Author Archives: Team VCS

Waste, Fraud in Iraq Being Repeated in Afghanistan

February 2, 2009 – Waste and corruption that marred Iraq’s reconstruction will be repeated in Afghanistan unless the U.S. transforms the unwieldy bureaucracy managing tens of billions of dollars in infrastructure projects, government watchdogs warned Monday. The U.S. has devoted … Continue reading →

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Documents Give Insight Into Increased Violence in Afghanistan

February 2, 2009 – Roadside bombs in Afghanistan have become the single biggest killer of civilians, coalition and Afghan troops, according to U.S. and coalition military documents obtained by CNN.  The documents, based on NATO statistics, show more than a … Continue reading →

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Editorial Column: Unreleased Pentagon Report Urges Afghanistan War Escalation

February 3, 2009, Washington, DC – A classified Pentagon report urges President Barack Obama to shift U.S. military strategy in Afghanistan, de-emphasizing democracy-building and concentrating more on targeting Taliban and al-Qaida sanctuaries inside Pakistan with the aid of Pakistani military … Continue reading →

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Blog: New Troop Deployments to Afghanistan Will Only Feed Insurgency, Says Report

February 4, 2009 – White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs insists that President Obama is still reviewing his options when it comes to the war in Afghanistan, but has so far refused to indicate where US policy is heading. This … Continue reading →

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Suicide Bomber Disguised as Police Officer Kills 21 in Afghanistan

February 3, 2009 – Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan, and Istanbul, Turkey — In an attack that underscored the vulnerability of Afghanistan’s struggling security forces, a suicide bomber dressed in a police uniform slipped into a police compound and detonated a … Continue reading →

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Potential VA Benefits Chief Has New Ideas

February 3, 2009 – A Harvard University researcher with some radical ideas about how to reduce the backlog of veterans disability claims appears to be in line to head the Veterans Benefits Administration. Linda Blimes, a public policy lecturer and … Continue reading →

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Generals Seek to Reverse Obama Withdrawal Decision

February 2, 2009 – CENTCOM commander Gen. David Petraeus, supported by Defence Secretary Robert Gates, tried to convince President Barack Obama that he had to back down from his campaign pledge to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Iraq within … Continue reading →

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Taliban Hits NATO Supply Route from Pakistan to Afghanistan

February 3, 2009, Islamabad, Pakistan – Supplies intended for NATO forces in Afghanistan were suspended Tuesday after Taliban militants blew up a highway bridge in the Khyber Pass region, a lawless northwestern tribal area straddling the border with Afghanistan. Hidayatullah … Continue reading →

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Recreating War’s Stress to Help Cope With PTSD

Alexian Bros. unveils simulator to help veterans deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. February 3, 2009 – The view from a military Humvee, rolling through the Iraqi dessert, looked familiar to veteran Tammy Duckworth. Seemingly innocent but potentially deadly threats, like … Continue reading →

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Weight of Combat Gear is Taking Toll on Our Iraq and Afghanistan War Service Members

February 1, 2009 – Carrying heavy combat loads is taking a quiet but serious toll on troops deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, contributing to injuries that are sidelining them in growing numbers, according to senior military and defense officials. Rising … Continue reading →

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