Iraq war

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US Jury Awards Abu Ghraib Detainees $42M

Iraqis sued Virginia-based military contractor

(Newser) - A US jury on Tuesday awarded $42 million to three former detainees of Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison, holding a Virginia-based military contractor responsible for contributing to their torture and mistreatment two decades ago. The jury awarded plaintiffs Suhail Al Shimari, Salah Al-Ejaili, and Asa'ad Al-Zubae $3 million...

Beneath Arlington Cemetery, 3K Mementos Are Quietly Kept

A look at what becomes of what is left on the gravestones in Section 60

(Newser) - Section 60 is a 14-acre parcel of the 624-acre Arlington National Cemetery and the final resting place for those who lost their lives fighting for their country post-9/11. That makes it home to a much more modern generation of fallen soldiers, and to a modern practice as well: the leaving...

Judge Declares Mistrial in Abu Ghraib Abuse Suit

Three plaintiffs can seek retrial of civil case

(Newser) - A judge declared a mistrial Thursday after a Virginia jury said it was deadlocked and could not reach a verdict in the trial of a military contractor accused of contributing to the abuse of detainees at the Abu Ghraib Prison in Iraq two decades ago. The mistrial came in the...

Senate Votes to Repeal Measure That Green-Lit Iraq War

It seeks to end 20 years of authorization for US presidents to use force in Iraq

(Newser) - The Senate voted Wednesday to repeal the resolution that gave a green light for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, an effort to end more than 20 years of authorization for US presidents to use force in that country and return those war powers to Congress, reports the AP . The measure...

Trump: 'Classic RINO' Powell Made 'Plenty of Mistakes'

Some commentators agree

(Newser) - Colin Powell died of complications from COVID Monday—and Donald Trump waited until the next day to criticize the former secretary of state as a "classic RINO." "Wonderful to see Colin Powell, who made big mistakes on Iraq and famously, so-called weapons of mass destruction, be treated...

Biden, Iraqi Leader Announce Change of US Mission

Combat troops to be withdrawn, but nations will work together against ISIS

(Newser) - President Biden said Monday the US combat mission in Iraq will conclude by the end of the year, an announcement that reflects the reality on the ground more than a major shift in US policy. Even before Biden took office, the main focus had been assisting Iraqi forces , not fighting...

A 'Patriot' and a 'Killer': Rumsfeld in 4 Takes
Donald Rumsfeld
Had a 'Curse'
OPINION
Jul 1, 2021 1:01 PM CDT

Donald Rumsfeld Had a 'Curse'

'People assumed he was responsible for everything,' writes Matt Latimer

(Newser) - Donald Rumsfeld was no stranger to controversy, and that remains the case even in death , with debates raging over his legacy. Four takes:
  • A 'patriot': "[We] learned a great deal listening to him," writes the editorial board at the Wall Street Journal , describing Rumsfeld as "a
...

Donald Rumsfeld Dead at 88
Donald Rumsfeld Dies
OBITUARY
Jun 30, 2021 3:28 PM CDT

Donald Rumsfeld Dies

Defense secretary under 2 presidents never expressed regrets over Iraq war

(Newser) - Donald Rumsfeld, the oldest—and youngest—defense secretary in American history, has died. Relatives said in a statement Wednesday that the 88-year-old "was surrounded by family in his beloved Taos, New Mexico," the AP reports. A family spokesman says the cause was multiple myeloma. Rumsfeld, who grew up...

Senate to Vote on Repealing 2002 Iraq War Authorization

'The Iraq War has been over for nearly a decade,' Chuck Schumer says

(Newser) - In 2002, Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden were among the 29 Democratic senators who voted to authorize the use of military force in Iraq. Almost 20 years later, they support repealing the authorization. Schumer said Wednesday that he supports repealing the measure and the Senate will hold a vote on...

Pardon of Contractors an 'Affront to Justice'

And a violation of international law, UN experts say

(Newser) - Experts say that President Trump’s pardon of four Blackwater contractors who were convicted of killing more than a dozen Iraqis in 2007 violates international law, Reuters reports. The president’s move to pardon Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Evan Liberty, and Dustin Heard is "an affront to justice and...

2 Generals Among Those Punished in Fort Hood Failures

Suicides, homicides, or accidents killed 25 soldiers in a year

(Newser) - Army leaders are firing or suspending 14 officers and enlisted soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, and ordering policy changes to address chronic leadership failures at the base that contributed to a widespread pattern of violence including murder, sexual assaults, and harassment. Two general officers are among those being removed from...

NATO Chief Responds to Trump's Troop Cuts

ISIS could take advantage of the vacuum in Afghanistan, secretary-general says

(Newser) - President Trump's plan to reduce US forces in Afghanistan and Iraq in the next two months drew a warning Tuesday from NATO. "The price for leaving too soon or in an uncoordinated way could be very high," said Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, per the BBC . He said Afghanistan...

Trump Plans to Order Troop Withdrawals

Cuts would wrap up 5 days before Biden becomes president

(Newser) - The Trump administration is expected to cut the number of US troops in Afghanistan almost in half to 2,500 by Jan. 15, US officials said Monday. The order would stop short of outgoing President Trump's goal to have all troops withdrawn by the end of the year, which...

Congress May Make Exception to Honor an Iraqi War Hero

Alwyn Cashe died after pulling others from burning vehicle in Iraq

(Newser) - Fifteen years after his act of heroism in Iraq, time has officially run out to posthumously award Sgt. 1st Class Alwyn Cashe the Medal of Honor. But the Defense Department hopes to make that happen anyway, assuming Congress grants a waiver of the five-year time limit, the Washington Post reports....

Iraq Votes to Eject All Foreign Troops

5K US troops would have to leave in vote taken 2 days after drone strike killed Iranian general

(Newser) - Iraq's parliament has voted to expel the US military from the country, reports the AP . Lawmakers voted Sunday in favor of a resolution that calls for ending foreign military presence in the country. The resolution's main aim is to get the US to withdraw some 5,000 US...

Blackwater Sniper Found Guilty in 2007 Massacre

This was Nicholas Slatten's 3rd trial

(Newser) - A former Blackwater security contractor was convicted Wednesday of murder at his third trial in the 2007 shooting of unarmed civilians in Iraq. Nicholas Slatten, 35, of Sparta, Tennessee, was found guilty of first-degree murder in Washington for his role in the shooting, which strained international relations and drew intense...

Mistrial Declared for Former Blackwater Sniper

Nicholas Slatten was accused of massacring Iraqi civilians

(Newser) - The second trial of a former Blackwater sniper accused of firing the first shots in what prosecutors described as an unprovoked massacre of Iraqi civilians at a Baghdad intersection ended in a mistrial Wednesday. US District Judge Royce C. Lamberth declared a mistrial in the Nicholas Slatten case after the...

Iraq War Was No Mere Blunder. 'It Was a Crime'
Iraq War Was No Mere
Blunder. 'It Was a Crime'
OPINION
Mar 20, 2018 1:44 PM CDT

Iraq War Was No Mere Blunder. 'It Was a Crime'

Author Sinan Antoon reflects 15 years later

(Newser) - The US invaded Iraq 15 years ago this week and eventually ousted Saddam Hussein from power. A new Pew Research Center survey finds that Americans remain divided about the war all this time later: 48% say it was wrong to send in the military and 43% say it was right....

He Voted for Iraq War, Has Now Written 11K Fallen Troops' Families

'It's a sacred responsibility that I have to communicate my condolences to a family'

(Newser) - On a Sunday morning more than two weeks after four US soldiers were ambushed and killed in Niger, Rep. Walter Jones sat at the desk in his North Carolina office, doing what he's done more than 11,000 times in 14 years: signing letters to families of the dead...

Murder Conviction Overturned in Blackwater Civilian Killings

3 others convicted in 2007 incident ordered to be resentenced

(Newser) - A US appeals court has overturned the conviction of a former Blackwater security guard—and called for the resentencing of three others—who killed 14 unarmed Iraqi civilians in 2007, the Washington Post reports. Nicholas Slatten, Paul Slough, Dustin Heard, and Evan Liberty were convicted in 2014 for opening fire...

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