A manhunt is underway in Iraq for hundreds of convicts, including senior Al-Qaeda terrorists, who broke out of Abu Ghraib prison after a military-style raid to free them, authorities said on Monday. The militant Islamist organization has claimed responsibility for… Read More ›
U.S. Military
US preparing for military action in Syria, top US general says
President Barack Obama is considering using military force in Syria, and the Pentagon has prepared various scenarios for possible United States intervention. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Obama administration is deliberating whether… Read More ›
‘I watch him bleed out:’ Drone operator who helped kill 1,626 targets reveals trauma of watching them die on a computer screen
Brandon Bryant, 27, served as a drone operator from 2006 to 2011 at bases in Nevada, New Mexico and Iraq He could clearly see his targets through thermal images on a computer When he was recruited to the job, he… Read More ›
On the Day of American Independence
Today is the 4th of July, a holiday celebrated all over the nation as the date of American Independence from the British crown. I was considering burning an American flag to protest US foreign policy, imperial aggression, indigenous holocaust, sponsorship… Read More ›
Editorial: The Wonderful American World of Informers and Agents Provocateurs
by Todd Gitlin and Tom Engelhardt Back in the early 1970s, I worked for Pacific News Service (PNS), a small antiwar media outfit that operated out of the Bay Area Institute (BAI), a progressive think tank in San Francisco. The… Read More ›
In Suicide Note, Iraq War Veteran Says He Was Forced to Participate In War Crimes
by Rania Khalek On June 10, 2013, 30-year-old Iraq War veteran Daniel Somers killed himself after writing a powerful letter to his family explaining his reasons for doing so. “My mind is a wasteland filled with visions of incredible horror,… Read More ›
Iraq, 2013: The Horrors Remain the Same — Rape, Executions and Torture Abound
[Trigger Warning: Graphic Discussion of Sexual Violence and Torture] In today’s Iraq, it is unfortunately all too easy to find Iraqis who have had loved ones who have been detained and tortured, and the trend is increasing. Baghdad – Heba al-Shamary… Read More ›
US to give military support to Syrian rebels as ‘red line’ crossed
After concluding that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against the country’s insurgency, thus crossing a ‘red line,’ the Obama administration has decided to start sending arms to anti-Assad rebels for the first time, officials say. The Obama administration… Read More ›
Let’s Be Clear: Establishing a ‘No-Fly Zone’ Is an Act of War
The term is a euphemism that obscures the gravity of what its advocates are suggesting — a U.S. air attack on Syria. by CONOR FRIEDERSDORF Kudos to Josh Rogin for breaking the news that “the White House has asked the Pentagon to draw… Read More ›
Taliban Surge: Afghan Violence Continues to Grow
Military Insists 100 Daily Attacks ‘Not a Major Threat’ to Govt by Jason Ditz A suicide bombing in front of the Supreme Court, just one day after a major attack on the airport in the capital city. Afghanistan is going through… Read More ›
McCain Excuses Syrian Rebel War Crimes, Suggests He’d Tolerate Extremist Takeover of Syria
By Ben Armbruster Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on Monday downplayed atrocities being committed by Syrian rebel forces and suggested that he would be willing to tolerate extremists taking over Syria because they would most likely not be allied with Iran. McCain… Read More ›
Violence Soars in Iraq: Over 1,000 Killed in Month of May
High Death Tolls Not Seen Since 2007 by Jason Ditz With the month of May coming to a close, the trend of worsening violence in Iraq became all the more apparent. After April being the highest death toll in years with several… Read More ›
Updates From A Comrade in Turkey
Update as of 6 am (PST) Due to a media blackout, the following updates are hard to confirm, but come directly from comrades on the ground in an undisclosed major city. Vicious attacks from state security Police chased protesters towards… Read More ›
Syria Endgame Approaching Fast
by SHAMUS COOKE The Fate of the Middle East in the Balance The tempo of events in Syria has accelerated in recent weeks. The government forces have scored significant battlefield victories over the rebels, and this has provoked a mixture of war… Read More ›
How “Memorial Day” was stripped of its African-American Roots
Written by: Ben Becker What we now know as Memorial Day began as “Decoration Day” in the immediate aftermath of the U.S. Civil War. It was a tradition initiated by former slaves to celebrate emancipation and commemorate those who died for that… Read More ›