Ex-TSA pick Harding's firm got Army deal after he cited sleep apnea disability

The firm owned by the decorated general who withdrew his nomination to lead the Transportation Security Administration had received a consulting contract worth almost $100 million from the Army after certifying he was a "service disabled veteran," according to documents and interviews with government officials.

Ayad Allawi's bloc wins most seats in Iraqi parliamentary elections

BAGHDAD -- Nearly three weeks after Iraq's elections, the coalition of former prime minister Ayad Allawi emerged with the most seats in the parliament Friday but fell far short of a majority. The results signaled the start of another protracted phase of uncertainty for this country's fledgling political system.

Second TSA nominee withdraws his name

The Obama administration's second choice to lead the Transportation Security Administration withdrew from consideration Friday, days after senators questioned his business and personal dealings as a military contractor who provided services ranging from Iraq war interrogators to private guards at the White House.

For two detainees who told what they knew, Guantanamo becomes a gilded cage

By the time Tariq al-Sawah, a veteran of the wars in Bosnia and Afghanistan, reached Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in May 2002, there was no fight left in him. Injured by a cluster bomb in the mountains of Afghanistan, the middle-aged Egyptian was still recovering from wounds to his hands, back, thighs and buttocks when the Americans grabbed him.

Defense secretary orders review of military information programs

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has ordered a review of the military's information operations programs in response to allegations that private contractors ran an unauthorized spy ring in Afghanistan.

Google to stop censoring search results in China

Google announced Monday that it would stop censoring search results on its site in China, forcing authorities in Beijing to decide whether they are willing to forsake one of the most important tools of modern technology so that they can maintain their iron grip over the flow of information.

U.S. and Mexican officials will meet to discuss drug trafficking, violence

A high-level delegation of U.S. officials, including three Cabinet secretaries, will meet with Mexican officials in Mexico City on Tuesday to discuss efforts to disrupt drug cartels as violence increasingly strikes Americans on the border.

Under Panetta, a more aggressive CIA

The plan was a standard one in the CIA's war against extremists in Pakistan: The agency was using a Predator drone to monitor a residential compound; a Taliban leader was expected to arrive shortly; a CIA missile would kill him.

CIA director says secret attacks in Pakistan have hobbled al-Qaeda

Aggressive attacks against al-Qaeda in Pakistan's tribal region have driven Osama bin Laden and his top deputies deeper into hiding and disrupted their ability to plan sophisticated operations, CIA Director Leon Panetta said Wednesday.

Soaring IED attacks in Afghanistan stymie U.S. counteroffensive

Taliban fighters more than doubled the number of homemade bombs they used against U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan last year, relying on explosives that are often far more primitive than the ones used in Iraq.

Pentagon to investigate intelligence unit that allegedly used contractors

The Pentagon said Monday that it was looking into allegations that a Defense Department official had set up an intelligence unit staffed by contractors to hunt insurgents in Afghanistan and Pakistan under the guise of social and cultural information-gathering.

FBI, DEA join probe of slayings near Mexican border

Dozens of officials from the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration and other U.S. agencies joined an investigation Monday into the killings of three people tied to the U.S. Consulate in the Mexican city of Juarez, scrambling to determine whether the slayings marked an escalation in the region's drug war or were simply cases of mistaken identity, officials said.