newsdesk.org: War & Terrorism Archives

Dim Views on War on Terror

Respondents in 22 of 23 countries surveyed think U.S. action has failed to weaken terrorist groups, according to a BBC...

Sri Lanka War Nearing End?

One of Asia's longest-running wars could soon be over if Sri Lanka's government is to be believed. Defense Secretary Gotabhaya...

PTSD Hits the British Armed Forces

Roughly 24,000 British veterans returning from duty in Iraq or Afghanistan are now battling the UK's criminal justice system and...

Journalist Slaying Stirs up Trouble in Russian Hinterland

Hundreds of protestors packed the streets of a Russian city on Monday after a critic of the Kremlin was arrested...

Olympic Terror Fears Spur West China Crackdown

China's western Xinjiang province is still simmering with violence and repression, as the government cracks down on Uighur rebels seeking...

Court Dates and Coup Attempts for Turkey Secularists

Political unrest and terrorism is causing problems for Turkey's ruling party, which has staved off coup attempts as well as...

Pinochet's Ghost Still Haunts Chile

General Augusto Pinochet is dead, but Chile continues to wrestle with the legacy of his 17 years of brutal military...

On the Run: Accused Balkan War Criminals Remain at Large

A former Serbian leader accused of the massacre of thousands of Muslims in the mid-1990s has been apprehended, but several...

Memories of Old Japan Stir Island Dispute

A new school curriculum in Japan is opening old wounds for its neighbors. South Korea has recalled its ambassador to...

U.S. Fourth Fleet Returns, Heads South

Some Latin American nations are wondering if the return of the U.S. Navy's Fourth Fleet to their coastlines signals the...

Colombia's Disappeared Return to View

Thousands of Colombians who have "disappeared" over the decades were commemorated in prose and pictures at a June conference in...

Somali Refugees: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Fire

Several new reports reveal that Somali and Ethiopian refugees, fleeing drought and violence at home, often face renewed danger crossing...

U.K. Journalist Gets Some Source Protection

A freelance journalist in Manchester, England, may reveal some, but not necessarily all, of his source material on a book...

Pa. Militia Allegedly Threatens Blacks, Candidates

A self-professed militia member in Pennsylvania has allegedly threatened to shoot African Americans and public officials, and said that if...

A Gathering Around Cluster Bombs

Activists and diplomats from around the world are in Dublin, Ireland, this week to try to establish a treaty banning...

Australian Press Points to Children of Burmese Junta

Since Cyclone Nargis ravaged Burma earlier this month, the military junta that rules the nation has been roundly condemned for...

Japan's Military Dilemma

Japanese activists turned out in the thousands last week to oppose changes to the nation's pacifist constitution. At issue is...

For Cold War Brits, the Day After was a Tea-Time Nightmare

A wry old anti-nuclear slogan used to say "One nuclear bomb can ruin your whole day." If you're British, and...

More Deaths Alleged at Myanmar Pipeline

Alleged human rights abuses by soldiers guarding a Burmese pipeline have revived old questions about pipeline co-owner Chevron's relationship with...

Yemen Steps, Uneasy, From Past to Future

Yemen -- the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden, bordered by Saudi Arabia and the Red Sea -- is opening...

Cultivating Change in Lebanon

Caught between warring militias and Israeli reprisal, Lebanon's farmers have a hardscrabble life that is only exacerbated by the threat...

Uneasy France Steps up NATO Role

Playing for a larger role in NATO, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said his country will send 700 or more...

The Ends of the Internet?

How shall the Internet come to an end? Let us count the ways. GigaOm.com, an online media service focusing on...

Rwandan President Disputes Spanish Indictments

A Spanish judge has issued indictments against 40 Rwandan Army officers -- and the nation's president, Paul Kagame -- over...

"Avoidable" Gaza Deaths Follow Medical Travel Bans

The World Health Organization said preventable deaths almost doubled in the Gaza Strip between 2006 and 2007, following the Hamas...

New Reparations Call for Philippine "Comfort Women"

The Philippine legislature is considering a new resolution to ask for apologies from Japan, as well as financial reparations, for...

News Outlet Seeks Reader Donations to Fund Iraq Trip

An Oregon news service has come up with an unusual way to help pay for a reporter's trip to Iraq:...

Koran in Hand, She Wins Over Mullahs

Fiery and not yet out of her 20s, Wazhma Frogh has been making waves in Afghanistan by using the Koran...

Uzbek Strongman Has Powerful Friends Again

Western nations are once again making diplomatic overtures to Uzbekistan, despite the former Soviet republic's dismal human rights record. Admiral...

Canada Acknowledges Afghan Torture

Canada's defense minister acknowledged that the military knew prisoners they transferred to Afghan jails were being tortured. Although the military...

War Crimes Trial Spurs Threat Claim

A witness in the war crimes trial of Charles Taylor, the former president of Liberia, said a group of men...

The Dutch Ponder a Free-Speech Powder Keg

Geert Wilders, one the Netherland's most notorious right-wing politicians, seeks to make headlines around the world with the debut of...

Iran Grapples with Discrimination, Division

Despite an ongoing crackdown on dissent, women's rights and ethnic separatism remain a thorn in the side of Iran's fundamentalist...

Muslim Extremists Target Historic Buddha Statue

A huge, centuries-old Buddhist statue in northern Pakistan has been badly damaged after it was attacked by Muslim militants, Asia...

Judge SeeksTerror Trial Jury Blackout

A federal judge in Miami ordered jurors to be selected anonymously in the upcoming retrial of an alleged terrorist cell,...

Afghan Reconstruction Faces U.S. Budget Cuts

An innovative reconstruction program in Afghanistan has been praised for giving decision-making power to small villages and communities, but may...

Iraqi Officers AWOL in U.S.

At least five and as many as a dozen Iraqi officials have deserted U.S.-based military training, and are at large...

The Stirrings of Islamo-Liberalism

Plenty of media attention has been given to fundamentalist Islam and Taliban-style "Islamo-fascism." But three recent articles bring to light...

Kosovo Threatens Unilateral Independence

Ethnic Albanian negotiators rejected a proposal for increased autonomy for their home province of Kosovo, and threatened a unilateral declaration...

Japan to Expand Atomic Bomb Victim Definition

More than 50 years after the nuclear destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a string of court losses has forced Japan's...

Canadian Officials Knew of Afghan Torture, Records Show

Secret documents obtained by court order show Canadian ministers were well aware of torture, rape and other abuse occurring at...

Rendition Inquiry Looks to Ukraine

An Italian European Union minister wants human rights officials to investigate "strong and specific" evidence that the Ukrainian government was...

Tribal Loyalty May Bridge Iraq's Sectarian Divide

Iraqi tribal chiefs from the Sunni-dominated Anbar province held talks last week with counterparts in Shia-dominated Qadissiya Province. Their goal...

Thailand's Muslim Conflict

Violent conflicts between Thai armed forces and a rebel separatist group in the three Muslim-dominated southern provinces of Thailand flared...

The Persistence of Rendition

When President Bush publicly acknowledged the existence of secret CIA jails, he also said they would be vacated -- temporarily....

The Taliban's Volatile Mix ... of Foreign Fighters

Foreign jihadists from Pakistan and Iran are infiltrating the ranks of the ruling Afghanis Taliban in Helmand Province, according to...

Uranium Wealth Ignites Niger Strife

Africa's struggle with mineral wealth and regional poverty has a new poster child, as Tuareg nomads in Niger take up...

Blood Diamonds Sullied, But Still Glitter

Delegates from 70 countries and international groups will meet in Brussels next week to discuss progress in stamping out trade...

New Hope and Hurdles for Uganda Peace

Overshadowed by the Darfur conflict, one of Africa's most bloody and intractable rebellions inches closer to resolution. Reconciliation is on...

Resistance Deepens to Afghan Poppy Spraying

A secretive test-spraying of "harmless plastic granules" over Afghan poppy crops has revealed deepening opposition to drug- eradication efforts backed...

Fakin' It: Officials Forge a Future in Iraq

More than 900 officials in the Iraqi government, including parliamentarians, are obtaining forged degrees to continue to serve in the...

Families a Casualty of Kashmir Split

As many as 50,000 Indian-Pakistani families have been divided by the disputed Kashmir province since 1989. Among them are several...

U.S. Leads in Weapons Trade -- For Now

The United States still dominates the global arms trade, but its modus operandi has come under increased scrutiny, even as...

Genocide Resolution a Threat to Turkey's Jews?

Turkey's Foreign Minister issued a cryptically threatening remark in response to a non-binding resolution before the U.S. Congress that would...

Inter-Agency Spying a U.S. "Intelligence Nightmare"

A Marine at San Diego's Camp Pendleton pleaded guilty to passing top secret documents along to L.A. police and counterterrorism...

Refugees: A Risky Route to Yemen

Thousands of Somali and Ethiopian refugees attempting to flee to Yemen are risking their lives in covert smuggling voyages across...

Russia and the Muslims

A series of unprovoked attacks on native Russian families living in Ingushetia, a Muslim Republic in Southern Russia, have brought...

Bhutto Promises Nuclear Access

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto said that if she were to return to power, she would permit the United...

Kurdish Vote Puts Pressure on Arabs

Kurdish officials are beginning the process of sending Arab residents back to their cities of origin ahead of a referendum...

Canada Ponders an Afghan Quagmire

Canada faces renewed uncertainty in Afghanistan, with the death of more than 60 Canadian troops and new pressures on its...

Smuggler's Paradise for Iraqi Oil Runners

After a revenue-sharing bill that would have opened Iraq's oil fields to foreign investment failed in parliament, Iraq's domestic oil...

Experts Fear 'Another Darfur' in Ethiopia

Fleeing refugees say that soldiers of the U.S.-backed Ethiopian government are suppressing a widely supported separatist movement with rape, beatings...

Taliban Weapons Traced to Iran and China

A weapons cache found in Afghanistan's Herat province was traced back to Iran and China, prompting U.S. and British concerns...

Rwanda: Genocide Inquiry Stumbles on French Connection

With the U.N. International Criminal Tribunal on Rwanda due to wrap up early next year with many genocide suspects still...

In Iraq, School is Out

Iraq's school system, reportedly once one of the finest in the Middle East, is wracked with violence and disrepair following...

The FBI's Just a Mouseclick Away

New details on the FBI's domestic wiretapping program reveal it to be far more technologically sophisticated than experts believed. FBI...

Thousands Still Sick from Cold War Radiation

Government records show 36,500 Americans were sickened from exposure to uranium, plutonium and beryllium since 1945, most from building or...

Afghanistan: A Fundamentalist Surge Gains Ground

The Taliban is making political as well as military headway in many parts of Afghanistan, and using opium production to...

A House Divided: Palestinians Trapped by Warring Factions

There seems to be little hope for any sort of resolution in the ongoing civil war between the Palestinian Fatah...

Hungarian Militia Casts a Fascist Shadow

Hungary's Jewish community sees frightening precedent in the recent creation of the Magyar Garda (Hungarian Guard) by the far-right party...

Pakistan: Unregulated Donations Fund Terror

Black-market money transfers in Pakistan, known as Hawala, are done verbally, leave no paper trail, and fund much of the...

Mexico's Drug War Crosses Borders

Driven by America's insatiable appetite for cocaine, marijuana and other narcotics, Mexican drug cartels have increasingly transformed U.S. border towns...

The Atrocity Illustrations

An advocacy group called Waging Peace wants to submit "evidence" of crimes against humanity witnessed by Sudanese children who say...

Ten Chapters to Jihad

A military manual put together by Taliban militants and clerics shows how organized the group really is, and underlines its...

Iraq's Oil Fields Open for Business (Soon)

Iraq is cautiously opening its oil fields to foreign and domestic investment, but is trying to do it on their...

Security State's Brave New Tech

The U.S. and Britain have been developing elaborate new tools to identify and subdue would-be terrorists at home and abroad....

Your Words Betray You

Marc Shultz couldn't quite recall what he brought into the coffeeshop that Saturday morning, the day the last Harry Potter...

For a Soldier's Father, Deportation

When Pfc. Armando Soriano was killed in Iraq, his mother benefited from a loophole on immigration law that allows soldiers'...

Hezbollah: Talkin' War and Peace in Lebanon

Lebanon's conflict-driven internal politics and Hezbollah's relationship with its neighbor, Israel, are having an effect on the entire region. Hezbollah...

Cargo Security Plan Comes Under Fire

European shipping experts questioned a new U.S. security bill requiring all incoming shipping containers to be screened for explosives and...

DARFUR: You Can't Go Home Again

Driven by environmental pressures and ethnic divisions, the violence in Darfur is reaching across borders to affect black African and...

Pentagon Delayed Bomb-Proof Cars

Roadside bombs are the No. 1 killer of U.S. troops in Iraq, but the No. 1 security solution -- obtaining...

Iraqi Politicians Fear U.S. Pullout

While Congress debates (or refuses to debate) a withdrawal timeline for Iraq, most Sunni and Shia Arab parties in the...

A Farewell to Arms

Gun sales and stockpiles may be booming worldwide, but in Colombia an unusual ceremony saw the destruction of 13,778 handguns,...

Abu Ghraib: The Tip of the Iceberg?

An exhaustive series of interviews with 50 Iraq war veterans by two reporters with the liberal weekly The Nation reveals...

Iraqi Fatalities on the Rise Amid Checkpoints, Eye Scans

American checkpoints and database ID programs seek to stem the tide of insurgent attacks ripping through Iraqi society. But the...

Azerbaijan and Armenia: War Without End

The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan that killed 30,000 people and created one million refugees supposedly ended 13 years ago...

Big Boom in Baghdad Home Shares

Sunnis in the south of Baghdad, and Shias in the north, have been forced out of their homes as their...

The Two Burials of Kamal Jalil Uthman

U.S. military officials took credit for killing a top al Qaeda leader -- twice. After a recent announcement that Kamal...

Al Qaeda Spreads

Even as Al Qaeda sympathizers in the United Kingdom make headlines, the terrorist group has seen affiliates taking root in...

Backlash Brewing in Mogadishu

Mogadishu's transitional government, backed by Ethiopian troops, is credited with pushing out the hard-line Union of Islamic Courts. But residents...

A Photo-Free NYC

A post-9/11 requirement that tourists and other casual photographers get a permit before taking pictures in New York City has...

Doubts Assail NATO in Afghanistan and Beyond

NATO commanders insist that their mission in Afghanistan is one of reconstruction, but that combat is an inevitable byproduct. Now,...

EGYPT: When is an Islamist Not an Islamist?

Neither the United States nor Egypt are square on how to treat the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamic group with terrorist...

Migrants Face Dangerous Waters and a Cold Shoulder

If they survive the voyage, Africans fleeing to Europe on wooden boats do not always get a warm welcome. Malta...

Civil Rights, Security, and One Man's Solution

Even as President George W. Bush authorized a controversial plan to centralize government powers in the White House following any...

Pakistan: Taliban Follows Democracy's Retreat

Even as President Pervez Musharraf's dismissal of Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry continues to shake up Pakistan, Islamists along the...