Blog Posts

"The United States continues to be alarmed by Syrian government and Russian air strikes in northwest Syria and believes they are a “reckless escalation” of violence, the State Department said on Tuesday."

"When members of the Taliban and Afghan politicians met Tuesday in the Russian capital for talks aimed at ending the war in their country, one face in particular stood out: Abdul Ghani Baradar, a co-founder of the Taliban and the head of its political office, who spoke publicly for the first time about the need for a peace deal."

The U.S. special envoy on Ukraine has called Russian activity in eastern Ukraine an “occupation” and has called on Moscow to start implementing its obligations under the 2015 Minsk accords – the international agreement aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists.

"A major human rights group has accused the Egyptian military of human rights violations on the Sinai Peninsula and is calling for the U.S. government to halt security assistance to the country, which includes arms exports and joint training between the Egyptian military and U.S. forces."

"The Taliban and Russia have jointly called for the withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition troops from Afghanistan, with a top leader of the Islamist insurgent group denouncing the foreign presence in the country as a major obstacle to Afghan peace."

Somalia's militant Islamists remain relatively undiminished, despite a 12-year UN-backed campaign against them, largely thanks to its sophisticated web of spies, writes the BBC's Mary Harper.

"Blandly titled The U.S. Army in the Iraq War and based on 30,000 pages of newly declassified documents, the study recounts a litany of familiar but still infuriating blunders on Washington’s part."

"Former Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis has a book coming out this summer, but he warns that it will not be a "tell-all" about President Donald Trump."

"The post was shared widely and received thousands of responses. But many were probably not what the Army was looking for."

"... But as the war is waning, with Syrian regime forces reclaiming most of the territory once controlled by rebel forces, Russia and Iran seem to be vying for influence in the war-torn country."

"The head of Colombia’s army, frustrated by the nation’s faltering efforts to secure peace, has ordered his troops to double the number of criminals and militants they kill, capture or force to surrender in battle — and possibly accept higher civilian casualties in the process, according to written orders and interviews with senior officers."

"The United States will deploy about 1,500 troops to the Middle East, President Trump said Friday, in his administration’s latest step to address what it says are increased threats from Iran."

"Prominent opposition politicians from Afghanistan and representatives of the Taliban insurgency will meet in Russia on Wednesday for discussions on promoting a negotiated settlement to the Afghan war that continues to cause dozens of casualties every day."

The United States paused Monday to honor its war dead on the annual Memorial Day.

"An American man, convicted of providing support to the Taliban, has been released from prison. John Walker Lindh, known as the 'American Taliban,' was released from a federal prison in Terre Haute, Ind., Thursday after serving 17 years of a 20-year sentence."

"The growing complexity and capabilities of criminal organizations in Latin America necessitate a new approach to fight crime in the region."

"The Islamic State in its al-Naba newspaper claimed responsibility for setting fire to hundreds of acres of agricultural land across Iraq and Syria, encouraging its followers to continue the sabotage of "apostate" crops during the harvest season."

"A leaked N.S.A. cyberweapon, EternalBlue, has caused billions of dollars in damage worldwide. A recent attack took place in Baltimore, the agency’s own backyard."

"A General Assembly vote to end Britain's control of Diego Garcia island in the Indian Ocean imperils an irreplaceable U.S. naval base."

HEADQUARTERS GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC; General Orders No.11, WASHINGTON, D.C., May 5, 1868

I got knocked off-line last week, a new router and a laptop later SWJ is back. It will be several days to get back to normal op-tempo. Thanks for your patience!

"When U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sat down with Iraqi officials in Baghdad last week as tensions mounted between America and Iran, he delivered a nuanced message: If you’re not going to stand with us, stand aside."

"Later this week, U.S. officials are expected to brief lawmakers on what has led the administration to strengthen America’s military posture in the Middle East, while evacuating non-essential personnel from diplomatic facilities in Iraq. Members of Congress of both parties have been demanding the White House share information about perceived threats from Iran."

"A compelling case could be made for the use of U.S. military force if Iran posed an immediate threat to vital American interests."

"A delegation from the Kenyan military is sharing experience on how the Cameroon military engineering corps has taken over road construction projects in Boko Haram terrorism prone areas to use the example and develop areas of its territory threatened by Al-Shabab which they say is still a threat. The Kenyan delegation has been in Cameroon for several days."