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Kristina Wong

kwong@washingtontimes.com

Kristina Wong was a national security reporter for The Washington Times.

Articles by Kristina Wong

**FILE ** U.S. military vehicles in Kuwait being returned to the U.S. (Army photograph)

Army overwhelmed by massive lots of waiting vehicles

Imagine a parking lot as large as 100 football fields and filled with nearly every type, make and model of U.S. military vehicle, covered in dust and dirt and baking under a desert sun in Kuwait. Your job: Find one specific vehicle, read its serial number and catalog it for transport back to the United States.

March 26, 2012
Marine Gen. John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, tells the House Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill on March 20, 2012, that efforts to hand over security to the Afghans and wind down the decade-plus war are on track despite recent anger over a U.S. soldier's alleged massacre of Afghan civilians and the burning of Korans. (Associated Press)

Allen: Corruption, safe havens block Afghan success

The top allied commander in Afghanistan said Thursday that the two biggest obstacles to success in Afghanistan are corruption in the Afghan government and militant safe havens in Pakistan.

March 22, 2012
Followers of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr chant anti-Iraqi government slogans and wave Iraqi flags during a protest March 19, 2012, in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 550 kilometers (340 miles) southeast of Baghdad. Followers of the anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, seen on the poster, are demanding better living conditions in Iraq on the ninth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion of their country. (Associated Press)

U.S. red tape delaying visas for Iraqi allies

Thousands of Iraqis, including many who served as interpreters and contractors for the U.S., are caught in bureaucratic delays as they await visas or refugee status to come to the U.S., according to regional experts, who say the lives of some are in danger.

March 19, 2012
In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Iranian aid supplies are seen unloaded from a plane at a Damascus airport in Syria on March 15, 2012. The Arabic words on the Iranian flags which attached on the boxes read: "Tribute of love and loyalty from the people of Iran to the dear Syrian people, left, and A gift from Islamic Iran to lofty Syria, right." (Associated Press/SANA)

U.S. talking to Iraq about Iranian arms flights to Syria

The State Department has said the U.S. and other countries are consulting with Iraq about Iranian flights of weapons to Syria after Iraq's prime minister denied a report in The Washington Times saying Baghdad is allowing such flights.

March 16, 2012
In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Iranian aid supplies are seen unloaded from a plane at a Damascus airport in Syria on March 15, 2012. (Associated Press/SANA)

Iraq’s premier denies Iranian arms flown to Syria

Iraq's prime minister said Friday that his government does not allow Iran to fly weapons into Syria, denying a report in The Washington Times saying Baghdad has refused U.S. requests to stop the flights.

March 16, 2012
**FILE** Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (center) speaks at a ceremony marking Police Day at the police academy in Baghdad on Jan. 9, 2012. (Associated Press)

Iraq lets Iran fly arms to Syria despite U.S. protests

The Iraqi government has refused U.S. requests to stop Iranian cargo flights to Syria, despite being aware of credible intelligence that the planes are transporting up to 30 tons of weapons, according to a U.S. official.

March 15, 2012

Somali piracy on the rise

Ransom payments to Somali pirates have contributed to an increase in piracy and the use of more sophisticated methods by seafaring marauders, according to the State Department's top expert on counter-piracy.

March 13, 2012
** FILE ** Afghans demonstrate outside Bagram Air Field, north of Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2012, to protest the improper disposal and burning of Korans and other Islamic religious materials at the U.S. base. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)

Koran-burning probe clears troops of malicious intent

The Pentagon said Tuesday that a joint NATO-Afghan investigation into the burning of Korans at Bagram Air Field found that the "disposal process" of the holy books was improper but was not a malicious act intended to show disrespect for Afghans or Islam.

March 13, 2012
An Afghan policeman stands guard as a partner searches a taxi passenger at a police checkpoint after Sunday's killing of civilians allegedly by a U.S. soldier in Kandahar province, south of Kabul. An Afghan youth recounted Monday a terrifying scene in his home as a lone gunman moved stealthily through it on a killing spree. (Associated Press)

Afghans demand swift trial in civilian killings

Afghans on Monday demanded a swift trial and punishment for the U.S. soldier accused of killing 16 civilians, including women and children, while the Taliban vowed to avenge the killings.

March 12, 2012
Protesters stand March 6, 2012, on a crossed picture of Syrian President Bashar Assad during a rally against his regime in front of the Syrian embassy in Belgrade, Serbia. (Associated Press)

U.S. prepares basic plans to attack Syria

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the first time Wednesday revealed that the United States is preparing basic plans to attack Syria to stop President Bashar Assad from killing unarmed protesters against the government.

March 7, 2012
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta speaks March 6, 2012, before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in Washington. (Associated Press)

Panetta warns Iran of ‘severe’ consequences

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Tuesday that the Iranians will face "severe and growing consequences" if they do not meet their international obligations and rejoin the community of nations.

March 6, 2012

Smith hits GOP plan to curb defense budget cuts

The senior Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee said he would not back legislation by his Republican colleagues that seeks to undo defense spending cuts under sequestration for one year.

March 1, 2012
The AHH-60 Pave Hawk is used by the Air Force to insert special operations forces and rescue downed airmen. Mission demands on the forces are increasing at a time of budget constraints, causing some in the military to express concern. (The Washington Times)

Special operations forces to do more with less

The Obama administration's increasing reliance on special operations forces with a stagnant budget has sparked concern among the elite units that they will be asked to do too much with too little.

February 28, 2012