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A2 UP FRONT
Saturday 4 January 2020

wounded many Americans attack," Pompeo told Fox councilor, Pompeo stressed
over the years and was News. "The orchestrator, that Trump acted to coun-
plotting to kill many more. the primary motivator for ter an imminent threat to
"He should have been tak- the attack, was Qassem U.S. lives in the region but
en out many years ago," he Soleimani." also that the U.S. is com-
added. The White House did not mitted to "de-escalation" of
The strike marked a major inform lawmakers before tensions, according to the
escalation in the conflict the strike. It was expected department's summaries of
between Washington and to give classified briefings the conversations.
Iran, as Iran vowed "harsh to members of Congress De-escalation was not
retaliation" for the killing and staff in the afternoon. mentioned in the depart-
of the senior military lead- Defense Secretary Mark Es- ment's summary of his call
er. The two nations have per notified House Speaker with the French foreign
faced repeated crises Nancy Pelosi of the strike minister, nor in his calls with
since Trump withdrew from shortly before the Penta- Afghanistan's President
the 2015 nuclear deal and gon confirmed it publicly. Ashraf Ghani or the Paki-
imposed crippling sanc- Pompeo called world lead- stani military chief of staff.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo delivers a statement on Iraq
and Syria, at President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago property, tions. ers Friday to explain and In those calls Pompeo "un-
Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, in Palm Beach, Fla. The United States urged its defend Trump's decision derscored the Iranian re-
Associated Press citizens to leave Iraq "im- to order the airstrike that gime's destabilizing actions
mediately" as fears mount- has sparked fears of an ex- through the region and the
Continued from Front May, when it first publicly ed that the strike and any plosion of anti-American Trump Administration's re-
It also runs counter to claimed Iran was planning retaliation by Iran could ig- protests as well as more solve in protecting Ameri-
Trump's repeated push to attacks on U.S. interests. nite a conflict that engulfs violence in the already un- can interests, personnel,
extract the United States The reinforcements took the region. stable Middle East. facilities and partners," the
from Mideast conflicts. Prior shape as Trump gave his Secretary of State Mike The State Department said department said.
to this week's troop deploy- first comments on the strike, Pompeo defended the Pompeo had spoken Friday Trump opted not to play a
ments, the administration declaring that he ordered strike as "wholly lawful," say- with top officials in Afghani- round of golf on Friday, and
had sent 14,000 additional the killing of Soleimani be- ing that Soleimani posed an stan, Britain, China, France, he was not expected to be
troops to the Mideast since cause he had killed and "imminent" threat against Germany and Pakistan. seen publicly until he trav-
the U.S. and its interests in In his calls with the British els to Miami for an after-
the region. and German foreign minis- noon event for his reelec-
"There was an imminent ters as well as China's state tion campaign.q
Lawsuit: Pentagon withholding

info from veterans' advocates

By BEN FINLEY study those decisions in filed the lawsuit.
Associated Press hopes of building success- "These decisions are re-
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A ful arguments for their cli- dacted to protect privacy,"
veterans group said the ents. he added.
Pentagon has stopped re- The lawsuit comes at a time "You don't see the name of
leasing information that of growing recognition that the veteran who has PTSD
helps former service mem- a less-than-honorable dis- or other personal informa-
bers to contest less-than- charge can stem from be- tion."
honorable discharges from haviors brought on by post- Lisa Lawrence, a spokes-
the military. traumatic stress disorder woman for the Defense
The Defense Department or traumatic brain injuries. Department, said in an
has been breaking the law Liberal consideration is sup- email that the military is "re-
since April, according to posed to be given to vet- viewing the complaint and
a lawsuit filed Thursday in erans with combat-related will consult with the Depart-
federal court in Virginia by mental health conditions ment of Justice on an ap-
the National Veterans Le- and to those who were sex- propriate response to this
gal Services Program. ually assaulted while in the lawsuit."
The group says it lacks ac- military. Dana Montalto, a clinical
cess to decisions made by Lawyers and veterans' ad- instructor at Harvard Law
military review boards. The vocates "often look" at the School's Veterans Legal
boards grant or deny a vet- past decisions of military Clinic, backed up the law-
eran's request to upgrade review boards, said Bart suit's claim that discharge
a less-than-honorable dis- Stichman, executive direc- decisions have not been
charge. Veterans' lawyers tor of the organization that available. q