving prison sentences, the real villain in the case is suddenly back in the news. The drug smuggler who was shot while evading Border Patrol agents was recently arrested in Texas for–you’ll never guess–smuggling drugs. His carelessness is understandable, however. The immunity granted him when he testified against the Border Patrol agents allowed him to continue to smuggle drugs with the endorsement of the Justice Department. To reveiw, on 17 February 2005, Border Patrol...

BAGHDAD — More than 200 Concerned Local Citizens (CLC) impressed ground troops by standing their ground in a firefight and finding several improvised explosive devices. The Al Ja'ara CLC patrolled approximately eight kilometers during a 40-hour mission that included the Iraqi National Police and Soldiers from Company B, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, Oct. 27. During the mission, the CLC received small arms fire from insurgent forces, pointed out several improvised explosive devices and scouted out sites along the route to place future checkpoints. "The mission was successful on multiple levels," said Capt. Steve Hemmann, from Des Peres, Mo., the...

Staff Sgt. J.D. Murray deployed from Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, and assigned to the 732nd Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, Detachment 4, conducts a badge check during a dismounted patrol in an effort to keep escort violations at a minimum in the international zone. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Angelique Perez Airmen Patrol Streets of Baghdad Security Forces team helps ensure safety for troops, citizens. By Staff Sgt. Markus M. MaierU.S. Central Command Air Forces Public Affairs BAGHDAD, Oct. 11, 2007 — Baghdad's international zone is surrounded by a network of security and entry control points aimed...

The U.S. government's main border control system is plagued by computer security weaknesses, increasing the risk of computer attacks, data thefts, and manipulation of millions of identity records including passport, visa and Social Security numbers and the world's largest fingerprint database, officials said. U.S. officials have called the US-VISIT system a cornerstone of the nation's efforts to stop terrorists at the borders and stanch the flow of illegal immigrants. It automates the collection of fingerprints and digital photographs, and links border control officers to FBI, border enforcement, immigration and State Department watch lists and databases. Congress has allocated $1.7 billion...

Chief Aguilar has ordered every Border Patrol Agent in the United States of America to watch a video of him extolling the virtues of the Bush Administration's so-called "Comprehensive Immigration Reform". In the video, Chief Aguilar goes out of his way to convince us that he does not support "amnesty" for illegal aliens. This is perhaps the single most boring and uninformative "video" ever put out by the INS, the BP, and/or CBP...

A suspected immigrant smuggler on Wednesday tried to run down a U.S. Border Patrol agent from Yuma. At 5 p.m., a Border Patrol video surveillance camera operator witnessed a large group of suspected illegal immigrants cross the Salinity Canal near County 9th Street. Agents spotted the vehicle as it approached the intersection of County 9th Street and Somerton Avenue, the release said. An agent attempted to stop the 2007 Chevrolet Suburban, but the driver ignored the agent's request and continued driving east before turning around and heading back toward the levee and the Colorado River. The agent then tried to...

U.S. Army Sgt. Paul L. Wilkerson, a forward observer with Battery A, 2nd Battalion, 138th Field Artillery Regiment, Kentucky National Guard, pulls security at a school in Mushkay, Afghanistan, June 15, 2007. The unit stopped there during a mounted patrol in the Ghazni province. Wilkerson is a native of Lexington, Ky. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Jim Wilt National Guard Soldiers Patrol Qarabagh Soldiers share stories of danger and luck during patrols. By U.S. Army Sgt. Jim WiltCombined Joint Task Force-82 Public Affairs Office QARABAGH, Afghanistan, July 5, 2007 — “Get down! Get down! Get down!,� yelled Air Force...

U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Yuma sector apprehended 10 illegal immigrants in a taxicab that was abandoned by its driver during an agent pursuit through a Yuma neighborhood. A tip about a suspicious vehicle led agents to a local taxicab at 3 a.m. Tuesday. The driver failed to yield for a traffic stop, and the agent followed the taxicab until the driver and one passenger jumped from the moving vehicle and fled on foot into an apartment complex near the intersection of 10th Avenue and 2nd Street, according to Border Patrol spokesman Lloyd Easterling. The driverless taxicab continued down...

Yuma area Border Patrol agents had their hands full Monday morning with rock and firebomb throwers, including an arsonist who started a fire in a wheat field, the patrol said. No agents were injured in any of the incidents that occurred near the U.S. Port of Entry at San Luis, Ariz., the patrol said, and the city's fire department put out the fire before it could spread. The first incident occurred at 1:20 a.m. about a half-mile east of the port, when agents encountered a group of five suspected illegal immigrants, who turned around and headed back to Mexico when...

Border Patrol Helicopter Crashes in Yard The Associated Press A U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter crashed in a residential area during a routine patrol along the Mexican border Tuesday, killing the pilot and critically injuring another person onboard. The helicopter slammed into a yard and hit a pickup truck. The pilot and passenger, who was a Border Patrol observer monitoring the area for illegal activity, were taken by ambulance to a hospital, Senior Border Patrol Agent Patrick Berry said. No one on the ground was hurt. A witness to the crash about 10 miles east of El Paso said...

Dragon Fire West nets 22 suspects, 11 weapon caches in four days. Multi-National Division – Baghdad PAO1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs CAMP LIBERTY, Iraq, May 11, 2007 — The addition of two brigades to Baghdad during the past several months has had a positive impact, according to the commanding general of Multi-National Division – Baghdad. "Many of the suspects are picked up during targeted operations, thanks to tips from the local populace."U.S. Army Maj. Kirk Luedeke “It makes a huge difference, not only for our forces but for the Iraqi forces, as well,� said Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Fil...

TIKRIT, Iraq – At approximately 3 p.m. Monday, a Coalition Forces’ patrol base in As Sadah, Iraq, was attacked by two suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices, killing nine Soldiers and wounding 20 Soldiers and one Iraqi civilian. Twelve Soldiers were returned to duty after initial medical care, and eight Soldiers and the Iraqi civilian were evacuated to a Coalition Forces’ medical treatment facility for further care. Three of those Soldiers were later returned to duty. "My thoughts and prayers remain with the families of the brave Soldiers who were killed and wounded during this vicious attack,” said Col. David W....

BAGHDAD — The young police officer’s eyes strained in the bright, late-morning sunlight as he scoured for any anomaly lurking among the reeds and plant life along the Tigris River shoreline. Life was calm Tuesday along this several-mile stretch of the Tigris. But patrols along the river aren’t always such smooth sailing, the Iraqi policeman said. “You never know what might be hiding there,” said the 20-year-old officer, part of a special operations team of the Baghdad river police unit. The policemen, whose identities are not being revealed for security reasons, make up the Baghdad River Patrol Station. Their headquarters...

BISBEE — After nearly two years of declining numbers, illegal border-crossings took a sudden jump last month in Cochise County, law enforcement officials say. Gustavo Soto, a spokesman for the Border Patrol’s Tucson Sector, said agents at the Naco, Douglas and Willcox stations apprehended just over 13,000 illegal immigrants last month, a 30 percent increase over March 2006. Prior to the spike, Border Patrol apprehensions in the county had been down 13 percent since the current fiscal year began on Oct. 1. That decline followed a 45 percent drop during the previous year. Sgt. Taron Maddux, spokesman for the Bisbee...

An Iraqi Army Soldier makes friends with an Iraqi boy, March 17, during a foot patrol near the village of Kem, Iraq. The boy rushed over to show the Soldier a fish he had caught. Photo by Staff Sgt. Jon Cupp, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division Public Affairs. KEM -- Iraqi Army Soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division (Mechanized) and U.S. Soldiers from Company A, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment went on a joint foot patrol in the villages surrounding Kem, Iraq Saturday afternoon.While on patrol, Iraqi Soldiers and U.S. Soldiers paired up in two...

MUQDADIYA — Soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division supported by U.S. Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 505th Infantry Regiment, attached to 6-9 Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, discovered three caches and two improvised explosive devices while conducting routine patrols in Muqdadiya, Iraq, March 8. “The weapons and supplies found during this patrol have multiple uses; however, the primary reason for their use is to disrupt the future of the Iraqi people living in the Diyala province,” said Col. David W. Sutherland, 3-1 Cav. commander and senior U.S. Army officer in the Diyala province. “The...

Visiting local villages and farms is a key part of the Queen’s Royal Lancers’ mission in Maysaan. Photo by Cpl Ian Forsyth RLC. MAYSAAN -- While patrolling the Iraq and Iran border as a reconnaissance unit, the Queen’s Royal Lancers (QRL), have also been engaging with local Iraqi farmers and villagers in an attempt to build bonds and win hearts and minds. It seems they are getting a warm welcome. Along the 175 kilometre stretch of the Iran/Iraq border that the QRL carry out their reconnaissance missions, they meet plenty of local people, many of whom are farmers or simple Bedouin folk, nomads...

CBNNews.com - NASHVILLE, Tenn. - It's a day in the life of the U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales as he boards a plane to launch the first Freedom Initiative to protect religious liberties. Along for the ride, we ask about a report that says discrimination against Muslims after 9/11 in part prompted this new program. "It's something we worry about, naturally, when people see images on the television screen that these are the enemies of America, they may naturally assume anyone who looks like these people, or have the same religious belief - that, in fact, they constitute enemies of...

2/22/2007 - SOUTHWEST ASIA (AFNEWS) -- Ensuring the safety of everyone at the 379th Air Expeditionary Wing here rests upon a group of Airmen and their highly trained four-legged partners. The 379th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Military Working Dog Section has several certified teams made up of handlers and their explosive detecting dogs who inspect every vehicle entering the base. The teams also conduct foot patrols, perform random anti-terrorism measures and conduct searches on base. "MWD teams are vital to all aspects of installation security," said David Aviles, the 379th ESFS MWD section kennel master. "Nothing is able to enter the base without MWD searching...

With mounting bipartisan criticism from Republican congressmen and California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Department of Justice has stepped up an unprecedented public relations campaign to defend its prosecution of former Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, now serving 11-and 12-year prison terms. But new facts keep emerging to prove that this prosecution was a gross injustice. CNN judicial expert Jeffrey Toobin described it as “one of the most unusual prosecutions I've ever seen. . . . I am baffled why this case was brought.” So am I. The government prosecuted Ramos and Compean criminally for acts that called...

One of two Border Patrol agents sentenced to a decade in federal prison for the shooting of a Mexican drug smuggler in Texas was beaten by five fellow inmates at a medium-security prison in Yazoo City, Miss., lawmakers and his relatives said Tuesday. The inmates surrounded Ignacio Ramos on Saturday night and punched him and kicked him with their work boots, said his father-in-law, Joe Loya of El Paso. Relatives learned of the attack Monday when they reached Ramos by phone on his 38th birthday, Loya said. Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., one of a group of lawmakers seeking presidential pardons...

EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- A former U.S. Border Patrol agent who was convicted of shooting a drug smuggling suspect and then lying about it was beaten by fellow inmates in prison, his relatives and a congressman said Tuesday. Prison officials did not immediately confirm that Ignacio Ramos had been attacked. The convictions of Ramos and fellow former agent Jose Alonso Compean sparked outcry from critics who argued that the men were merely doing their job defending the border against criminals. U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a vocal supporter of the agents and opponent of illegal immigration, criticized the Bush...

We're not talking about Ramos and Compean. This is another agent that was railroaded out of years of his life.  But the similarities are astounding!   After the article is some of the decision to grant another trial and some information about the Asst. Atty General in the case ,R. Alexander Acosta,  who handles the "civil rights" division of the justice department.    He's bragged before congress about how many suits they've brought against small counties because they didn't have enough Spanish language poll workers!  They have quite a foreigner protection racket going in the DC 'justice' department!   At the end...

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., Jan. 31, 2007 – The Continental U.S. North American Aerospace Defense Command Region is stepping up its air patrols in the Miami-Dade area to increase security during Super Bowl XLI activities. Spectators will see the Air Force Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, fly over Dolphin Stadium Feb. 4 during pregame events and other Air Force fighter jets in the local area during the game. The patrols are a smart, efficient way to protect American lives and resources in the region, said Maj. Gen. Henry C. Morrow, the commander of both 1st Air Force and Continental...

The Border-Patrol Two Deserve Jail Law enforcement defends its honor, despite the “hero” propaganda By Andrew C. McCarthy “Texans aren’t whiners,” Johnny Sutton told me. Still, forgive him if he sounds a bit frustrated. Sutton is the top federal law-enforcement officer in one of the nation’s most notorious border badlands. Day in and day out, while no one was paying much attention to the dusty Rio Grande towns outside El Paso, he has been the U.S. Border Patrol’s staunchest ally. A solid law-and-order conservative, Sutton’s position, United States Attorney for the Western District of Texas, is a unique perch from...

WASHINGTON: President George W. Bush left open the possibility of a pardon for two U.S. Border Patrol agents serving federal prison sentences for shooting a Mexican drug dealer as he fled and covering up the crime. Bush said "there's a process for pardons" and the case has to work its way through the system. In an interview with KFOX-TV in El Paso, Texas, Bush said the White House will review the case, and he urged people to "take a sober look at the case." "People need to take a tough look at the facts, the evidence a jury looked at,...

BAGHDAD — Keeping the Tigris River free from criminal activity is the mission of a unique group of Iraqi policemen. The policemen belong to the Baghdad River Patrol Station, located along the eastern banks of the Tigris River. From there, police conduct surveillance and establish a presence on fast patrol boats, said Iraqi Police Col. Alaa, the station’s commander. “Our primary mission is of a humanitarian nature,” Alaa said. To combat the transport of weapons and illegal contraband, the policemen take certain measures in their daily patrols. One critical tactic used by the river police to deter crime on the...

The Tucson Border Patrol sector is seeing a promising trend as the number of reported assaults on their agents is dropping. In fiscal year 2004, 118 assaults were reported. The numbers went up sharply in 2005 with 241 assaults. In fiscal year 2006, which just ended, there were 215 reports. And so far this fiscal year, which is only a few months old, there are 25 reported assaults. That's a 30% decrease from this time last year. Border Patrol agents in Tucson attribute to the drop in agent assaults to a number of reasons. Agent Jose Maheda says, "Cameras, our...

President Bush is scheduled to sign the Secure Border Fence Act today. AP writer Deb Reichman leads her report with the political implications of the bill. WASHINGTON (AP) - When President Bush signs a bill authorizing 700 miles of new fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border Thursday, he’ll give GOP candidates a pre-election platform for asserting they’re tough on illegal immigration. Yet the centerpiece of his immigration policy, a guest worker program, remains stalled in Congress. Securing our nation’s borders is the right thing to do. Furthermore, protecting the men and women who risk their lives to secure the border against...

Soldiers Patrol the Liquid Highways of Iraq U.S. Army and Iraqi soldiers patrol rivers and lakes to prevent insurgents from trafficking explosive device materials or people. By U.S. Army Sgt. Zach Mott HAMRIN, Iraq, Oct. 11, 2006 -- Water can be a scarce resource in many regions of Iraq. However, there are some areas, namely along the Tigris and Euphrates river valleys, that thrive because of the direct access to water. These liquid highways can also serve as an avenue for insurgents to traffic their goods, be it improvised explosive device materials or people. In northern Diyala Province, there...

When he was 16, Gonzalo Llamas left his home in Zacatecas, Mexico, and illegally crossed the border by paying $20 to use an American citizen's passport. Though the passport holder was older and balding, Llamas made it across and began his new life cleaning restaurants for $9 a job. Now 50, Llamas is a U.S. citizen and owns a construction company in San Diego. And he wants the border sealed. The reason? Violent crime. "You have your good people and your bad people," he says. "I'm really open-minded for people to make a better life for themselves without causing problems...

YUMA, Ariz. -- A U.S. Border Patrol agent fatally shot a man who was throwing rocks at officers from the Mexican side of the border late Saturday, officials said. The incident began after agents spotted a suspicious vehicle near the Andrade Port of Entry west of the California-Arizona border, just north of the international border and alongside the Colorado River. The driver fled and then tried to swim across a pond along the river in an effort to return to Mexico, the agency said in a press release. But the man began to struggle to stay afloat and agents threw...

We've just gotten confirmation from Ignacio Ramos's attorney Stephen Peters, that sentencing for the two U.S. Border Patrol officers has been postponed until September 18. This is great news, because it allows us to continue ratcheting up the grassroots pressure, and it is working! Tonight, Grassfire's own Ron De Jong, will appear as a radio guest on 610 WTVN in Columbus, Ohio to discuss the case and the overwhelming grassroots response with host Dirk Thompson. ++ 100,000 petitions arrive in El Paso! Thanks to so many who have worked so diligently to rally support for agents Ramos, and Compean, Grassfire...

Oakland International Airport security officials on Friday rejected National Guard troops that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger had activated on Thursday, saying they had the necessary security and law enforcement resources in place to respond to this week's terror threat. Airport managers, anti-terrorism officials, and representatives of local and regional law enforcement agencies met Friday morning at Oakland airport and decided unanimously to decline the deployment, said Fred Lau, the airport's federal security director. "We told the National Guard we would not require the deployment," Lau said. The airport's decision came as California National Guard troops deployed to the state's other major...

8/4/2006 - ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam (AFPN) -- The first joint operation involving the Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard security forces set out to patrol the shores of Guam July 26. "This is a joint operation with Coast Guard, Air Force and naval assets all working together as a coordinated team to enhance force protection and overall protection of the island of Guam," said Chief Warrant Officer William Norton of Naval Security Forces. The joint patrol got underway in a 36-foot Navy patrol Sea Ark and navigated 32 miles to the northern tip of the island and back....

President Bush got a firsthand look Thursday at ways the government fights illegal immigration and said that securing the border with Mexico will require more people and modern technology. For Bush's arrival at the airport in nearby McAllen, Texas, the Border Patrol had set up several tools it uses on patrol _ helicopters, a boat and a small plane. "We're going to help build a virtual border," he said. "This border is changing and it needs to change so the Border Patrol can do its job." Guard officials said 6,199 troops were somewhere in the four Southwestern border states. Bureau,...

Spc. Charles Johnson, cavalry scout, Troop B, 8th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, patrols the streets of Al Jihad, a neighborhood in western Baghdad July 20. Spc. Jason Dangle4th Infantry Division BAGHDAD -- As members of a calvary unit began their new mission in Baghdad and were told they would be responsible for a neighborhood called Jihad, which translated from Arabic means ‘holy war,’ they were surprised to find many residents happy to see them. The neighborhood’s name held some negative connotation on July 9, as Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade...

NOGALES, Ariz. (Army News Service, July 31, 2006) – The number of illegal immigrants crossing from Mexico into the U.S. Border Patrol’s busy Tucson, Ariz., sector have dropped from about 600 a day in March to 200 this month, according to Border Patrol officials. Although apprehension rates typically vary with the season, Border Patrol officials attribute the latest drop to the arrival of National Guard troops for Operation Jump Start, the initiative President George W. Bush announced in mid-May to help the Border Patrol secure the U.S. border with Mexico. “We’ve seen dramatic decreases in the number of entries and...

Saturday, 22 July 2006 RAMADI -- Lance Cpl. Brandon R. Musser is just one of many Marines from 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment patrolling the streets of one of the most dangerous cities in Iraq while wearing 50 plus pounds of armor under a scorching sun. And he and his comrades are doing it with no complaints. Lance Cpl. William A. Staley, 24, from Lockport, N.Y., searches an Iraqi civilian during a vehicle check point patrol June 20. Staley is a mortar man with 3rd Platoon, Company L, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment. The patrol was conducted to deny insurgents...

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2006 – U.S. and Iraqi soldiers killed two terrorists and captured seven others during a joint operation conducted in a rural area northwest of Baghdad late last week, officials in Iraq reported. The Iraqi soldiers and Multinational Corps Iraq soldiers from 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, participated in the July 13 firefight. Four local citizens gave information that led to the terrorists' capture. The Iraqis told the soldiers about some men carrying an RPK machine gun and a mortar tube in the neighborhood and provided possible locations. The soldiers observed...

HONOLULU -- Hundreds of Hawaii National Guard volunteers will head to Arizona over the next few months to help mainland Guard troops fortify security along the Mexico border. Maj. Gen. Robert G.F. Lee, the state adjutant general, said they will be assigned to remote desert areas far from Arizona cities but won't be near the border. Lee said their job will be to notify border security of illegal immigrants making their way from Mexico and to provide humanitarian assistance until the immigrants can be taken into custody and sent back over the border. "We'll be in some rough areas, places...

WASHINGTON, June 30, 2006 – Coalition forces in Afghanistan today killed 14 enemy fighters at a Taliban safe house and killed one enemy fighter and captured eight others in a separate raid, military officials reported. A coalition patrol in the Kamdesh district in Nuristan province tracked a band of 14 extremists traveling with AK-47s and rocket-propelled grenades and attacked them once they reached their safe house, destroying two buildings in the compound, officials said. Afghan National Army and coalition forces seized the compound and identified 14 dead enemy combatants. No ANA or coalition soldiers or civilians were injured in the...