Iraqi people celebrate US troops withdrawal

Iraqi demonstrators celebrate the withdrawal of the US troops from their country, January 19, 2012.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/225766.html

Iraqi people have held a massive demonstration in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, to celebrate the end of the US-led occupation of their country, Press TV reports.

Millions of Iraqis have gathered in Baghdad to express their joy over the withdrawal of US troops from their country.

At the beginning of the ceremony, influential Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said the West, particularly the United States, were “defeated” in Iraq.

Sadr added that Iraqis will no longer accept foreigners in their country because they can never bring security and stability for Iraq.

The US forces “humiliated people, destroyed homes and desecrated mosques” during their presence in Iraq, Sadr stated.

On January 19, Iraqi people also held a similar demonstration in the city of Najaf, south of Baghdad.

The last US military base was handed over to Iraqi officials on December 16, 2011 and the last convoy of US troops left the country for Kuwait two days later.

In his speech on Thursday, Sadr also called on Sunni and Shia Muslims in the country to stand united.

'No reason for US to retain military bases abroad'

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/224594.html

There is no logical reason for the United States to continue running military bases in foreign countries, a political analyst tells Press TV's US Desk.

Professor Jennifer Loewenstein, associate director of Middle East Studies Program at University of Wisconsin, told our channel on Thursday that she did not think that “the United States has any reason to continue operating 1,100 US military bases” overseas.

The United States is estimated to have from 700 to over 1000 military bases overseas, which range from small drone sites on foreign airfields to vast facilities, according to the Canadian newspaper, National Post.

People imprisoned in these bases “have not ever been rightly convicted,” Loewenstein noted, adding that they “are called terrorists without [people] knowing what their backgrounds are.”

She went on to say that Washington had no right to operate bases in other countries or use them for the purposes of detention, torture, execution, and carrying out covert military operations. “All of the reasons that we are there overseas are questionable.”

Obama concedes use of drones in Iraq

A US Predator unmanned drone armed with a missile sitting on the tarmac of Kandahar military airport on June 13, 2010.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/224060.html

US President Barack Obama has acknowledged Washington's unauthorized surveillance drone operations in Iraq where the un-mandated move has sparked outrage among senior Iraqi officials and the public.

"The truth is we're not engaging in a bunch of drone attacks inside Iraq. There's some surveillance to make sure that our embassy compound is protected," said Obama in a chat with web users on Google+ and YouTube on Monday.

The confirmation came after The New York Times disclosed that the US State Department began operating some drones in Iraq last year on a trial basis to help protect the US embassy and that it stepped up their use after the last US troops left the country in December.

The report has infuriated senior Iraqi officials who say Washington must respect the country's sovereignty and consult with the government in Baghdad before carrying out any operations now that “the war is over.”

"I think that there's this perception that we're just sending in a whole bunch of strikes, willy nilly," Obama said, adding, "It is important for everybody to understand that this is kept on a very tight leash."

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland also claimed that her department uses unmanned aerial vehicles to take pictures of US facilities and personnel abroad.

Meanwhile, The Times said that senior Iraqi officials told the newspaper that the US had not consulted with Iraqi government about the drone operations and that despite the official US withdrawal from Iraq, it maintains a strong presence in the country.

The daily added that since getting the approval for using surveillance drone aircraft over Iraq might be hard, given the political tensions between the two countries, the US continues drone operations in the country without a formal approval from Iraq.

It also said that Washington plans to take bids for the management of drone operations in Iraq over the next five years.

US court challenges Obama's presidency

A US court has tossed out a lawsuit challenging President Barack Hussein Obama's US citizenship and his eligibility to serve as president.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222996.html

After nearly a full-term in office, US President Barack Obama's eligibility for presidency is being challenged as an Atlanta court has summoned him.

A Georgia judge has ordered President Obama to appear in court on Thursday for a hearing on a complaint that says Obama cannot be president as he is not a natural-born US citizen. It is, however, unclear whether a court could force a sitting president to appear in court.

California attorney Orly Taitz has filed the lawsuit which is challenging the presence of Obama's name on the March presidential primary ballot.

Taitz says she has been working on the case over the last three years.

“This will be 100 times bigger than Watergate,” she said referring to the 1970s political scandal that brought down former US President Richard Nixon adding, “There are high ranking judges and federal officials who are involved in this cover up. The ramifications of this trial will be enormous.”

Although Taitz said that she knew the president's legal team would fight his appearance in the Georgia court, she went on to say that, “If he [Obama] is appealing this decision, then he looks guilty. The whole nation understands this man is a fraud.”

Taitz's lawsuit is one of many such lawsuits filed nationwide against the president. Yet Obama campaign officials say such claims have no merit.

The Georgia judge has denied a motion by Obama's lawyer to nullify a subpoena that requires Obama to show up.

The allegations against Obama come as primaries and caucuses are scheduled to be held over the next few months in every US state to vote on the Republican Party competitors before a final nominee is elected at the party convention in August to challenge President Obama in the 2012 elections.

Obama stresses US allegiance to Israel

US President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on January 24, 2012 in Washington, DC.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222985.html

US President Barack Obama has stressed Washington's military collaboration with Israel in his State of the Union address.

In his election-year State of the Union address on Tuesday, the US president spoke of the country's alliances across the globe, mentioning its 'oldest alliances in Europe and Asia' and its 'deeper ties to the Americas.'

In his speech to the US congress, Obama also highlighted the US loyalty to Israel, saying “Our ironclad commitment -- and I mean ironclad -- to Israel's security has meant the closest military cooperation between our two countries in history.”

Obama's comments come amid repeated threats from the United States and Israel of the "option" of a military strike against Tehran based on the allegation, championed by Washington, Tel Aviv, and their allies, that Iran's nuclear activities may consist of a covert military agenda.

Iran has refuted the allegations, saying as a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency, it has the right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

Amid the harshly-toned and increasing Western allegations against Iran, analysts have questioned the West's continued refusal to consider Israel's aggressive military agenda to be a threat against Iran.

Iranian officials have reacted strongly to the American and Israeli war rhetoric, saying that the Islamic Republic will deliver a crushing response to any military strike against the country.

Top ten US military violations

Picture of a US Navy vessel passing the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/220563.html

A political analyst says the US is the biggest violator of the self-written treaty that makes war unlawful unless attacked by another nation.

Before enumerating the most unlawful US wars in history, Carl Herman urges the American military and/or law enforcement to arrest the current American war criminals and prevent Washington from launching another war.

“The basis of law provides US military and all with Oaths to defend the US Constitution to refuse unlawful orders and act to arrest those who issue them,” Herman said.

1. The US has regularly violated treaties with Native Americans, as well as manipulating their meaning for the purpose of stealing their land.

2. In 1848, US President James Polk lied to Congress to start a war with Mexico, despite Abraham Lincoln's crystal-clear explanation as a member of Congress that the Adams-Onis Treaty placed the "border dispute" 400 miles within land forever promised to Mexico and forever promised as outside any US claim.

3. The US violated a treaty with Hawaii and stole their country in 1898.

4. The US entered in the First World War I on the basis that nothing should threatens America's national security and imprisoned the 3rd party Presidential candidates for questioning the war.

5. In the covert “Operation Ajax” the CIA overthrew the elected Iranian government led by Dr. Mohammad Mosaddegh and installed a US-friendly brutal dictator. When that dictator was overthrown and Iran refused another, the US aided Iraq to unlawfully attack Iran from 1980-1988, killing up to a million Iranians.

6. The Vietnam War occurred after the US allowed the cancellation of an election to unify the South Vietnam with North Vietnam.

7. The US reneged on promises of freedom after the Spanish American War to impose its rule on the Philippines and install US-friendly dictators in Cuba.

8. The US and NATO promoted the war in Kosovo based on short-term military and casualty reports that were later found highly inaccurate.

9. After the September 11 attacks, the US army with the help of NATO invaded Afghanistan under the pretext of combating terrorism and locating Osama Bin Laden, which is now the longest military conflict in US history.

10. The entire world now knows that all “reasons” for war with Iraq were known to be false as they were told, according to Congressional reports.

Herman says that the "reasons" for war with Iran are as false as the "reasons" for war with Iraq and warns American to beware of another so called “defensive” war under false pretexts.

'US rebreeding dogs of war on Iran'

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/220047.html

The US is trying to “recalibrate a comprehensive plan to topple the Islamic government of Iran” as it is to be understood from Washington's efforts to redefine its war in Iraq and its push to disintegrate the Syrian regime, a political expert tells Press TV.

Ismail Salami, author and Middle East expert, wrote in an article published on Press TV on Friday that the recent massacres in Iraq and Syria indicated that “Washington has adamantly trodden on a path” to reengineer its war plan on Iran.

On December 22, 2011, multiple bomb explosions happened simultaneously in Baghdad, claiming the lives of tens of innocent civilians. Another series of explosions targeted Shia Muslim pilgrims across Iraq on January 6, killing at least 71 people.

“Most of the explosions which targeted the Shia Muslims are maliciously meant to inspire the feeling and doubt that it is a matter of sectarian violence, a plot devised by the US and its allies to justify that the Iraqi politicians are intent to provoke a 'communal bloodletting' which is gradually tearing the country asunder,” Salami noted.

He said that, having applied the disingenuous means, Washington was taking advantage of the tension in the country to send a message that the Iraqi government was not capable of maintaining the country's security and stability.

The Iranian author said the US fostering chaos in Iraq was, among other things, motivated by its desire “to devolve the war it lost to the care of the Saudi-backed Wahhabis, al-Qaeda members and Baathists who intensely champion and practice extremism, fanaticism and terrorism to the best interests of Washington. The pernicious trio, who work under the aegis of the CIA and Mossad, help tilt the scale in favor of insecurity, instability and division in the strategic Middle East region.”

He then mentioned two recent terrorist attacks in Syria and said, “In parallel with the same fiendish practice, Washington has hired Saudi-funded mercenaries to orchestrate a selfsame scenario with more devastating consequences in Syria e.g. the toppling of the popular anti-Israeli government, eliminating one of the main Iranian allies and muscularizing the Zionist regime in the region.”

On Friday, January 6, an unknown attacker detonated explosives at a traffic light in the densely-populated neighborhood of al-Midan in the Syrian capital, Damascus, killing at least 25 people, mostly civilians, and injuring dozens of others. Another terrorist attack of this nature had happened about two weeks ago, when two bombings killed at least 44 people outside Syrian intelligence buildings.

The Iranian expert argued that the United States had enough reason to fuel violence in Syria since Arab League observers have announced that there is nothing 'frightening' in the western Syria city of Homs, which had been reported to be the scene of extreme brutality allegedly waged by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's security forces.

He further reminded that the current popular uprisings against US-installed rulers have reduced the influence and power of Washington and Tel Aviv in the region.

“The truth is that the US is already destabilizing the Middle East region single-handedly and conducing to a regional crisis.”

He clarified that Washington was, meanwhile, trying to downplay the “constructive and peaceful role” played by Iran in the region and pin all the blame for the region's insecurity on the Islamic Republic.

Taking into account the United States concurrent and increasing warlike rhetoric against Iran and unrelenting efforts to demonize Tehran, particularly over its civilian nuclear program, it is clear that the hawks in the White House “have no intention other than launching a military strike against the country and consequently turning the Middle East into a graveyard and reaping the benefit of their ill intentions,” Salami asserted.

“Violence breeds violence. With crisis brewing in the region, Washington will be better able to fish in troubled waters, fulfill their long-cherished dream of exercising control over the Middle East by eliminating Iran which still stands tall in the face of threats,” the Iranian political analyst stated.

“Iran is not Afghanistan; nor is it Iraq. Iran is a country with a super powerful military, many aspects of which are not yet known to Washington. So, the US hawks had better think twice before putting their diabolically expansionist plans into practice or else they will soon realize on what miscalculated, misguided, and misinterpreted grounds they had built their presumptions about Iran.”

'US to sell scores of warplanes to KSA'

F-15 fighter jets (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/218291.html

The United States is reportedly poised to announce a multi-billion dollar arms deal with Saudi Arabia, which includes the sales of 84 fighter jets to Riyadh.

The $29.4 billion agreement, also stipulates the upgrading of over 70 Saudi warplanes, a US official said on condition of anonymity on Wednesday, adding that President Barack Obama's administration has not made the pact public yet.

About a year ago, the White House gained congressional approval for a 10-year USD 60 billion arms deal with Riyadh, which included the sale of F-15s, helicopters, missiles, bombs, radar warning systems and night-vision goggles.

The Obama administration has assured US lawmakers that the military equipment provided under the contract does not constitute a threat against Israel.

Oil-rich Saudi Arabia is considered vital for the US energy security and the main platform for Washington's political sway in the Middle East.

Over the course of the spreading popular uprisings across the Middle East and North Africa since early 2011, Riyadh has been a staunch supporter of the autocratic regimes in the region in their crackdowns on the ongoing pro-democracy movements.

In Yemen, anti-government protesters hold President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who enjoys Saudi and US support, responsible for the killing of hundreds of people since the beginning of the popular uprising in late January.

On March 14, the Saudi troops, together with forces from the United Arab Emirates, invaded Bahrain to assist the Bahraini government in its quelling of the popular peaceful protests in the Persian Gulf island nation.

US House OKs indefinite lockup bill

US lawmakers have voted for a bill mandating the indefinite detention of 'terrorism' suspects

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/215780.html

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill which allows authorities to jail terrorism suspects for an indefinite period, drawing criticism from human rights groups.

The bill, named the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), would deny terror suspects including US citizens of the right to trial.

The measure was passed after US President Barack Obama failed to veto the bid as he originally vowed. It allows US officials to indefinitely hold suspects without charge in military custody.

American citizens can also be jailed indefinitely upon the decision of the US Supreme Court or future presidents.

The measure also forbids transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to US soil, making it harder to close down the infamous prison.

International rights groups including Human Rights Watch said Obama's decision to back the bill puts him on the wrong side of the history.

"By signing this defense spending bill, President Obama will go down in history as the president who enshrined indefinite detention without trial in US law," said Kenneth Roth, executive director of Human Rights Watch.

"In the past, Obama has lauded the importance of being on the right side of history, but today he is definitely on the wrong side.", Roth added.

The Democratic-held senate is also expected to vote on the proposal, which is part of a wider USD 662 billion defense bill, as early as Thursday.

'US military base attacked in Iraq'

A view of Basra International Airport (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/215742.html

Unknown gunmen have attacked a US military base in the southern Iraq city of Basra with several mortar shells, military sources say.

Possible casualties or damages are yet to be reported.

The outpost is located in Basra International Airport, the second largest international airport in Iraq.

On Wednesday, thousands of Iraqis took to the streets of the western Iraq city of Fallujah to celebrate the expected yearend withdrawal of the US troops from the country's soil.

Also on Wednesday, US President Barack Obama marked the end of the eight-year-long US-led military invasion and occupation of Iraq.

There are currently some 5,500 US troops left in Iraq, down from more than 170,000 at the height of the war started by Obama's predecessor George W. Bush. In line with a bilateral security accord, all the forces are expected to leave Iraq by the end of the year.

Obama claimed that the final preparations for the pullout had been made and that the remaining troops were expected to withdraw in the coming days.

More than one million Iraqis have been killed in the US-led invasion and subsequent occupation, according to the California-based investigative organization Project Censored

Iraqis mark end of US occupation

Iraqi protesters burned Israeli and US flags during a rally in Fallujah to celebrate the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq, Dec. 14, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/215703.html

Thousands of Iraqis have taken into the streets in the western city of Fallujah to celebrate the withdrawal of US troops from the country.

Burning US and Israeli flags and carrying photos of Fallujah residents killed by US forces after the 2003 US-led invasion, the demonstrators on Wednesday described resistance against American invaders key to their country's freedom.

The demonstration was dubbed the first annual "festival to celebrate the role of the resistance".

"Celebrations mark a historical day for the city of Fallujah and we should remember in pride the martyrs who sacrificed their blood for the sake of this city," Reuters quoted Dhabi al-Arsan, deputy governor of Anbar province, as saying.

"I'm glad to see the Americans are leaving Iraq. It's only now we truly feel the taste of freedom and independence. We will not see American forces anymore. They remind us of strife and destruction," said a Fallujah resident.

Fallujah, located about 60 kilometers west of the capital Baghdad, was once a center of resistance against US-led occupation of Iraq. The US military launched two massive offensives against the city 2004 and 2005, in which over 2,000 Iraqi civilians were killed.

The signs of the deadly attacks are still visible today in collapsed buildings and bullet holes in walls and a rise in the number of birth defects in the city in the years following the attacks. The US military used white phosphorous and depleted uranium in the attacks.

Paul: Obama gunning for martial law

US Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/215738.html

US Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul has accused the US President Barack Obama of pushing for institutionalization of martial law in the country.

Paul (R-TX) made the comments during an interview with famous American radio talk show host Alex Jones on his program the Alex Jones Show on Tuesday, the US alternative media outlet infowars.com reported.

The congressman criticized the Obama administration's attempt to include an 'indefinite detention' provision in a defense budget authorization bill.

The Republican cited an example from the National Defense Authorization Act, which he said, was worded in such a way that allowed the government to detain the US citizens indefinitely without trial.

Paul said that the act institutionalized martial law, jeopardizing the freedom of the US citizens.

The congressman has urged the Americans to wake up against, what he calls, the arrogance of the administration.

In addition, the frontrunner called for the immediate dismissal and interrogation of Attorney General Eric Holder over a gun-smuggling scandal, saying that Holder's involvement in the affair should provide enough substance justifying his removal.

He also called on the United States to pull out of the Western military alliance of NATO - as part of which the country has been leading a years-long deadly war in Afghanistan.

Lately, Paul has been relentlessly critical of the Obama administration and has largely been the only presidential aspirant to take on the issue of civil liberties, which neither Obama nor his fellow Republican frontrunners seem concerned with.

“Today it seems too easy that our government and our congresses are so willing to give up our liberties for our security,” he said during a presidential debate earlier this election season.

“I have a personal belief that you never have to give up liberty for security. You can still provide security without sacrificing our Bill of Rights,” he noted.

McCain: Send US citizens to Gitmo

US Republican Senator John McCain

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/213247.html

US Republican Senator John McCain has proposed a terrorist detainee amendment that could allow American citizens to be denied a civilian trial and sent to Guantanamo prison camp.

The amendment would technically give the US president and military enormous power to detain terrorism suspects without trial, or try such a person in civilian courts or the military tribunal system.

"An individual, no matter who they are, if they pose a threat to the security of the United States of America, should not be allowed to continue that threat," McCain said Tuesday on the Senate floor.

He added, "We need to take every stop necessary to prevent that from happening, that's for the safety and security of the men and women who are out there risking their lives ... in our armed services.”

However, Republican Senator Rand Paul argued the amendment, and said it "puts every single American citizen at risk" and suggested that if the amendment passes, "the terrorists have won."

“Should we err today and remove some of the most important checks on state power in the name of fighting terrorism, well then the terrorists have won," Paul said.

He argued, "Detaining American citizens without a court trial is not American."

The US detainment facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was established in 2002 by the Bush administration. Almost 800 detainees have been brought to the prison camp since October 7, 2001, when Washington began the war on Afghanistan.

A total of 1,100 US army and navy personnel are engaged in guarding the detainees held in nine separate camps at Guantanamo.

International Red Cross inspectors and released detainees alike have described various acts of torture, including extensive use of waterboarding, sleep deprivation, beatings and confinement in small, cold cells.

One of the allegations of abuse at the US camp is the abuse of the religion of the detainees.

According to Amnesty International, of the 173 men currently detained at Guantanamo Bay only three had been convicted under a military commission system, "which failed to meet international fair trial standards."

"Military commission proceedings were conducted in a handful of cases, and the only Guantanamo detainee so far transferred to the US mainland for prosecution in a federal court was tried and convicted,” the international non-governmental organization pointed out.

Upon taking office, Obama signed an executive order to stop military commissions in order to close down the facility by 2010. However, this has not happened yet.

US approves indefinite military custody

Guantanamo Bay prisoners. (file photo)

Source: press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/213040.html

The US Senate has voted to keep a controversial provision which lets the military to detain terrorism suspects indefinitely without civilian trials, even if they are American citizens.

The Amendment, which is part of the massive National Defense Authorization Act, was voted down with 61 against and 37 in favor on Wednesday, Huffington Post reported.

United States President, Barack Obama, however opposes the provision and has suggested he would veto the bill unless it's removed.

"Congress is essentially authorizing the indefinite imprisonment of American citizens, without charge," Democrat Senator from California, Dianne Feinstein Said.

Under the new legislation, the US military is given the custody of anyone who has planned or carried out an attack against the US and its allies, or who is deemed to be a member of al Qaeda or one of its affiliates.

The bill also re-affirms an existing law on indefinite detention and the right of the administration to try suspected terrorists in military commissions rather than civilian courts, an authority that the former President George Bush and Obama administrations have exercised.

EU slammed for complicity in US crimes

Council of Europe's Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/196983.html

EU human rights chief has harshly lambasted European governments for collaborating with the US on committing “countless crimes” in the so-called war on terror over the past decade.

"In attempting to combat crimes attributed to terrorists, countless further crimes have been committed in the course of the US-led 'global war on terror,'" said the Council of Europe's Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg on Thursday, The Associated Press reported.

"Many of those crimes have been carefully and deliberately covered up," he added.

Hammarberg went on to say that European governments have been “deeply complicit” in Washington's counter terrorism methods, which have involved torture and other serious human rights violations.

The 47-nation Council of Europe has criticized over a dozen European states for colluding in the CIA's rendition programs, in which suspects were secretly captured and dispatched to countries where torture is allowed.

“They permitted, protected and participated in CIA operations which violated fundamental tenets of our systems of justice and human rights protection," the EU human rights chief further explained, noting that these governments have obstructed the process of probing into rendition cases in line with Washington's wishes.

"The message is clear; good relations between the security agencies are deemed more important than preventing torture and other serious human rights violations," Hammarberg pointed out.

US has new catastrophic killing machine

High-Density Reactive Material (HDRM) missiles increase the chances of a "catastrophic kill," according to US military scientists.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194760.html

The US Office of Naval Research has successfully tested a new type of high density substance for use in missiles with the ability to drastically increase their impact.

The new type of explosive material tested on Friday mixes metals and polymers - oxidizers - to create a chemical explosion on impact, is as strong as aluminum and is as dense as steel, but is "less likely to kill innocent bystanders," the state-run BBC quoted US Navy scientists as saying.

High-Density Reactive Materials (HDRM) combine and explode only when the projectile hits the target, and are very durable, significantly enhancing the explosive effect, which increases the chances of a "catastrophic kill," according to the military scientists.

Clifford Bedford, a researcher involved in the development of the new material, said, "In the case of a steel missile you explosively launch it, it goes through the target and all the kinetic energy is dissipated into the target."

"With the reactive material missile, you have the same explosive launch - however, it disintegrates within the target and liberates chemical energy, and this chemical and kinetic energy combined gives you the enhanced effect," he added.

The scientists who worked on the project say the development of the new material has been in process for more than five years.

Dr Bedford stated, "In the existing scenarios we have now, we essentially fire twice, look, and fire again because we don't have a great deal of time to hit that missile - and that's because with the steel fragments in current warheads, you can't really tell if you've hit the target or not.

"Hopefully, with the HDRM reactive warhead, we fire once, look and can determine a catastrophic kill. We still have the option for a second fire. But it saves a great deal of cost if you can take out the target with one missile versus three."

Huge Afghan blast kills 27 US soldiers

The US-led forces in Afghanistan (File photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194456.html

A powerful explosion has rocked a US military base in eastern Afghanistan and reportedly killed at least 27 American soldiers and left dozens wounded.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, saying the huge explosion left at least 27 American troops killed and 34 others wounded, a Press TV correspondent reported.

The incident occurred early Thursday when a truck bomb went off inside the US military base in Gardez city, the capital of Afghanistan's Paktia province.

According to the Taliban spokesman, the truck contained hundreds of kilos of explosives.

Witnesses say the explosion was very powerful and a US helicopter was also destroyed in the blast.

American forces in Afghanistan have been experiencing their deadliest days since the beginning of August.

On August 6, at least 31 US Special Forces were killed after Taliban militants shot down an American helicopter belonging to NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan's eastern province of Wardak.

The death toll was the biggest in a single incident for foreign forces since the US-led invasion of Afghanistan began in 2001.

In another attack on August 11, ISAF said in a statement that six US-led soldiers lost their lives following the explosion of a roadside bomb in volatile southern Afghanistan.

The security situation remains fragile in Afghanistan despite the presence of about 150,000 US-led foreign forces in the war-torn country.

The increasing number of troop casualties in Afghanistan has caused widespread anger in the US and other NATO member states, undermining public support for the Afghan war.

'US troops to stay in Iraq beyond 2011'

US soldiers in Iraq (File Photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194072.html

An analyst says US administration is putting intense pressure on the Iraqi government to extend the stay of American troops in the country beyond the 2011 deadline.

“I don't believe they (US troops) will be leaving [Iraq] by the end of this year (2011)... the Americans are pushing for a new agreement,” Zayd al-Isa, a Middle East expert, told Press TV on Monday.

Al-Isa pointed out that Washington has lost many important allies in the popular uprisings currently sweeping the Arab world and it cannot afford to lose its grip Iraq too.

The Middle East expert added that President Barack Obama is afraid that pulling US troops out of Iraq may lead to the deterioration of the situation in the country, which may work against him in the 2012 presidential election.

“The Republicans, particularly the neo-conservatives, are going to use it (US troop pullout) against them (Obama and his Democratic supporters) [in the 2012 election], particularly if there is deterioration in the situation,” Al-Isa said.

The analyst, however, said that breaching the terms of the withdrawal agreement between Washington and Baghdad would as be illegal as it is binding.

The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed between the United States and Iraqi governments mandates that Washington withdraws its troops from Iraq by the end of December 2011.

The US invaded Iraq in 2003 under the pretext of destroying alleged weapons of mass destruction (WMD) belonging to executed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.

However, it was later found that the country did not possess any WMDs at the time and that the US and Britain, which led the invasion, were well-aware of the non-existence of such weapons in Iraq, but took military action against the oil-rich nation anyway.

Over one million Iraqis have been killed as a result of the occupation, according to a study by the British polling group, Opinion Research Business (ORB).

Court upholds Rumsfeld torture lawsuit

Former US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/193028.html

A US federal appeals court has upheld a lawsuit accusing former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld of personal responsibility in the torture of two US citizens in Iraq.

The lawsuit was filed by Donald Vance and Nathan Ertel, who worked for an Iraqi security firm at the time of the incident, AP reported.

The ruling was made by the 7th US Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago on Monday and follows a similar decision by a federal court in Washington, DC.

Rumsfeld is accused of personal responsibility in the torture of the two men, who passed information about suspicious activities at the Iraqi company to the FBI.

A federal district court in Washington D.C. determined last week that the lawsuit could go forward despite the assertions that Rumsfeld has immunity in the case.

Vance and Ertel claim that US forces tortured them by sleep deprivation and making them walk into walls blindfolded.

Sadr warns against US presence in Iraq

Senior Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/192743.html

Iraq's influential cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has issued a warning that any US training mission in Iraq after 2011 will be confronted by “military means”.

"We will treat anyone that stays in Iraq as an oppressive occupier that should be resisted through military means," AFP quoted Sadr as saying in a letter released by his office on Saturday.

The Shia cleric's statement came in response to Baghdad's tendency to open talks with US military officials for a post-2011 US training mission in Iraq.

Earlier on Tuesday, Iraq's Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari announced that Iraqi politicians have agreed to let Baghdad start negotiations with Washington on a military training mission in Iraq after 2011.

"The government that agrees to their stay, even if it is for training, is a weak government," the letter added.

Back in June, the Iraqi cleric threatened to take up arms against US troops unless the US military forces withdraw from Iraq before the end of the year.

Around 47,000 American soldiers are now stationed in Iraq, all of whom must leave the country by the end of 2011 under the terms of a 2008 bilateral security pact between Washington and Baghdad.

The agreement, known as Status of Forces Agreement, also forced Washington to end its combat operations in Iraq in August 2010.

Despite the United States' claim that it no longer engages in combat actions in the country, there have been numerous reports of US troops' involvement in military operations in Iraq.

Many observers believe that Washington has no intention to leave Iraq as American troops have built several bases in the country.