FBI finds Blackwater Iraq shootings unjustified, report says

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Written by Associated Press Associated Press
Published: 14 November 2007 14 November 2007
Hits: 6503 6503
The shootings of 14 of the 17 Iraqi civilians killed by Blackwater security personnel in a September confrontation were unjustified and violated rules on the use of deadly force, according to a newspaper report.

Citing civilian and military officials briefed on the case, the New York Times reported on its website last night that the US justice department was reviewing the findings of the FBI, which was continuing to investigate the incident in Baghdad on September 16.

No evidence supported assertions by Blackwater employees that they were fired upon by Iraqi civilians, the Times reported.

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In the Mideast, America Casts an Imperial Shadow

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Written by Rashid Khalidi Rashid Khalidi
Published: 13 November 2007 13 November 2007
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Most Americans think that our role as a world power began with World War II, the "good war," and then continued with the similarly noble Cold War. We like to think that the United States acts in the world exclusively in the name of ideals such as freedom and democracy.

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'Hidden costs raise' US war price

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Written by BBC News BBC News
Published: 13 November 2007 13 November 2007
Hits: 7644 7644
The US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are costing nearly double the amount previously thought, according to a report by Democrats in the US Congress.

They say "hidden costs" have pushed the total to about $1.5 trillion - nearly twice the requested $804bn (£402bn).

Higher oil prices, treating wounded veterans, and the cost to the economy of pulling reservists away from their jobs have been taken into account.


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Fatah members rounded up in Gaza

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Written by BBC News BBC News
Published: 13 November 2007 13 November 2007
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Hamas says it has rounded up dozens of Fatah activists in Gaza, a day after a huge rally commemorating Yasser Arafat ended in gunfire killing seven people.

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Israel shaken by troops' tales of brutality against Palestinians

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Written by Conal Urquhart in Jerusalem Conal Urquhart in Jerusalem
Published: 12 November 2007 12 November 2007
Hits: 6228 6228

 

A psychologist blames assaults on civilians in the 1990s on soldiers' bad training, boredom and poor supervision . . .

 A study by an Israeli psychologist into the violent behaviour of the country's soldiers is provoking bitter controversy and has awakened urgent questions about the way the army conducts itself in the Gaza Strip and West Bank.

Nufar Yishai-Karin, a clinical psychologist at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, interviewed 21 Israeli soldiers and heard confessions of frequent brutal assaults against Palestinians, aggravated by poor training and discipline. In her recently published report, co-authored by Professor Yoel Elizur, Yishai-Karin details a series of violent incidents, including the beating of a four-year-old boy by an officer. 

Read more: Israel shaken by troops' tales of brutality against Palestinians

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  5. Whose Road Map?
  6. US: Iran Attack Plans Ready if Needed
  7. 29 October 2007: Gazan cancer patient dies after being delayed entry into Israel for 10 days
  8. Study: 1 Out of 4 Homeless Are Veterans
  9. The sound of silence: Observations of and contemplations on the Rabin Memorial rally
  10. Turning the other cheek
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