McChrystal Apologizes for Afghan Civilian Deaths

Staff / Truthdig Feb 24, 2010 America's top military commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, took to the Afghan airwaves Tuesday to apologize for the deaths of 27 civilians in an airstrike led by U.S. forces last week, according to The Christian Science Monitor. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Playing Army

Mr. Fish / Truthdig Jan 12, 2010 Dig deeper

At Least 30 Killed in American-Aided Strike in Yemen

Staff / Truthdig Dec 24, 2009 A meeting of alleged al-Qaida leaders was the target of an airstrike carried out by Yemeni forces with American support in a mountainous zone to the southeast of Yemen on Thursday. The Yemeni American cleric Anwar al-Aulaqi was possibly among the 30 or more people killed in the attack, according to The Washington Post. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Our Murderers in the Sky

Scott Ritter / Truthdig Dec 11, 2009 Key to Barack Obama's surge is his expansion of targeted assassinations taking place under the guise of unmanned aerial drones operating in the Af-Pak region. Obama's senseless Afghanistan strategy will expand the use of targeted assassinations by aerial drones. Dig deeper ( 10 Min. Read )

The Human Costs of War

Staff / Truthdig Sep 12, 2009 Last Friday, a NATO airstrike on two hijacked fuel trucks killed at least 90 people in Afghanistan. The Guardian, determined not to let the story pass into the ether of forgotten wartime reporting, managed to interview the families of some of the strike's victims in a moving exposé of the incredible pain of war. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Order to U.S. Troops: No Firefights Near Afghan Villagers

Staff / Truthdig Jun 23, 2009 Gen. Stanley McChrystal is rolling out a new order to U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan with the hope of reducing rampant civilian casualties. If soldiers find themselves in a fight near Afghan homes, they are to "remove themselves from the area" as long as they can do so "safely, without any undue danger to the forces," a military spokesman explained. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Airstrike Rules Broken, Pentagon Finds

Staff / Truthdig Jun 4, 2009 US forces in Afghanistan have developed a reputation for bombing first and asking questions later According to The New York Times, an internal Pentagon investigation confirms that the rules of engagement were not followed properly during airstrikes on May 4, resulting in the deaths of 20 to 140 civilians (depending on whether you take the U or Afghan estimate). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Israeli Attacks Kill 2 in Gaza Tunnels

Staff / Truthdig May 3, 2009 Two Palestinians were killed Saturday during Israeli airstrikes on tunnels between Gaza and Egypt that Israel says are used to bring supplies and weapons into Gaza -- the first such air raids in two months, according to Al-Jazeera English. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

What Cease-Fire?

Staff / Truthdig Feb 2, 2009 Both Israel and Hamas vowed to stop fighting two weeks ago, but since then attacks have continued Before his country launched airstrikes on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had warned Hamas of a "disproportionate Israeli response" to Hamas rocket and mortar attacks Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, is headed to Cairo, though his influence is surely weakened by the recent fighting. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Israel Sends Tanks Back to Gaza

Staff / Truthdig Jan 28, 2009 Israel launched an airstrike and ground assault into Gaza after a bomb on the Israeli side of the border killed a soldier. The troops pulled back into Israel soon afterward, according to the BBC. The raid was of a smaller scale than the fighting that ended just 10 days ago, but shows the difficult work ahead for George Mitchell, the new U.S. envoy, who is headed to the region. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Israel Begins Ground War in Gaza

Staff / Truthdig Jan 4, 2009 Israeli forces crossed into Gaza on Saturday night, launching ground attacks and seriously ratcheting up the Israeli-Palestinian conflict following a week of bombardment from intensive airstrikes. The United Nations Security Council met that evening in New York about the mounting Mideast crisis. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

A Hamas Leader Is Killed in Gaza

Staff / Truthdig Jan 2, 2009 On Thursday, the sixth day of airstrikes on Gaza, Israel attacked the home of a Hamas leader, Nizar Rayan, in a Palestinian refugee camp, killing Rayan and several members of his family. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )