Free Republic

American and coalition troops have reported killing and capturing more suspected insurgents in the first half of 2007 than in any other similar period of the Iraq war, while military officials said so-called “body count” reports are meant to give “scale” to the fight. Last week, USA Today reported that since June 2003, the U.S. military in Iraq has kept a count of insurgents killed, injured and detained. Those figures were later released by the military to Stars and Stripes. Through August 2007, those figures show, 18,832 suspected insurgents had been reported killed, 5,196 injured and 119,752 arrested by U.S....

The convoy leader of a Rocky Mount-based National Guard unit rebuts an ABC News report that he and other members of the 1173rd Transportation Company abandoned a civilian convoy. By John Cramer Courtesy ABC News Civilian contractor Preston Wheeler claims a guardsman abandoned him during an ambush in Iraq. Related Video Watch the ABC News report A Virginia Army National Guard convoy leader and an American truck driver on Tuesday angrily denied an accusation that the guardsmen abandoned a civilian supply convoy that was ambushed in Iraq. U.S. Army and Guard officials also criticized ABC News for reporting the accusation...

Mideast edition, Monday, December 12, 2005 U.S., Afghan and coalition troops are helping groups of Afghan Muslims to complete the hajj, the annual religious pilgrimage to Mecca. Last week, some 150 Afghans flew from Kandahar Airfield to Saudi Arabia, with a little assistance from the troops. Making the hajj at least once in a lifetime is one of the pillars of Islam. More than 4 million Muslims from throughout the world are expected to participate in the hajj this year. In recent years, the sheer number of pilgrims has led to stampedes and other accidents in which hundreds have been...

Thanksgiving marks the season when hearts begin turning toward home, and this year again finds many of our young men and women in a war they did not choose, but one they are bravely waging. Some have given their lives to protect not only you and me and our children from enemies who hate us, but to liberate a people who are oppressed by these same enemies. None of us should ever take any of this for granted. It's hard to believe that a year has passed since President Bush made his surprise visit to our troops in Baghdad last...