B-52 drops record number of smart bombs on Taliban
The US has set a record for the number of guided bombs dropped from a single bomber in a series of strikes against the Taliban.
Afghanistan
Israel accuses Iran of trying to turn Syria into its base
Israel’s U.N. ambassador is accusing Iran of attempting to turn Syria into ‘the largest military base in the world’ to destabilize the region, threaten Israel and ‘terrorize the entire free world.’
North Korea is Worst Place for Christian Persecution, Group Says
For the 16th year in a row, North Korea tops the list of 50 countries ranked for the worst persecution of Christians in the world, according to the Christian watchdog organization Open Doors USA.
Trump’s pressure on Pakistan is major test of new strategy to end war in Afghanistan
The Trump administration’s strategy for ending the war in Afghanistan and defeating terror groups in the region faces its first major test in its confrontation with Pakistan.
How Obama manipulated sensitive secret intelligence for political gain
For years, a clandestine U.S. intelligence team had tracked a man they knew was high in the leadership of al Qaeda — an operative some believed had a hand in plotting the gruesome 2009 suicide attack in Afghanistan that killed seven CIA officers.
U.S. talks with Russia about military partnership in Afghanistan War
Top U.S. military commanders and diplomats are weighing a proposed strategy shift in the Afghanistan War centered on expanded military collaboration with Russia.
Islamic State claims attack on TV station in Afghan capital
Militant group Islamic State on Tuesday claimed responsibility for an attack on a television station in Kabul, in which gunmen disguised as police killed a security guard and opened fire on staff, the latest assault on media workers in Afghanistan.
Trump’s shift away from using the term radical ‘Islam’ rattles his base
As President Trump’s staunchest backers wonder why he has suddenly dropped ‘Islamic’ from two important war speeches, the mystery in the latter instance can be traced to the Pentagon, says an administration source.
Pentagon: 11,000 troops are on the ground in Afghanistan
The Pentagon for the first time revealed Tuesday that nearly 11,000 American troops are still on the ground in Afghanistan, roughly 40 percent more than what Defense Department leaders had acknowledged since President Obama ended the U.S. combat mission three years earlier.
Navy Collisions May Have Killed More U.S. Troops in 2017 than War in Afghanistan
U.S. Navy ship collisions in the western Pacific may have killed more American troops so far this year than the war in Afghanistan, illuminating critical readiness challenges facing the military branch.
Trump White House weighs unprecedented plan to privatize much of the war in Afghanistan
The White House is actively considering a bold plan to turn over a big chunk of the U.S. war in Afghanistan to private contractors in an effort to turn the tide in a stalemated war, according to the former head of a security firm pushing the project.
America’s ‘Ultimate Failure’ in Afghanistan: Corruption by the Billions
A blistering new report blasts the U.S. government’s pouring of billions of dollars into projects in Afghanistan with inadequate oversight that in many cases fueled corruption on unprecedented levels and ultimately undermined America’s mission there.
U.S. Defense Secretary Carter says Russia is ‘nuclear saber-rattling’
Defense Secretary Ash Carter used a U.S. military changing-of-the-guard ceremony Tuesday to blast Russian aggression in Europe, saying Moscow is “going backward in time” with warlike actions that compel a U.S. military buildup on NATO’s eastern flank.
FBI: 6 men arrested near Mexico border in Sonoita, Ariz.
Six men — one from Afghanistan; five from Pakistan — were arrested near the Mexico border in an area by Sonoita, Ariz., according to local FBI officials.
Syrian refugees beginning to arrive in New Orleans
The flood of refugees migrating from the terror in Syria and Afghanistan has begun to have a trickle effect in the New Orleans area.
Afghanistan Base Shooting Leaves U.S. General Killed along with 15 Soldiers Wounded
A general became the U.S. military’s highest-ranking fatality in the war in Afghanistan on Tuesday when an Afghan soldier opened fire at a military training academy west of the capital, Kabul — a bloody reminder of the insider attacks that have been decreasing as international troops prepare to leave the country by the end of the year.
Taliban ‘removed voters’ fingers’ for Voting in Afghan Election
Eleven Afghans who participated in this weekend’s presidential runoff poll had their index fingers cut off by Taliban insurgents as punishment for voting.
Five American Special Ops Forces Killed in Afghanistan
Five U.S. troops who are Special Operations Forces were killed in a possible friendly-fire incident in southern Afghanistan on Monday, Defense Department officials say.
U.S. Soldier Held by Taliban Released in Exchange for Afghan Detainees
Amid jubilation Saturday over the release of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl from captivity by the Taliban, senior Republicans on Capitol Hill said they were troubled by the means by which it was accomplished, which was a deal to release five Afghan detainees from the military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Biden Challenges Cadets to Create ‘New World Order’
Under a blazing sun, Vice President Joe Biden challenged graduating Air Force Academy cadets on Wednesday to help create a “new world order for the 21st century.”