Obama’s Wars (Last Updated Thu. Aug. 27)

More civilian lives lost in Iraq violence
Thu. Aug. 27 – At least four people have lost their lives and fourteen others have sustained injuries in the latest string of attacks to hit conflict-plagued Iraq.

Bomber hits key Pakistani border crossing; 19 dead
Thu. Aug. 27 – PESHAWAR, Pakistan – A suicide bomber attacked the main border crossing for convoys ferrying supplies to U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan on Thursday, killing at least 19 security officers, officials said.

Car bombs hit Iraqi troops ahead of Shiite funeral
Thu. Aug. 27 – BAGHDAD – A string of car bombs exploded Thursday in Baghdad as Iraqi forces tightened security around Shiite mosques, shrines and political party offices ahead of the funeral of a top Shiite leader.

Drone attack in northwestern Pakistan kills 6
Thu. Aug. 27 – A suspected U.S. drone attack killed at least six people and wounded another nine in northwestern Pakistan’s South Waziristan tribal region Thursday, intelligence officials said.

“Afghan drug trafficking brings US $50 billion a year”
Thu. Aug. 27 – The US is not going to stop the production of drugs in Afghanistan as it covers the costs of their military presence there, says Gen. Mahmut Gareev, a former commander during the USSR’s operations in Afghanistan.

UK to stay in Afghanistan for ‘a generation’
Thu. Aug. 27 – The British Ambassador to Afghanistan Mark Sedwill expects his country’s presence in Afghanistan to last for at least “a generation.”

More NATO troops killed in Afghanistan
Thu. Aug. 27 – The death toll among US and British soldiers in Afghanistan is on the rise as clashes with insurgents continue to kill more coalition forces.

Clash kills 4 Pakistani soldiers, 9 militants
Thu. Aug. 27 – ISLAMABAD – Militants ambushed troops on a dusty road in a volatile tribal region of Pakistan, triggering an intense firefight that killed at least nine attackers and four soldiers, two officials said Thursday.

British soldier succumbs to Afghanistan war injuries
Wed. Aug. 26 – A British soldier has died in the United Kingdom due to injuries he sustained in war-battered Afghanistan.

US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,335
Tue. Aug. 25 – As of Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2009, at least 4,335 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

U.S. Increasing Use of Private Contractors in War Zone
Tue. Aug. 25 – The Department of Defense has released an updated census of Pentagon contractors deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and CENTCOM’s area of operations. The overall number of contractors in the third quarter of 2009 increased slightly from 243,000 to 244,000, which means that private forces continue to constitute about half of the total US force deployed in these two wars.

Car bomb blasts in Afghanistan kill at least 41
Tue. Aug. 25 – KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Five car bombs that detonated simultaneously rocked Afghanistan’s largest southern city Tuesday, destroying a construction company office and damaging dozens of nearby buildings, officials said. At least 36 people died in the blast and 64 were wounded.

New U.S. deaths make 2009 Afghan war’s deadliest
Tue. Aug. 25 – KABUL (Reuters) – Four U.S. servicemen were killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan on Tuesday, making 2009 the deadliest year for the growing contingent of foreign troops since the overthrow of the Taliban in 2001.

Another foreign troop dies in Iraq
Tue. Aug. 25 – A foreign soldier deployed in Iraq as part of the US-led forces stationed in the country, has died due to injuries he sustained while on patrol in Baghdad.

CIA report: Detainees threatened with family rape
Tue. Aug. 25 – A newly declassified report released on Monday by the US Justice Department says CIA interrogators told terror suspect Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri that his mother would be raped before his eyes if he refused to talk.

U.S. helicopters violate Pakistan’s airspace: report
Mon. Aug. 24 – ISLAMABAD — United States gunship helicopters Monday violated the international border and intruded into Pakistani territory, official sources said.

Twin blasts kill 10 in southern Iraq
Mon. Aug. 24 – At least 10 Iraqis have been killed and another 19 wounded when bombs exploded in two buses near the southern city of Kut, police says.

‘CIA threatened detainees with power drills’
Mon. Aug. 24 – CIA officers have threatened detainees with power drills and guns during interrogation to scare them into giving up information, according to a new report.

US service member killed in southern Afghanistan
Mon. Aug. 24 – KABUL — An American service member was killed in an insurgent attack in southern Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Monday.

7 Afghan troops killed by Taliban
Mon. Aug. 24 – At least seven Afghan troops have been killed in violence-related incidents across Afghanistan, as a vicious Taliban militancy continues its menace in the war-torn country.

3 NATO troops killed in southern Afghanistan
Mon. Aug. 24 – KABUL – Three NATO troops — two from Estonia and one from the United States — were killed in attacks in southern Afghanistan, the latest casualties in a particularly bloody summer, authorities said Monday.

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