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• 8 police kidnapped in western Iraq

  May 18, 2013 10:48 AM

  BAGHDAD - Police officials say gunmen have kidnapped eight Iraqi policemen who were guarding a post on the main highway to Jordan and Syria. Two officials say the abductions happened Saturday on the desert road west of Baghdad. Violence has spiked in Iraq in recent days, with bombings and other... more »

• Women in combat: Baton Rouge veterans respond Play Video

  January 24, 2013 5:37 PM

  BATON ROUGE - Defense Secretary Leon Panetta lifted the ban on combat for women and said, "if they can meet the qualifications for the job, then they should have the right to serve." With those words, roles are changed. A change that will open over 200,000 jobs including infantry,... more »

• Veteran's body found in Mississippi River

  November 13, 2012 10:26 AM

  VENTRESS - The body of an Iraqi War veteran, who authorities say jumped off the Audubon Bridge on Nov. 4, has been recovered. Capt. Steve Juge of the Pointe Coupee Parish Sheriff's Office, says the body of 32-year-old Dusty Brouillette, of Baton Rouge, was found about 4:35 p.m. Sunday... more »

• Hearing airs sex crimes case against US general

  November 5, 2012 10:53 AM

  FORT BRAGG, N.C. - U.S. Army prosecutors are charging a general with sex crimes against five women, including four military subordinates and a civilian. The first details of the charges filed in September emerged at a military justice hearing Monday for Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair at Fort Bragg in North... more »

• Obama orders new sanctions on Iran

  July 31, 2012 1:55 PM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama is leveling new sanctions on banks in China and Iraq that the White House says have helped Iran evade international sanctions. The new penalties target China's Bank of Kunlun and Iraq's Elaf Islamic Bank. In a statement, Obama says the sanctions make clear that the... more »

• Excerpts from President Obama's address tonight

  May 1, 2012 5:51 PM

  BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AFGHANISTAN - President Barack Obama says the U.S. is emerging from more than a decade under the "dark cloud of war," with the U.S. combat role in Afghanistan ending and the war in Iraq now over. In excerpts released ahead of a televised address Tuesday, President Obama... more »

• March deaths Iraq's lowest since 2003

  April 2, 2012 7:26 AM

  BAGHDAD - Official figures showed that March saw the lowest monthly death toll in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. The figures compiled by the defense, interior and health ministries were released late Sunday, showing 112 dead and 357 wounded last month. Those who made up the death toll... more »

• Army ID's remains of last missing soldier in Iraq

  February 26, 2012 2:11 PM

  WASHINGTON- The U.S military says it has identified the remains of the last American service member unaccounted for in Iraq. Staff Sgt. Ahmed Kousay al-Taie was an Army interpreter who was born in Iraq and lived in Ann Arbor, Mich. He was kidnapped at gunpoint in October 2006 when he... more »

• Congress members urge Iraq to buy US rice

  February 24, 2012 2:28 PM

  HOUSTON (AP) - Congress members from the largest rice-growing states are urging Iraq to resume buying U.S. long-grain rice, calling the country's standards "unreasonable." The Associated Press received a copy Friday of a letter the bipartisan group sent to Iraqi Minister of Trade Khair Alla Babaker. Congress members... more »

• Death toll rises in Baghdad explosions

  December 22, 2011 7:31 AM

  BAGHDAD (AP) - A series of explosions rocked Baghdad Thursday morning, killing dozens of people and injuring hundreds more. Iraqi officials say the death toll has climbed to 57 and nearly 200 people were wounded in the attacks. Two roadside bombs exploded in western Baghdad while another blast... more »

• Symbolic flag lowering ends U.S. mission in Iraq

  December 15, 2011 7:22 AM

  BAGHDAD - The United States military has retired the flag of the U.S. Forces-Iraq that has flown for nearly nine years, officially bringing an end to the war. Troops lowered the flag and wrapped it in camouflage, formally "casing" it, according to Army tradition. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon... more »

• With abuse increasing, Army limits addictive meds

  July 11, 2011 1:25 PM

  FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - The Army is restricting how many prescription painkillers soldiers can buy at one time as it responds to rising abuse of potentially addictive drugs. Many troops are coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan with chronic pain from combat or training injuries. Army data requested... more »

• US military: 2 US soldiers killed in southern Iraq

  June 14, 2011 6:09 AM

  BAGHDAD- The U.S. military says two American soldiers have been killed while conducting operations in southern Iraq. The statement released today didn't give details on the operations, saying only the two were killed Monday. They were not identified pending notification of next of kin. The new deaths bring to 4,462... more »

• Officials: 5 US troops killed by rocket

  June 6, 2011 5:26 AM

  BAGHDAD- Iraqi security officials say that a rocket attack has killed five American troops in Iraq. Two Iraqi security officials say a barrage of at least three rockets hit an Iraqi base in eastern Baghdad on Monday morning and killed the five American troops. Earlier, the U.S. military said in... more »

• La. National Guard hosts deployment ceremony

  January 3, 2011 10:44 AM

  BATON ROUGE- The Louisiana National Guard is hosting a deployment ceremony for the 239th Military Police Company which is headed to Iraq for a year. The Carville-based unit, made up of about 115 soldiers, will train Iraqi police in support of Operation New Dawn. They will conduct mobilization... more »

• Obama places Thanksgiving call to troops overseas

  November 25, 2010 11:18 AM

  WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has called 10 members of the armed services stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan to wish them and their families a happy Thanksgiving. The White House says Obama thanked two each from the Army, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy for their service and... more »

• Blasts kill at least 62 across Baghdad

  November 2, 2010 1:00 PM

  BAGHDAD - Iraqi hospital and police officials say blasts ripping through Baghdad's mostly Shiite neighborhoods have killed at least 62 people and wounded another 180. The blasts took place in at least 10 neighborhoods across the capital Tuesday evening. Officials said the blasts involved booby-trapped cars, roadside bombs... more »

• Iranian leader defends 9/11 statement

  September 24, 2010 12:43 PM

  The Iranian president is defending his remarks at the U.N. in which he claimed most people in the world believe the United States was behind the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks. He also is challenging the United Nations to set up a commission to study the attacks. "I... more »

• Soldiers show off SEC pride while serving in Iraq

  September 10, 2010 11:06 AM

  Football fever has spread all the way to Iraq, where soldiers from Louisiana’s National Guard recently displayed their SEC pride. Members of the 2nd Squadron, 108th Cavalry regiment based in Shreveport received a pair of LSU flags signed by members of the Tigers football team. The regiment posed for photos... more »

• Iraq veteran: 'Operation may be over, but war isn't'

  August 31, 2010 10:33 PM

  More than 4,400 troops died in the seven-year war in Iraq out of more than a million and a half that served. One survivor, a Baton Rouge native, said he's relieved the combat mission is over but does not think this is the end of the war. After six... more »

• On day Iraq combat mission ends, Obama phones Bush

  August 31, 2010 11:09 AM

  As he prepares to herald the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, President Barack Obama has spoken by phone to former President George W. Bush. Aides say Obama placed the call from Air Force One Tuesday as he flew to Fort Bliss in Texas to speak to... more »

• Obama to address nation to mark end of Iraq combat

  August 25, 2010 3:27 PM

  President Barack Obama will address the nation from the Oval Office and also visit troops at Fort Bliss in Texas on Tuesday to mark the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs made the announcement Wednesday. Obama promised in 2009 to end the formal... more »

• White House says Iraq drawdown "truly remarkable"

  August 24, 2010 10:46 AM

  The White House is hailing the Iraq troop drawdown as a "truly remarkable achievement." White House counterterrorism chief John Brennan gave that assessment to reporters Tuesday as the U.S. troop level in Iraq sank below 50,000 for the first time since the U.S.-led invasion over seven years ago. Brennan was... more »

• White House says Obama is Christian, prays daily

  August 19, 2010 1:09 PM

  The White House says President Barack Obama is a Christian who prays daily. White House spokesman Bill Burton made the remark Thursday, hours after a poll showed 18 percent of Americans think Obama is Muslim, up from 11 percent who thought so last year. A third think he's... more »

• Obama: End of US combat role in Iraq 'on schedule'

  August 2, 2010 11:00 AM

  President Barack Obama says America's combat role in Iraq will end Aug. 31 "as promised and on schedule." Obama tells the Disabled American Veterans organization that violence in Iraq has been at a lower ebb recently. And he says that in advance of terminating U.S. combat operations there, hundreds... more »

• War general says US exit from Iraq on track

  July 21, 2010 11:35 AM

  The top U.S. military commander in Iraq says Baghdad's political troubles won't keep American troops from leaving the country as planned at the end of 2011. Gen. Raymond Odierno says the Iraqi security forces are doing much of the work already and that security has improved significantly. Odierno says... more »

• 50 Iraqi sailors trained for patrol boats in La.

  July 16, 2010 2:46 PM

  The Navy announces the graduation of the first 50 Iraqi sailors to go through patrol boat training in Louisiana. The 90-day course was held at Swiftships Shipbuilding LLC of Morgan City, which is building 15 of the 35-meter boats for the Iraqi Navy. The course includes classroom, simulator... more »

• New al-Qaida threat: Somali group claims blast

  July 12, 2010 12:49 PM

  East Africa saw the emergence of a new international terrorist group Monday, as Somalia's most dangerous al-Qaida-linked militia claimed responsibility for the twin bombings in Uganda that killed 74 people during the World Cup. The claim by al-Shabab, whose fighters are trained by militant veterans of the conflicts in... more »

• Marine's Mattis to take over Central Command

  July 8, 2010 1:21 PM

  Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he wants Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis to take over U.S. Central Command. Mattis would replace Gen. David Petraeus, who is now in Afghanistan as the top U.S. and NATO military officer there. Mattis is a blunt-talking seasoned war veteran best known for... more »

• Army investigating leak; soldier detained, not charged

  June 7, 2010 3:50 PM

  The Army says a soldier suspected of leaking a military video that shows Apache helicopters gunning down unarmed men in Iraq in 2007 hasn't been charged. Army Spc. Bradley Manning of Potomac, Md., is being held in Kuwait pending the results of an investigation. A director of the... more »

• Scammers hit top Iraq general's Facebook page

  June 6, 2010 9:20 AM

  The top American general in Iraq says scammers have been making use of his Facebook page. Looking at General Ray Odierno's Facebook page, you find out he's an Aerosmith fan -- and that Animal House is one of his favorite movies. If you see a plea for money, though,... more »

• Oil spill keeps pilots almost as busy as war

  May 28, 2010 5:14 AM

  The commander of the Louisiana National Guard's State Aviation Command says the Gulf oil spill is keeping pilots and crews almost as busy as war duty in Iraq or Afghanistan. Col. Patrick R. Bossetta says that when all the pilots are counted, they're flying 40 to 50 hours a day.... more »

• La. Guard troops moving to Baghdad

  May 27, 2010 5:22 AM

  Louisiana National Guard troops will provide security in the International Zone in Baghdad. 1st Battalion, 141st Field Artillery Regiment, known as the Washington Artillery, has about 400 soldiers in Iraq. Based at Jackson Barracks in New Orleans, the unit has been providing convoy escort services from a base in southern... more »

• US reconsidering pace of Iraq troop withdrawl

  May 11, 2010 12:30 PM

  Worries over violence fueled by Iraq's political instability have forced U.S. commanders to reconsider the pace of a major pullout this summer without overstepping a deadline to cut the military's presence by nearly half by the end of August. Under a plan by the top U.S. commander in Iraq,... more »

• Ceremony held for 3,500 Louisiana soldiers leaving for Iraq

  March 5, 2010 12:24 PM

  With a full-throated shout of "Tiger Brigade, Sir! Who dat!" the Louisiana National Guard's 256th Infantry Brigade came to attention Friday morning during a ceremony at a National Guard camp in Mississippi. The ceremony was held to mark the brigade's second deployment to Iraq. About 400 soldiers from... more »

• La. National Guard deploys

  March 5, 2010 6:54 AM

  A huge send-off is expected at Camp Shelby today as the 256th Infantry Brigade deploys for its second tour in Iraq. Nearly 11,500 people are expected to show up at the nation's largest state-owned military training site in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. 3,500 Louisiana soldiers will be deployed to protect military bases... more »

• MADD concerned over possible loss of witness testimony

  March 3, 2010 4:52 PM

  Mothers Against Drunk Driving is concerned over the possible loss of witness testimony surrounding a drunk driving case in Pointe Coupee Parish. The case involves 23-year-old Victoria Gosserand. Investigators say she was drunk when she smashed into another car that killed Terri Parker. The crash also badly injured the... more »

• Soldier support meeting scheduled in Plaquemine

  December 10, 2009 5:00 PM

  A new system of support is in place for soldiers and their families. It'll be tested when about 100 National Guard troops, based out of Plaquemine, are deployed to Iraq next month. The Army has set up a series of briefings for families and members of the community. ... more »

• Car bombs rock Baghdad

  October 25, 2009 10:43 AM

  At least 136 people are dead and as many as 600 more wounded after two powerful car bombs exploded in downtown Baghdad. The bombs went off less than a minute apart in parking lots near the headquarters of the Baghdad provincial administration and the Ministry of Justice building. The area... more »

• More U.S. troops may be heading home from Iraq

  September 29, 2009 9:28 PM

  As many as 4,000 more U.S. troops will be heading home from Iraq by the end of October. Members of Congress will get more details Wednesday from General Ray Odierno. The top general in Iraq is expected to present data showing violence there has been significantly reduced. more »

• Soldier to be buried in Denham Springs

  September 28, 2009 5:58 PM

  UPDATE: Army Specialist Michael Coté will be buried Tuesday in Denham Springs. Coté was killed in a Black Hawk helicopter crash in Iraq earlier this month. He was 20 years old. The funeral begins at 10 a.m. at Seale Funeral Home. People plan to line Range Avenue at 11 a.m.... more »

• La. National Guard training Iraqi Police

  September 18, 2009 9:11 PM

  The Louisiana National Guard is helping train Iraq's federal police force. Members of the guard's 225th Engineer Brigade have been working with Iraq's 2nd Federal Police Division near Alexandria, Louisiana at Fort Polk. The police division mans checkpoints in Baghdad. The training includes how to detect the roadside... more »

• Iraqi police get training from La. National Guard

  September 18, 2009 5:27 AM

  Members of the guard's 225th Engineer Brigade have been working with Iraq's 2nd Federal Police Division at Fort Polk. The police division mans checkpoints in Baghdad. Fort Polk officials said the Iraqis received and will continue to get training from the guard on how to detect the roadside bombs known... more »

• Louisiana contracter killed in Iraq

  September 14, 2009 7:27 AM

  Military officials say Lucas Vinson, a civilian contractor from Leesville, Louisiana, was shot and killed on a U.S. installation in the Iraqi city of Tikrit. An American soldier has been detained. Vinson was shot yesterday morning while at Camp Speicher while he was working for Houston-based KBR. more »

• National Guard Recruiting Strong

  September 13, 2009 2:22 PM

  Despite the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, recruiting for the Louisiana National Guard remains strong. Recruiting numbers averaged higher in the past three years than when the wars first started. According to military leaders, it has a lot to do with incentives and benefits. The National Guard had to... more »