Free Republic

A Muslim preacher told worshippers in London that American and British soldiers would rape and murder Iraqi women and children, a court has heard. Abu Izzadeen and seven other men deny charges of terrorist fundraising at Regents Park mosque in November 2004. Kingston Crown Court heard that Mr Izzadeen, 32, had been speaking on the night after US forces began their attack on the Iraqi city of Fallujah. Mr Izzadeen also denies a charge of inciting terrorism overseas. The court was told that Mr Izzadeen, who in 2006 interrupted a speech by the then Home Secretary John Reid, had sat...

Is the U.S. Failing in Afghanistan? It was malice in wonderland at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Thursday as Bush Administration envoys insisted things are getting better in Afghanistan, while angry lawmakers from both parties cited facts and figures showing just the opposite. Even the senior Republican on the panel, Senator Richard Lugar, found the Administration's claims wanting. "I'm not sure that we have a plan for Afghanistan," he said. Long seen as the "forgotten war" eclipsed by Iraq in U.S. priorities, Afghanistan is in the Washington spotlight this week with the release of three independent reports concluding...