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WASHINGTON — Thousands of protesters carried signs that read “Indict Bush Now” and flag-draped cardboard coffins Saturday urging the immediate withdrawal of all troops sent into combat overseas. Protesters rallied at Lafayette Park across from the White House and then began marching through downtown seven years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Seven protesters, including activist Cindy Sheehan, were arrested after the rally. Stops on the march route include military contractor Halliburton, the Mortgage Bankers Association and The Washington Post offices. The protest — which calls for the immediate withdrawal of troops sent to fight in Iraq and Afghanistan — drew a smaller crowd than the tens of thousands who marched in 2006 and 2007. But organizers said many more people have become disenchanted with President Obama, who has pledged to withdraw troops from Iraq, because he ordered more troops into Afghanistan. Sheehan began shouting “arrest that war criminal” through a bullhorn and pointing to the White House from an area of sidewalk park police had closed off Saturday afternoon. The other six protesters were among a group of more than a dozen who had lain down on the sidewalk next to the row of cardboard coffins. Anna Berlinrut of South Orange, N.J., was one of a number of protesters who have children who have served in Iraq, and said her son supports her protests. “If there were a draft, we’d have a million people out here,” Berlinrut said when asked about the turnout. The exact number of protesters was unclear, as D.C. authorities do not give out crowd estimates. The protest at Lafayette Park was peaceful, although police closed a portion of the sidewalk in front of the White House fence after protesters tried to use mud and large stencils to spell out “Iraq veterans against the war.” Once the sidewalk was closed, the protesters stenciled the message on the street using mud they had carried in buckets to the rally. Sheehan was among the speakers at the rally and asked whether “the honeymoon was over with that war criminal in the White House” — an apparent reference to Obama — prompting moderate applause. Sheehan also encouraged protesters to join a tent camp near the Washington Monument, saying they need to do more than shake their fists at empty buildings. She pledged to erect the tents again after the National Park Service forced protesters to take down the tents Monday. Sheehan has been a vocal critic of the war since April 2004, when her son Casey was killed in Iraq . She staged a prolonged demonstration in 2005 outside former President George W. Bush’s ranch near Crawford, Texas. Former U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark also spoke, calling on the Justice Department to investigate the officials who launched the Iraq war. Later, activist and former U.S. presidential contender Ralph Nader said there has been no real difference in American foreign policy since Obama’s election. “He’s kept Guantanamo open, he’s continued to use indefinite detention, he refuses to pay for the war,” Nader said. In New York City, there were far fewer protesters at a similar rally. A few dozen enthusiastic protesters gathered near a military recruiting station in Times Square, although they were far outnumbered by uninterested tourists. A group of older women calling themselves the Raging Grannies sang, “The country is broke, this war is a joke.” Four demonstrators evoked images of the U.S. detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by dressing in orange uniforms and wearing black hoods. Liz Proefriedt, a retired Roman Catholic nun, held up a banner that read, “Bread not bombs.” “It’s sad that a lot of people did not come out for this protest,” said Kathy Hoang of Manchester, Conn. “People are getting used to the war, and don’t bother even to think about it anymore.” ——— Associated Press writer Verena Dobnik contributed to this report from New York.

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MARJAH, Afghanistan — Explosions rumble through this former Taliban stronghold three or four times a day — an ominous sign that the insurgents have not given up despite losing control of this town to U.S. and Afghan forces about two weeks ago. This week, Lt. Gen. Michael L. Oates, the U.S. general in charge of a Pentagon program to combat roadside bombs, told a congressional committee that the number of homemade explosives in Afghanistan had nearly doubled in the last year and “the number of casualties has reflected that.” The disturbing trend is starkly clear here in Marjah, which had been the biggest community under Taliban control in the south until a major military operation was launched last month to push out the insurgents. Taliban fighters scattered but have not abandoned the fight — and they are using homemade bombs as their weapon of choice. New bombs are planted every night, even though Marines say they find and render safe more of them than explode. The bombs are often placed in spots where the Marines stopped on patrol the day before, or into holes from previous explosions so the upturned earth doesn’t look suspicious. Since U.S. and Afghan forces seized control of Marjah about two weeks ago, they have been working to build up trust in the community. They hope the strategy will pay off with more and more tips about where the Taliban have planted IEDs. But the process is slow. Lt. Col. Calvert Worth, commander of the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, said his troops found or hit more than 120 homemade bombs in their first 30 days in Marjah. “We’ve found most of them, we’ve hit some of them and we’ve taken some casualties,” he said, adding that his battalion had suffered no fatalities from the bombs. Still, coping with the daily blasts and hunting for bombs takes up time that could be send helping set up a local Afghan administration, which NATO considers essential to keeping Marjah from sliding back under insurgent control. Whenever the Marines meet with Marjah residents, they make the point that the Taliban bombs pose a threat to Afghan civilians in the town too. “It’s not really stopping us because we’re still going out and talking with the people,” said Capt. Carl Havens, commander of Alpha Company, whose unit has had three vehicles hit by bombs in the last week. “We talk about how the Taliban don’t care about you or us.” Nevertheless, the fact that militants can still plant a significant number of explosives serves as a reminder that the Taliban are still around, making it harder to convince Afghan civilians that the insurgents will never return to power here. As the Marines improve their bomb-detection skills, the insurgents have begun to adapt to Marine tactics. Units have found decoy bombs planted in the middle of the road. That forces Marines out of their vehicles to make sure the bombs are fake. Real bombs are planted along the roadsides in hopes that some of the Marines may step on them, according to Capt. Michael Woodie, intelligence officer for Alpha Company. At least one bomb was floated down a canal. Someone detonated it remotely, likely by cell phone, when it got close to a military vehicle. “There’s a lot of eyes and ears watching,” Woodie said. “On patrols, there’s guys ‘turkey-peeking’ on top of roofs. Sometimes you see a guy pointing and counting. They’re watching what we do when we find IEDs.” On Thursday, two Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected vehicles struck bombs within a couple of hours. No one was seriously wounded because the hulls are so strong. But the vehicles were damaged and need to be replaced. “They’ll just expect us to do the same with less,” said Lt. Shawn Miller, the executive officer of Alpha Company. Soon after he spoke, a bomb exploded on a vehicle belonging to another rifle company. With the Americans using more heavily armored vehicles, the Taliban are increasingly planting smaller bombs to target foot patrols. In one attack this week, a bomb filled with shrapnel exploded near a patrol, wounding several Marines. Then snipers started shooting at the Marines, Havens said. The Marines gave chase and killed the man they believe was the shooter, he said. The hit-and-run bomb attacks show that the Taliban have limited types of weaponry and resort to more indirect, low-risk attacks, Worth said. “The IEDs are cheap, easy to make, and that’s why they use them,” he said. He said he’s encouraged because more and more Marjah residents are tipping off international forces to the location of bombs, and he hopes this will soon lead to tips on bomb-makers’ hideouts. “That’s when we’ll really know, when we start being handed some of these folks on a platter: ‘He’s here; they’re making the materials right now if you get to this spot,’ ” Worth said. “That’s really where we want to get to. We’re not there yet in Marjah.”

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LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas — A retired master sergeant who lost her hand nine years ago when a package bomb exploded here is the first woman in the U.S. to receive a hand transplant. Now she believes her surgery, the first hand transplant performed at a Defense Department hospital — Wilford Hall Medical Center here — will give hope to service members who have lost limbs in Iraq and Afghanistan. Retired Master Sgt. Janet McWilliams, 59, cradled her bandaged left hand March 3 as military and civilian doctors declared her surgery a success. “Two weeks ago I received a gift, a hand,” McWilliams told reporters. “Hopefully this will provide hope for [wounded service members] as well as receiving something back that is priceless, and that is our dignity.” Doctors said the ground-breaking procedure, performed here, could pave the way for future hand transplants for wounded service members. “This is an exciting day and … this is a tremendous opportunity,” said Army Col. Dr. James Ficke, chairman of the Wilford Hall and Brooke Army Medical Center integrated departments of orthopedics and rehabilitation. Almost 1,000 troops wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan have undergone major extremity amputations, and about 50 of them could qualify for a hand transplant, said Ficke, who also is the orthopedic surgery consultant to the Army surgeon general. McWilliams’ surgery signals great potential for other service members, but “what really happens in the future, time will tell,” Ficke said. “This is an additional choice for patients.” McWilliams has undergone 29 surgeries since July 31, 2001, the day she noticed a package on her desk at Lackland. At the time, McWilliams was a first sergeant for the 342nd Training Squadron. As soon as she opened the package, it exploded, severing her left hand and fingers from her right. The explosion also tore into her torso, damaged her right eye, blew out her eardrums and left powder burns all over her body. A former airman assigned to McWilliams’ old training squadron, the 344th, sent the bomb because he was angry that he had been medically discharged from the Air Force. McWilliams had recommended a mental health evaluation for Brandon Walters, who was convicted of sending the bomb and sentenced to more than 90 years in prison. As McWilliams recovered, she tried various prosthetics, but none seemed to work or fit right. “I used all different types of devices to make my quality of life as good as it can be, but in the back of my mind I always wanted a hand, and this wonderful [donor] family gave me that gift,” she said. In August 2009, McWilliams was put on the waiting list for a donor hand, said Maj. (Dr.) Dmitry Tuder, the lead surgeon on the transplant surgical team. The search for a donor hand is complicated by factors such as skin color, race, gender and blood type, said Dr. Joe Nespral, director of clinical services for the Texas Organ Sharing Alliance. On Feb. 16, a match was found, and McWilliams was in surgery the next day. Since the surgery, McWilliams has healthy blood flow to her new hand and she already has some feeling in her thumb and fingers, Tuder said. He estimates she will gain feeling in the hand in about six months and in about a year will have recovered enough feeling and function to complete daily tasks. She also faces months of vigorous occupational therapy and will rely on immunosuppressive medications for the rest of her life. “I’m prepared for the next six months or years,” said McWilliams, who wore a blue robe with her rank and her former squadron patches. “ ‘No’ is not part of my vocabulary. This beautiful new hand will certainly become a part of my body.” McWilliams also thanked the donor family for their generosity despite their deep loss. “At night, in the quiet, I marvel, I absolutely marvel at what has happened here,” she said. “And at the same token, I think of the family.”

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RAPID CITY, S.D. — Rapid City’s police chief said in a report released Friday that he regrets his department’s outing of a lesbian Air Force staff sergeant led to her military discharge, but that his officers followed department protocol. Chief Steve Allender said the Rapid City Police Department will review policies on sharing information with other agencies and meet with members of the gay and lesbian community in the wake of Jene Newsome’s honorable discharge under the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. “I trust through discussion and cooperation we can enjoy a mutual goal of healing and understanding,” Allender wrote in the report. The January discharge came after Rapid City officers saw an Iowa marriage certificate in her home and told officials at the nearby Ellsworth Air Force Base. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a complaint with the department claiming the officers violated Newsome’s privacy. Rapid City police have said Newsome, an aircraft armament system craftsman who spent nine years in the Air Force, was not cooperative when officers showed up at her home in November with an arrest warrant for her wife, who was wanted on theft charges in Fairbanks, Alaska. Police officers spotted the marriage license on the kitchen table through a window and alerted the base. Allender said the license was relevant to the investigation because it showed both the relationship and residency of the two women. While Allender said the officers acted appropriately under department policy because Newsome was suspected of harboring a fugitive, he added there’s is no way of knowing for sure whether the officers did so with ill intent. “There have been public accusations that the detective released the information regarding sexual orientation out of vengeance or for punitive effect,” Allender wrote. “I cannot know what is in the hearts of people or what truly motivates them, but I am very concerned with how emotions, prejudices, political or religious views may affect the decisions made by not only our officers, but all people in government positions.” ACLU South Dakota executive director Robert Doody said the police chief’s report clearly shows that his department turned over the information contained in the marriage certificate knowing it would lead to Newsome’s dismissal under “don’t ask, don’t tell.” The detective “had an idea it would be detrimental to [Newsome’s] career,” Doody said. Earlier Friday, Doody e-mailed a letter to Rapid City Mayor Alan Hanks asking for unspecified monetary damages to compensate Newsome for her military career. It also sought an apology, a written reprimand for the officers involved in her outing and a police policy stating the department will not seek to out military members. Doody told The Associated Press the exact amount of the compensation was being calculated, but estimated it at roughly $800,000. A message left late Friday with Hanks’ office was not immediately returned. Newsome’s discharge has highlighted concerns over the ability of third parties to out service members, especially as the Pentagon has started reviewing “don’t ask, don’t tell.” Newsome has since moved to the Fairbanks area. Related reading — Police owe apology to outed airman, ACLU says — Ex-staff sgt. says police told AF she was gay

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VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — The Navy says a SEAL from Virginia Beach has been killed in a battle with militants in Afghanistan. A statement issued Friday by the Navy said Chief Special Warfare Operator Adam Lee Brown died Thursday. The 36-year-old native of Hot Springs, Ark., enlisted in the Navy in 1998 and joined the SEALs in 2001. He was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He is survived by his wife, two children and his parents.

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EADS North America is ready to bid for the Air Force’s tanker contract as a prime contractor without an American defense giant as a partner, sources said. The company has concluded its past performance as a defense contractor will meet with a positive reception from the Pentagon. EADS spokesman Guy Hicks said the company has not yet decided to bid for the tanker award. “DoD has welcomed our participation in the tanker competition,” Hicks said. “EADS North America has demonstrated its ability to be a prime contractor and we feel a deep sense of responsibility and commitment to the U.S. warfighter, to the taxpayer and the communities where we do business in the United States. We have the most capable system. We have never lost to Boeing in a tanker competition.” According to sources, EADS had been in talks with a number of major U.S. defense contractors as a partner in the upcoming competition. The decision comes two weeks after EADS’ partner on the last tanker competition, Northrop Grumman, decided against bidding for the new contract, accusing the Pentagon of crafting a request that favors the smaller aircraft that Boeing is going to offer. Early Friday, EADS said it would consider bidding for the tanker contract after the Pentagon suggested it would give the company more time to submit a proposal. In a statement, EADS officials said they are “assessing this new situation to determine if the company can feasibly submit a responsive proposal to the Department’s request for proposal.” EADS officials called the likely extension a “positive sign that the DoD seeks competition.” But EADS officials want more than additional time to put together a bid and, perhaps, find a new American partner to replace Northrop Grumman. The Pentagon’s extension “does not address EADS’ underlying concerns that the RfP clearly favors a smaller, less capable aircraft, and that the additional combat capability offered by our system may not be fully valued,” according to the company’s statement. “An important prerequisite for our consideration of entry into this competition will be a significant extension to the period within which to prepare and submit a proposal,” the statement said. “EADS welcomes the DoD’s recent statement which indicated a willingness to extend the timeframe. Though this is essential, it is only one factor in making a decision for EADS to compete. In the end, the company will only submit a proposal if there is a fair chance to win, after evaluating all relevant factors.” If EADS, the parent company of jet-maker Airbus, decides against bidding, the only competitor for the multibillion dollar tanker award would be Boeing. The Chicago-based company has already announced it will pursue the contract with a modified version of its 767. ——— Staff writer John T. Bennett contributed to this report.

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FORT WORTH, Texas — Former congressman and ex-Army Secretary Pete Geren will return to his native Fort Worth to lead the Sid W. Richardson Foundation. The foundation on Thursday announced the 58-year-old attorney will become the group's senior adviser and president-elect. Wildcatter Richardson used his fortune to create the foundation to do good works in Texas. Geren will follow Valleau Wilkie Jr., who retires in 2011 after heading the foundation since 1973. Wilkie is 86. Geren's stint as Army secretary ended last year. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Friday that Geren will earn about $350,000 as foundation president, nearly twice as much as his salary at the Pentagon.

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SANTA FE, N.M. — Military personnel in New Mexico will be able to buy a general hunting and fishing license at a discount under a new state law. The license will cost $28 rather than the $59 charged for most residents of New Mexico. The license is good for hunting deer, squirrel, game birds and for fishing. License buyers also must pay $3 for a big game depredation stamp. There are about 7,000 military personnel in New Mexico, according to the state Department of Veterans' Services. Rep. Rodolpho “Rudy” Martinez, a Bayard Democrat, sponsored the license legislation. The measure passed in the Legislature's 30-day session and Gov. Bill Richardson signed it into law this month. The new law takes effect May 19.

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UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. peacekeeping chief said Thursday it’s time for the international community to take “concrete steps” to allow Afghans to take charge of their future — and to ensure that “Afghanization” becomes more than a slogan. Alain Le Roy told the Security Council that the Afghan government is “legitimately eager” to lead and the international community risks failure in its goals for the country if this doesn’t happen. He said Afghan “ownership” must take place on both the military and civilian side, with the international community in support. Afghanistan’s U.N. ambassador, Zahir Tanin, told the council the government has taken up the leadership challenge and in the coming year its priority will be “Afghanization,” with Afghans and Afghan priorities taking the lead in every area. “We face a busy calendar that will test our strength and resolve but, with the support of the international community, it can also set us firmly on the path towards success,” he said. Le Roy was briefing the council on Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s latest report which noted the “crowded agenda” in the next three months. Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called a peace “jirga” or conference on reconciliation in April. Kabul is hosting its first major international conference in June, which Le Roy said will mark “the concrete and systematic beginning” of Afghanization to present its priorities and programs in civilian areas in hopes of attracting funding. Preparations for parliamentary elections in September must begin, and the military surge is continuing. Ban said these events “could form the structure of a transition to greater Afghan leadership” or take away “political energy” from the government and international community’s priorities. “The focus of this transition is on making Afghan sovereignty real,” the secretary-general said. “There is no sovereignty without capacity and responsibility, and the purpose of the transition is to ensure that the government of Afghanistan has both sufficient capacity and sufficient responsibility to exercise actual sovereignty.” Ban warned that if the international community bypasses the government the transition could be undermined, and he called for “a new mindset that shows greater respect for Afghans’ own understanding of their country.” At the same time, Le Roy said, “the Afghan government must concretely demonstrate that it can deliver on the accountability required for a real transition process to be sustainable.” Tanin said the first step is to reverse the Taliban’s momentum and improve security across the country, and he predicted that the new strategy of the top commander in Afghanistan, U.S. Gen. Stanley McChrystal, “will begin to turn the tide.” At the same time, he said, the Afghan army and police, with intensive international training, will gradually replace international forces beginning “as soon as possible.” “And with the help of the international community, Afghans will bear full responsibility in five years,” Tanin said. He stressed that reconciliation and the electoral process “must be Afghan-led and guided by Afghan priorities.” Last month, Karzai signed a decree allowing him to appoint all five members of the Electoral Complaints Commission. The body previously had three U.N. appointees and the decree was criticized as a bid for control of the commission, which stripped Karzai of nearly one-third of his votes in last year’s presidential election. Karzai was declared the victor after his challenger dropped out of a runoff. Earlier this month, Karzai reversed the decision and allowed two foreigners on the commission. Le Roy said that “if transition to Afghan responsibility is to be reflected in this electoral process” in September, both electoral bodies must perform their duties “effectively, impartially, and with the confidence of all Afghan stakeholders.” U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice said the U.S. remains concerned about Karzai’s decree and echoed Le Roy saying members of the Complaints Commission should conduct their activities “in an impartial and independent manner.”

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HONOLULU — The guided missile cruiser Chosin is due to return to Pearl Harbor from a deployment to the Western Pacific and the Middle East. The ship and its 340 enlisted sailors and 35 officers are scheduled to return Thursday. Chosin served as the air defense commander for an aircraft carrier strike group operating off Afghanistan during the deployment. It supported more than 2,600 combat sorties into Afghanistan. The cruiser also supported anti-piracy operations in the Horn of Africa.

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Chosin on its way back to Pearl Harbor