American Security Council Foundation (ASCF)

FEATURED NEWS POST

IED attacks in Afghanistan set record

By American Security Council Foundation ASCF January 26, 2012 @ 7:31am

Attacks with makeshift bombs hit a record high of more than 16,000 in Afghanistan in the past year, and the increasing harm they cause to Afghan civilians indicates insurgents may lack strong leadership, military officials say.

The number of improvised explosive devices that were cleared or detonated rose to 16,554 from 15,225, an increase of 9%, according to data obtained by USA TODAY. In 2009, total IED "events," as they are known, came to 9,304.

Obama Takes New Economic Plan on Tour

By American Security Council Foundation ASCF January 26, 2012 @ 7:27am

U.S. President Barack Obama is on the road pushing his new economic agenda, saying the key to change is Congress passing a reformed tax code.

President Obama promoted the economic plan he unveiled during the State of the Union during a speech Wednesday at a conveyor belt factory in Iowa. He says his blueprint will work for everyone, not just the wealthy.

US Forces Rescue Kidnapped Westerners in Somalia

By American Security Council Foundation ASCF January 26, 2012 @ 7:22am

U.S. defense officials say an American woman and a Danish man who were kidnapped last October in Somalia are safe, after being rescued by U.S. commandos in a daring operation northwest of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.

Pentagon officials say American forces swept into an encampment in the vicinity of the town of Cadaado, northwest of Mogadishu, and pulled American Jessica Buchanan and Poul Thisted, a Danish national, to safety.

Obama Highlights Foreign Policy Achievements in State of Union Address

By American Security Council Foundation ASCF January 26, 2012 @ 7:17am

President Barack Obama devoted a relatively small portion of his State of the Union Address on Tuesday to U.S. foreign policy issues. Mr. Obama emphasized progress against al-Qaida and support for the Arab Spring democracy movement, and responded to criticism from Republican presidential hopefuls that America's global influence has declined under his leadership.

Foreign policy did not dominate the speech, but what Mr. Obama did say underscored what he sees as successes, including his approach to the Middle East's Arab Spring.

 

Somali Government Supports US Military Operation to Free Hostages

By American Security Council Foundation ASCF January 26, 2012 @ 7:14am

The Somali government says it supports the U.S. military operation that freed two Western aid workers who had been held hostage in the war-ravaged country.

In a statement released Thursday, Somalia's transitional government said the rescue of Jessica Buchanan, an American, and Poul Thisted, a Dane, was a “great joy” to “right thinking people everywhere.”