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During a press conference, Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie said that the United States “shares a common purpose” with the Taliban terrorists, admitting they are “useful to work with.”McKenzie was asked about staying after the August 31 deadline, the date agreed upon to withdraw all the troops, American civilians, and U.S. Afghan allies. He was concerned about threats since the military and the Taliban have been coordinating on various things.The Marine Corps General said, “As to whether or not I trust them, that’s not necessarily a word I’d use very carefully,” adding “it’s not what they say. It’s what...

WASHINGTON – The Federal Reserve will provide as much as $900 billion in cash loans to squeezed banks in an urgent effort Monday to break through a dangerous credit clog that threatens the economy and has unhinged financial markets around the globe. The Fed's action is aimed at spurring spooked financial institutions, which are hoarding cash, to lend not only to each other but also to individuals and businesses. Even as the Fed pledged to take "additional measures as necessary" to battle the worst credit crisis in decades, Wall Street was in a nosedive. The Dow Jones industrials plunged more...

WASHINGTON, May 17, 2007 – “Operation Care and Comfort” is on a mission to provide support and comfort to military units deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and other regions of conflict. Since April 2003, the California-based Operation Care and Comfort organization has shipped more than 250,000 pounds of care packages to its more than 60 “adopted” units. More than 100 units are waiting to be adopted. “Working within our community and through donations received from all over the country, we assemble and ship care packages to our adopted units every month until they return home,” Julie DeMaria, the group’s co-founder,...

WASHINGTON, April 29, 2007 – The Marines of the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Band have put down their instruments and picked up their rifles to become part of the security detachment for the Tactical Air Control Center here. Marine Sgt. William Killian, a member of the Tactical Air Control Center security force, signals Marines in a Humvee to move forward so he can check their ID cards in Al Asad, Iraq, April 9, 2007. Killian is a tuba player in the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing band. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Zachary Dyer  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image...

NATO to Provide More Afghanistan Troops Wednesday September 20, 2006 6:46 PM By LOLITA C. BALDOR Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - After weeks of prodding, European nations have agreed to provide more troops for the alliance in Afghanistan, where violence has surged and efforts to eradicate the opium crops are floundering, NATO's top commander said Wednesday. U.S. Gen. James L. Jones said that requests for additional military aircraft have not yet been nailed down, but he is optimistic he will get the aircraft he needs. Jones said he is still looking for a commitment to send some helicopters. Earlier...

Medics Provide Health Services to Villagers U.S. and Iraqi medics team up to conduct a community health outreach for the citizens of Hor al Bash, Iraq. By U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Joe Flores CAMP TAJI, Iraq. Aug. 28, 2006-- Under the blazing Iraqi sun, Iraqi army and U.S. Army soldiers from Multi-National Division - Baghdad fought the Middle East heat to conduct a community health outreach for the people of Hor al Bash.Soldiers of the 2nd Tank Brigade, 9th Iraqi Army Division, and 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, with the help...

BAGHDAD, Aug. 24, 2006 -- In response to recent bombing and gas explosions in the area, Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers joined Iraqi police and local officials in providing humanitarian aid Aug. 22 to displaced citizens in Zafaraniya. Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers, Iraqi police, and community and tribal leaders unload humanitarian aid items Aug. 22 at the Zafaraniya government center. U.S. Army photo   '(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Soldiers from 4th Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, and 801st Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, provided rice, beans, cooking oil, canned fish, blankets, vegetables, assorted...

Source: University of Washington Released: Mon 07-Aug-2006, 15:10 ET Ancient Bison Teeth Provide Window on Past Great Plains Climate, Vegetation Scientists have devised a way to use the fossil teeth of ancient bison as a tool to reconstruct historic climate and vegetation changes in America's breadbasket, the Great Plains.The third molar from a bison jawbone grows to 3 inches in length and has several times more surface area than a quarter. Newswise — A University of Washington researcher has devised a way to use the fossil teeth of ancient bison as a tool to reconstruct historic climate and vegetation changes...

By Monique Reuben / American Forces Press Service Pat Monahan (right), lead singer for the group Train, and Jimmy Stafford, the group's guitarist, entertain a sold-out crowd at Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts, in Vienna, Va., July 24. More than 100 servicemembers and their guests enjoyed the concert thanks to defense contractor Northrop Grumman and the USO of Metropolitan Washington. Photo by Samantha L. Quigley Entertainer Connie Stevens speaks at a barbecue dinner as part of USO of Metropolitan Washington and Northrop Grumman's military salute event July 24 at Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing...

Six of the current Supreme Court justices had other jobs when an atheist sued this city for permitting a giant cross in a public park. Ronald Reagan was president, the Christian Coalition was new and "values" had yet to become a buzzword of American politics. Seventeen years of legal wrangling later, the 29-foot monument still crowns a hill over the Pacific - defended by city ballot measures, federal legislation and even one congressman's appeal for presidential intervention. Now the Supreme Court has weighed in, and the case of the Mount Soledad cross may set a precedent on whether the government...

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2006 – An Internet community of support for troops overseas has arisen from one mother's concern that some of her son's fellow servicemembers were not receiving mail or the support they needed from home. A servicemember poses with "Soldiers Angels" volunteers after receiving a laptop courtesy of Project Valour-IT. Project Valour-IT provides wounded troops with voice-activated laptops to use during their recovery. Courtesy photo   Patti Patton-Baden founded "Soldiers' Angels" in December 2003 after she began writing a few extra letters to members of her son's deployed unit in Iraq. More than 80,000 "angels" now are registered...

An Iraqi family stands outside their home, damaged by fire from a recent vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack. Iraqi Police along with U.S. Army soldiers assisted several families by supplying them with water, beds, school supplies and shoes. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Anna-Marie Hize Iraqis, Soldiers Provide Help to Bomb Victims Iraqi Police and U.S. Army soldiers chip in to help four families whose homes were damaged by fire from a recent vehicle-borne improvised explosive attack. By U.S. Army Spc. Anna-Marie Hizer 133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment KIRKUK, Iraq, July 5, 2006 -- In the United States, when...

CAMP RAMADI, Iraq (June 28, 2006) -- A mobile detachment of Marines from the 1st Marine Logistics Group is working hard to improving life for Iraqi soldiers stationed in the Ramadi area. The unit, Combat Logistics Detachment 115, recently delivered three mobile kitchens to Camp Commando, a forward operating base west of the city. Soldiers at the camp had been surviving on primitive cooking methods and prepackaged meals, called meals ready to eat, said Staff Sgt. Kenneth Ryals, the platoon sergeant for 1st Platoon, Combat Logistics Regiment 115. The kitchen units, which resemble pop-up campers pulled by pick-up trucks, will...

SAN LUIS — Military bulldozers, road graders and other heavy equipment rumbled along the Mexican border early Monday as more than 50 National Guardsmen from Utah became the first unit to get to work under President Bush’s crackdown on illegal immigration. The soldiers with the 116th Construction Support Equipment Company will hit their work sites by 5:30 a.m. during their two weeks of duty. They will improve a dirt road running parallel to the border, fill in gaps in fortified fencing and run wiring for new lighting to help the Border Patrol spot illegal crossers. “It’s exciting to do something...

AL QA’IM, Iraq (May 15, 2006) -- A 28-year-old Iraqi woman has told Marines and sailors in region of western Al Anbar Province that all she wants is to be able to walk again. The woman from Karabilah, Iraq, is missing both of her legs. But the Marines of the 3rd Civil Affairs Group – a U.S. military unit responsible for assisting Iraqi communities with rebuilding local government infrastructure, commerce and economies – are doing something about it. They’re jumpstarting the lengthy process of finding aid for the woman, who lost both of her legs during combat operations conducted by...

ABOARD USS GERMANTOWN, At Sea (NNS) -- Sailors from USS Germantown (LSD 42) provided medical assistance to an injured Iranian fisherman May 7, in the Northern Persian Gulf. During routine surveillance of three dhows by Germantown’s Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) team, radio contact revealed an injured crew member on one of the vessels. The dhow’s master stated that the crew member injured a foot during rough seas the day before and requested medical assistance from the VBSS team. A corpsman from Germantown was then transported to the dhow, where he diagnosed the injured man with a severe sprain...

PHOENIX -- Republican legislative leaders are now willing to provide cash to put National Guard troops on the border without adding special conditions. But the concession Wednesday to Gov. Janet Napolitano may bring GOP lawmakers and the governor no closer to agreeing on terms for a comprehensive border security plan: Napolitano is now raising objections to another provision, this one dealing with sanctions against companies that knowingly hire undocumented workers. Rep. Russell Pearce, R-Mesa, said the measure, now set for hearing next week, would simply give Napolitano $10 million to pay to put "boots on the ground" in Southern Arizona....

ABOARD THE USS LAKE CHAMPLAIN, May 2, 2006 – While there is a ring of steel around the Iraqi oil terminal platforms in the Northern Arabian Gulf, small rubber boats with special boat crews do much of the heavy lifting for security and stability in the area. A small-boat boarding party from the Royal Australian Navy's HMAS Ballarat prepares for maritime operations in the Northern Arabian Gulf. American, British and Australian are always a part of Coalition Task Force 58, which provides maritime security in the region. Other countries' ships join when available. Photo by Jim Garamone   (Click photo...

High gas prices provide fuel for Democratic volleys at GOP policiesThe Business Journal of Phoenix - 10:29 AM MST Friday by Mike Sunnucks The Business Journal Gasoline prices have hit or surpassed the dreaded $3 per gallon mark and oil company profits are through the roof, giving Democrats more ammunition against Republicans on the disconcerting economic issue. Democrats and U.S. Senate challenger Jim Pederson are pointing to a Senate Republican Policy Committee report earlier this year, which said the oil industry was already heavily taxed and opposed efforts to roll back tax breaks and subsidies for the sector. That policy...

BAGHDAD (Army News Service, April 24, 2006) – Iraqi army and police forces partnered with Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers to secure the International Zone as the Iraqi Council of Representatives convened April 22 to elect the nation’s top government leaders. Working with Iraqi Security Forces, the 4th Infantry Division’s 4th Brigade Combat Team headed a coordination cell at the Iraqi Convention Center at the nation’s capital. Soldiers from the 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, worked with Iraqi police to form a protective cordon around the building where the nation’s top leaders took the next step forming their government....