The Afghanistan War Commission, created by Congress shortly in the wake of the chaotic 2021 withdrawal, held its first public hearing in July 2024. Members will assess America’s longest war and make recommendations to help ensure leaders don’t make the same mistakes in the future. “Today, we make history,” Shamila Chaudhary, co-chair of the commission, said as the hearing opened. …
Dogs and PTSD
For veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, animals are service animals and not emotional support animals, according to a recent study. Over the past decade, the research group has been studying whether trained service dogs can help veterans with PTSD, a mental health condition that some people develop after experiencing a traumatic event. The first and largest clinical trial of …
Private Military Contractor Prop up Libyan Government
Amenetum, one of America’s largest private military contractors, is working with Libya’s Government of National Unity to strengthen its control of the war-torn country. The State Department and DoD contractor arrived at the Mitiga air base in the capital of Libya in early February 2024. The organization, with the consent of the Government of National Unity of Libya, oversees the …
Deadly Fire in Kuwaiti Foreign Worker Housing Facility
A fire of undetermined origin in the Mafraq area of Kuwait City killed at least 49 people, mostly migrant workers. Most of the fatalities were due to suffocation, Gen. Eid Rashed, from the police criminal forensic department, told state television. He warned the death toll could rise, adding that eleven people were being treated in hospitals. Authorities had identified three …
Ghosts of Iraq Haunt Federal Courts
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema ruled that Virginia-based CACI must face a new trial over its alleged involvement with the notorious Abu Ghraib detention center in Iraq. Judge Leonie Brinkema granted the plaintiffs’ motion for a new trial and denied CACI’s motion for judgment as a matter of law. The decision follows a civil trial earlier this year where an …