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A three-count indictment was returned today in the Eastern District of Virginia, charging an American military contractor for her alleged role in a theft ring on a military installation in Kandahar, Afghanistan.Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbit of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger of the Eastern District of Virginia, and Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John F. Sopko made the announcement.The indictment charges Varita V. Quincy of Snellville, Georgia, with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to commit theft of property of a value to the United...

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell indicated on Thursday that media figures overreacted to a recent report that Russian officials placed bounties on the lives of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. "What I know is that our military commanders on the ground did not think that it was as serious a problem as the newspapers were reporting and television was reporting," Powell told MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell. "It got kind of out of control before we really had an understanding of what had happened. I’m not sure we fully understand now." He added: "But [commander of U.S. Central Command] General [Kenneth] McKenzie...

We’ve seen this all before – the attempt to erase history through the destruction of statues and monuments to any historical event but today’s anarchy and any vestige of authority, real, institutional, or symbolic other than the authority imposed by the nihilists themselves. As columnist Charles Krauthammer once pointed out, one the first acts of the Taliban in Afghanistan was to blow up centuries-old statues of Buddha carved in a mountain cliff. They did it not because they were built by the United States or Israel or represented Western colonialism. The giant Buddhas of Bamiyan were destroyed by the Taliban...

Two House conservatives are calling on President Trump to “immediately withdraw" all troops from Afghanistan and Iraq, arguing the country needs to stop engaging in “endless wars.” In a letter sent to President Trump on Tuesday, House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.) and Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) said keeping a military presence in the region could mean a loss of power for the U.S. “Throughout your entire presidency, you have worked tirelessly to Make America Great Again. We are confident you will repeat this feat again after this pandemic. However, the United States will not remain a great power for...

Clint Lorance had been in charge of his platoon for only three days when he ordered his men to kill three Afghans stopped on a dirt road. A second-degree murder conviction and pardon followed. Today, Lorance is hailed as a hero by President Trump and conservative media. His troops are still haunted by his crimes....

@RyanGirdusky SCOOP: Here are the House Republicans who voted for the amendment to try and stop President Trump's withdrawal from Afghanistan: Thornberry, Wilson, Bishop, Turner, Rogers, Conoway, Lamborn, Wittman, Hartzler, Cook, Stefanik, Gallagher, Bacon, Cheney, Mitchell, Bergman, Waltz Here are the House Republicans who voted WITH @realDonaldTrump on Afghanistan: Brooks, Byrne, Banks, DesJarlais, Brown, Abraham, Kelly, Gaetz, Scott Here are the Democrats who joined them: Khanna, Gabbard Here are the Dems that voted against leaving Afghanistan: Smith, Davis, Langevin, Larsen, Cooper, Courtney, Garamendi, Speier, Norcross, Gallego, Moulto, Carbajal, Brown, Keating, Vela Jr., Kim, Horn, Cisneros, Houlhan, Crow, Torres Small, Slotkin,...

Senator Paul Offers Amendment to End The War in Afghanistan. It was voted down 60-33. Click Excerpt link for Video...

LIMA — It was more than just an answer to prayer. A US military mission that cornered and killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan was nothing short of a miracle, said Peru's President Alan Garcia, who attributed the divine intervention to newly beatified pontiff John Paul II. "His first miracle has been to rid the world of this incarnation of evil, this demon of hatred and criminality," the Peruvian leader said, referring to the Al-Qaeda leader. The late John Paul II showed uncanny timing, with his miracle falling on the very same day as a Rome ceremony beatifying him. Pope...

Speaking on "Face the Nation," former National Security Adviser John Bolton dismissed US President Donald Trump's claims that he wasn't briefed about intelligence suggesting that Russia commissioned Taliban-linked fighters to kill US soldiers, The Guardian reports. "All intelligence is distributed along the spectrum of uncertainty," Bolton said. "And this intelligence ... by the administration’s own admission, was deemed credible enough to give to our allies. So the notion that you only give the really completely 100% verified intelligence to the president would mean you give him almost nothing. And that’s just not the way the system works." Former National Security...

"The American people say, ‘Come home,’ and this is your chance.” - Sen. Rand PaulWith Americans growing ever more divided amid national upheaval over racial inequality and a global pandemic, it has perhaps never been more apparent that the United States has no business trying to fix the world with so many problems on our own doorstep. Whatever his faults, President Trump at least seems to understand this. Even though he hasn’t fully followed through on it, President Trump campaigned on an “America First” foreign policy and promised to end the United States’ decades-long military intervention in Afghanistan. While controversial...

The ask from Phillip was simple: I will watch from the parking lot with my wife and our four children if we must, but please let my sister-in-law, her family, and my parents bury my brother. At noon on Thursday, the Velasquez family followed Joseph’s casket out of French funeral home in Albuquerque, New Mexico on its way to meet the escort. Draped in the American flag and on the side of the volunteer biker’s chopper hearse, he’s a hard man to miss even aside from the police honor guard — and before the long line of motorcyclists waiting on...

Kuwait's Al-Jarida newspaper on Friday reported that Israel was responsible for a Thursday "accident" at an Iranian nuclear facility in Natanz. It is believed that the Natanz facility is used to enrich uranium. According to the Al-Jarida report, the explosion was caused by an "Israeli cyber attack" which targeted the computers which control the pressure gauges inside gas containers. Tehran has allegedly lost 80% of the uranium hexafluoride gas it needs in order to enrich uranium. The report also claimed that Israel is responsible for the Parchin blast which occurred last week. On Thursday, Iran's state news agency IRNA published...

THE U.S. MILITARY HAS BEEN fighting in Afghanistan for almost nineteen years. House Democrats, working in tandem with key pro-war GOP lawmakers such as Rep. Liz Cheney, are ensuring that continues. Last night, the House Armed Services Committee voted overwhelmingly in favor of an amendment — jointly sponsored by Democratic Congressman Jason Crow of Colorado and Congresswoman Cheney of Wyoming — prohibiting the expenditure of monies to reduce the number of U.S. troops deployed in Afghanistan below 8,000 without a series of conditions first being met. The imposed conditions are by no means trivial: for these troop reductions from Afghanistan...

A new report raises serious questions regarding what House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff knew about bounties allegedly paid by Russia to Taliban-linked terrorists for killing American soldiers, and when he knew it. Sources told the outlet that top committee staff for Schiff were briefed all the way back in February on intelligence about a Russian military intelligence unit covertly offering the bounties to militants. But the California Democrat “took no action in response,” the outlet reported, citing those sources. What has surfaced is an allegation that Schiff did exactly what he is accusing Trump of doing right now...

Senators aim to limit Trump's ability to remove troops from Germany BY JORDAIN CARNEY - 06/29/20 03:19 PM EDT A bipartisan group of senators is trying to place limits on President Trump's ability to remove troops from Germany unless the administration is able to meet a slew of requirements. The proposal, spearheaded by Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), would prohibit the administration from reducing the number of active-duty troops in Germany below 34,500 unless the Pentagon can certify to Congress that it is in the national security interest of the United States and would not negatively undermine European alliances or NATO....

House panel votes to constrain Afghan drawdown, ask for assessment on 'incentives' to attack US troops BY REBECCA KHEEL - 07/01/20 11:24 PM EDT House panel votes to constrain Afghan drawdown, ask for assessment on 'incentives' to attack US troops © Getty The House Armed Services Committee voted Wednesday to put roadblocks on President Trump’s ability to withdraw from Afghanistan, including requiring an assessment on whether any country has offered incentives for the Taliban to attack U.S. and coalition troops. The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) amendment, from Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.), would require several certifications before the U.S. military...

Sen.Rand Paul introduces a Bill to end America's longest War and makes a speech to the US Senate. THe Bill was voted down 60-33 (The Uniparty strikes again...) Click Excerpt Link for Video: >>>

National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien said Wednesday that he was "surprised" after The New York Times and The Associated Press published explosive reports alleging that President Trump and his top officials had been aware of classified intelligence indicating that Russia was offering bounties to the Taliban for the deaths of American soldiers. In an interview on "Fox & Friends" with hosts Steve Doocy, Ainsley Earhardt and Brian Kilmeade, O'Brien called the events that have unfolded since the reports were released "an unfortunate story." "Number one, no one is more concerned about the safety of America and the security of our...

WASHINGTON—The National Security Agency strongly dissented from other intelligence agencies’ assessment that Russia paid bounties for the killing of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan, according to people familiar with the matter. The disclosure of the dissent by the NSA, which specializes in electronic eavesdropping, comes as the White House has played down the revelations, saying that the information wasn’t verified and that intelligence officials didn’t agree on it.

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg attacked rival Joe Biden on Sunday over Biden's support for the invasion of Iraq, saying Biden had "supported the worst foreign policy decision made by the United States in my lifetime." Biden's Monday response was misleading -- both about his past position on the war in Iraq and about his past position on the war in Afghanistan. Before he addressed his past position on Iraq in particular, Biden touted his broader foreign policy record. Citing judgment calls he said had been vindicated, such as his opposition to US intervention in Libya, he told the editorial...