The following is the Nov. 8, 2020, Congressional Research Service report, Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response. Read More
Tag Archives: ISIS
CENTCOM Nominee Kurilla: Iran Largest ‘Destabilizing Factor’ in Middle East
Lt. Gen. Michael Kurilla, commander of the XVIII Airborne Corps, gives a speech at the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) change of command on March 5, 2021. US Army Photo
Iran is “the number one destabilizing factor” in the 21-nation region covered by U.S. Central Command, the nominee to head the command testified Tuesday. Read More
U.S. Central Command Report on Fatal Afghanistan Airport Attack
The following is the U.S. Army Investigation into the attack that killed 13 American service members helping evacuate civilians via the Hamid Karzai International airport. The report, completed in October, was released by Central Command on Feb. 8. Read More
CENTCOM: Iran Wants Nuclear Agreement and To Retain Ballistic Missile Capability
Iran’s Khalij Fars single-stage ballistic missile
Iran “wants some type of agreement” over its nuclear program as a way to lift sanctions on the regime, but Tehran views its ballistic missile arsenal “as their crown jewels” not to be bargained away, the senior American commander in the Middle East said Thursday. Read More
One Explosive Device Responsible for Deaths of 13 U.S. Service Members in Kabul Attack, Pentagon Says
A Marine assigned to 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) provides over-watch during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 21, 2021. US Marine Corps Photo
One explosive device detonation caused the death of 13 U.S. troops in an attack during the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to U.S. Central Command officials.
Read More
Afghan Ambassador to U.S. Says Taliban Struggling to Govern a ‘Drastically’ Different Country
Evacuees load on to buses to be processed during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug. 22, 2021. US Marine Corps Photo
The Taliban is struggling to govern a drastically changed country in Afghanistan, the nation’s ambassador to the United States said Wednesday. Read More
CENTCOM: Keeping Bagram Airbase Was ‘Untenable’ Under White House Rules for Afghanistan Withdrawal
Gen. Kenneth McKenzie commander, U.S. Central Command, provides testimony at a House Armed Services Committee hearing on ending the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan, Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, D.C. on Sept. 29, 2021. DoD Photo
The sprawling size of the U.S. airbase at Bagram and its isolation from Kabul meant that keeping it under American control was “untenable under the situation” once President Joe Biden ordered all U.S. forces out of Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command’s top officer told a House panel Wednesday. Read More
Milley: Staying in Afghanistan Past Deadline Would Have Put U.S. Troops, Afghans in Danger
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, commander, United States Central Command appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the conclusion of military operations in Afghanistan and plans for future counterterrorism operations on Sept. 28, 2021. DoD Photo
If Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden had chosen to ignore the dates set for the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, it would have meant moving elements of the XVIII Airborne Corps into the land-locked country to hold Bagram Air Base and Kabul, and renewed fighting that would have endangered American forces, citizens and Afghans, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Congress today. Read More
7 U.S. Wounded Marines Remain at Walter Reed After Kabul Attack
A 9/11 ceremony at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Sept. 9, 2021. US Army Photo
Seven injured U.S. Marines remain at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., following the attack last month in Afghanistan that killed 13 service members, according to the Marine Corps. Read More
America Ends Military Ground Mission in Afghanistan After 20 Years; State Dept.-led Effort Tries To Evacuate Remaining U.S. Citizens, Allies
Army Maj. Gen. Chris Donahue, commander of the U.S. Army 82nd Airborne Division, XVIII Airborne Corps, boards a C-17 cargo plane at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on Aug 30, 2021.
The U.S. has completed the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan after 20 years of troops on the ground, with the last military transport plane departing the country at about 3:30 p.m. East Coast time, the commander of U.S. Central Command said on Monday. Read More
