War_Conflict

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** FILE ** Jailed rebel Ricardo Palmera, alias Simon Trinidad, can be seen at the U.S. federal penitentiary in Florence, Colo., in this Aug. 8, 2012, photo provided by Jaime Palmera. Palmera's journey from the Colombia's highest social circles to jungle battlegrounds and finally to a U.S. prison mirrors the complexity of the confrontation that the talks starting this week in Cuba are meant to end. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, considers him a prisoner of war. (AP Photo/Courtesy of Jaime Palmera)

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This is a redacted copy of an email obtained by The Associated Press that discusses the attack of the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya. Two hours after the consulate came under attack, the White House was told that a militant group was claiming responsibility for the violence that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Libyan civilians celebrate the raiding of Ansar al-Shariah Brigades compound in Benghazi, Libya, on Sept. 21, 2012, after hundreds of civilians, military and police raided the Brigades base. The attack that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans has sparked a backlash among frustrated Libyans against the heavily armed gunmen, including Islamic extremists, who run rampant in their cities. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Marine Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, listens during a March 26, 2012, news conference at the Pentagon in Washington. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Gen. John Allen (left), and Army Gen. David Petraeus (center), top U.S. commander in Afghanistan and incoming CIA Director, greet former CIA Director and new U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta as he lands in Kabul, Afghanistan, on July 9, 2011. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** U.S. Gen. John Allen, top commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, speaks July 22, 2012, during an interview with The Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan. (Associated Press)

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Charlotte-Mecklenburg police stand guard outside the home of Paula Broadwell, the woman whose affair with retired Gen. David Petraeus led to his resignation as CIA director, in the Dilworth neighborhood of Charlotte, N.C., on Nov. 13, 2012. (Associated Press)

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An FBI agent carries boxes to the home of Paula Broadwell, the woman whose affair with retired Gen. David Petraeus led to his resignation as CIA director, in the Dilworth neighborhood of Charlotte, N.C., on Nov. 13, 2012. (Associated Press)

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FBI agents conduct a search inside the home of Paula Broadwell, the woman whose affair with retired Gen. David Petraeus led to his resignation as CIA director, in the Dilworth neighborhood of Charlotte, N.C., on Nov. 12, 2012. (Associated Press)

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**FILE** Palestinians gather March 22, 2004, around a pool of blood and the remains of the wheelchair of Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, following an Israeli air strike that killed him, near his house in Gaza City. (Associated Press)

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** FILE ** This July 22, 2012, file photo shows U.S. Gen. John Allen, top commander of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, during an interview with The Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq, File)

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Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Monday the Obama administration is close to a decision on how many American troops will stay in Afghanistan after the U.S.-led combat mission ends in 2014, noting the decision could come in the “next few weeks.” (Associated Press)

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Mayor Vincent Gray, right, walks up to the D.C. World War I Memorial on Monday, Nov. 12, 2012 for an event with Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes-Norton and a Washington, D.C. Navy mom talking about the inconsistent flying of the D.C. flag at military graduations. Holmes-Norton is calling upon to president to require that the D.C. flag be flown at military functions where the flags of all 50 states are flown. (Barbara L. Salisbury/The Washington Times)