David Zucchino | The Seattle Times

December 26, 2019 at 9:31 am

A Country Where Driving Makes You a Target

KABUL, Afghanistan — After Shir Mohammad Panjshiri shoveled a final spadeful of dirt onto his brother’s grave, he left the cemetery burdened with questions. His...

November 19, 2019 at 11:40 am

Two Western hostages are freed in Afghanistan in deal with Taliban

The Westerners were released to U.S. forces by the Taliban, and included an American, Kevin C. King, 63, and an Australian, Timothy J. Weeks, 50,...

Nation & World

Iraqi soldiers in Mosul move into position before storming the Grand Mosque in the Al Thaqafa neighborhood of eastern Mosul, Jan. 17, 2017. President Donald TrumpÕs order banning Iraqis from entering the U.S. came in the midst of the Iraqi ArmyÕs fight for the city of Mosul. ÒThis decision by Trump blows up our liberation efforts of cooperation and coordination with American forces,Ó one Iraqi officer said. (Ivor Prickett/The New York Times)

February 3, 2017 at 4:43 pm

Trump travel ban a shock to Iraqis battling for Mosul

Iraqi officers and enlisted men fighting the Islamic State group on the front lines in Mosul said they interpreted the travel ban as an affront,...

Nation & World

NO SALES – MAGS OUT –
Maj. Brian Wortinger, forth from left, and the commander of the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Brigade of the Iraqi National Police, Col. Ayad Hamid Bahar Al-Utaibi, third from left, on the roof of the battalion’s new headquarters in a former embassy building in Baghdad’s central Karada district, May 2, 2009. An Iraqi interpreter, right, was asked by Wortinger to take some pictures of the compound for assessment. Iraq’s security forces, despite significant improvements, remain hobbled by shortages of men and equipment, by bureaucracy, corruption, political interference and security breaches that have resulted in the deaths of dozens of Iraqi and American troops already this year, according to officials from both countries. (Christoph Bangert/The New York Times) – MAGS OUT/NO SALES –

February 2, 2017 at 7:44 pm

Visa ban amended for Iraqi interpreters

The change, recommended by the Pentagon, eased some of the anger generated in Iraq by Trump’s executive order imposing the ban.

Nation & World

The Peachoid, erected in 1981, looms over Interstate 85 in Gaffney, S.C., between Charlotte, N.C. and Atlanta. Peachoid lovers feared the iconic water tower was being torn down when it was stripped and sandblasted as part of a makeover that included a completely new paint job, which is almost complete. (David Zucchino/Los Angeles Times/TNS)

June 7, 2015 at 9:57 pm

Panic over: South Carolina town’s Peachoid tower is just getting a face-lift

The Peachoid has been a startling roadside attraction along I-85 between Charlotte, N.C., and Atlanta. But after the tower starred in a 2013 episode of...

Nation & World

May 31, 2015 at 4:50 pm

Navy’s first openly gay SEAL rebuilding his life in Bible Belt

The first openly gay SEAL has built a new life here at age 41 with a family that has replaced the two families he lost...

Nation & World

May 2, 2015 at 1:37 pm

Bowe Bergdahl desertion case: an ‘embarrassment’ for Army

The Army has routinely allowed soldiers to plead guilty to lesser charges in administrative actions that allow them to avoid prison time in return for...

Nation & World

April 11, 2015 at 2:55 pm

North Charlestown officers say they aided shooting victim

In the three-minute video made public, police officers walk around the scene, pull up Walter Scott’s shirt and briefly check his pulse.

Nation & World

February 4, 2015 at 10:06 pm

Muslim-American groups slam Pentagon essay contest honoring late Saudi king

Some Muslim-American groups opposed to the Saudi monarchy have complained, saying the concept is deeply offensive.

News

August 14, 2014 at 9:15 pm

Marine in urination video found dead in North Carolina home

DURHAM, N.C. — Former Marine sniper Robert Richards, a central figure in a 2012 video scandal involving Marines urinating on the corpses of Afghan insurgents,...

Nation & World