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US Left Bagram Without Notifying New Commander

3.5M items were left behind at Afghanistan base

(Newser) - The US left Afghanistan's Bagram Airfield after nearly 20 years by shutting off the electricity and slipping away in the night without notifying the base's new Afghan commander, who discovered the Americans' departure more than two hours after they left, Afghan military officials said. The US announced Friday...

After Nearly 2 Decades, US Exits Bagram Airfield

Hands it over to Afghans as it works to end 'forever war'

(Newser) - After nearly 20 years, the US military left Bagram Airfield, the epicenter of its war to oust the Taliban and hunt down the al-Qaeda perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on America, two US officials said Friday. The airfield was handed over to the Afghan National Security and Defense Force...

At Last, US Hands Disputed Bagram Prison to Afghans

As John Kerry arrives in Kabul to meet with Karzai

(Newser) - John Kerry dropped in unexpectedly on Afghanistan today, as the US finally handed over control of a prison near Bagram Air Force Base, CNN reports. The transition follows long-running controversy over the site; the deal was announced a year ago, and was supposed to put Bagram in Afghan hands six...

US General to Troops: Karzai's Threatening Us

Afghan president's comments put military on alert

(Newser) - The US commander in Afghanistan put the troops on high alert yesterday, saying they were in extra danger after the latest salvo of anti-American rhetoric from Afghan president Hamid Karzai, including one that sounded like an outright threat, the New York Times reports. In a speech Tuesday, Karzai said that...

Karzai to Afghan Troops: Take Back Our Prison

President orders Afghan forces to retake control of Bagram prison

(Newser) - Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai says the US has not abided by an agreement to hand over the prison at Bagram Air Base to Afghan forces, so he today ordered those forces to take over the prison, the New York Times reports. Karzai says the two-month grace period to complete the...

US Hands Bagram Prison to Afghanistan

But Washington hasn't yet transferred all detainees

(Newser) - As the US continues prepping for a complete transfer of responsibilities in Afghanistan by the end of 2014, Washington today handed formal control of the controversial Bagram prison over to Kabul. Formally known as Parwan Detention Facility, the country's only large US-run prison is located next to the Bagram...

Troops in Koran Burning to Be Punished, Not Charged

They're looking at something like a rank and pay drop

(Newser) - The US military will not recommend the US troops who burned Korans at an Afghanistan NATO base, sparking protests , face any criminal charges. Administrative punishments have been recommended instead, MSNBC reports. The punishment will likely involve a rank and pay drop, a letter of reprimand, or the assignment of additional...

Afghans Storm Bagram Over Koran Burning

Afghans outraged over reported desecration of holy book

(Newser) - Throngs of protesters rushed to the US base in Bagram, Afghanistan, this morning, following a report that troops there had allegedly burned a number of Korans. Police estimate that more than 3,000 took part in the demonstration, hurling rocks through windows and chanting, "long live Islam" and "...

Karzai to US: Hand Over Bagram Prison

Miffed Afghan president accuses US of human rights abuses

(Newser) - Hamid Karzai today demanded that the US give up control of its prison in Bagram by the end of the month, over what his office called "many cases of violations of Afghan Constitution … and human rights." It's a familiar demand—Afghan officials announced they had a...

US to Build Huge New Prison in Afghanistan
 US to Build Huge New 
 Prison in Afghanistan 
Glenn Greenwald
Sep 20, 2011 12:30 PM CDT

US to Build Huge New Prison in Afghanistan

And never mind prison overcrowding at home

(Newser) - The Obama administration is supposedly determined to cut hundreds of billions in spending, so it struck Glenn Greenwald of Salon as ironic when he noticed that the military last week started soliciting bids for the construction of a massive prison in Bagram, Afghanistan. The facility is to hold approximately 2,...

Taliban Attack NATO's Bagram Base

Military: Bagram security 'not breached'

(Newser) - Seven US soldiers were wounded this morning as the Taliban staged a bold pre-dawn attack at one of the largest US bases in Afghanistan that also killed 10 insurgents. Though details are still murky, an American official told the New York Times that as many as 30 insurgents fought their...

Teen Afghan Prisoners Claim Abuse at US Site

Say they were beaten, photographed naked at Bagram

(Newser) - Two Afghan teenagers held prisoner by the US at the Bagram air base say American interrogators beat them, deprived them of sleep, photographed them naked, and made them look at porn to humiliate them sexually. The teens' accounts to the Washington Post have not been substantiated, but they have the...

US Military Review Calls for Afghan Prison Changes

(Newser) - Afghanistan’s prison system, including the American-run Bagram facility, needs a complete overhaul, according to a new US military review. The current system, which has a dreadful reputation with both human rights advocates and Afghan civilians, houses radical inmates with more moderate prisoners. The offensive in the southern part of...

Pentagon to Build Giant Prison in Afghanistan

New Bagram complex marks intention to hold prisoners abroad for years to come

(Newser) - The Pentagon is planning to build a huge new detention complex in Afghanistan, reports the New York Times, acknowledging that the US expects to hold prisoners there for many years to come. The 40-acre, $60-million facility at Bagram Air Force Base will replace the existing makeshift prison in a converted...

Top al-Qaeda Commander Killed
Top al-Qaeda Commander Killed
Jan 31, 2008 2:01 PM CST

Top al-Qaeda Commander Killed

Abu Laith al-Libbi was involved in terror planning and training

(Newser) - A top al-Qaeda operative in Afghanistan has been killed, CNN is reporting, based on information from an Islamist web site and Western officials. Abu Laith al-Libbi, a veteran jihadist of Libyan descent, is described as the No. 3  al-Qaeda leader, "not far below the importance of the top two...

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