Salem-News.com Military articles Page 26

U.S. Starting to Fly Missions Over Iraq

Republican Senator John McCain, speaking in the Senate, called for the use of American air power, but also urged Obama to "make it make very clear to Maliki that his time is up."

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - President Barack Obama came under pressure from U.S. lawmakers on Wednesday to persuade Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to step down over what they see as failed leadership in the face of an insurgency threatening his country.

As Obama held an hour-long meeting with congressional leaders on U.S. options in Iraq, administration officials joined a chorus of criticism of Maliki, faulting him for failing to heal sectarian rifts that militants have exploited.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Maliki had not done enough "to govern inclusively and that has contributed to the situation and the crisis that we have today in Iraq."

The United States` Tragic Role in Iraq

"It is particularly bizarre that some of the very people who supported the illegal and unnecessary invasion of Iraq are now trying to somehow blame Obama for the unfolding fiasco."

(SANTA CRUZ, Calif.) - The dramatic rise of the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)—which even al-Qaeda deemed too extreme to remain part of its network—is a tragedy by any measure. It would also be tragic if we allowed the very forces that created this mess to explain it away.

Despite claims by the Bush administration and its supporters to the contrary, outside of a few dozen fighters in a remote valley of the Kurdish autonomous region, there was no Al-Qaeda or related Salafi extremist presence in Iraq under the Saddam Hussein regime. But now, thanks to the U.S. invasion and occupation, the extremists control most of the northern and western parts of the country, including Iraq’s second largest city.

Marine Families: Victims Of Toxic Wells

Government Moves to Dismiss Lawsuits and Make the Problem Go Away

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The US Supreme Court this week decided a case in favor of an environmental polluter in North Carolina that affects family members of Marine veterans who were stationed at Camp Lejeune and injured by the base’s toxic water wells.

It’s no coincidence that the Obama Administration formally sided with CTS Corporation in CTS Corp. v. Waldburger by submitting a friend of the court briefing, which made it clear where the government stands on injuries and deaths to Marine family members.

Kenya Declared a War Zone After Another Wave of Bloody Attacks

Tourists warned to avoid Kenya as militants in Mpeketoni kill non-Muslims in revenge for Nairobi sending troops to Somalia.

(MPEKETONI, Kenya) - Somali-linked Islamist militants killed at least 15 people and torched houses in a second night of attacks on Kenya's coast, a day after an assault on a town left almost 50 dead.

Armed men went door to door hours before dawn in Poromoko village, ordered people outside and made them recite the Islamic creed, said one witness.

U.S. Says No to Military Action in Iraq with Iran

The White House and Pentagon later ruled out any military co-operation in comments that were at odds with those of Kerry.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - The United States has ruled out coordinated military action with Iran as one of the options being considered to thwart radical Islamic extremists in Iraq as Sunni Muslim fighters seized another Iraqi city.

US secretary of state John Kerry raised the possibility of military co-operation with Iran to prevent Iraq being torn apart by sectarian conflict when he said in response to a question that he “wouldn’t rule out anything”.

Family Affair: Father, Two Sons Help Keep Skies Over Oregon Safe

“It’s like being the coach’s sons when they’re out here,” he said. “The expectation is always that they are held to a higher standard.”

(PORTLAND, Ore. ) - He speaks quickly, with a certain believability and earnestness about him, and he sports a fresh, short haircut not two days old.

Perhaps that’s because he’s trying to set an example.

Arab Foreign Ministers to Meet to Discuss Iraq, ISIL

Oil prices have risen to the highest level this year over fears of the violence disrupting exports from OPEC member Iraq.

(BAGHDAD, Iraq) - The insurgent offensive that has threatened to dismember Iraq spread to the northwest of the country on Sunday, when Sunni militants launched a dawn raid on a town close to the Syrian border, clashing with police and government forces.

As the rapid advance south by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) towards Baghdad appeared to slow over the weekend, fierce fighting erupted in the town of Tal Afar 40 miles west of Mosul near the Syrian border.

Volcanoes Named Commemorative Partner for the 50th Anniversary of Vietnam War

Franchise selected by United States Office of the Secretary of Defense for July 4th, 2014 game.

(KEIZER, Ore. ) - The Salem-Keizer Volcanoes have been named as a Commemorative Partner of the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War.

The Volcanoes' 7th Annual Patriotic celebration is headlined on Friday, July 4, 2014 with Vietnam Veterans Night at Volcanoes Stadium.

Iraq on The Brink of Bloody Civil War; No Word Yet on U.S. Airstrikes

Any push by the ISIS south towards Baghdad, however, is likely to face significant resistance as it has a much larger Shia population.

(BAGHDAD, Iraq) - Leading Shi’ite cleric Grand ­Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called on Iraqis to take up arms against Sunni extremists as thousands volunteered to bolster the capital’s defenses.

The deteriorating situation in the key global oil supplier reverberated through financial markets yesterday, sending oil prices sharply higher, pushing US stocks lower and igniting the latest rally in safe-haven bonds.

Prisoner Swap is an Opportunity to Again Debate the Closing of Guantanamo

It is time to give Guantanamo back to Cuba.

(SAN FRANCISCO) - It is unfortunate that the debate about the prisoner swap -- U.S. Army Sgt. Bergdahl for 5 Taliban officials -- disregards or at least minimizes the fact that prior to the swap, there were 149 still imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay Detention Camp, of which 78 are still imprisoned after being cleared for release and 38 the U.S. has said it lacks evidence to prosecute but claims they are too dangerous to release.

Guantánamo has a reputation as a place of torture and indefinite detention, and is a continued international embarrassment.