Capt. Moises A. Navas, 34, of Germantown, Md. (left) and Gunnery Sgt. Diego D. Pongo, 34, of Simi Valley, Calif. (right). US Marine Corps Photo
The Pentagon identified two North Carolina-based Marine Raiders who were killed in Iraq on Sunday as part of the ongoing campaign against ISIS, the Defense Department announced on Tuesday. Read More
U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to the 3rd Cavalry Regiment watch an illumination round in the distance that was fired from their M777 Howitzer for an indirect fire mission in Southwest Asia on Dec. 2, 2018. US Army Photo
The U.S.- led military coalition needs to keep military pressure on the Islamic State even after the American withdrawal from Syria. And the U.S. needs to be prepared to still provide $4 billion yearly to Kabul after a troop drawdown in Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command commander Army Gen. Joseph Votel told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday. Read More
Gen. Joseph Votel, U. S. Central Command commander, speaks at a commander’s call at an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, Feb. 23, 2017. US Air Force Photo
Despite better cooperation between the Pakistani and Afghan military in taking on the Taliban and its allies, Islamabad needs to press the Taliban harder to come to the negotiating table, the commander of U.S. Central Command said on Thursday. Read More
The following is the unclassified version of the 2018 Worldwide Threat Assesment of the U.S. Intelligence Community issued this week. Read More
The following is the Feb. 21, 2017 Congressional Research Service report, A New Authorization for Use of Military Force Against the Islamic State. Read More
Soldiers of the personal security detachment for Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry Regiment, Task Force Redhorse, patrol the villages in the Bagram Security Zone in 2011. US Army Photo
President Barack Obama’s recent decision to leave 8,400 U.S. forces in Afghanistan through next year and NATO’s announcement over the weekend to support the United States with another 3,000 troops—as well as $1 billion in financial support— means the effort to secure a lasting peace in Afghanistan will enter its 16th year with U.S. forces still operating on the ground and in the air above Afghanistan. Two U.S. administrations have now pursued an elusive peace in this region of the world at a staggering cost in blood and treasure. Read More
Brookings Institution senior fellow Shadi Hamid discusses his new book, “Islamic Exceptionalism: How the Struggle Over Islam is Reshaping the World,” on June 9, 2016. Screenshot from Brookings video.
Brookings Institution senior fellow Shadi Hamid argues in a recently released book that modern political and military actions involving Islam and Islamic countries are complicated by a general misunderstanding of the religion – and in particular the intertwined nature of state and religion. Read More
ISIS forces in Iraq
It has been nearly three years since the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) captured Mosul and advanced rapidly through a number of major population centers in northern Iraq, triggering a major U.S.-led internationalization of the conflict between the jihadist group and the myriad opponents to its attempt to establish territorial supremacy in Iraq and Syria. Read More
Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Charles Keating IV, 31, of San Diego. US Navy Photo
The Navy SEAL killed earlier this month in a firefight with Islamic State in Iraq and Syria militants will be posthumously promoted to chief petty officer, the service announced Wednesday. Read More
Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Charles Keating IV, 31, of San Diego. US Navy Photo
This post has been updated with additional photos and a map of where the fighting occured.
THE PENTAGON – The Navy SEAL who was killed in a Tuesday firefight with Islamic State in Iraq and Syria militants was part of a quick reaction force sent in to assist a U.S. advise-and-assist team and Kurdish Peshmerga forces who were overwhelmed by a surprise ISIS offensive in Northern Iraq, an Operation Inherent Resolve spokesman told reporters on Wednesday. Read More
