Rowan Scarborough
Articles by Rowan Scarborough
Islamic State builds forces, targets for Baghdad bomb attacks
The al Qaeda offshoot terrorizing Iraq is in the process of consolidating territorial gains and increasing the target list in Baghdad, a U.S. official and defense analysts say. Published August 3, 2014
Obama military strategy too weak for future security, panel reports
An independent panel appointed by the Pentagon said Thursday that President Obama’s military strategy for sizing the force is too weak to meet growing national security threats. Published July 31, 2014
Family of Marine killed in Afghanistan pushes back against cover-up
The family of a Marine murdered in Afghanistan as he worked out in a gym is accusing the Corps of a cover-up by refusing to turn over documents that would show the dangerous environment inside Forward Operating Base Delhi. Published July 27, 2014
Afghan who killed three U.S. Marines in 2012 to serve over 7-year prison sentence
An Afghanistan man has been given a 7-1/2 year prison sentence for murdering three U.S. Marines in a forward operating base in Helmand Province in August 2012. Published July 25, 2014
State Department indicates Nouri al-Maliki’s days numbered as Iraq prime minister
The State Department on Thursday all but showed Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki the door, saying he had been particularly hard to work with. Published July 24, 2014
Marine Corps whistleblower lands new Pentagon position
A Marine Corps officer who took on the top brass, and lost, has started a new career path in a legal job under the Pentagon's Joint Staff, not the Corps. Published July 23, 2014
Elusive target: U.S. believed Iraq terror mastermind al-Baghdadi killed 3 times
A special intelligence adviser to Army Gen. David H. Petraeus during the 2007 troop surge says the terrorist leader now ruling over large swaths of Iraq and forcing Christians to convert to Islam has long been the most elusive big game for the U.S. Published July 20, 2014
Air Force command nominee is 1st woman, non-pilot
The White House has picked the first female general to head the Air Force in the Pacific, which will make her the first non-pilot to command air power in such a large theater of operation. Published July 17, 2014
Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi formerly a U.S. captive
The U.S. held him captive for a time in 2004 before an unconditional release put him back into Iraq's growing Sunni insurgency. Published July 13, 2014
Islamic militants aim to take Baghdad airport
The al Qaeda-inspired terrorist army in Iraq ultimately wants to capture Baghdad International Airport and begin a campaign to destabilize neighboring Jordan, an important U.S. ally, analysts say. Published July 9, 2014
ISIL shows increasing strength and structure, takes war where al Qaeda couldn’t
The al Qaeda offshoot terrorist group conquering parts of Iraq is gaining strength thanks to prisoner releases and its social media magnetism for foreign fighter recruits. Published July 6, 2014
Indictment of suspect in Benghazi attack Ahmed Abu Khatallah debunks the Obama tale
The Obama administration's just-released criminal complaint against the alleged mastermind of the Benghazi terrorist attacks provides a final contradiction to its own evolving explanations for what happened that day. Published July 1, 2014
Air Force secretary gets sick flying with Thunderbirds
Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James hitched a ride with the storied Thunderbirds aerial acrobatic team this week — and it didn't go quite as she planned. Published June 28, 2014
ISIL terrorists aim to attack U.S., congressional report says
The al Qaeda-linked army now conquering territory in Syria and Iraq ultimately wants its new Islamic state to be a launching pad for attacking the U.S. homeland, says a new congressional report. Published June 24, 2014
U.S. troops set stunning record in evading capture by Taliban
On June 30, 2009, the day Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl walked into captivity, American forces in Afghanistan had not allowed a single service member to fall into enemy hands. Published June 22, 2014
For any U.S. airstrike to succeed, the Iraqi army must stand and fight, experts say
As the U.S. masses air power on Iraq's doorstep, analysts are warning that missiles and bombs will have limited impact on Islamic militants unless the Iraqi army stops running and starts fighting. Published June 16, 2014
Obama ignored general’s pleas to keep American forces in Iraq
The last American commander in Iraq recommended to the Obama administration that 23,000 U.S. troops remain to cement the victory, but no deal was ever reached with Baghdad, and all combat forces went home. Published June 15, 2014
Taliban 5 in Bergdahl trade have plenty of time to rejoin fight in Afghanistan
The five Taliban commanders freed by the Obama administration will find an Afghanistan in 2015 that is still home to nearly 10,000 American troops and still in a war that likely will go on for years. Published June 12, 2014
Pentagon believes Bergdahl was drugged in proof-of-life video
A Pentagon agency has concluded that Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl showed definite signs of being drugged by his captors for a pivotal December 2013 video that spurred the Obama administration to trade five Taliban commanders for his release. Published June 10, 2014
Bergdahl’s parents got rare access to insiders; data for sympathizer of Gitmo detainees
The Obama administration gave the parents of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl extraordinary insider access to the military's hunt for their son by having them take part in a series of secure video conferences with senior commanders as well as White House and State Department officials. Published June 8, 2014
