Tag Archives: Islamic State in Iraq and Syria

Pentagon Identifies Marine Raiders Killed in Iraq

Pentagon Identifies Marine Raiders Killed in Iraq

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

Votel: U.S. Still Needs to Keep Pressure on ISIS After Syria Exit

Votel: U.S. Still Needs to Keep Pressure on ISIS After Syria Exit

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

Votel: U.S. Urging Pakistan to Help Bring Taliban to Negotiating Table

Votel: U.S. Urging Pakistan to Help Bring Taliban to Negotiating Table

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

Opinion: Winning the Protracted War Against Radical Islamic Terrorists

Opinion: Winning the Protracted War Against Radical Islamic Terrorists

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

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

Author: Islam's Mixing Of State And Religion Shapes Western Interaction With Middle East

Author: Islam’s Mixing Of State And Religion Shapes Western Interaction With Middle East

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.

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

Analysis: Defeating ISIS Remains Daunting Task

Analysis: Defeating ISIS Remains Daunting Task

ISIS forces in Iraq

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

UPDATED: U.S. Officials Describe Fight That Killed Navy SEAL Charles Keating IV

UPDATED: U.S. Officials Describe Fight That Killed Navy SEAL Charles Keating IV

Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Charles Keating IV, 31, of San Diego. US Navy Photo

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