The United States has scrapped plans to leave as many as 5,000 troops in Iraq, and will stick to its year-end deadline to remove all combat and support troops. According to the AP, all but approximately 160 soldiers that are attached to the US Embassy will be removed. A senior military official told the news outlet that the withdrawal would allow for limited combat-training missions if requested by the Iraqi government. more ›

A Massachusetts resident is accused of plotting to damage the Capitol building and Pentagon in Washington D.C. remote controlled planes filled with C-4 explosives. According to the Washington Post, "Rezwan Ferdaus, a U.S.-born citizen of South Asian background, traveled to Washington last May to conduct surveillance and intended to launch three small GPS-guided aircraft from East Potomac Park — two against the Pentagon and one against the Capitol, according to a detailed plan he gave to the FBI." more ›

Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano spoke to the editorial board of the Dallas Morning-News and believed that if a 9/11-style plot would not happen today. However, she admitted, "There are no guarantees," though there is more intelligence sharing, "better targeting of airline passengers who need 'special attention,'and background checks at flight schools." Also, maybe White House officials should take White House Briefs titled "Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US" seriously. more ›

The first U.S. citizen to make the CIA's "Kill or Capture" list in almost a decade is American-Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, who was added earlier this year. The government says he's a bad guy who has forfeited his right to due process under the law because he allegedly helped Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian suspected of attempting to bomb an airliner on Christmas Day. But before all that, al-Awlaki's name showed up on another list—the guest list at a Pentagon luncheon, just months after the 9/11 attacks. more ›

Hey! The Pentagon is just like us, tracking blogs and social media for trends. When it released its report about the ill-planned Air Force One flyover in late April, buried in the pages of documents were details that the military was gauging fallout online: One email read, "Web site blog comments ‘furious’ at best"—like this one!—"Twitter search reveals ‘tweets’ regarding two F-16’s chasing commercial airliner. Rate of 1 tweet per minute and growing" (Twitter rate was later 3 Tweets/minutes!). And the Christian Science Monitor noticed that the Pentagon also ignored the warnings of USAF Maj Gen Brian P. Meenan, who wrote, "NYC populace can be sensitive to airplanes that appear lower than normal or tracks not normally seen over the NYC area. Influenced by 9/11. Have seen one or two instances of civil aircraft cleared for visual arrivals that triggered inquiries to media and local officials concerning unusual flt activity from folks on the ground." The AP—which notes that even a Pentagon PowerPoint chart admitted "No positive spin is possible"—also found that the Air Force's cell that monitors Internet chatter suggested, "Government involvement in this incident could be used to frame expected handling of H1N1 outbreak." more ›

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other suspects in the 9/11 attacks have agreed to plead guilty in "full". While it's unclear whether they'll admit to specific charges, the defendants "request[ed] an immediate hearing session to announce our confessions," according to a letter read in the Guantanamo Bay court. The NY Times reports, "The request appeared to be intended to cut short any effort to try them, and to challenge the United States government to put them to death" (but the judge isn't accepting formal pleas immediately). Mohammed, who allegedly confessed that he planned the attacks, also took time to tell the judge, "I don't trust you" and "We don’t want to waste our time with motions. All of you are paid by the U.S. government. I’m not trusting any American.” more ›

Photograph by M.V. Jantzen on Flickr more ›

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who federal authorities accuse of proposing and overseeing the September 11, 2001 attacks on the U.S., appeared in a military courtroom today at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. Mohammed said he would represent himself and, when told he could face the death penalty if convicted, "Yes, this is what I wish, to be a martyr for a long time. I will, God willing, have this, by you." more ›