Endgame in Afghanistan:

'It's Taken a Year to Move 20km'

Video

As the war in Afghanistan enters its final chapter, Sean Smith's brutal, uncompromising film from the Helmand frontline shows the horrific chaos of a stalemate that is taking its toll in blood

-WARNING -
Video depicts the reality and horror of War and should only be watched by a mature audience. Click to view

A Plea for Common Sense
Why NATO Should Withdraw from Afghanistan

By Christoph Schwennicke

It is difficult for politicians to admit they were wrong. But when it comes to Afghanistan, the consequences of not doing so could be high. It is time for the West to cut its losses and withdraw. Continue

"The Real Terrorist Was Me"
Speech By War Vetran

Video & Transcript

Our real enemies are not those living in a distant land whose names or policies we don't understand; The real enemy is a system that wages war when it's profitable, the CEOs who lay us off our jobs when it's profitable, the Insurance Companies who deny us Health care when it's profitable, the Banks who take away our homes when it's profitable. Our enemies are not several hundred thousands away. They are right here in front of us. Continue

American Soldiers Brainwashed with "Positive Thinking"

By Bruce E. Levine

“As far as I can tell this is the largest, deliberate, psychological intervention in human history. . . . We don’t know when the global war on terrorism is going to end so we’re preparing to have to be engaged for a long period of time.” Continue

The End of (Military) History?
The US, Israel, and the Failure of the Western Way of War

By Andrew Bacevich

"In watching the flow of events over the past decade or so, it is hard to avoid the feeling that something very fundamental has happened in world history." Continue

Google, CIA Invest in ‘Future’ of Web Monitoring

By Noah Shachtman

The investment arms of the CIA and Google are both backing a company that monitors the web in real time — and says it uses that information to predict the future. Continue

Orwell Rolls in His Grave

Video

"Could a media system, controlled by a few global corporations with the ability to overwhelm all competing voices, be able to turn lies into truth?..." Continue

Who Is Behind the 25,000 Deaths In Mexico?

By Charles Bowden and Molly Molloy

Calderón's war, assisted by the United States, terrorizes the Mexican people, generates thousands of documented human rights abuses by the police and Mexican Army and inspires lies told by American politicians that violence is spilling across the border (in fact, it has been declining on the US side of the border for years). Continue

Militants kill 23 security forces across Iraq: The worst attack came in Baghdad's Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah when 16 Iraqi security troops died in what appeared to have been coordinated killings by militants in a bold, daylight attack in the neighborhood that was once an insurgent stronghold, Iraqi police and army officials said.

Lack of Iraq government 'embarrassing': FM: The lack of a government nearly five months on from parliamentary elections is "embarrassing" and is impeding any long-term decision-making, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told AFP on Thursday.

Rewriting history: Biden: US troops halted 'chaos' and 'destruction' in Iraq: US Vice President Joe Biden declared Wednesday that anti-US forces who wanted to consign Iraq to "chaos and destruction" had failed, as he welcomed home a much decorated military unit.

Pakistan: 13 killed in clash: Three security personnel were killed and 10 others suffered injuries when militants attacked a convoy in the Pash Ziarat area of South Waziristan here on Tuesday evening, intelligence sources said on Wednesday.

Fact or fiction? Nuke-smuggling network in demand: Two U.S. intelligence officials and other U.S. officials with access to intelligence reports said information compiled over the past seven months showed that agents from several foreign governments — including Brazil, Burma, Iran, Nigeria, North Korea, Sudan and Syria — pursued members of the network named after Abdul Qadeer Khan, the scientist considered to be the father of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program.

10 killed in Afghan clash: A clash between Taliban militants and guards of a private security company left 10 people dead in Ghazni province. 'The clash occurred in Andar district and as a result seven guards of the company Watan Risk and three Taliban rebels were killed,' provincial police chief Khayalbaz Shirzai told Xinhua.

Fierce fighting in Afghan valley: Video - US and Afghan soldiers have launched a series of raids against the Taliban in the Arghandab Valley in southeastern Afghanistan. With the American soldiers being ill-prepared for the kind of war the Taliban is fighting, attempts to defeat the enemy have not yet been successful.

Former Afghan Taliban group commander assassinated at home by militants: Taliban commander Mullah Abdullah who joined government two months ago was killed at his home in northern Kunduz province, provincial governor Mohammad Omar said Thursday.

Second captured US sailor's body found: "The coalition told our criminal police director of the district that the body belonged to the foreign soldier they were looking for," Mohammad Rahim Amin, a local government chief in the Baraki Barak district in western Logar, said. Newlove and another sailor, Justin McNeley, went missing last week in Logar province. McNeley's body was recovered on Sunday.

'US-led forces hit Afghan civilian bus' killing 25: : The Taliban claim that US-led forces in Afghanistan created the explosion against a civilian bus to blame the group for the killing of innocent people of the country.

Taliban congratulates Dutch on Afghan withdrawal: The Taliban’s spokesman for southern and western Afghanistan, Yusuf Ahmadii, has been interviewed by the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant. He told the paper that the rebels wanted to “offer the people and government of the Netherlands heartfelt congratulations on their courage in making this independent decision”. He hopes other countries will follow suit.

Why NATO Should Withdraw from Afghanistan: It is difficult for politicians to admit they were wrong. But when it comes to Afghanistan, the consequences of not doing so could be high. It is time for the West to cut its losses and withdraw.

Leaks reveal 'friendly fire' deaths: Wikileaks documents suggest that four Canadian soldiers who died in 2006 were actually killed when a US jet dropped a bomb on a building they were occupying.

Graham: Prosecute WikiLeaks: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Wednesday called for the criminal prosecution of Wikileaks, the website that published classified military documents this week. “I’m willing to prosecute anybody who led to undermining the war effort,” Graham said during an appearance on Fox News.

FBI chief says agents assisting Pentagon on WikiLeaks investigation: FBI Director Robert Mueller says the bureau is assisting the Defense Department in its criminal investigation into the release of some 91,000 secret U.S. military documents on Afghanistan.

Iran ready to 'rethink' 20% enrichment: Iran's nuclear point man says Tehran is ready to rethink its uranium enrichment to 20 percent if it is guaranteed that it will be supplied with fuel for its Tehran research reactor.

Turkey: Tehran declaration still valid: Under the May 17 deal brokered by Brazil and Turkey, Iran agreed to send 1,200 kg of its low-enriched uranium to Turkey in exchange for fuel for the medical research reactor in Tehran. The US and its European allies snubbed the declaration and used their influence on the UN Security Council to impose a fourth round of sanctions against Iran.

Robert Dreyfuss : United States, Iran to Restart Talks: Talks on Iran's nuclear program will resume in September, and despite the war bluster from neocons and the far right, the Obama administration seems prepared to try once again.

Oil tanker 'attacked' off Oman: A suspected explosion that damaged a Japanese oil tanker in the Straits of Hormuz, between Iran and Oman, could have been caused by an "attack", the ship's owners have said.

Yemen rebels free 200 soldiers: Yemeni Shia rebels freed yesterday 200 soldiers they had captured two days earlier and promised to release other prisoners, both civilian and military, a mediator said.

Russian forces foil plane hijack: Russian special forces have foiled the attempted hijacking of an aircraft on a domestic flight from the Caucasus region to Moscow's Domodedovo airport.

Exclusive: Google, CIA Invest in ‘Future’ of Web Monitoring: The investment arms of the CIA and Google are both backing a company that monitors the web in real time — and says it uses that information to predict the future.

White House proposal would ease FBI access to records of Internet activity: The Obama administration is seeking to make it easier for the FBI to compel companies to turn over records of an individual's Internet activity without a court order if agents deem the information relevant to a terrorism or intelligence investigation.

FBI's Robert Mueller supports record-keeping on prepaid cell phones: FBI Director Robert Mueller has endorsed anti-terrorism legislation that would require prepaid cell-phone sellers to keep records of buyers' identities.

FBI defends guidelines for domestic surveillance: Under fire from civil liberties groups, the FBI is defending domestic surveillance guidelines that critics fear could unfairly target innocent Muslims in terrorism and other criminal investigations.

Greek drivers ordered to end strike: The Greek government has ordered fuel-truck drivers who have been on strike for three days to go back to work, with fuel shortages affecting the country. Police used tear gas on Thursday to disperse protesting drivers who had gathered outside the transport ministry after the requisition was issued.

FDIC flashes SOS – 1,000 bank failures before recession is over : By the end of the recession, there will be approximately 1,000 bank failures. Does this sound extreme? It should but the numbers don’t cover the entire story. Since 2008 the number of bank failures has reached 269 and this doesn’t include consolidations done through the FDIC where bigger banks ate up smaller banks before they officially failed.

July 28, 2010

Who Voted for War With Iran, Mr. Obama?

By Philip Giraldi

House of Representatives resolution 1553, introduced by Congressional Republicans, and currently working its way through the system will endorse an Israeli attack on Iran, which would be going to war by proxy as the US would almost immediately be drawn into the conflict when Tehran retaliates. Continue

Leaked Files Indicate U.S. Pays Afghan Media to run Friendly Stories

By John Cook

Buried among the 92,000 classified documents released Sunday by WikiLeaks is some intriguing evidence that the U.S. military in Afghanistan has adopted a PR strategy that got it into trouble in Iraq: paying local media outlets to run friendly stories. Continue

Government Has Run Amok Since 9/11

By Sheldon Richman

Those who understand the exploitative nature of big government suspected that the U.S. response to the 9/11 attacks had little to do with the security of the American people and much to do with power and money. Continue

Time for the Palestinians to Call Israel’s Bluff?

By Alan Hart

“Politically, Israelis now operate strictly on fear and aggression; look at them cross-eyed and they think Hitler’s back and they’re ready to drop the big one. Politically they’re nuts. A danger to others and themselves.” Continue

The Palestinian Authority is Imprisoning Gazans

By Amira Hass

The same government that includes a call to end the blockade on Gaza, in practice aids in imprisoning the Gazans by preventing them from holding valid Palestinian passports. Continue

Wall Street Gets Trillions While Workers Get Bupkis

By Mike Whitney

The bottom line? When Wall Street is hurting, money's never a problem.  But when the states are on the brink of default and 14 million workers are scrimping to feed their families, there's not a dime to spare. Explain that to your kids. Continue

Iconic Teddy Roosevelt, White Supremacist

By Crawford Kilian

History suggests Roosevelt created the template for American imperialism. Continue

25 killed as Afghan bus hits bomb: A roadside bomb ripped through a crowded Afghan bus on Wednesday, killing up to 25 civilians in a southwestern province on the Iranian border in one of the deadliest such attacks in months.

Two Italian occupation force soldiers killed in Afghanistan: Two Italian soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Wednesday moments after successfully dismantling another such makeshift device, the defense ministry said.

Taliban capture a NATO plane in northern Afghan province: An official with NATO-led forces in Kunduz province also confirmed the incident. "A reconnaissance UAD plane made emergency landing in Yangariq area of Qalai Zal district this morning," Lieutenant Colonel Weber told Xinhua.

U.S. Congress Passes $59 Bn Afghan War Funding Bill: The new funding is on top of the $130 billion Congress already approved for Afghanistan and Iraq this year.

Funding the Afghan Occupation: How They Voted

Democrats abandon Obama on Afghanistan war: The House's vote yesterday on emergency funding for the Afghanistan war shows a significant eroding of support for President Obama's war policy -- from members of his own Democratic Party.

Kucinich, Paul Force Pakistan Debate: The two congressmen offered a resolution ordering President Barack Obama to withdraw U.S. military personnel from Pakistan, saying their presence violates the War Powers Act since it was not approved by Congress.

War Powers Resolution, to remove the United States Armed Forces from Pakistan: How They Voted:

Cameron sparks diplomatic row with Pakistan after 'export of terror' remarks: David Cameron today sparked a furious diplomatic row with Islamabad after accusing elements of the Pakistani state of promoting the export of terrorism.

22 killed in Iraq violence : Two attacks Wednesday in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul left at least six people dead, including a young girl, and wounded several others. Earlier, police said rockets launched by militants killed 16 people in the Shia holy city of Karbala, and injured another 22 people

WikiLeaks Iraq Cache More Than Three Times As Big: The cache of classified U.S. military reports on the Iraq War as yet unreleased by WikiLeaks may be more than three times as large as the set of roughly 76,000 similar reports on the war in Afghanistan made public by the whistle-blower Web site earlier this week, Declassified has learned.

17 Civilians killed in Somalia clashes: "The ambulance servicemen collected 10 civilian bodies and 46 others who were injured in the clashes yesterday afternoon," Ali Musa, the head of Mogadishu's ambulance services, said.

France Kills 6 People in North Africa: The attack was the country's first strike against an "al-Qaeda" base, and six "fighters" were reportedly killed.

Iran offers terms to halt 20 percent uranium enrichment: Turkish FM says Iran has given an assurance that it would stop enriching uranium to 20 percent purity if world powers agreed to a proposed nuclear fuel swap.

House Republicans Giving Green Light for Israeli Strike on Iran: Nearly one third of the Republican congressmen in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a resolution that would support Israel's right to use “all means necessary to confront and eliminate nuclear threats posed by Iran”, including military force.

'US Gave 1 Billion To Fund Sedition Leaders To Topple Iran'?: "I have acquired documents showing that the Americans paid one billion dollars to leaders of sedition through Saudi individuals who are currently the US agents in regional countries,” ILNA quoted Head of the Guardian Council Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati as saying on Tuesday.

Iran cmdr. guarantees US shame in ME: "Americans can be certain that in the event of a ground, naval or aerial attack against our country, they will be faced with a crushing and decisive response which will be much more fatal and crushing than their initial act [of aggression]," Mehr News Agency quoted the commander as saying.

Explosion rocks Japan oil tanker in PG: Japan's transport ministry has said the incident may have been an attack, noting that one crewmember had seen a flash in the horizon before the explosion.

Israel linked to exiled sheikh's bid for 'coup' in Gulf emirate of RAK: Israel is aiding an exiled Arab sheikh who is vying to seize control of a strategically important Gulf emirate only 40 miles from Iran.

ADL chief: Oliver Stone's apology about remarks on Jews, Holocaust 'insufficient': "While [Stone] now admits that Jews do not control Hollywood, the media and other industries, he ignores his assertion that Jews are “...the most powerful lobby in Washington” and that “Israel has f***** up United States foreign policy.” This is another conspiratorial anti-Semitic canard that Mr. Stone needs to repudiate," Foxman said.

Gilad Atzmon: Oliver Stone apologized for Telling the Truth: Stone’s apology confirms Stone’s argument. We are subject to constant assault by Jewish and Israeli gatekeepers who insist on controlling the political and historical discourse and defy any possible criticism of Jewish national affairs.

Haim Saban to CBS: Cancel Oliver Stone's Showtime Series: The billionaire and outspoken media mogul told TheWrap he had contacted CBS chief Leslie Moonves to urge him to pull the series.

Desmond Tutu backs U.S. food co-op boycott of Israeli products: South African Nobel laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu issues statement of support for boycott announced by food co-op in Rachel Corrie's hometown of Olympia, Washington.

Israel's sex slavery trade booming: 3,000 and 5,000 women are smuggled to Israel annually and sold into the prostitution industry, where they are constantly subjected to violence and abuse.

UK: Archbishop of York Dr John Sentamu stopped and searched by police EIGHT times: The Archbishop of York yesterday revealed he has been stopped and searched by police eight times, as he warned new anti-terrorist powers are a threat to civil liberties.

Court dilutes Arizona migrant law: The law will still take effect as scheduled on Thursday, but parts of the legislation have been suspended, including a provision that requires police officers to determine the immigration status of people they detain.

Anti-Illegal Immigration Group Calls for 'Safe Passage' of Illegals Out of U.S.: Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC) is urging U.S. citizens to pressure the White House and the Homeland Security Department to establish "safe departure" border checkpoints along the U.S. border for illegal immigrants so they can leave without fear of being detained or prosecuted for immigration crimes.

Senate postpones Lockerbie hearing: The UK government has rejected criticism from the United States of British witnesses who refused to attend a planned Senate hearing into the release of the Lockerbie bomber.

New oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico: The spill in Barataria Bay, which is surrounded by wildlife-rich wetlands, is at least the third leak since in the area since the BP oil catastrophe began on April 10.

U.S. Rescue May Reach $23.7 Trillion, Barofsky Says: - U.S. taxpayers may be on the hook for as much as $23.7 trillion to bolster the economy and bail out financial companies, said Neil Barofsky, special inspector general for the Treasury’s Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Goldman reveals where bailout cash went: Goldman Sachs sent $4.3 billion in federal tax money to 32 entities, including many overseas banks, hedge funds and pensions, according to information made public Friday night.

July 27, 2010

Ahmadinejad: US Will Start New Mideast Wars

By Press TV

"We have precise information that the Americans have devised a plot, according to which they seek to launch a psychological war on Iran," Ahmadinejad stated in an exclusive interview with Press TV on Monday. "They plan to attack at least two countries in the region within the next three months," he added. Continue

Wikileaks: US Attack Killed 300 Civilians In Afghanistan: Report

By David Leigh

Locals told Reuters that up to 300 civilians – as well as a number of Taliban – were killed in the air strike after they had been rounded up to watch a Taliban-organised public hanging of two suspected spies. Continue

War Bill Could Be Stopped Today With 144 Votes

By Ryan Grim

"Once again, war is being paid for with a credit card while investments in our children's future are tossed aside" Continue

Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, and Ron Paul, R-Texas
Propose Vote to Exit Pakistan

By John Nichols

It's not generally known that we have at least 124 Special Forces troops on the ground inside Pakistan. It is absolutely urgent that we take a stand to stop spreading war in Pakistan. To nip in the bud the U.S. ground presence." Continue

New York Times Reporters Met With White House Before Publishing WikiLeaks Story

By Alex Pareene

The administration "praised" New York Times reporters for their handling of leaked Afghan war material. Continue

Down To The Last Trillion in Red Ink
US Treasury Running on Fumes

By Paul Craig Roberts

The White House is screaming like a stuck pig. WikiLeaks’ release of the Afghan War Documents “puts the lives of our soldiers and our coalition partners at risk.” What nonsense. Continue

Israel’s Secret Police Exposed
Settlers wage vendetta on Shin Bet

By Jonathan Cook in Nazareth

The arrest by Israel’s internal security service, the Shin Bet, of an Israeli Jew accused of killing at least four Palestinians has thrown a rare light on the secret police, including attempts by one of its agents to enlist the accused to assassinate a Palestinian spiritual leader. Continue

Systemic Racism in the U.S. Criminal Justice System

By Bill Quigley

The biggest crime in the U.S. criminal justice system is that it is a race-based institution where African-Americans are directly targeted and punished in a much more aggressive way than white people. Continue

The Year America Dissolved

By Paul Craig Roberts

Clans were governing America. The first clans organized around local police forces. The conservatives’ war on crime during the late 20th century and the Bush/Obama war on terror during the first decade of the 21st century had resulted in the police becoming militarized and unaccountable. Continue

Car, suicide bombings kill 31 people in Iraq: Two car bombs directed at Shiite pilgrims during a religious festival in the holy city of Karbala killed 25 people yesterday, Iraqi police and hospital officials said. Sunni extremists are suspected.

Two Iraqi women killed, 12 civilians injured in Mosul: - Two women were killed and at least 12 civilians were injured in two separate incidents in Mosul, northern Iraq, on Tuesday, police said.

Audit finds Pentagon can't account for $8.7B in Iraqi funds: The audit found that shoddy record keeping by the Defense Department left the Pentagon unable to fully account for $8.7 billion it withdrew between 2004 and 2007 from a special fund set up by the U.N. Security Council

Audit: U.S. Can't Account for 95% of Iraqi Funds: Defense Department Unable to Trace $8.7B in Iraqi Oil Money Tapped by U.S. for Rebuilding Nation

GE pays $23M to settle Iraq kickback charges: General Electric Co. will pay $23.4 million to settle federal charges that some of its subsidiaries paid illegal kickbacks to the government of Saddam Hussein in order to win contracts under a U.N. program.

Blix: U.S. 'High On Military Action' Before Iraq War: Hans Blix, the 82-year-old former chief U.N. weapons inspector, said Washington was "high on military" action in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, and refused to heed concerns over the paltry threat posed by Saddam Hussein's regime.

Afghan president: NATO rocket killed 52 civilians: Hamid Karzai's statement issued Monday says the Afghan intelligence service determined that a NATO rocket hit Regi village in Helmand province's Sangin district. The dead included women and children. Karzai condemned the attack.

5 Taliban militants killed, 10 injured in Afghanistan: Afghan security forces backed by NATO-led troops, kicked off a three day offensive that concluded on Monday, killing five Taliban militants and injuring 10 others, a statement of Interior Ministry said Tuesday.

Rescue operation for missing U.S. soldier leaves 3 insurgents dead in Afghanistan: "The rescue operation launched Monday in Andar district and so far three Taliban militants have been killed and two others sustained injuries,"deputy to provincial police chief Nawroz Ali Mahmoudzada told Xinhua.

British Soldier 'Killed By Friendly Fire': The death of a British soldier from 36 Engineer Regiment in Afghanistan is being treated as a possible "friendly fire" incident, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.

WikiLeaks report cites previously unknown "friendly fire" incident involving Canadians: The dramatic WikiLeaks report contains details of what appears to be a previously unknown "friendly fire" incident in Afghanistan in which it says four Canadians were killed and seven were injured.

Afghan files: Task Force 373 - the Taliban hunters: Channel 4 News analyses claims Task Force 373 appeared to botch attempts to kill al-Qaida operatives

Congress's response to WikiLeaks: shoot the messenger: Despite the release of some 92,000 classified documents that cast doubt on the success of the US war effort in Afghanistan, all but the staunchest antiwar members of Congress focused their most scathing words Monday on WikiLeaks, the website that published the material.

Pentagon Eyes Accused Analyst Over WikiLeaks Data: Military investigators are checking computers used by Bradley Manning, a U.S. Army intelligence analyst charged this month with leaking classified information, to see if he is the source of thousands of military documents published Sunday by WikiLeaks.

Legal Fund Established to Fight Imprisonment of Accused WikiLeaks Whistleblower: At 4PM EST on July 27, the Bradley Manning Support Network (www.bradleymanning.org) will begin accepting online donations for the legal defense of Private First Class Bradley Manning.

Pakistan says 24 Taliban killed: Pakistani warplanes pounded Taliban positions Monday and military officials said at least 24 of the Muslim insurgents were killed and 14 others wounded.

Pakistan digging its own grave says US Congressman: "The ISI's attempt to distinguish good from bad militants will spin out of control. With its obsession with India, Pakistan is digging its own grave," Congressman Ed Royce said in the wake of WikiLeaks revelations.

Somalia: Thirteen killed during violence in Puntland: Thirteen militia from the al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab group were killed in clashes with troops of the semi-autonomous northern Puntland region of Somalia, President of Puntland Abdirahman Mohamed Farole said on Monday.

US forces 2,000 more AU troops into war: Washington has been piling diplomatic pressure on African states to bolster the current force of 6,000 Ugandan and Burundian soldiers in Mogadishu, and yesterday the AU announced at the end of its three-day summit in Kampala that 2,000 more will soon be on their way in.

Four soldiers killed in south Yemen ambush: Suspected separatists killed four soldiers and wounded 13 including a senior security official in two attacks, officials said yesterday, part of a wave of unrest that has raised fears of a sustained separatist insurgency.

Yemen Shiite rebels capture 200 soldiers: Shiite rebels have captured 200 Yemeni soldiers in the country’s north where deadly fighting between the rebels and army-backed tribes is endangering a fragile truce, a military official said on Tuesday.

Iran: U.S. will likely attack 2 Mideast countries within 3 months: Speaking on state television, Iranian President Ahmadinejad also list of demands before Iran will resume nuclear talks.

Venezuelan bank penalized for alleged link with Iranian plan: The European Union ordered on Tuesday to freeze all the funds and economic resources from the International Development Bank of Venezuela, a subsidiary of Iran's Export Development Bank, for presumed ties with the Iranian nuclear program.

Russia: EU sanctions on Iran 'unacceptable' : Russia on Tuesday criticized the decision by the EU to impose a fresh round of sanctions on Iran. Using sanctions outside the UN Securtiy Council framework was "unacceptable," a Foreign Ministry statement released in Moscow said.

Israel lauds new EU nuclear sanctions on Iran: Move sends Tehran clear message that behavior is unacceptable, foreign ministry says, calling on more nations to impose extra measures.

Israel demolishes Bedouin village: Israeli authorities have demolished the homes of about 300 Bedouins in a village in the southern Negev desert.The entire village of al-Arakib was bulldozed on Tuesday, with many of the former residents' cattle, trees and belongings lost.

British PM Cameron: Gaza must not remain a prison camp: British prime minister David Cameron, who has often described himself as a "friend of Israel," harshly criticized Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, telling a group of Turkish businessmen in Ankara that the strip was "a prison camp."

Oliver Stone apologizes for saying Jews control the media: Stone had told British publication The Sunday Times that U.S. public opinion was focused on the Holocaust as a result of the "Jewish domination of the media." The remarks sparked a massive backlash, with a large number of Jewish organizations and Israeli officials publicly condemning the director's comments.

Judge faces anti-Semitism probe: Judge George Bathurst-Norman was said by critics to have persuaded a jury to clear a group of campaigners who smashed up a factory making parts for Israeli warplanes. Summing up in the criminal damage trial, he compared Israel to the Nazi regime and accused the country of ignoring international law.

Chavez reinforces Colombia border: About 1,000 Venezuelan National Guard soldiers arrived in the border region over the weekend and were reinforcing posts along the 2,200km frontier, Franklin Marquez, a regional commander for the Guard, said on Monday.

BP taking $10 billion tax credit from Gulf spill: Oil giant BP PLC will reduce its contribution to U.S. coffers by roughly $10 billion due to a tax credit the company is claiming it incurred from the Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Louisiana's health department: 324 blame illness on spill: That includes 241 people - or about three-quarters of the total - involved in spill cleanup or offshore work, and 83 people in the general public.

July 26, 2010

Afghanistan War Logs:
Massive Leak of Secret Files Exposes Truth of Occupation

By Nick Davies and David Leigh

Hundreds of civilians killed by coalition troops • Covert unit hunts leaders for 'kill or capture' • Steep rise in Taliban bomb attacks on Nato • Read the Guardian's full war logs investigation Continue

How US Marines Sanitised Record of Bloodbath

By Declan Walsh

War logs show how marines gave cleaned up accounts of incident in which they killed 19 civilians. Continue

Secret CIA Paramilitaries' Role in Civilian Deaths

By David Leigh

Innocent Afghan men, women and children have paid the price of the Americans' rules of engagement. Continue

Task Force 373
Special Forces Death Squads Hunting Top Taliban

By Nick Davies

The Nato coalition in Afghanistan has been using an undisclosed "black" unit of special forces, Task Force 373, to hunt down targets for death or detention without trial. Details of more than 2,000 senior figures from the Taliban and al-Qaida are held on a "kill or capture" list. Continue

White House attacks Pakistan over Taliban aid

By Declan Walsh

The Obama administration, which gives $1bn a year in military aid to Pakistan, did not challenge the veracity of the files, but said that while Islamabad was making progress against extremism, "the status quo is not acceptable". Continue