Military Prison

KABUL - Charges against an American soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians are expected to be filed within a week, and if the case goes to court the trial will be held in the United States, said a legal specialist with the US military familiar with the investigation. The suspect's lead lawyer, John Henry Browne of Seattle, said he planned to meet Monday with Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, who is being held in an isolated cell at the military prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Bales, 38, has not been charged in the shootings, which have endangered relations between the...

HAILEY, Idaho - The parents of the only US soldier held as a prisoner of war in Afghanistan have broken a yearlong silence about the status of their son, abruptly making public that he is a focus of secret negotiations between the Obama administration and the Taliban over a proposed prisoner swap. The negotiations, currently stalled, would trade five Taliban prisoners held at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl of the Army, who is believed to be held by the militant Haqqani network in the tribal area of Pakistan's northwest frontier, on the...

CARACAS -- One of President Hugo Chávez's most threatening enemies is on the loose, and many Venezuelans wonder what new plots he has in mind. Carlos Ortega escaped from a military prison over the weekend and troops and police were ordered to guard ports, airport, and embassies to prevent him from fleeing or seeking asylum. But those who know the 60-year-old Ortega think he might stay in hopes of reviving anti-Chávez protests before presidential elections in December.

The military and the intelligence community are doing everything possible to find 26-year-old Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was taken prisoner in Afghanistan nearly three years ago, Pentagon leaders said Thursday in the wake of criticism from the soldier's family. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says there is a poster of the Hailey, Idaho, soldier inside U.S. Central Command's operations center as a constant reminder that he is missing in action. "I can assure you that we are doing everything in our power, using our intelligence resources across the...

NEW YORK - The convicted ringleader of detainee abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq was released yesterday from a military prison, an Army spokeswoman said. Charles Graner Jr., 42, was released from the US Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., about 10 a.m. after serving more than 6 ½ years of a 10-year sentence, spokeswoman Rebecca Steed said. He will be under the supervision of a probation officer until Dec. 25, 2014, she said. Steed said she could not release any information about Graner's whereabouts or his destination after release.

SAVANNAH, Ga. - An Army sergeant based at Fort Stewart was sentenced yesterday to life in a military prison without parole for shooting and killing his infantry squad leader and another US soldier in Iraq after they criticized his performance. The military jury's sentence also calls for Sergeant Joseph Bozicevich, 41, of Minneapolis to be demoted in rank to private and to receive a dishonorable discharge. He was convicted May 25 of premeditated murder in the slayings of Staff Sergeant Darris Dawson of Pensacola, Fla., and Sergeant Wesley Durbin of...

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — The lawyer for the Army sergeant accused of slaughtering 16 Afghan civilians met with his client behind bars for the first time Monday to begin building a defense and said the soldier gave a powerfully moving account of what it is like to be on the ground in Afghanistan. Lawyer John Henry Browne said he and Robert Bales, who is being held in an isolated cell at the military prison, met for more than three hours in the morning at Fort Leavenworth.

WASHINGTON -- The Pentagon said yesterday it had transferred five detainees from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Afghanistan. A written statement did not say why the detainees were released and did not disclose their identities or home countries. In earlier releases, the military said detainees were freed because they no longer were considered enemy combatants. The Pentagon said that the latest releases came after "multiple review processes" at Guantanamo.

The family of a U.S. Army sergeant suspected of killing 16 Afghan villagers says they are "stunned" but stand behind "the man they know as a devoted husband, father and dedicated member of the armed services. " The statement released by Robert Bales' defense team late Saturday also says his attorneys plan to spend several days meeting with him next week at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.'s military prison. The 10-year veteran hasn't been charged yet in the shootings, which have endangered relations between the U.S. and Afghanistan and threaten to upend U.S. policy...

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says he will not approve the release of any Taliban from the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military prison as part of Afghan peace talks unless he's sure they won't return to the battlefield. Panetta is telling the Senate Armed Services Committee that no decisions have been made on such a release. The Obama administration is considering the release of five top Taliban leaders from Guantanamo as a starting point for peace negotiations between the U.S.-backed Afghan government and the Taliban movement in an effort to end the war. The five would be...

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — The lawyer for the Army sergeant accused of slaughtering 16 Afghan civilians met with his client behind bars for the first time Monday to begin building a defense and said the soldier gave a powerfully moving account of what it is like to be on the ground in Afghanistan. Lawyer John Henry Browne said he and Robert Bales, who is being held in an isolated cell at the military prison at Fort Leavenworth, met for several hours in two sessions. He said talks may continue Tuesday.

FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — The lawyer for the Army sergeant accused of slaughtering 16 Afghan civilians met with his client behind bars for the first time Monday to begin building a defense and said the soldier gave a powerfully moving account of what it is like to be on the ground in Afghanistan. Lawyer John Henry Browne said he and Robert Bales, who is being held in an isolated cell at the military prison, met for more than three hours in the morning at Fort Leavenworth.

SEATTLE — With formal charges looming against his client within days, the lawyer for an Army sergeant suspected in the horrific nighttime slaughter of 16 Afghan villagers was flying Sunday to Kansas and getting ready to meet for the first time with the 10-year veteran. John Henry Browne of Seattle said he planned to meet Monday with Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, who is being held in an isolated cell at Fort Leavenworth's military prison. Charges against Bales, 38, are expected to be filed within a week and if the case goes to court the trial...

KABUL - Charges against an American soldier accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians are expected to be filed within a week, and if the case goes to court the trial will be held in the United States, said a legal specialist with the US military familiar with the investigation. The suspect's lead lawyer, John Henry Browne of Seattle, said he planned to meet Monday with Army Staff Sergeant Robert Bales, who is being held in an isolated cell at the military prison in Fort Leavenworth, Kan. Bales, 38, has not been charged in the shootings, which have endangered relations...

The family of a U.S. Army sergeant suspected of killing 16 Afghan villagers says they are "stunned" but stand behind "the man they know as a devoted husband, father and dedicated member of the armed services. " The statement released by Robert Bales' defense team late Saturday also says his attorneys plan to spend several days meeting with him next week at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.'s military prison. The 10-year veteran hasn't been charged yet in the shootings, which have endangered relations between the U.S. and Afghanistan and threaten to upend U.S. policy...

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says he will not approve the release of any Taliban from the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military prison as part of Afghan peace talks unless he's sure they won't return to the battlefield. Panetta is telling the Senate Armed Services Committee that no decisions have been made on such a release. The Obama administration is considering the release of five top Taliban leaders from Guantanamo as a starting point for peace negotiations between the U.S.-backed Afghan government and the Taliban movement in an effort to end the war. The five would be...

WASHINGTON - The United States has transferred a dozen Guantanamo detainees to Afghanistan, Yemen, and Somalia’s Somaliland region as the Obama administration continues to move captives out of the facility in Cuba in preparation for its closure. The Justice Department said yesterday that a government task force had reviewed each case, considering the potential threat and the government’s likelihood of success in court challenges to the detentions. Over the weekend, four Afghan detainees were transferred to Afghanistan.

The military and the intelligence community are doing everything possible to find 26-year-old Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was taken prisoner in Afghanistan nearly three years ago, Pentagon leaders said Thursday in the wake of criticism from the soldier's family. Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says there is a poster of the Hailey, Idaho, soldier inside U.S. Central Command's operations center as a constant reminder that he is missing in action. "I can assure you that we are doing everything in our power, using our intelligence...

SAVANNAH, Ga. - An Army sergeant based at Fort Stewart was sentenced yesterday to life in a military prison without parole for shooting and killing his infantry squad leader and another US soldier in Iraq after they criticized his performance. The military jury's sentence also calls for Sergeant Joseph Bozicevich, 41, of Minneapolis to be demoted in rank to private and to receive a dishonorable discharge. He was convicted May 25 of premeditated murder in the slayings of Staff Sergeant Darris Dawson of Pensacola, Fla., and Sergeant Wesley Durbin of Dallas on Sept.

NEW YORK - The convicted ringleader of detainee abuses at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq was released yesterday from a military prison, an Army spokeswoman said. Charles Graner Jr., 42, was released from the US Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., about 10 a.m. after serving more than 6 ½ years of a 10-year sentence, spokeswoman Rebecca Steed said. He will be under the supervision of a probation officer until Dec. 25, 2014, she said. Steed said she could not release any information about Graner's whereabouts or his destination after release.