Afghanistan War News Updates -- March 17, 2012

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales checking identity papers during a training exercise at a mockup of an Afghan village at the National Training Center in California last August. The photo appeared in a military publication, High Desert Warrior. U.S. Army

Staff Sgt. Robert Bales Named As Suspect In Afghan Massacre -- McClatchy News

TACOMA, Wash. — U.S. military officials finally named the suspect in the massacre of 16 Afghan civilians as Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, who was brought late Friday to the military detention facility in Fort Leavenworth, Kan., to face murder charges.

Pentagon officials had previously offered only a few details of the suspect's life: a 38-year-old married father of two, a 10-year Army veteran who served three tours in Iraq, who deployed to Afghanistan in December with the Army's 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.

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More News On Afghanistan

Suspect in Afghanistan shootings identified -- L.A. Times
Wife of U.S. soldier who 'shot nine Afghan children in gun rampage that left 16 dead' described couple's 'marital problems' after he was passed over for promotion -- Daily Mail
Afghan shooting soldier named as Robert Bales -- The Guardian
Robert Bales' past under a microscope -- CBS News
US Soldier Accused of Afghan Massacre in US Prison -- Voice of America
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales Being Kept Away From Other Prisoners At Fort Leavenworth -- ABC News
US Soldiers Are Immune from Afghan Prosecution, CRS Says -- Secrecy News

Afghanistan: Overview -- Yahoo News
ISAF Joint Command morning operational update - March 17, 2012 -- ISAF
War In Afghanistan News - 17 March 2012 -- War On Terror News
Afghanistan Live Blog -- Al Jazeera

US says attack at Afghan base targeted top general -- Space War/AFP
New details show possible suicide vehicle crash in Afghanistan targeted top Marine -- Washington Post/AP
New Details Show Panetta Was at Risk in Attack -- New York Times

Karzai Calls on U.S. to Pull Back as Taliban Cancel Talks -- New York Times
Debate Over Afghanistan Returns To Capitol Hill -- NPR
Afghanistan's propaganda war -- Al Jazeera
Afghanistan fears being orphaned as troops leave -- Canada.com
General: Army will do 'what's right' after Afghanistan shootings -- L.A. Times

Afghan Prison’s Invasive Searches of Female Visitors Stir Fear of Slipping Rights -- New York Times
US aid cutoff fails to end Afghan prison searches -- AP
Hunger Strike Revives Allegations Of Mistreatment At Afghan Prisons -- Radio Free Europe

Where Is Counterinsurgency In Afghanistan Now? -- NPR (Audio)
Obama and Karzai: 'On the same page' or at 'the end of the rope'? -- Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor
Afghan shooting spree: soldier's revenge for wounded colleague? -- Anna Mulrine, Christian Science Monitor
This Week at War: Losing Faith: Will massacres like the one this week in Afghanistan be more frequent as the Pentagon's budget cuts make for a more stressed and strained military? -- Robert Haddick, Foreign Policy