"The U.S. military says its re-positioning some troops from a few smaller bases following a deadly rocket attack in Iraq that claimed the lives of two U.S. troops and a U.K. service member."
Blog Posts
SWJ Blog is a multi-author blog publishing news and commentary on the various goings on across the broad community of practice. We gladly accept guest posts from serious voices in the community.
by Military Times | Mon, 03/16/2020 - 5:40am | 0 comments
"A joint exercise launched March 8 and 9 in the Persian Gulf involving the Cyclone-class Monsoon and the two aircraft was designed to see how well a surface patrol ship and a long-range spy plane could select targets in the Persian Gulf for a Special Operations Command Central gunship to blast to bits."
by The Wall Street Journal | Sun, 03/15/2020 - 6:52pm | 0 comments
"U.S. allies are increasingly worried that America’s commitment may be wavering when wide swaths of Africa face a surging threat from militants affiliated with al Qaeda and Islamic State."
by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty | Sun, 03/15/2020 - 6:44pm | 0 comments
"Afghan authorities say they have delayed the release of 1,500 Taliban prisoners, throwing a precarious peace process into deeper crisis."
by DoD News | Sun, 03/15/2020 - 6:20pm | 0 comments
"Three U.S. service members were injured in a Katuyusha rocket attack on U.S., coalition and Iraqi forces at Camp Taji, Iraq, March 13, Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Rath Hoffman said in a briefing."
by Voice of America | Sun, 03/15/2020 - 5:27pm | 0 comments
"A lingering dispute over Afghanistan’s presidential election and an outbreak of coronavirus in the country appear to have complicated further an already troubled effort the United States is making to help find a negotiated end to nearly 19 years of war."
by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty | Sun, 03/15/2020 - 5:51am | 0 comments
"Syria's bloody civil war enters its 10th year with the government of President Bashar al-Assad appearing to be consolidating his hold on power, backed by crucial military and political support from Russia and Iran."
by Military Times | Sun, 03/15/2020 - 5:23am | 0 comments
"Three U.S. troops were injured in a barrage of rockets that hit a base housing U.S. and other coalition troops north of Baghdad on Saturday according to the Pentagon. At least two Iraqis were also injured, Iraqi officials say."
by Voice of America | Sat, 03/14/2020 - 6:56pm | 0 comments
When you ask children of Islamic State militants what they remember about their fathers, they don’t talk about crimes or extremism. Usually they remember things like outings for ice cream, or when their dads played with them. Now, their fathers are all in hiding, in jail or dead. Tens of thousands of children in Iraq and Syria are growing up in desolate camps, often stigmatized as the children of terrorists.
by Voice of America | Sat, 03/14/2020 - 6:44pm | 0 comments
"A U.S. military spokesman said a fresh round of rockets hit an Iraqi base Saturday where U.S.-led coalition forces were located, wounding three members of the coalition and two Iraqi troops. The nationalities of the wounded coalition members were not immediately disclosed."
by Steve Ferenzi | Sat, 03/14/2020 - 5:54pm | 3 comments
This case study offers lessons for future proxy engagements in establishing mechanisms that facilitate proper proxy selection, mitigate deviation from sponsor goals, and optimize proxy capabilities.
by Associated Press | Sat, 03/14/2020 - 4:50pm | 0 comments
"The Afghan government Saturday postponed the release of 1,500 Taliban prisoners, an Afghan official said, a decision that could sabotage a peace deal signed last month between the Taliban and the United States."
by Voice of America | Sat, 03/14/2020 - 3:52pm | 0 comments
"As Syria’s war enters its 10th year, the United Nations reports that alarming conditions of extreme deprivation and danger continue to engulf millions of people in the country."
by The Wall Street Journal | Sat, 03/14/2020 - 3:40pm | 0 comments
"Rockets struck an Iraqi base housing American troops on Saturday, lowering any expectations of de-escalation after U.S. strikes on an Iran-backed militia in response to the killing of two of its troops at the same base this week."
by The Wall Street Journal | Sat, 03/14/2020 - 5:05am | 0 comments
"The world doesn’t end because there’s a viral pandemic. In what would have been far bigger news without the virus spread, an Iran-backed militia group on Wednesday launched an attack on a Iraqi training base that left two American troops and one British soldier dead and some 14 wounded."
by The New York Times | Sat, 03/14/2020 - 4:11am | 0 comments
"China is pushing a new theory about the origins of the coronavirus: It is an American disease that might have been introduced by members of the United States Army who visited Wuhan in October."
by Voice of America | Sat, 03/14/2020 - 2:57am | 0 comments
"U.S. retaliatory strikes late Thursday and early Friday hit five weapons depots of the Iranian-backed group Kataib Hezbollah in Iraq, and the commander who oversees U.S. operations in the Middle East warned that the threat from Iran and its proxies 'remains high.'"
by DoD News | Sat, 03/14/2020 - 2:56am | 0 comments
"Just days after Wednesday's rocket attack on Camp Taji, Iraq, killed two U.S. service members and a military medic from the U.K., the United States struck back by attacking five weapons sites, the commander of U.S. Central Command said during a Pentagon briefing today."
by The British Broadcasting Corporation | Sat, 03/14/2020 - 2:53am | 0 comments
"The US has launched retaliatory air strikes against a pro-Iranian militia group in Iraq after a rocket attack killed two of its soldiers. The strikes targeted five weapons storage facilities across the country, the US defense department said."
by Army Times | Sat, 03/14/2020 - 2:49am | 1 comment
"The urgent need to protect troops against air and missile threats was highlighted once again this week after two Americans and one Briton were killed by a volley of Katyusha rockets at Camp Taji, Iraq. Although a capability exists to curtail such attacks, the Army has concerns about using it, a stance that’s frustrating lawmakers."
by Military Times | Fri, 03/13/2020 - 9:46am | 0 comments
"The U.S. is still bombing the hell out of the Taliban and other militants despite ongoing peace talks and the expected kick off of intra-Afghan talks."
by The New York Times | Fri, 03/13/2020 - 8:37am | 0 comments
"The attack in Taji, Iraq, home to a sprawling base roughly 15 miles north of Baghdad, involved about 30 rockets. More than a dozen hit the base, killing and wounding nearly 20 people."
by Military Times | Fri, 03/13/2020 - 6:56am | 0 comments
"U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has hinted at the possibility that the U.S. will reduce its military presence in Africa, suggesting recently that European partners could 'offset' changes to the U.S. posture. Such a shift would be part of a rebalancing effort to compete globally with Russia and China while reducing U.S. resource commitments to the counterterrorism fight."
by The Wall Street Journal | Fri, 03/13/2020 - 5:44am | 0 comments
"The U.S. began conducting airstrikes against an Iran-backed militia group in Iraq, U.S. officials said Thursday, an operation launched in retaliation for an attack earlier this week that killed two Americans and a British servicemember at an Iraqi base."
by Voice of America | Fri, 03/13/2020 - 5:43am | 0 comments
"The United States is not ready to abandon its agreement with the Taliban in Afghanistan, but the general in charge of U.S. forces in the region says there are signs the deal ultimately may be doomed."