17 Jan
United States Wars, News and Casualties
United States Wars, News and Casualties
Damn The War Criminals,
Bush,Cheney,Rice,Rumsfeld,Wolfowitz, Powell and Blair from England.
Afghan War Children
The war ended for those children, but it has never ended for survivors who carry memories of them. Likewise, the effects of the U.S. bombings continue, immeasurably and indefensibly.
Civilian casualties in the war in Afghanistan (2001–present)
During the war in Afghanistan (2001–present), over 31,000 civilian deaths due to war-related violence have been documented;[1][2] 29,900 civilians have been wounded.[2] Over 111,000 Afghans, including civilians, soldiers and militants, are estimated to have been killed in the conflict.[1] The Cost of War project estimated that the number who have died through indirect causes related to the war may be as high 360,000 additional people based on a ratio of indirect to direct deaths in contemporary conflicts.[3] These numbers do not include those who have died in Pakistan.
The war, launched by the United States as “Operation Enduring Freedom” in 2001, began with an initial air campaign that almost immediately prompted concerns over the number of Afghan civilians being killed[4] as well as international protests. With civilian deaths from airstrikes rising again in recent years,[5] the number of Afghan civilians being killed by foreign military operations has led to mounting tension between the foreign countries and the government of Afghanistan. In May 2007, President Hamid Karzai summoned foreign military commanders to warn them of the consequences of further Afghan civilian deaths.[6] The civilian losses are a continuation of the extremely high civilian losses experienced during the Soviet–Afghan War in the 1980s, and the three periods of civil war following it: 1989–1992, 1992–1996, and 1996–2001.
The McGlynn
War News
GUARD: Four Americans killed in Syria blast claimed by Isis
Two US soldiers, a defence department civilian official and contractor were killed, US Central Command confirms
A suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State has killed four Americans in north-eastern Syria, just weeks after Donald Trump said the terrorist group had been defeated and announced he was withdrawing American forces.
The bomber struck on Wednesday inside a restaurant in the town of Manbij, where US troops had regularly gathered. As many as 16 people were killed in the attack, the most deadly to target American forces during their four year presence in Syria.
US Central Command confirmed that two US soldiers, a defence department civilian official and a defence department contractor were killed. A CentCom statement said three soldiers were injured.
Photographs on a local Kurdish news site showed two mutilated bodies, several other bodies lying on the ground with people gathered around them, damage to a building and vehicles and blood smears on a wall.
Isis was quick to claim the strike through its propaganda wing, Ammaq. Although it has been ousted from Manbij as an organised force in the past four years, the group has maintained sleeper cells, which have launched occasional attacks against local officials and opposition fighters.
The bombing, which came just days after the first US battle trucks departed the country, underscored the volatility of north-eastern Syria. It gave fresh ammunition to critics of Trump’s decision, who had argued that the withdrawal was premature and could end up revitalising Isis, which had been on the ropes militarily in the narrow stretch of territory it still controls near the Iraq-Syria border.
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REU: Hours after U.S. troops killed in Syria, Pence says Islamic State defeated
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Islamic State has been defeated in Syria, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Wednesday, hours after Americans were killed in a northern Syria bomb attack claimed by the militant group.
Pence did not mention the attack in his address to 184 chiefs of U.S. diplomatic missions who gather annually in Washington from around the world to discuss foreign policy strategy.
“The caliphate has crumbled and ISIS has been defeated,” Pence told the U.S. ambassadors and other senior American diplomats, referring to Islamic State.
In separate statements later, both the White House and Pence condemned the attack and expressed sympathy for the deaths of the U.S. personnel.
The Pentagon said two U.S. servicemembers, a Department of Defense civilian employee and one contractor working for the military were killed and three servicemembers were injured in the blast in the northern Syria town of Manbij.
An Islamic State-affiliated website said the attack was the work of a suicide bomber.
Trump made a surprise announcement on Dec. 19 that he would withdraw 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria after concluding that Islamic State had been defeated there. His decision led to the resignation of U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who cited policy differences with the president for his departure.
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GUARD: Yemen ceasefire: new UN resolution seeks to save agreement
Fresh resolution will increase UN monitors overseeing Hodeidah deal
The UN has tried to prevent the collapse of the ceasefire agreement in Yemen by endorsing a fresh security council resolution urgently increasing the number of monitors overseeing the deal in Hodeidah, the strategic port that lies at the heart of the three-year civil war.
The resolution, drafted by the UK, extends the UN monitoring role for a further six months and increases the number of monitors to as many as 75 people. UN personnel are likely to be transferred from Djibouti to Hodeidah.
The Houthi rebels and the UN-backed government of Yemen’s president, Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, have accused each other of multiple breaches of the ceasefire. The terms of that ceasefire – agreed in haste at UN-brokered talks in Stockholm in December – were seen as flawed due to a lack of precision and the country’s geographical limits.
Having too few monitors has also made it more difficult for the UN to ascribe responsibility for breaches, and so prevent their repetition.
The British and Americans have accused the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels of breaching the spirit of the ceasefire after drones were used to attack a Yemeni government military parade, killing six people.
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NYT: Peace Talks With Taliban Will Happen Soon: U.S. Envoy
KABUL — The U.S. special envoy for peace in Afghanistan on Wednesday said talks with the Taliban will “happen very soon” but if the insurgents continue to fight then American forces would support Afghan forces in the war.
Talks between the Taliban and American officials have hit a roadblock after the hardline Islamic militants canceled the fourth round of peace talks last week and rejected the involvement of the Afghan government in the dialogue.
On Tuesday, the Taliban threatened to pull out of the peace process with the United States if they diverted from the issue of foreign force withdrawal from Afghanistan, a key demand of the insurgents to end the 17-year war.
The Taliban’s warning came hours after Zalmay Khalilzad landed in Afghanistan after meeting officials from India, China and the United Arab Emirates to discuss the peace process.
“If the Taliban want to talk, we can talk. If they want to fight, we can fight,” Khalilzad told journalists in Kabul.
The White House has said President Donald Trump had not issued orders to the Pentagon to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, but the White House has not denied reports that the United States plans to pull out some of the 14,000-strong force currently deployed.[
Khalilzad said: “We hope that they (Taliban) want to make peace. But if they do not choose to come to the table, if they choose to continue fighting, the United States will stand with the Afghan people and the Afghan government and support them.”
Speaking about the next date for a meeting with the Taliban, he said: “We are hopeful it will happen very soon. That’s what we’re working towards.”
Khalilzad, an Afghan-born U.S. diplomat, was appointed last year to lead peace talks between the United States, the Taliban and the Afghan government. In a news briefing last year he said a peace deal could be reached before April 2019.
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Casualties, Exclusive of Civilians
Recent Casualties
Color Denotes Today’s Confirmation
None
War Casualties By Name
Iraqi Freedom >>
Afghanistan >>
Desert Storm>>
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Total Dollar Cost of Wars Since 2001>>
Cost of War in Iraq>>
Cost of War in Afghanistan>>
Care for Veterans:
PTSD: National Center for PTSDPTSD Care for Veterans, Military, and FamiliesSee Help for Veterans with PTSD to learn how to enroll for VA health care and get an assessment.
All VA Medical Centers provide PTSD care, as well as many VA clinics.Some VA’s have programs specializing in PTSD treatment. Use the VA PTSD Program Locator to find a PTSD program.
If you are a war Veteran, find a Vet Center to help with the transition from military to civilian life.
Call the 24/7 Veteran Combat Call Center1-877-WAR-VETS (1-877-927-8387) to talk to another combat Veteran.DoD’s Defense Centers of Excellence (DCoE) 24/7 Outreach Center for Psychological Health & Traumatic Brain Injury provides information and helps locate resources.
Call 1-866-966-1020 or email resources@dcoeoutreach.orgMilitary OneSourceCall 24/7 for counseling and many resources 1-800-342-9647.Need further assistance? Get Help with VA PTSD Care
