Scattered Violence Kills 21 in Afghanistan

Staff / Truthdig Aug 22, 2010 At a point when news from the Afghanistan war seems to be at its worst ever -- low public support in the US, record-level casualties and falling confidence in NATO's mission -- new bad news tells of at least 21 people being killed, including U troops, children and Afghan security force members, in a span of only 48 hours. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Blackwater Agrees to Pay $42 million in Fines

Staff / Truthdig Aug 21, 2010 The company formerly known as Blackwater (now renamed Xe Services) has agreed to pay $42 million in fines, thereby avoiding criminal charges for the hundreds of alleged export violations it committed as a leading private contractor in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Contractors Move Into the Gap in Iraq

Staff / Truthdig Aug 19, 2010 With the last American combat brigade pulling out of Iraq this week, the U.S. is turning much of the security effort there over to a small army of civilian contractors under the State Department. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Afghanistan in Review

Staff / Truthdig Aug 14, 2010 With civilian casualties in Afghanistan up sharply this year, President Hamid Karzai has asked President Obama for a “strategic review” of the way the war there is being fought. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Afghan Civilian Deaths Up in 2010

Staff / Truthdig Aug 8, 2010 Afghanistan's human rights commission announced Sunday that civilian deaths so far in 2010 had risen by 6 percent, a fact construed as negative unless you're The Associated Press, which seems to think “the modest increase suggested that U.S. and NATO efforts to hold down civilian casualties were having some success.” Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

New Afghanistan Strategy Targets Insurgents

Staff / Truthdig Aug 1, 2010 With the resignation of Gen. Stanley McChrystal and (we hope) the waning of the notion of counterinsurgency, the U.S. is looking toward another Afghanistan strategy -- "counterterrorism" -- one that focuses on targeted killing of insurgents, rather than the whole "hearts and minds" thing. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘Courageous Restraint’ Questioned

Staff / Truthdig Jul 12, 2010 "Courageous restraint," or stringent restrictions on engaging the enemy that were implemented to cut down civilian casualties in Afghanistan, is under fire by Britain's top general there after soldiers complained against the perceived inflexibility of the protocol. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Soldier Facing Criminal Charges for Leaking to WikiLeaks (Update)

Staff / Truthdig Jul 6, 2010 He's been hailed as a hero for allegedly publicizing classified video of a 2007 U.S. helicopter attack that killed 12 civilians in Iraq, but now Pfc. Bradley E. Manning is catching heat from the military for the WikiLeaks exposé. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Petraeus Rule Changes Could Mean More Dead Civilians

Staff / Truthdig Jul 5, 2010 Gen. David Petraeus has hinted that he might rethink the rules of engagement now that he's in charge of the war in Afghanistan. The current rules, ushered in by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, were designed to reduce civilian casualties but have proved unpopular with the rank and file. Afghan civilians, who already avoid contact with U.S. military, are worried. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Fewer Civilian Deaths in Afghanistan

Staff / Truthdig Jun 19, 2010 Even in the face of increased military deployment and the fact that 2010 is on course to be one of the deadliest years for foreign troops in Afghanistan, the number of civilians killed there by U.S. and NATO forces has reportedly decreased due to stricter rules of engagement. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Israel Strikes at Aid Flotilla, Killing 9 (Update: Security Council)

Staff / Truthdig May 31, 2010 Activists trying to bring humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip ran afoul of the Israeli military on Sunday Shots were fired after masked Israeli gunmen descended from helicopters hovering over the flotilla as it made its way through international watersShots were fired after masked Israeli gunmen <a href="http://www. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Baghdad Bomb Attacks Kill 50

Staff / Truthdig Apr 7, 2010 A string of at least seven bombings in Baghdad on Tuesday killed 50 people, the latest in a series of attacks that have claimed about 120 lives in the Iraqi capital over the last five days, sparking concern that the level of violence and sectarian unrest will rival the bloody months before the surge of 2007. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )