Friday, November 25, 2011

British Fallen Heroes return to UK (+video)

Friday, 25 November, 2011.

The bodies of the four servicemen were flown to RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.


were killed by explosions in Helmand province. After a private ceremony for their families at a purpose-built repatriation centre on the air base at Brize the cortege left and gas been escorted at walking pace past the memorial garden in Carterton, where the Union Flag hangs at half-mast. All four families have paid tribute, saying they were immensely proud of what the soldiers had achieved, living life to the full, and committing themselves fully to their army careers, and dying doing something they loved and believed in.

Triple bombings in south Iraq kill 19, injure 64

iraqviolence

Nov 24, 2:28 PM EST


BASRA, Iraq (AP) -- A string of bombings in a southern oil city killed 19 people Thursday evening and injured dozens more, a grim sign of the security challenges Iraq will face after American troops go home.
The U.S. military is drawing down its troops ahead of an end-of-December deadline to have all American forces out of the country. Incidents like Thursday's triple bombing in a city seen as key to Iraq's economic development show the dangerous prospects awaiting Iraqis next year.
Three bombs went off in a popular open-air market in Basra, police and health officials said.
The third bomb exploded a few minutes after Iraqi army and police forces arrived on the scene in response to the earlier blasts, officials said. The third blast caused all the fatalities and almost all of the injuries, the officials said.

Read more: http://ap.stripes.com/dynamic/stories/M/ML_IRAQ?SITE=DCSAS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2011-11-24-14-28-41

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Dutch man suspected of attempting attacks on US soldiers in Afghanistan resists extradition

AMSTERDAM (AP) — A lawyer for a Dutch man wanted by the U.S. on suspicion of trying to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan and for allegedly aiding al-Qaida said Friday he has appealed to the Netherlands' Supreme Court to prevent his client's extradition.

The 24-year-old suspect, identified under Dutch privacy laws only as "Sabir K.," was indicted by a federal grand jury in New York on June 22. But his extradition case was held behind closed doors in the Netherlands and no information about it was released until his lawyer Andre Seebregts sought publicity.


He said Sabir K. is invoking his right to remain silent about his guilt or innocence.
 ...


Thanksgiving MRE

Thanksgiving at Iraq....

Airmen stationed at Sather Air Base in Iraq ate a Thanksgiving meal of MREs to show solidarity for the airmen at Ali Base who chose to have their Thanksgiving meal early, on the last day their dining facility served hot meals.

U.S. intensifies its proxy fight against al-Shabab in Somalia

The Obama administration is intensifying its campaign against an al-Qaeda affiliate in Somalia by boosting the number of proxy forces in the war-torn country, expanding drone operations and strengthening military partnerships throughout the region.
In many ways, the American role in the long-running conflict in Somalia is shaping up as the opposite of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: relatively inexpensive, with limited or hidden U.S. footprints.

While the White House has embraced the strategy as a model for dealing with failed states or places inherently hostile to an American presence, the indirect approach carries risks. Chief among them is a lack of control over the proxy forces from Uganda, Burundi and Somalia, as well as other regional partners that Washington has courted and financed in recent years.
All told, the United States has spent more than $500 million since 2007 to train and equip East African forces in an attempt to fight terrorism and bring a measure of stability to Somalia.
 ...

Story By , Friday, November 25, 12:56 AM

from The Washington Post

Read More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-intensifies-its-proxy-fight-against-al-shabab-in-somalia/2011/11/21/gIQAVLyNtN_story.html

U.S., Afghan forces share Thanksgiving dinner (+video)

One Army unit in the Southeastern Paktika Province of Afghanistan is - for the first time - sharing Thanksgiving dinner with the Afghan forces that fight alongside them on the battlefield. Mandy Clark reports.



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