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December 2, 2008 4:08:53 AM CST


War on Terror

War on Terror news stories

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OPINION

 Make Your Case 
 on Anti-Terror, 
 Mr. Bush 

Bill Kristol thinks America will listen

(Newser) - Republicans have fallen out of favor, and there’s probably nothing George W. Bush can say in his final days to change that. “But he could do his party—and the nation—a service by reminding Americans of our successes fighting the war on terror,” writes William Kristol. If Bush publicly explains how his detention, interrogation, and surveillance efforts have kept America safe, Obama will be able to “back off rash promises and continue most of the policies.” More »

ANALYSIS

 Obama's Inheriting 
 Troubles Darker 
 Than Economy 

Mumbai attacks a horrific reminder of the problems Obama must tackle

(Newser) - The attacks in Mumbai are a stark reminder that some things are worse than a slumping economy, David Hallaway writes in Marketwatch . Barack Obama is also inheriting some huge foreign policy challenges, and the days of the war on terror taking a backseat to the financial crisis look certain to be short-lived, Hathaway warns. More »

More about:  Barack Obama al-Qaeda President Obama terrorism War on Terror Robert Gates Mumbai Obama administration

(Newser) - The death toll in the Mumbai terror attacks rose to 101, and government troops continued to exchange gunfire with militants holed up in two posh hotels, the Times of India reports. As dawn broke over India's financial capital, it remained unclear how many—or if any—Westerners were being held hostage. Of those killed, six were foreigners, and the US knows of no American casualties. More »

More about:  terrorism India War on Terror Mumbai

(Newser) - A Dallas jury found a Muslim charity and its ex-leaders guilty today on three dozen counts of terror funding, the Dallas Morning News reports. A retrial of the biggest terror financing case in US history, the case hinged on $12 million sent by the Holy Land Foundation to Hamas after the US declared it a terrorist organization in 1995. Analysts called the verdict a major victory for President Bush. More »

More about:  Hamas War on Terror terror trial terrorism financing Holy Land Foundation

 Art Classes Coming to Gitmo 

Prison camp staff will offer more activities
to distract detainees

(Newser) - Art class at Guantanamo Bay? Yes, it's in the works—along with geology class, Game Boys, access to newspapers, and more movie nights. The prison staff wants to keep prisoners "stimulated," Guantanamo's cultural adviser told the Miami Herald . "Once they are engaged and busy, they leave the guards alone." English classes are also planned, despite fears that they may help detainees eavesdrop on guards. More »

More about:  Guantanamo Bay War on Terror Guantanamo prisoners jihad detainees

5 Ordered Freed From Gitmo on Feds' Lack of Evidence

Governments' classified case insufficient to justify further detention

(Newser) - A federal judge today ordered the release of five Guantánamo Bay inmates, ruling that the US government’s evidence was not enough to justify their continued detention, the New York Times reports. The men were among the inmates who won a Supreme Court verdict in June that found they indeed had constitutional rights. More »

 Defense Lawyers Let Inside Secret Gitmo Camp 

First-ever visit to undisclosed locale 'helpful:' defense attorney

(AP) - Defense lawyers were allowed for the first time into a section of the prison at Guantanamo Bay so restricted that even its location on the US base is secret. The pair of military attorneys for an alleged Sept. 11 plotter went to Camp 7 to gauge the effects of the prison-within-a-prison on a man so unstable he believes his bed shakes. More »

More about:  Bush administration terrorism Guantanamo Bay War on Terror Guantanamo prisoners lawyer schizophrenia

ANALYSIS

Faith in Petraeus May Lead Obama Astray in Afghanistan

Could 'yes we can,' become dangerous optimism?

(Newser) - President-elect Obama’s biggest decision in the war on terror is defining the nature and extent of the military commitment in Afghanistan, Russ Hoyle writes for the Daily Beast. While the US has Gen. David Petraeus' counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq, there is no unified, coherent plan for battling the resurgent Taliban—a strategic vacuum that has led to piecemeal, bad-PR-generating raids into Pakistan. More »

More about:  Barack Obama Afghanistan President Obama terrorism Taliban War on Terror David Petraeus

OPINION

How the US
Made Somalia a Terrorist Haven

Coalition overthrown, country is now run by al-Qaeda allies

(Newser) - Iraq and Afghanistan loom largest among the fiascos undertaken in the name of a "war on terror," Martin Fletcher writes in the Times of London, but there has been a third front in that offensive: Somalia. After 15 years of anarchy, the US helped destroy the country's first ever stable government, paving the way for "virulently anti-Western jihadists" who are now taking over. Fletcher calls it the "forgotten debacle" that has provided al-Qaeda with a new base. More »

More about:  al-Qaeda War on Terror Somalia jihad Islamic extremists insurgency Council of Islamic Courts warlords

 Pakistan to Arm Local Militias 

Insurgency strategy, successful for US in Iraq, boosts American confidence in ally

(Newser) - Pakistan plans to give weapons to thousands of  tribal fighters along its border with Afghanistan, the Washington Post reports—a strategy that has helped the US in Iraq. The move to link the militias—called lashkars—to anti-Taliban efforts is a boost to US confidence in Pakistan’s military efforts, and commanders say they’re seeing results across the border in Afghanistan. More »

More about:  Pakistan Afghanistan al-Qaeda Taliban War on Terror Awakening Councils Pakistan army

GLOSSIES

 TSA Designed Only 
 to 'Catch Stupid Terrorists' 

Weapons? Check. Liquids? Check. Terrorist propaganda? Check. Write got it all through.

(Newser) - The Transportation Security Administration’s nearly $7 billion budget is a waste, Jeffrey Goldberg reports in the Atlantic . With the help of a security expert, Goldberg has, at various times, gotten through airport security using counterfeit passes, carrying potentially dangerous objects and liquids—not to mention a Hezbollah flag and an Osama bin Laden t-shirt—and acting as nervous as possible. More »

More about:  War on Terror counterterrorism airport security The Atlantic

Germany Ups Afghan Force, Debates Talking to Taliban

Negotiation with radicals seems necessary, but Karzai's not the man for the job

(Newser) - Germany’s government decided today to send 1,000 more troops to Afghanistan and to keep its forces there for 14 more months, Der Spiegel reports. But as Angela Merkel’s government recommits to the fight, the German press argues over whether a radical change in strategy—including diplomatic engagement with the Taliban—is necessary. More »

More about:  Afghanistan Taliban Germany War on Terror Angela Merkel Hamid Karzai coalition forces

OPINION

Petraeus' Iraq Strategy
Is Ill-Suited to Afghanistan

Counterinsurgency expert may need to learn a few new tricks to quell Taliban rebellion

(Newser) - Gen. David Petraeus faces an uphill battle in replicating the successes of the Iraq surge in Afghanistan, Michael Evans writes in the Times of London, “because the economic, social and political conditions are so different.” Afghanistan doesn’t have nearly the natural, fertile resources, and neither the US nor NATO allies can provide much in the way of troop reinforcements. More »

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