Author: Lara Jakes
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AP sources: Authorities had concerns about suspect
Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save WASHINGTON • The Army psychiatrist suspected of carrying a shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, had come to the attention of authorities six months ago because of Internet postings that discussed suicide bombings and other threats,…
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No Afghanistan pullout, White House says
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama won’t walk away from the flagging war in Afghanistan, the White House declared Monday as Obama faced tough decisions — and intense administration debate — over choices that could help define his presidency in his first year as commander in chief. The fierce Taliban attack that killed eight American soldiers…
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Afghans move toward reconciliation with Taliban
LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan — Local Afghan leaders told a top U.S. Marine commander Monday that they plan to step up efforts to reconcile with midlevel Taliban in the extremists’ southern Helmand province stronghold, where U.S. forces launched a major offensive in recent weeks. U.S. military officials have little hope of their own for a cease-fire…
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U.S. officials: Fate of Guantanamo detainees unclear
WASHINGTON – Basic questions remain unanswered over how to prosecute or otherwise deal with hundreds of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Obama administration lawyers acknowledged Tuesday, just over six months before the U.S. prison is expected to close.The Defense and Justice departments are reviewing each of the 229 cases of terror suspects and foreign fighters…
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U.S.-Russian missile-defense system a possibility
WASHINGTON – Prospects for a U.S.-Russian partnership on a missile defense system have improved slightly as Moscow grows increasingly concerned about Iran, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday.He told senators that U.S. offers to put radar or data exchange centers in Russia are among the options being discussed.Gates recounted a meeting he had with Russian…
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Pentagon: U.S. troops made mistakes in Afghan airstrikes
WASHINGTON – The Defense Department said Monday that U.S. troops did not follow proper tactics and procedures during an air assault on Taliban fighters last month.Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said the number of Taliban militants killed in the May 4 air strikes “greatly outnumbered” the number of civilians slain. But Morrell noted some problems in…
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Supreme Court rejects challenge to ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’
WASHINGTON The Supreme Court on Monday turned down a challenge to the Pentagon policy forbidding gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military, granting an Obama administration request to maintain the Clinton-era “don’t ask, don’t tell” directive.The court said it will not hear an appeal from former Army Capt. James Pietrangelo II, who was…
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Guantanamo Trials: Tribunals to return, detainees to have more rights
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama will restart military tribunals for a small number of Guantanamo detainees, reviving a Bush-era trial system he once assailed as flawed but with new legal protections for terror suspects, U.S. officials said. The changes to the system, which will affect a small number of detainees, will be announced Friday. The…