NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – New York police amassed a display of force on Friday including checkpoints that snarled traffic in response to intelligence about a car or truck bomb plot linked to the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Officers armed with automatic weapons were stationed at city landmarks including Wall Street, Times Square and the September 11 memorial site where the Twin Towers once stood.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – When it comes to the tricky political calculus of deciding how many U.S. troops to keep in Iraq, President Barack Obama may truly have no good options.

Obama was an Iraq war opponent who repeatedly promised no U.S. troops will remain in the country beyond 2011, the deadline for the U.S. withdrawal under a bilateral pact.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – While U.S. authorities are hunting two or three suspects behind a possible 9/11 anniversary attack threat, intelligence agencies are in the dark about the suspects’ identities, officials said on Friday.

On Thursday, federal and New York City authorities disclosed that the U.S. had received specific and credible but uncorroborated intelligence indicating two or three individuals may have entered the U.S. as part of a possible plot to attack Washington or New York on the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

WASHINGTON, Sept 9 (Reuters) – New York police will mount a major counterterrorism operation during Friday’s evening rush hour as U.S. officials rush to check credible, but unconfirmed intelligence about a 9/11 anniversary plot, a senior law enforcement official told Reuters.

The operation will involve a “big show of force” which will include officers armed with heavy weapons patrolling subways and stepped up security and bag checks at major subway and commuter train stations, including Grand Central and Pennsylvania station terminals, the official said. Law enforcement agencies in neighboring states were also involved.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Thursday ordered a redoubling of U.S. counter-terrorism efforts in the face of a “credible but unconfirmed” threat ahead of the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

U.S. officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the threat involved Washington D.C. and New York City, which were targeted in al Qaeda attacks a decade ago this Sunday that killed nearly 3,000 people.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama on Thursday ordered a redoubling of U.S. counter-terrorism efforts in the face of a “credible but unconfirmed” threat ahead of the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks.

U.S. officials, speaking to Reuters on condition of anonymity, said the threat involved Washington D.C. and New York City — the sites involved in the al Qaeda attacks a decade ago this Sunday that killed nearly 3,000 people.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Newly retired General David Petraeus is well aware that his swearing-in as the next director of the CIA, expected on Tuesday, might stoke concerns about the “militarization” of the U.S. spy agency.

It was one of the reasons the storied battlefield commander hung up his uniform last week after a 37-year career in the Army. It may also be why he appears so intent on fulfilling a pledge to leave his military entourage — “braintrusts” as he calls them — behind when he arrives at the CIA’s Langley, Virginia, compound.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Newly retired General David Petraeus is well aware that his swearing-in as the next director of the CIA, expected on Tuesday, might stoke concerns about the “militarization” of the U.S. spy agency.

It was one of the reasons the storied battlefield commander hung up his uniform last week after a 37-year career in the Army. It may also be why he appears so intent on fulfilling a pledge to leave his military entourage — “braintrusts” as he calls them — behind when he arrives at the CIA’s Langley, Virginia, compound.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States on Thursday distanced itself from efforts to hunt down Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, saying neither U.S. assets nor NATO forces were targeting the fugitive strongman.

Comments by Pentagon and State Department officials highlighted Washington’s sensitivity toward any perceived shift in NATO’s military mission in Libya toward direct involvement in regime change.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – China appears on track to forge a modern military by 2020, a rapid buildup that could be potentially destabilizing to the Asia-Pacific region, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.

Fueled by its booming economy, China’s military growth in the past decade has exceeded most U.S. forecasts. Its aircraft carrier program, cyber warfare capabilities and anti-satellite missiles have alarmed neighbors and Washington.