Jason Lilley was a special operations forces Marine Raider who fought in multiple battles in Iraq and Afghanistan during America's longest war reut.rs/3xYUMcQ 1/6
As Lilley reflects on Joe Biden's decision to end America's military mission in Afghanistan on Aug. 31, he expresses love for his country but disgust at its politicians and dismay at the blood and money squandered reut.rs/3isOag5 2/6
'A hundred percent we lost the war,' Lilley says.
Comrades were killed and maimed in wars he says were unwinnable, making him rethink his country and his life 3/6
Biden says that the Afghan people must decide their own future and that America should not have to sacrifice another generation in an unwinnable war reut.rs/2VR6uI3 4/6
'Was it worth it? It's a big ass question,' said Lilley, who was on the front lines of America's Global War on Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan for almost 16 years 5/6
He said he deployed believing troops were there to defeat the enemy, stimulate the economy and uplift Afghanistan as a whole.
Israel intensified its bombardment of Rafah in Gaza's south and over a dozen members of one family were killed in an air strike, residents said, as the ruined Palestinian enclave's health ministry announced 29,313 deaths in the war so far 1/6 reut.rs/3wrVZgR
In Jerusalem, Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz cited 'promising early signs of progress' on a new deal to release hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza amid talks conducted by the United States, Egypt and Qatar to secure a pause in the war 2/6
The Israeli army said it had stepped up operations in Khan Younis, a city just north of Rafah. It made no mention of attacks on Rafah itself in its daily summary of events in Gaza and did not immediately respond to a request for comment 3/6
View of Buckingham Palace following King Charles' cancer diagnosis reut.rs/486lbGw
King Charles has been diagnosed with a form of cancer and will postpone public engagements to undergo treatment, Buckingham Palace said, but added he remained ‘wholly positive’ about the scare less than 18 months into his reign
Israeli shelling killed 14 Palestinians in Khan Younis in a southern coastal area of the Gaza Strip packed with people who had fled attacks in other parts of the enclave, Gaza health ministry officials said 1/8 reut.rs/48luYtg
The dead included nine children, an official told @Reuters.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the attack although it had separately reported fighting and air strikes against Hamas militants in the Khan Younis area 2/8
Gaza residents also said Israeli planes and tanks bombarded three refugee camps in the center of the shattered enclave in heavier attacks than in previous days 3/8
After a school shooting in Tennessee, they recorded the frustrations of parents and state legislators whose cries for gun control were silenced 1/8 reut.rs/41DFBFj
In one photo, it’s almost possible to hear Representative Justin Pearson’s measured tones as he stands in prayer with one hand raised at the Capitol following a legislative session that failed to change any gun laws 2/8
In March, a former student at the Covenant School in Nashville killed three children and three staff members. Pearson and fellow Representative Justin Jones, both Black Democrats, were briefly expelled for leading a gun control protest on the House of Representatives floor 3/8
Elon Musk threatened to sue media watchdog Media Matters and those who attacked his social media platform X, following moves by several large US companies to halt advertising on the site after being promoted alongside antisemitic content 1/5 reut.rs/40JDEqD
Musk and X have been under a microscope all week for antisemitic and racist content that has proliferated on the site since he purchased it in 2022 2/5
Liberal watchdog group Media Matters for America said earlier this week that it found ads from IBM, Apple and others were placed alongside content promoting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party 3/5
Muslim Americans and some Democratic Party activists say they will work to mobilize millions of Muslim voters to withhold donations and votes towards President Joe Biden's 2024 reelection unless he takes immediate steps to secure a Gaza ceasefire 1/5 reut.rs/3tOrTTc
The National Muslim Democratic Council, which includes Democratic Party leaders from hotly contested states likely to decide the election, such as Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania, called on Biden to use his influence with Israel to broker a ceasefire by 5 p.m. ET (2100 GMT) 2/5
In an open letter entitled '2023 Ceasefire Ultimatum,' the Muslim leaders pledged to mobilize Muslim voters to 'withhold endorsement, support, or votes for any candidate who endorses the Israeli offensive against the Palestinian people' 3/5