Blog Posts

"The commander of U.S. Central Command confirmed that American special operators would serve as the main security force to combat terrorists and militants across Afghanistan as U.S. troops begin to draw down."

"The killing of two American troops and a British soldier in a rocket attack in Iraq has drawn fresh attention to the hostile environment facing U.S. forces in the country, putting it again in the crosshairs of a potential flare-up in the rumbling conflict between Washington and Iran."

"The United States is no longer a sanctuary, but a target, Kenneth Rapuano, the assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense, told the House Armed Services Committee in Washington today."

"Air strikes in eastern Syria have killed 26 Iraqis from an Iran-backed Shia paramilitary force after a deadly attack on US-led coalition forces in Iraq, a monitoring group has said."

"A rocket attack in Iraq that killed two American troops and one U.K. service member was 'most likely' conducted by a Shia militia group, but the U.S. Defense Department is still investigating, according to the top commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East."

"The U.N. Security Council strongly condemned the increasing threat to peace and security in Africa from terrorism Wednesday and urged all countries “to consider mobilizing more predictable resources and expertise” to strengthen African efforts to counter terrorism and violent extremism."

"The Afghan government has offered to release 1,500 Taliban prisoners, saying it is 'impossible' to release more, as demanded by the Taliban to start peace talks envisaged under a deal with the United States."

"In a sharp rebuke to President Donald Trump, the U.S. Congress has given final approval to a measure to limit Trump’s authority to order a military attack on Iran -- a resolution sure to be vetoed by the U.S. leader."

"Pentagon officials announced significant restrictions on service member and family travel worldwide amid a series of new White House initiatives released Wednesday to try and curb the spread of the coronavirus throughout the United States."

"Two Americans and a coalition servicemember are dead, and a dozen more wounded, after a barrage of rockets slammed into a military base north of Baghdad."

"U.S. Southern Command plans to increase U.S. military presence in the Western Hemisphere while taking on funding cuts to partner security programs that help Latin American partners counter drug cartels."

"With concerns that al-Shabab is a growing threat to the U.S. and its interests, U.S. Africa Command is increasing the pace of strikes in Somalia."

"Western-backed efforts to counter terror groups across Africa are falling short, increasing the chances one or more affiliates of Islamic State or al-Qaida could try to carve out their own caliphate on the continent, according to the latest assessment by a top U.S. commander."

Al Jazeera - "Turkey and Russia, which back opposing sides in Syria's war, agreed on a ceasefire to stop escalating clashes in Idlib."

"U.S. and international efforts to combat violent extremist organization in West Africa aren’t working, according to U.S. Africa Command commander Army Gen. Stephen Townsend."

"The Pentagon has not developed military plans for a full withdrawal from Afghanistan, despite the U.S. commitment to remove all forces from the country in 14 months should the Taliban uphold its end of a peace deal signed last month, a top U.S. general said Tuesday."

"Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has approved the release of 1,500 Taliban prisoners as part of efforts to secure a peace deal with the insurgent group. The presidential decree requires all prisoners to give 'a written guarantee to not return to the battlefield'. In exchange, the Taliban has agreed to hand over 1,000 government troops."

"A U.N. investigator is calling for Myanmar to be referred to the International Criminal Court and tried for alleged international crimes, including the persecution of ethnic minorities that have forced millions to flee, fearing for their lives. The investigator has submitted a report on Myanmar to the U.N. Human Rights Council."

"Americans who believe in international institutions often lament that their countrymen don’t appreciate the value of global cooperation. They’d have more credibility with more Americans if they called out anti-American outfits like the International Criminal Court."

"The cease-fire agreement that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin reached for Syria’s battered Idlib province was hanging by a thread Tuesday."

In this ICSR report, Research Fellow Inga Kristina Trauthig argues that IS in Libya is trying to portray itself in a hyperbolic way. While the group’s activity in 2018 has been relatively weak – even more so in 2019 – the volatility and geography of the country as well as prevailing grievances remain pull factors for IS in Libya, which makes the group potentially threatening, even if the organisation is currently negligible.

"U.S. trimming the 90,000 troops across the region as Iran, ravaged by the new coronavirus, hasn’t posed as large a threat as U.S. officials once feared."

"The pace of U.S. military strikes against al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabab in Somalia this year is nearly on par with the number of strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria."

"Afghanistan has descended into a full-blown political crisis after the two main contenders in a bitterly disputed presidential election -- each claiming victory -- were sworn in as president in rival ceremonies."

"American troops have begun leaving Afghanistan for the initial troop withdrawal required in the U.S.-Taliban peace agreement, a U.S. official said on Monday, amid political chaos in Kabul that threatens the deal."