Today's Headlines from Stars and Stripes

Stars and Stripes, the U.S. Military's Independent News Source: Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Top headlines from Stars and Stripes. See the rest of today's news at www.stripes.com Added troops expected to aid Kandahar fight With President Barack Obama poised to announce on Tuesday a surge of additional U.S. troops into Afghanistan, U.S. and Canadian forces stationed in the south of the country are anticipating reinforcements to help them secure the crucial city of Kandahar and turn the tide against rebels in this longtime Taliban stronghold. Obama to detail big troop increase in Afghanistan After months of debate, President Barack Obama will spell out a costly Afghanistan war expansion to a skeptical public Tuesday night, coupling an infusion of as many as 35,000 more troops with a vow that there will be no endless U.S. commitment. Afghan officials fear talk of exit strategy Afghan officials hope President Barack Obama's address on Afghanistan won't be weighted too heavily on an exit strategy — even though that's the message many Americans and Democrats in Congress want to hear. Lawyers: Ex-soldier should have had military trial A former U.S. Army soldier who raped a girl and killed her and three family members in Iraq challenged his convictions Monday, saying he was wrongly tried in a civilian court and should have faced a military trial. China gets rare ship tour: Japan shows off Aegis-equipped destroyer at Sasebo A visit here Monday by a Chinese defense ministry delegation put the communist country's top military officials unusually close to the U.S. Navy and its advanced Aegis weapons system technology. Soldier's mom sues over letter stamped 'deceased' A Minnesota woman is suing the federal government after a letter she mailed to her son in Iraq was returned with the word "deceased" stamped on the envelope, even though the soldier is alive. Greek tanker's crew fights off pirate attack in Arabian Sea Using flares and hoses, the crew of a Greek oil tanker fought off a pirate attack Tuesday in the Arabian Sea, two days after brigands seized a tanker bound for the United States with $20 million of crude oil. Strong yen puts strain on American shoppers in Japan As servicemembers purchase off-base holiday gifts at the worst exchange rates in 14 years, Japan's government took a step to rein in its strong currency Tuesday. Afghanistan surge faces skeptical public, lawmakers WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama's bold plan to push an additional 30,000 troops into Afghanistan but begin drawing down U.S. forces in summer 2011 contrasts sharply with the assessment of m... 9/11 families back Afghan surge, but some are wary Families of some of those killed in the Sept. 11 terror attacks welcome President Barack Obama's plan to deploy thousands more troops to Afghanistan as a long-overdue surge that could win the war.