Afghanistan
Joseph Piersante Becomes First DEA Agent to Receive Secretary of Defense Medal
By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com DEA Agent Joseph Piersante, who was shot and wounded by enemy gun fire while on a counter-terrorism and narcotics mission in Afghanistan in 2011, became the first DEA agent to receive the Secretary of Defense Medal for the Defense of Freedom. The The Defense of Freedom Medal is the civilian equivalent…
FBI’s Bomb Lab Helps Track Down Terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan
Steve Neavling ticklethrewire.com Step inside the FBI’s bomb warehouse outside of Washington, where experts analyze bombs used to injure and kill thousands of American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Businessweek reports that 700 people work at the FBI’s Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center. It’s not easy work. Most of the bombs are assembled with objects…
FBI’s Little-Known Alliance with U.S. Military in Afghanistan, Iraq Put Agents at Risk
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the FBI was transformed into a counterterrorism organization, sending its agents to Iraq and Afghanistan for hundreds of raids. The Washington Post reports on a controversial, effective and little-known alliance between the FBI and the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC). Some in the bureau questioned…
Wounded Army Ranger Claims FBI Denied Him Job Because of Prosthesis
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com An Army Ranger who served twice in Iraq and once in Afghanistan was on his way to his fourth overseas tour when his left hand was blown off in a training accident, NPR reports. Justin Slaby, who was fitted with a state-of-the-art prosthesis, opted to join the FBI but said he couldn’t…
Undercover FBI Agent Kept Tabs on Three California Men Accused of Plotting Terrorist Attacks
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Three California men charged with plotting terrorist attacks on Americans and military bases overseas were planning to join the Taliban in Afghanistan and eventually fight for al-Qaida, the FBI said, the Associated Press reports. Little did they know, an undercover agent was recording their conversations. “The main lesson learned is: Don’t underestimate…
Former FBI Agent Indicted on Charges of Trying to Derail a Federal Investigation into Defense Contracts
Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com A former FBI agent, along with a defense contractor, was indicted Thursday for participating in what authorities say was a multimillion-dollar scheme to win military contracts in Afghanistan, the Associated Press reports. An FBI special agent assigned to counterintelligence work until September 2011, Robert G. Lustyik, 50, is accused of using his…
NATO Takes Out 2nd-Highest al Qaeda Leader in Afghanistan
Shoshanna Utchenik ticklethewire.com The U.S. led-NATO forces chalked up a major score in Afghanistan. Al Qaeda’s second-highest Afghan leader, Sakhr al-Taifi, was killed by a NATO airstrike in eastern Kunar province on Sunday, reports the AP. Al-Taifi, also known as Mushtaq and Nasim, commanded foreign insurgents in Afghanistan and directed attacks against NATO and Afghan…