US troops

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Alaska Mulls Lowering Drinking Age for Military Members
 Alaska May Let 
 Troops Drink at 18 
in case you missed it

Alaska May Let Troops Drink at 18

Old enough to serve, old enough to drink, lawmaker says

(Newser) - "Any soldier who braves military combat and risks their life for our country should be treated like an adult—in every sense of the word," says Alaska lawmaker Bob Lynn. The Republican has revived an old controversy with a bill that would allow members of the military under...

6 US Soldiers Killed Near Pakistan Border

Kunar province among Afghanistan's most violent

(Newser) - Six US soldiers were killed during an attack on an insurgent hideout near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan, the Washington Post reports. The deaths that resulted from the helicopter-driven assault are the latest reminder of the US struggle in the isolated Kunar province. The US has lately shifted its attention...

US Withdraws from Once-Key Afghan Valley

Some troops see wasted effort in Pech Valley

(Newser) - The US is withdrawing from the Pech Valley, the mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan that for years was central to its strategy—and the site of much bloodshed. The move is a controversial one, notes the New York Times : 103 US troops were killed there, and many more wounded, leading...

US Military Awash in Deadly Prescription Drugs

Powerful drug cocktails for stress, depression can be deadly

(Newser) - When Senior Airman Anthony Mena was found dead in his apartment, he had eight prescription medications in his blood, including three antidepressants, a sleeping pill, a sedative, and two powerful painkillers—but it was the combination of those drugs that killed him, not his own hand. The US military's medical...

US Gives Troops 'Smart' Grenade Launcher

Pentagon sees it as a 'game-changer' for Afghan battles

(Newser) - They say a counter-insurgency war is won with hearts and minds, not weapons—but the new XM25 Counter Defilade Target Engagement System can't hurt. The US military's latest innovation is a grenade launcher that can fire explosive charges 2,300 feet—well beyond the accurate range of an AK-47 or...

Obama to Troops: You're Winning

President thanks service members during surprise Afghanistan trip

(Newser) - President Obama capped his surprise visit to Afghanistan by delivering words of encouragement to US troops at the Bagram base north of Kabul, Bloomberg reports. “You are protecting your country, you’re achieving your objectives, you will succeed in your mission,” Obama said. “We said we were...

Iran: We Detained 7 US Troops at Border

Report says they were trying to cross over

(Newser) - Iran may have let one US hiker go, but a semi-official state media source says it's snagged 7 US troops who were attempting to illegally cross the border, Reuters reports. The Fars news agency today said, without citing a source, "Recently seven American troops were detained by Iranian guards...

US Troops Sucked Into New Iraq Skirmish

7 militants launch assault on Iraq military HQ

(Newser) - A week after President Obama declared an end to fighting by US troops in Iraq, American soldiers battled attackers at Baghdad's military headquarters yesterday. Dozens of people were injured and 12 killed. No Americans were injured. It was the first fighting involving US troops since the formal declaration of the...

Petraeus: 2011 Afghan Exit Date May Not Work

US-led coalition can still succeed, he says

(Newser) - In his first public remarks since taking over the command of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan last month, Gen. David Petraeus told the New York Times that he will not be bound by Barack Obama's 2011 drawdown date. "The president didn’t send me over here to seek...

Wikileaks Set to Release US Massacre Vid

Assange: 140 civilians killed in bloody tape

(Newser) - Wikileaks' founder has emerged from hiding from federal officials to announce plans to release a US troop massacre video leaked to the whistleblower website. The classified Pentagon video shows the Garani attack last year that resulted in the death of some 140 Afghanistan civilians, many of them children, Julian Assange...

US Troop Count in Afghanistan Overtakes Iraq

100K US troops to be in Afghanistan by this summer

(Newser) - The number of US troops in Afghanistan has hit 94,000, for the first time surpassing the 92,000 currently deployed in Iraq. The milestone comes as the US prepares to reduce its number of personnel in Iraq to 50,000 by the end of August, the BBC reports. But...

Afghan Troops Remake Gaga's Telephone Vid

'I feel better knowing these guys are fighting for us'

(Newser) - A flouncy, heart-felt, risqué remake of Lady Gaga's edgy Telephone video has apparently been staged by a creative group of US soldiers in Afghanistan and sparked a pointed debate on YouTube. The video features seductive partner dances, fake sex scenes and men dressed in camo and evidence tape just (not...

US Troops Pull Man, Buried 2 Weeks, From Rubble
US Troops Pull Man, Buried
2 Weeks, From Rubble
HAITI EARTHQUAKE

US Troops Pull Man, Buried 2 Weeks, From Rubble

35-year-old appears to have no serious injuries

(Newser) - US troops pulled a 35-year-old Haitian man alive from the rubble of a building in downtown Port-au-Prince today. Ricot Duprevil, who was dressed only in underpants, appeared to have no serious injuries despite being buried for the two weeks since the 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the Caribbean nation, Reuters reports....

10,000 US Troops Head to Haiti
 10,000 US Troops Head to Haiti 

10,000 US Troops Head to Haiti

Force aims to help keep the peace, aid relief effort

(Newser) - Some 10,000 new US troops are heading to Haiti to aid relief efforts and help calm a desperate nation spinning out of control. Ransacking of Port-au-Prince stores and homes mounted as looters were being lynched by crowds and shot dead by police. "Haitians are taking things into their...

US Tries Out British Camo in Afghanistan

MultiCam pattern could replace current digital one

(Newser) - US troops could soon be mistaken for their across-the-pond counterparts: The US is now testing out uniforms with a camouflage pattern similar to the one the British announced they were using last week. The "MultiCam" uniform is being tested by one infantry regiment in eastern Afghanistan, and if successful...

US Death Toll in Afghanistan Doubles Over '08
 US Death Toll 
 in Afghanistan 
 Doubles Over '08 
AND LIKELY TO GET WORSE

US Death Toll in Afghanistan Doubles Over '08

310 have died so far; experts think surge will worsen losses

(Newser) - A bomb has killed the 310th US soldier to die in Afghanistan this year, making the total number of 2009 casualties exactly twice that of the 155 lost in 2008. And though this has been the deadliest year of the war for the US, military officials tell the AFP that...

Afghan Calculus: 40K Troops Equals $40B

High long-term costs a big factor in debate

(Newser) - When President Obama rejected advisers' recommendations on Afghan troops and insisted they be retooled with exit strategies, he had the war's long-term financial costs in mind, an insider tells the New York Times . While military strategy gets the headlines, the financial constraints also are weighing heavily. Some specfics:
  • Gen. McChyrstal's
...

Top Obama Advisers Push 30K Troop Increase
 Top Obama Advisers 
 Push 30K Troop Increase 
Afghan rethink

Top Obama Advisers Push 30K Troop Increase

President, war council, weigh Afghan troop options today

(Newser) - As President Obama heads into a meeting with his national security team today, one of the four options on the table for increasing troop levels in Afghanistan has emerged as a favorite of his top advisers. Hillary Clinton, Mike Mullen, and Robert Gates all favor a plan to send about...

Iraq Passes Election Law, Clears Way for US Pullout

Vote set for Jan. 21, US will begin withdrawal 60 days later

(Newser) - Iraq's parliament passed a long-delayed law yesterday paving the way for the planned January election to go forward, sidestepping a crisis that could have delayed the US troop withdrawal. The head of Iraq's electoral commission quickly proposed Jan. 21 for the election, five days after the earlier scheduled date. The...

Obama Eyes 30K+ Troop Surge
 Obama Eyes 30K+ Troop Surge 
AFGHAN STRATEGY REVIEW

Obama Eyes 30K+ Troop Surge

Said to be close to decision as Asia trip looms

(Newser) - President Obama is zeroing in on an Afghanistan strategy that likely includes sending in some 30,000 troops, reports Reuters —short of Gen. Stanley McChrystal's requested 40,000, but far greater than war-weary Democrats may support. An additional 4,000 trainers are likely to be sent, McClatchy reports, with...

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