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US Commander: Civilian Air Strike Pact Doesn't Ban Their Use
Tweet Share on Facebook June 11, 2012 CommentU.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan can still call for allied aircraft to drop bombs on enemy forces inside civilian-populated areas, but only as a last resort, says a senior American general.
The Los Angeles Times and New York Times have reported NATO military commanders have agreed to limit the use of air strikes inside residential areas. That agreement came days after an allied strike killed nearly 20 Afghan civilians in eastern Afghanistan.
The agreement senior NATO commanders inked recently with Afghan leaders "doesn't change the R.O.E.," says Army Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, International Security Assistance Force Joint Command chief and deputy commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, referring to troops' rules of engagement.
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India Positioning To Fill Post-US Vacuum in Afghanistan
Tweet Share on Facebook June 8, 2012 CommentNew Delhi's ambassador to Washington made clear Friday that India is positioning itself to fill a vacuum that will be created in 2014 when most U.S. and western troops leave Afghanistan.
From a range of economic development projects to training Afghan security officers to combating a Taliban resurgence, Nirupama Rao says India intends to prevent "a regression in Afghanistan to the situation it was before 2001."
India and other nations in southeast Asia "have a stake in peace, stability, and prosperity" in Afghanistan, Rao said during a forum in Washington. "Afghanistan does represent a security challenge for us."
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Lindsey Graham Backtracks on Taxes to Avoid Defense Cuts
Tweet Share on Facebook June 8, 2012 CommentAfter raising eyebrows by initially voicing support for federal tax hikes to stave off more national defense cuts, a key pro-military senator now says he favors raising the needed revenue "without raising taxes."
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham is "in favor of increased revenue, but there are ways to do that without raising tax rates," says a senior Graham aide. "Closing loopholes and deductions in the tax code will bring in revenue, and that is what Senator Graham was talking about."
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U.S. 'Dissatisfied' With Pakistan's Reluctance to Quell Haqqani Network
Tweet Share on Facebook June 7, 2012 CommentU.S. officials remain "extraordinarily dissatisfied" with Pakistan's unwillingness to take on an extremist group that operates from its soil, underscoring the shakiness in relations between Washington and Islamabad.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey said Thursday that American officials remain frustrated with Pakistani officials' handling of the Haqqani Network, which operates from northwest Pakistan. The independent extremist group—which has increasingly been a focal point for U.S. national security officials and lawmakers as of late—has carried out a handful of deadly attacks since last September, according to Pentagon officials.
"We are extraordinarily dissatisfied with the effect Pakistan has had on the Haqqanis," Dempsey says.
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Automatic Budget Cuts Could Trigger 1 Million More Unemployed Americans
Tweet Share on Facebook June 7, 2012 CommentHundreds of thousands of Americans could head to the polls in November with fresh pink slips from firms that do business with the federal government, potentially upending key races across the country.
If Congress fails to pass a broad debt reduction package this year that would reduce the federal debt by $1.2 trillion, around $500 billion in separate cuts to defense and domestic entitlement budgets would go into effect Jan. 1.
In a report released Thursday, The Bipartisan Policy Center predicts the result could be 1 million additional unemployed Americans.
James Jones, a former national security adviser to President Barack Obama and a retired Marine Corps general, called the notion of the deep automatic cuts "foolish," adding: "The consequences of not doing something now are huge."
Read more about the potentially higher unemployment.
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GOP's Graham on an Island With OK on Taxes to Limit Military Cuts
Tweet Share on Facebook June 6, 2012 CommentA key GOP senator's party-bucking support of tax increases to stave off further national defense budget cuts is being met with a lukewarm response on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a pro-military South Carolina Republican, sent ripples across Washington by telling the New York Times he has "crossed the Rubicon" on his party's long-held opposition to higher federal taxes.
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What Would It Take To Finally Nab Al-Zawahiri?
Tweet Share on Facebook June 6, 2012 CommentIn the wake of a U.S. drone strike that killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri's right-hand man, terrorism experts say only another brazen commando raid on Pakistani soil would be needed to nab the group's elusive commander.
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Study: Government Low-Balls Cost of Nuclear Fleet
Tweet Share on Facebook June 5, 2012 CommentThe federal government is low when calculating the amount it spends on the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal, says a new report, and several longtime atomic arms analysts say government officials have no clue how much the world's most lethal weapons really cost.
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Al Qaeda Will Miss Slain Leader's "Potent Characteristics"
Tweet Share on Facebook June 5, 2012 CommentThe U.S. dealt a significant blow to al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri when an American drone aircraft killed his right-hand man, say terrorism experts, but they caution the group has a deep bench to fill the void.
U.S. officials confirmed Tuesday that a drone strike in Pakistan killed Abu Yahya al-Libi, the group's most significant setback since Osama bin Laden was killed in May 2011.
"There's no doubt this is significant. He had a unique set of skills that made him an up-and-comer," says Rick "Ozzie" Nelson of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "He was charismatic, like bin Laden was. He was more of a scholar. ... And he was a seasoned operator. Someone with those three characteristics will be very hard to replace."
Read more about the al Qaeda leader killed Monday.
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Pentagon Budget Emerges as Key Chip in Debt Talks
Tweet Share on Facebook June 4, 2012 CommentThe White House and a top Senate Republican signaled in recent days that the Pentagon's budget will be a bargaining chip for both parties as they seek to avoid a fiscal meltdown later this year.
