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by Molly McCall
Wed, August 16, 2006, 3:00 am PDT

On January 7, 2006 in Baghdad, a journalist named Jill Carroll was abducted by Islamist insurgents. For 82 days, Jill lived, ate, and wept under the watch of her captors. When at last she was freed, the world seemed to release a jagged sigh of relief. Now, The Christian Science Monitor, the paper Jill was freelancing for when she was kidnapped, has launched an in-depth site that relates Jill's harrowing tale with all the tools available to the online storyteller. Jill has penned a gripping, and ongoing, account of her experience. Staff writer Peter Grier's description of what was happening simultaneously back in the U.S. intermingles with her report. Video, slideshows, and podcasts supplement the articles. Over time, Jill will give video answers to questions submitted from readers. And her story will continue to take shape. For that reason, we're happy to say again: Welcome home, Jill.

Filed under: Iraq, News, Media, Iraq War, Newspapers

by Molly McCall
Wed, May 10, 2006, 3:00 am PDT

This site from The Washington Post compiles news stories and military reports to assemble portraits of U.S. service members lost to the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The database, which was recently relaunched with newly browsable features and permalinks, offers both sweeping views of the operations' tolls and individual profiles of each soldier or Marine who has died. Browsing through, you can view current data on which state has lost the most men and women (California), which age has taken the brunt (21-year-olds), which year has proved the most deadly so far (2005), and which military branch has suffered the most fatalities (the Army). Click in to a profile, anywhere on the site, to read about the individuals behind those statistics. The accompanying In Their Own Words section shares the reflections of veterans who served in Iraq.

Filed under: Military, War, Iraq War

by Molly McCall
Mon, October 24, 2005, 3:00 am PDT

"In fighting the war on terror, how far should the United States be willing to go to protect itself?"

To answer that question, PBS "Frontline" ventures inside the cells of Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison and behind the wire fences of the U.S. detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. It traces the paper trail that led to a new interrogation policy for the U.S. military, and it makes other queries: Is torture ever justified? Who's to blame for Abu Ghraib? What do we know about the Guantanamo detainees? Legal experts, White House counsel, and military personnel all weigh in, among them Janis Karpinski, the most senior military official punished for the Abu Ghraib scandal; a former Army interrogator; and John Yoo, the principal author of the controversial Justice Department memos that disregarded much of the Geneva Convention.

by Renata Ewing
Sat, August 13, 2005, 3:00 am PDT

Oblivious to human conflict, birds go about the ancient patterns of their lives. Soldiers, however, can afford neither obliviousness nor ancient patterns, especially members of the United States military stationed in Iraq. "J," the blogger behind Birding Babylon, is both a U.S. soldier and a devoted observer of avian life. On his first day in Iraq, he was struck by the number of birds he saw -- and identified 26 species. Over the next 18 months, J managed to observe and identify many feathered friends. At times, his experience seems surreal; once, while fully armed and guarding his convoy, he couldn't help but notice a pair of crested larks nearby. Now that he's home, he hasn't given up his obsession, and continues to research and write about wildlife in Iraq. Perhaps, like J, we all could learn something from the birds.

Filed under: Iraq, Animals, Blogs, Military, Iraq War

Fri, April 15, 2005, 3:00 am PDT

It would be difficult to follow events in the Middle East these days and not be confronted with shocking pictures -- especially from Iraq. Distressing photographs now seem to be an inseparable part of modern warfare. Camera/Iraq delves into the "war of images" by scouring the Web for anything related to photography and the Iraq war. (The most extreme images aren't included directly on the site, although the squeamish viewer should proceed with caution.) In-depth features on Abu Ghraib, Nick Berg, and Saddam's Sons track the development of stories that dominated the press. Faked Photos collects instances where hoaxes or manipulated images were presented as truth (such as the California man who staged his own mock beheading). The site allows space for comments and links to analysis, but it doesn't preach; it simply endeavors to provide context for the next distressing picture we see on the nightly news.


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