2 US Soldiers Killed in Philippines

(NEWSER) - President Obama has approved an increase in troop levels in Afghanistan, which could put 17,000 more soldiers and Marines on the ground in the coming months, the AP reports. Insiders say they should be in place by the volatile summer period, when warmer weather and upcoming elections are expected to spur an increase in violence. About 36,000 troops are on the ground there now. More»

Gates confident new administration will honor promise to NATO

(NEWSER) - The US will boost the number of its troops committed to NATO's effort in Afghanistan in 2009, President Bush told fellow alliance members at this week's summit, Reuters reports. Defense Secretary Robert Gates related the pledge to reporters as he left the Bucharest summit. He didn’t specify a figure, saying only that it would be a “significant contribution.” More»

Al-Qaeda claims responsibility

(NEWSER) - A suicide bombing targeting the Yemeni military killed more than 90 people today, and injured another 222, a government official announced. Reportedly dressed as a soldier, the attacker set off the blast near the presidential palace in Sanaa as troops trained for a military parade. An al-Qaeda source tells the BBC that one of its members was responsible. BBC correspondent Frank Gardener calls it "a significant step-up in the country's troubles," noting that despite unrest in the south, Yemen's capital "has been relatively quiet" since President Ali Abdullah Saleh gave up power. More»

Most believe Iraq war was unsuccessful

(NEWSER) - After a decade of war, America's troops aren't feeling very war-like. President Obama currently leads Mitt Romney among veterans who have served since the Gulf War by seven points—a wider lead than he has among the general populace—according to a new Reuters/Ipsos poll , and many say it's because of his stance on defense. One former master sergeant, for instance, says he's a Ron Paul supporter, but in the general election he's voting for whoever he thinks is less likely to start "knee-jerk reaction wars," even if it means voting for "that Democrat." More»

Donations from mortally wounded troops have helped 140

(NEWSER) - Since 2006, organ donations from mortally wounded US troops have saved around 140 European lives, reports USA Today . The families of 36 American servicemembers who were declared brain dead from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan agreed to donate their hearts, kidneys, lungs, livers, and pancreases to patients in Europe. It's the result of military protocol: Wounded troops wind up at an Army medical center in Germany, and those who are brain dead are kept alive on a ventilator to give their families in the US time to fly in for a final goodbye. More»