Word: als
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...being quietly dropped by the new administration. It had served a purpose to facilitate the politics of fear during the Bush years, but it was becoming a serious burden for US approaches to the Muslim world. It became obvious to many cool headed observers that, while the likes of al-Qaeda and other extremists were still dangerous, they were in fact small hard-line groups. The vast Muslim world was ready for a more respectful and sympathetic approach from a saner US government. How else can one interpret the joyous scenes that followed the election of Barack Obama in most...
...turned down Dick Cheney's request for the declassification of two memos that the former Vice President claims show harsh interrogation techniques used on Al Qaeda operatives yielded valuable information that prevented terrorist attacks and saved thousands of American lives. The Agency says the memos can't be released because they are the subject of pending litigation - Amnesty International has filed a request, under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), for the release of materials relating to Gitmo detainees...
...been hearing warnings from the combat zones ever since the April 23 announcement of the agreement. In weekly video conferences and private letters, top commanders in the region expressed grave concerns over the possible impact of the photographs. Both Afghan president Hamid Karzai and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki raised similar doubts over the decision, a senior Pentagon official says...
...posturing nearly drowned out the testimony of the only man at the hearing who had real experience extracting vital information from al-Qaeda terrorists: former FBI interrogator Ali Soufan. With cameras turned away from his face in order to protect his identity, Soufan gave a detailed account of the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah. The suspected al-Qaeda operative, he said, was giving up actionable intelligence - including the identities of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the so-called dirty bomber, Jose Padilla - long before the controversial interrogation techniques were applied. Once the harsh methods were used, Abu Zubaydah just shut...
Soufan made an impassioned case against harsh interrogation, not only on moral grounds, but also because it is "slow, ineffective and unreliable." Al-Qaeda operatives, he pointed out, are used to much worse torture in Middle Eastern prisons...