american soldiers

Source : Michelle Nichols | Reuters
KABUL | 25 Jul 2011

The United States has no interest in creating permanent military bases in Afghanistan and does not want to use the country as a platform to influence neighboring countries, the new US ambassador to Afghanistan said Monday.

Washington is negotiating with the Afghan government on a deal to define the long-term American role in Afghanistan beyond the end of 2014, when NATO-led combat troops are due to leave after handing security control to the Afghan army and police.

Source : Reuters
WASHINGTON | 22 Jun 2011

A majority of Americans now want US troops to leave Afghanistan as soon as possible, according to a poll released on Tuesday, underscoring fading public support for the 10-year-old war as President Barack Obama gets ready to announce his Afghan drawdown plans.

The Pew Research Center poll found a record 56 percent of Americans now favor the 100,000 US forces currently stationed in Afghanistan be brought home as quickly as possible.

Source : Rebecca Santana | AP
BAGHDAD | 23 May 2011

A rapid-fire series of explosions in and around Baghdad killed 18 people Sunday, including 12 people who died when a suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowd of police officers, officials said.

In total, at least 12 bombs exploded as Iraqis were headed to work in a reminder of the dangers Iraq still faces despite a drop in violence since the height of the war.

Source : Rebecca Santana | AP
BAGHDAD | 17 May 2011

American forces are facing an increasingly dangerous environment in southern Iraq, where Shiite militias trying to claim they are driving out the US occupiers have stepped up attacks against bases and troops.

The uptick in violence serves as a warning about what American forces could face if US and Iraqi officials come to an agreement about keeping more US troops in the country past Dec. 31.

Source | Associated Press
PAKTIKA : Afghanistan | 10 May 2011

A hundred or so turbaned, bearded Afghans packed the plastic mats outside the fort, staring skeptically at Afghan officials on a makeshift outdoor stage. The officials were making the case for setting up a local police force.

Off to the side, watching silently, were the US special operations troops who had made the meeting possible by flying in the officials and disarming the villagers before they entered the compound.

Source : Agencies
TEHRAN/CAIRO : 02 May 2011

Iran says there is no excuse for the United States to continue deploying troops in the Middle East after the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Ramin Mehmanparast, says the US can no longer send troops to the region under the pretext of fighting terrorism. His comments were reported Monday by Iran’s official IRNA news agency.

Source : Rahim Faiez | AP
KABUL | 28 Apr 2011

Eight American troops and a US contractor died Wednesday after an Afghan military pilot opened fire during a meeting at Kabul airport — the deadliest episode to date of an Afghan turning against his coalition partners, officials said.

The Afghan officer, who was a veteran military pilot, fired on the Americans after an argument, the Afghan Defense Ministry said.

All nine killed were American, according to a senior US defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information has not yet been made public.

Source : ASSOCIATED PRESS
BAGHDAD | 22 Apr 2011

Iraq’s prime minister has told the top US military officer that Iraqi forces are able to maintain security in their own country, as discussions intensify over whether to keep any US forces in Iraq past this year.

Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki made the remark during a meeting with Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff.

Source : Associated Press
BAGHDAD | 08 Apr 2011

The Obama administration would keep US troops in Iraq beyond the agreed withdrawal date of Dec. 31, 2011, if the Iraqi government wanted them, but the Iraqis need to decide “pretty quickly” in order for the Pentagon to accommodate the extension, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday during what he said probably is his final visit to this country.

Source : Al Jazeera
Afghanistan | 22 Mar 2011

Two US army soldiers allegedly involved in a 12-man "kill team" accused of murdering Afghan civilians for sport have been shown in leaked photographs posing with one of their victims.

Specialist Jeremy Morlock and Private Andrew Holmes are shown holding up the head of a man identified by Germany's Der Spiegel newspaper as Gul Mudin, an unarmed Afghan they are accused of killing on January 15, 2010.

The newspaper first released the images behind a pay-wall online on Sunday night and then published them on Monday.