“President [Barack] Obama addressed U.S. foreign policy in the post-Bush era on the CBS program 60 Minutes in March [22] 2009. His mission in Afghanistan would be ‘making sure that al Qaeda cannot attack the US homeland and US interests and our allies.’ ” – Deepak Tripathi, Overcoming the Bush Legacy in Iraq and Afghanistan, […]
3/14/2009
As evidence that Osama bin Laden was still alive, journalist Peter Bergen wrote: “After a nine-month silence bin Laden released an audiotape on March 14, 2009, sharply condemning the recent Israeli invasion of Gaza.” – Peter Bergen, The Longest War, Page 338 […]
3/2/2009
“The secret legal opinions issued by Bush administration lawyers after the Sept. 11 attacks included assertions that the president could use the nation’s military within the United States to combat terrorism suspects and to conduct raids without obtaining search warrants. That opinion was among nine that were disclosed publicly for the first time Monday [March […]
3/2/2009
“The number of major legal errors committed by Bush administration lawyers during the formulation of its early counterterrorism policies was far greater than previously known, according to internal Bush administration documents released for the first time by the Justice Department yesterday [March 2, 2009]. Those policies were based on at least 10 legal opinions conferring […]
3/2/2009
“The CIA had acknowledged that videotapes of harsh interrogations of some al-Qaeda prisoners had been destroyed even though agency and White House lawyers had urged that they be preserved.” On March 2, 2009, “the number of destroyed tapes was revealed; instead of a handful, as suspected earlier, some ninety-two tapes had been destroyed.” – John […]
3/2/2009
“The CIA has destroyed nearly 100 interrogation tapes of terror suspects, a number far greater than was previously acknowledged by the agency. The agency’s admission came in new documents filed in a lawsuit seeking details about the treatment of detainees in U.S. custody outside the country. The agency ‘can now identify the number of videotapes […]
2/21/2009
From coverage of classified State Department documents exposed by WikiLeaks: “Hundreds of millions of dollars in American military aid to Pakistan earmarked for fighting Islamist militants was not used for that purpose, US diplomats discovered after conversations with Pakistan’s military top brass. Pakistan’s army chief said the money, including $26m (£15m) for barbed wire and […]
2/21/2009
On February 21, 2009, “the Pakistani government signed a cease-fire that ceded control of the [Swat Valley] region to an Islamic extremist group that was forcing people to obey religious Sharia law. But these extremists–who were allied with the Pakistani branch of the Taliban–broke the cease-fire and continued to gain control of more territory. When […]
2/18/2009
On February 18, 2009, “USA announces dispatch of 17,000 extra troops to Afghanistan. Up to 20 NATO countries also pledge to increase military and other commitments.” – Ahmed Rashid, Taliban, Page 271 […]
2/17/2009
On February 17, 2009, “The White House Press Secretary [Robert Gibbs] issued a four-paragraph release saying the president [Barack Obama] had decided to deploy more forces [to Afghanistan]. ‘There is no more solemn duty by a president than the decision to deploy our armed forces into harm’s way,’ the release said. It was left to […]