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"President Donald Trump's announcement of a U.S. withdrawal from northern Syria, paving the way for a Turkish military operation against a Kurdish militia in the area, is widely being seen as a diplomatic triumph for Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan."

"Taliban officials say several of their group’s members have been freed from Afghan jails, including former shadow governors, just days after a U.S. envoy met top Taliban leaders in the Pakistani capital following the suspension of U.S.-Taliban talks last month."

"Syria’s Kurds accused the U.S. of turning its back on its allies and risking gains made in the fight against the Islamic State group as American troops began pulling back on Monday from positions in northeastern Syria ahead of an expected Turkish assault."

"As bipartisan criticism greets Trump move, Senate majority leader cautions against ‘retreat’."

"Kurdish-led forces have until now been a key US ally in Syria, where they helped defeat the Islamic State group, but Turkey regards them as terrorists. The main Kurdish-led group called the surprise US move a 'stab in the back'."

"Sunday’s White House announcement that U.S. troops would withdraw from northeastern Syrian ahead of a potential Turkish military incursion threatens a resurgence of ISIS fighters in the region."

"The US will play no role in an imminent Turkish operation against Kurdish-led forces in north-eastern Syria, the White House has said, in a major shift."

"The White House says Turkey will soon invade Northern Syria, casting uncertainty on the fate of the Kurdish fighters allied with the U.S. against in a campaign against the Islamic State group."

"Years of runaway spending, economic mismanagement and corruption in Iraq have combusted in protests that have killed more than 100 people and risk spiraling into civil conflict."

"When Hong Kong’s leader invoked emergency powers to ban face masks during protests, she went to great lengths to explain that the city wasn’t in a state of emergency."

"The workers were sleeping on the mountainside where they had spent a long day harvesting pine nuts in eastern Afghanistan. Some were in tents, others lay outside under the stars, when the U.S. airstrike tore into them."

"The Russian firm Wagner Group, a shadowy mercenary outfit waging secret wars on the Kremlin’s behalf from Ukraine to Syria to the Central African Republic, seems like something from a Tom Clancy novel."

A group of eleven key Taliban prisoners is reported to have been released from the U.S.-run Bagram military base in Afghanistan in exchange for three Indian hostages.

Thousands of demonstrators are rallying in Kyiv against President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's plan to hold local elections in eastern Ukrainian territory that is under the control of Russia-backed separatists.

Iraq’s Cabinet issued a new reform plan early Sunday following a night of clashes in which security forces opened fire on protesters killing at least 19 people.

"About 10,000 people including Ukraine's former president Petro Poroshenko gathered in central Kiev on Sunday to protest a plan for broader autonomy for separatist territories ahead of a high-stakes summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin."

"Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday that his country will soon launch an 'air and ground military operation' east of the Euphrates River in northeastern Syria, prompting the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces to promise 'all-out war' if they face an unprovoked attack."

A top United Nations official condemned violence related to protests in Iraq, saying that “this must stop” after the reported five-day death toll surged to near 100 people.

Continue on for the latest Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction report.

Thousands of residents of Pakistan-held Kashmir rallied Saturday on board vehicles and motorbikes to press for their demand that India lift a two-month old controversial clampdown in its controlled portion of the disputed region.

North Korea angrily walked away from working-level nuclear talks with the United States on Saturday, with Pyongyang’s top negotiator saying he was “greatly disappointed” with Washington’s inflexible approach.

"Subway remains closed, along with many storefronts and shopping malls, day after government invoked emergency measure."

"Turkey is preparing to invade Northeastern Syria despite U.S. efforts to de-escalate tensions through a joint security mechanism along the border. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on October 5 that 'We have made our preparations, completed our operation plans' and that air and ground operations will begin within days."

"As the U.S. conflict in Afghanistan enters its 19th year, several significant developments have unfolded in recent weeks that will shape the country's security and governance dynamics."

"The Taliban met with U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad in the Pakistan capital for the first time since President Donald Trump declared a seemingly imminent peace deal to end Afghanistan's 18-year war 'dead' a month ago, a Taliban official said early Saturday."