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IAVA Daily Brief 3.10.10
Posted by Michael Houston on March 10 2010

Here are some of today's top stories and happenings at IAVA.  Prefer to receive real-time updates about major stories and legislation that IAVA is tracking?  Follow us on Twitter @IAVAPressRoom or subscribe to the Daily News Brief at http://iava.org/dailynewsbrief.

MUST READS

1) Partial Iraq Vote Results Expected by Thursday

Iraq's electoral commission is expected to announce partial results of the parliamentary elections by Thursday, according to a United Nations official.  Party officials have acknowledged that after the votes, a relatively small number of seats may separate the country's leading coalitions, a sign that negotiations to form a new government could be protected.

2) Gates: Some Troops Could Leave Afghanistan Early

During a visit to Kabul, Defense Secretary Gates raised the possibility that some of the U.S. forces involved in the Afghanistan surge could leave the country before President Obama's announced July 2011 date to begin withdrawal, but that it would be "conditions-based."

3) Plan Would Expand Leave For Some Families

Military family members who are ineligible for family and medical leave could still get time off for deployment-related issues under legislation pending before two congressional committees.

AFGHANISTAN

• U.S. and NATO commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal has said his next target is Kandahar, Afghanistan's second-largest city, and former spiritual seat of power for the reclusive Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar.
• Earlier this week, Defense Secretary Gates said that Iran is "playing a double game" with Afghanistan - wanting to maintain a good relationship with the government while at the same time undermining the soldiers Gates saw learning to defend the country.
• The Taliban claimed responsibility Wednesday for a suicide bombing inside a U.S.-Afghan base in eastern Afghanistan that killed two NATO servicemembers.

IRAQ

• During an interview with PBS Newshour, Gen Ray Odierno discussed the recent parliamentary elections in Iraq, the embrace of democracy and predicted that it would take "a couple of months" for leaders to form a post-election government.
• A controversy over the disqualification of candidates threatens to undermine the legitimacy of Iraq's recent elections and inflame supporters of a coalition seeking to topple the alliance led by the country's prime minister.

MILITARY AFFAIRS

• U.S. Marines say the help they are giving Haitians to overcome some of the environmental issues the country faces are only short-term fixes for problems that plagued the country long before January's earthquake.
• The U.S. Army says a soldier who returned to a hero's welcome in Wisconsin misrepresented his rank, badges and the origin of his injuries.
• Defense Secretary Gates will review allegations of misconduct in Afghanistan by Xe, the company formerly known as Blackwater.

INSIDE WASHINGTON

• In a recent appearance at the World Affairs Council, Gen. David Petraeus turned a question about his retirement plans into an opportunity to deny that he has political ambitions.
• A woman from the suburbs of Philadelphia, who allegedly used the nickname Jihad Jane was identified Tuesday as an alleged terrorist intent on recruiting others to her cause. Federal prosecutors have unsealed criminal charges that could send her to prison for life.

A wide-range of views, positions, and publications are represented in these articles. These views, positions and publications are not endorsed by nor do they necessarily represent the views of IAVA.

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