Category: soldiers

Pakistan Reopens Afghanistan Border Crossing Held by Taliban

QUETTA/ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—Pakistan on Monday reopened a major southwestern border crossing with Afghanistan that is currently under Taliban control on the Afghan side, Pakistani customs officials said, allowing over 100 trucks carrying goods to cross into Afghanistan. The Chaman-Spin Boldak crossing, a key port for landlocked Afghanistan, had been closed by Pakistan for commercial traffic since…


Ethiopia’s Tigray Forces Say They Released 1,000 Captured Soldiers

OLBIA, Italy—Forces in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region have released around 1,000 government soldiers captured during recent fighting, the head of its ruling party said, as both sides prepared for a showdown over contested land in the west of the region. Debretsion Gebremichael, leader of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), told Reuters by satellite phone…


Two Soldiers Killed, Three Wounded in Blast in Southwest Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan—Two Pakistani military officials were killed and three wounded when a bomb blew up their vehicle in an area of southwestern Pakistan where separatist insurgents operate, officials said on Thursday. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the late Wednesday blast in Pasni, a coastal town in Balochistan province, 126 km (78.3 miles)…


Child Soldiers Carried out Burkina Faso Massacre, Says Government

OUAGADOUGOU—A massacre in northeast Burkina Faso in which more than 130 people were killed this month was carried out mostly by children between the ages of 12 and 14, the government said. Armed assailants raided the village of Solhan on the evening of June 4, opened fire on residents, and burned homes. It was the…


Sister of US Soldier Loses Her Hair Battling Cancer, so Comrades Shave Heads in Support

Over a dozen soldiers, currently stationed in Kuwait, recently shaved their heads in support of a fellow teammate’s sister, who lost her hair during her battle with brain cancer. Sgt. Brandon Stafford’s older sister, Melissa Hjelle, who works as a traffic safety program coordinator in Minnesota, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in her right…


Sister of US Soldier Loses Her Hair Battling Cancer, so Compatriots Shave Heads in Support

Over a dozen soldiers, currently stationed in Kuwait, recently shaved their heads in support of a fellow teammate’s sister, who lost her hair during her battle with brain cancer. Sgt. Brandon Stafford’s older sister, Melissa Hjelle, who works as a traffic safety program coordinator in Minnesota, was diagnosed with a brain tumor in her right…


Pakistan Says 4 Soldiers Killed in Ambush by Afghan Terrorists Along Border

QUETTA, Pakistan—Four Pakistani soldiers were killed and six wounded in an ambush by terrorists from Afghanistan along the border between the two countries on Wednesday, Pakistan’s military said. The soldiers were working on fencing along the border in the Zhob district, an area of Pakistan’s Balochistan province, the military said in a statement. Zhob sits…


Over a Dozen Soldiers Stationed at Capitol Are Sick After Provided With Undercooked Food: Report

Members of the National Guard allegedly found metal shavings in over 70 meals and some were made sick by undercooked meat on Sunday, an ABC affiliate reported Monday. A Michigan National Guard staff sergeant whose identity is being withheld said this is a common problem for service members stationed at the U.S. Capitol building following the Jan….


Army: Sick Soldiers Drank Compound Found in Antifreeze

An investigation into what sickened 11 soldiers who ingested an unauthorized substance shows they drank an industrial compound found in antifreeze believing it was alcohol following a 10-day field training exercise at Fort Bliss in Texas, U.S. Army officials said Friday. Lt. Col. Allie Payne, public affairs officer for the 1st Armored Division and Fort…


Army: 11 Fort Bliss Soldiers Ill After Ingesting Substance

FORT BLISS, Texas—Eleven soldiers were sickened—including two who were in critical condition—after ingesting an unauthorized substance during a field training exercise at Fort Bliss in Texas, U.S. Army officials said Friday. All 11 soldiers are being treated at William Beaumont Army Medical Center in the border city of El Paso, where they have been since…