SYRIA: Turkey Presses Assad to End Crackdown

BBC | August 9, 2011

Syrian security forces have continued operations to crush protesters, even as the Turkish foreign minister pressed President Basharal-Assad to stop them.

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IRAQ: Iranian shelling of Iraq’s Kurdistan region kills 2 Iraqis as hundreds forced to flee homes

Sameer N. Yacoub | The Washington Post | July 25, 2011

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq — Iranian forces shelled suspected rebel outposts in Iraq’s semiautonomous Kurdish region, killing two Iraqi civilians, officials said Monday, in the latest in a string of cross-border attacks that have forced hundreds of residents to flee.

The artillery fire hit the small Iraqi town of Sidkan, about 12 miles (20 kilometers) from the Iraq-Iran frontier, said Sidkan mayor Ahmed Qadir. He added that three residents were wounded in the four hours of shelling. Kurdish border guard Capt. Ahmed Saleh confirmed the casualties.

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SYRIA: 32 killed in Syria protests, Damascus moves-activists

REUTERS | Khaled Yakoub Oweis | July 15, 2011

 

Syrian forces killed at least 32 civilians on Friday, including 23 in the capital Damascus, in an intensifying crackdown on protests against President Bashar al-Assad, activists said.

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IRAQ: U.N. confirms 34 dead at Iranian camp in Iraq

Reuters, By Louis Charbonneau

April 14, 2011

UNITED NATIONS, April 14 (Reuters) – The United Nations on Thursday confirmed 34 people have been found dead at an Iranian dissident camp in Iraq after Iraqi security forces moved against the camp last week.

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AFGHANISTAN: Taliban Pushed Out, U.S. Troops Turn to a More Civil Challenge

By Pamela Constable

Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, July 18, 2009

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan — When the U.S. Marines burst into Khan Neshin with guns blazing early this month, they quickly defeated insurgent forces in the volatile district of southern Helmand province and declared it Taliban-free.

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IRAQ: Iraq far behind in mine clearance

By PATRICK QUINN – 18 hours ago

BAGHDAD (AP) — The Iraqi government’s failure to grasp the scope of its land mine and bomb problem has derailed efforts to clear what is considered one of the world’s most contaminated countries, two United Nations agencies said Wednesday.

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AFGHANISTAN: Exclusive: General David Petraeus Discusses Mission in Afghanistan

By Fox News

This is a rush transcript of “Special Report With Bret Baier” from March 30, 2009. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

BRET BAIER, HOST: The head of U.S. Central Command says the mission for American troops in Afghanistan goes beyond eradicating the Taliban. General David Petraeus said this morning in an exclusive interview that the way the troops are utilized is just as important as how many of them are sent to the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND CMDR: It’s not just the additional numbers, it’s how those numbers are employed. And, it’s hugely important that we be seen as good neighbors, as friends — certainly fierce warriors who will go after the enemy and stay after them — but also as individuals who try to avoid civilian casualties whenever possible and are seen again as supporting the people and trying to help them achieve a better life.

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