Afghanistan

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Afghan Massacre's 17th Victim: Fetus

US had bumped toll from 16 dead

(Newser) - The US military raised the death toll in the March 11 massacre of Afghan villagers from 16 to 17 last week; now Afghan police explain why. The 17th victim was an unborn baby, an officer tells the New York Times : "The Americans are right and one of the females...

US Pays $50K Per Death in Afghan Rampage

US also pays $11K per wounded person, but US officials have no comment

(Newser) - The United States has paid almost $50,000 in compensation for each Afghan killed in the shooting spree attributed to a US soldier in southern Afghanistan, an Afghan official and a community elder said today. The families of the dead received the money yesterday at the governor's office, said...

Afghan Massacre Death Toll Now 17

No details given on why it was raised

(Newser) - The death toll in the March 11 massacre of Afghan villagers is now 17, US defense officials say. They today confirmed that investigators have increased the number of dead from the widely reported 16, but they were unable to immediately explain the change. There was initial confusion about the number...

Robert Bales' Lawyer: US Has No Proof

John Henry Browne says there's no 'forensic evidence, no confession'

(Newser) - The case of Robert Bales, the US soldier accused of massacring 16 Afghan civilians in the middle of the night, might seem like an open-and-shut case. Not so fast, says Bales' lawyer. Having huddled with Bales for a total of 11 hours in two meetings this week, John Henry Browne...

Media Makes Excuses for Robert Bales
 Media Makes 
 Excuses for 
 Robert Bales 
Glenn Greenwald
Mar 19, 2012 1:45 PM CDT

Media Makes Excuses for Robert Bales

Glenn Greenwald on America's double standard

(Newser) - When US media outlets speculate on Robert Bales' motives for killing 16 Afghan civilians, they say he had financial and family problems, had served multiple tours of duty, saw a friend's leg blown off, etc. But when Muslims kill Americans, their motives are clear: "they are primitive, fanatically...

Eastern Afghanistan the 'Final Battleground'

Troops organize for tough spring fighting

(Newser) - As insurgent attacks have fallen in Afghanistan's southern provinces, the US is turning its focus toward the east, where such attacks jumped 20% last year. With the US set to take on an advisory role next year, the mountainous eastern region is poised to be the war's "...

Accused Soldier's Wife Blogged on Army Anguish

Karilyn Bales detailed life on the home front while Bob Bales was deployed

(Newser) - Before she was the wife of the soldier accused of gunning down 16 Afghan civilians, Karilyn Bales was just another Army wife, stoically raising two small children through her husband's four deployments and blogging about the joyousness of homecomings and the ache of long absences. Bales' blog appears to...

Afghanistan Foils Huge Bomb Plot

Authorities found 10 tons of explosives in banana shipment

(Newser) - Six Afghan men have been arrested while trying to smuggle nearly 10 tons of explosives and five suicide bomb vests into Afghanistan, hidden in a banana shipment from Pakistan, reports al-Jazeera . Afghanistan's intelligence agency says the men were planning on setting off a series of explosions for the country'...

Accused Army Sergeant Seen as Quiet Family Man

But Robert Bales was disappointed in lack of promotion, Afghan tour

(Newser) - Information about Robert Bales, the US staff sergeant accused of massacring 16 Afghan civilians , is emerging now that he's been identified . The married father of two is originally from Ohio, reports NBC News . He joined the Army 11 years ago at 27, right after the Sept. 11 attacks, and...

Afghanistan Shooting Suspect Identified

Senior US official names Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales

(Newser) - A senior US official says the soldier accused in the killing of 16 Afghan civilians is Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales. American officials had previously said the suspect was a 38-year-old staff sergeant and that he had spent 11 years in the Army. But they had refused to release his...

Karzai Slams US Over Massacre Investigation

Doesn't quell speculation of more than one shooter

(Newser) - Hamid Karzai today again kept alive speculation about whether the US soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers acted alone, reports Reuters . Karzai met with family members and told reporters, "They believe it's not possible for one person to do that. In (one) family, in four rooms people...

Turkish Helicopter Crashes Into House in Afghanistan

12 soldiers on board died, and 2 girls on ground

(Newser) - A Turkish military helicopter crashed into a house near the Afghan capital today, killing 12 Turkish soldiers on board and two girls on the ground, Turkish and Afghan officials say. It was by far the deadliest incident involving Turkish soldiers in Afghanistan, where they have a noncombat role. The helicopter,...

In Afghan Blast, Panetta at Greater Risk Than Reported

Runway explosion was a close call, say defense officials

(Newser) - New details in the Afghan truck explosion around the time of Leon Panetta's arrival: The driver was an Afghan interpreter working at Camp Bastion who apparently aimed his vehicle at two top NATO commanders waiting for Panetta's plane to arrive Wednesday. Defense officials initially downplayed the incident. The...

Official: Accused Soldier 'Snapped' After Drinking

Lawyer says he didn't want Afghan deployment

(Newser) - The US soldier accused of slaughtering 16 Afghan villagers had been drinking and was stressed about being on his fourth combat tour, a military official tells the New York Times . "When it all comes out, it will be a combination of stress, alcohol, and domestic issues—he just snapped,...

Taliban Breaks Off Peace Talks With US

As Hamid Karzai tells NATO to clear out of all rural villages, bases

(Newser) - The Afghan Taliban suspended talks with the US "until they show willingness in carrying out their promises instead of wasting time," the group said in a statement today, according to al-Jazeera . The group complained of America's "alternating and ever-changing position" and said it would put off...

Afghan in Panetta Truck Blast Dies

Man was probably not targeting Panetta, official says

(Newser) - The Afghan man who drove onto the runway of a US base where Leon Panetta's plane was landing and then crashed into a ditch has died. The man emerged from the vehicle after the crash engulfed it in flames and was doused by security personnel, then treated at a...

Accused Soldier Flown Out of Afghanistan

Massacre suspect moved to 'appropriate detention facilities' in Kuwait

(Newser) - The American soldier accused of massacring 16 Afghan civilians in a pre-dawn shooting spree has been flown to Kuwait, angering Afghans who want him to stand trial in their country. He was whisked out of Afghanistan because of "our own policies and regulations, and for his own safety and...

Panetta Safe After Vehicle Blast Near Afghan Runway

Truck drives onto Afghan runway as plane was landing

(Newser) - It's either a close call or a false alarm for Leon Panetta in Afghanistan: An Afghan man drove a pickup truck through a fence and onto a runway about the same time that the defense secretary's plane was landing at a US base, reports the AP and Washington ...

Video Shows Suspected Afghan Shooter Surrender

Soldier seen removing Afghan shawl, laying down his weapon

(Newser) - Afghan officials have suggested more than one shooter was involved in Sunday's massacre of 16 villagers , but surveillance video shows just one US soldier. The still-unnamed soldier is shown returning to his base, setting his weapon on the ground, removing a traditional Afghan shawl, and raising his arms in...

&#39;They Let Americans Kill Us&#39;
 'They Let Americans Kill Us' 
Mar 13, 2012 2:27 PM CDT

'They Let Americans Kill Us'

Tribal elder reacts to death of his family

(Newser) - Abdul Samad used to believe in the campaign against the Taliban. When he moved his family back to the village of Panjwai, he settled in a house close to an American military base, believing that there, he would be safe from militants. But all that changed Sunday, when he returned...

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