When ISIS seized swathes of Iraqi land in 2014, Peshmerga played a key role in driving the extremist group out of the areas disputed between Erbil and Baghdad, especially Kirkuk. The US-led global coalition provided Peshmerga and Iraqi forces with military assistance to defeat ISIS territorially, which was completed in 2017.
Barzani and Leahy also discussed the latest developments in Syria and their impact on neighboring countries.
(January 31, 2025)
The U.S. and Iraq announced an agreement last year to wind down the military mission in Iraq of an American-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group by September 2025, with U.S. forces departing some bases where they have stationed troops during a two-decade-long military presence in the country. (…)
But the fall of Assad in a lightning offensive led by Sunni Islamist rebels in December led some to reassess that stance, including members of the Coordination Framework, a coalition of mainly Shiite, Iran-allied political parties that brought current Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani to power in late 2022.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Wednesday that there is evidence North Korean troops are in Russia, branding their presence a „very serious“ escalation in the war that started with Russia‘s unprovoked invasion in 2022 and has left tens of thousands dead.
(Nov 4, 2023)
President Biden has been deeply involved in the U.S. response to the Israel-Hamas war â one of the thorniest challenges of his presidency so far â receiving briefings at least once per day and speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu several times a week.
The big picture: Biden is leaning on a tight circle of trusted aides and officials. Here‘s a look at who‘s in the room when major decisions are being made.
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi visited the Northern Command headquarters earlier today with his American counterpart, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr.
(31.03.2024)
The arms packages included more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, according to Pentagon and State Department officials.
This month, the State Department also authorized the transfer to Israel of 25 F-35A fighter jets and engines worth roughly $2.5 billion, U.S. officials said.
The White House last week paused a shipment of weapons to Israel, as Israeli leaders closed in on a decision to launch an operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, a senior administration official said Tuesday.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed Wednesday in testimony to Congress that „we paused one shipment of high payload munitions.„
(19.03.2024)
US Secretary of DefenŃe Lloyd Austin, opening the Ramstein meeting on Tuesday, promised that the United States will continue to support Ukraine‘s military efforts against Russia. In practice, however, the US Congress continues to obstruct funding for Kyiv.
In his opening remarks, Austin said Russia paid a staggering price for the war, echoing estimates that at least 315,000 Russian soldiers were killed or wounded during the war, which has cost Russia up to US$211 billion.
At a congressional hearing on Thursday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said more than 25,000 Palestinian women and children had been killed by Israel since 7 October.
The remarks were in response to a question posed by Congressman Ro Khanna. The figure appears to be significantly higher than the death toll provided by the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza.
U.S. military officials said Wednesdayâs strike was carried out about 9:30 p.m. âin response to the attacks on U.S. service membersâ and resulted in the death of a militia commander âresponsible for directly planning and participatingâ in those attacks. The statement, which does not identify the individual who was killed, said there were no initial indications of civilian casualties.
Nach Angaben des Sprechers der irakischen StreitkrĂ€fte, Jahja Rasul, ereignete sich der Angriff in einer Wohngegend. Der US-Angriff habe stattgefunden „ohne RĂŒcksicht auf das Leben von Zivilisten oder internationales Recht“. Es bereite noch mehr Sorge, dass die Koalition stĂ€ndig von den eigentlichen „GrĂŒnden und Zielen ihrer PrĂ€senz“ im Irak abweiche.
Rasul bezeichnete die PrĂ€senz der US-gefĂŒhrten Koalition als „Faktor fĂŒr InstabilitĂ€t“: „Dieser Kurs zwingt die irakische Regierung mehr als jemals zuvor, den Einsatz dieser Koalition zu beenden.“
(28.01.2024)
(31.10.2023)
Biden administration officials insisted that the United States had not told Israel what to do and still supported the ground invasion. But the Pentagon has sent a three-star Marine, Lt. Gen. James Glynn, along with other officers to help the Israelis with the challenges of fighting an urban war.
A Pentagon official said on Monday that the deployment of General Glynn, reported earlier by Axios, did not mean the Pentagon was making decisions for Israel. General Glynn, the official said, would not be on the ground in Israel if an incursion into Gaza begins.
(via @gilicohen10 & @kann_news)
(today)
The Pentagon moves to step up its military readiness in the Middle East, ordering the activation of air defense systems âthroughoutâ the region and alerting additional US forces that they may be deployed soon.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin says in a statement that the moves are in response to ârecent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces across the Middle East.â
Al Jazeeraâs Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul, said the UAV did not belong to the Turkish military, according to a statement.
âIt is not only the Turkish military that conducts counterterrorism operations in northern Iraq and Syria,â she said.
She said that the Turkish intelligence and interior ministryâs gendarmerie also joined operations.
Meanwhile, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized to Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in a phone call that âbroad consensus through political dialogueâ is a âcritical element of a resilient democracy.â
(28.06.2023)
Secretary Austin thanked Minister Pistorius for Germany‘s significant assistance and contributions to Ukraine. He also thanked Minister Pistorius for German support to bolster NATO‘s Eastern Flank, including support to U.S. and NATO force deployments to and through Germany.
The leaders also discussed a range of other global challenges, including issues in the Indo-Pacific.
The US-led anti-ISIS coalition is building a new military base in Syriaâs northern province of Raqqa, The New Arab reported, citing a source close to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The US backs the SDF and keeps about 900 troops (officially at least) in eastern Syria, allowing the US to control about one-third of Syriaâs territory. The report said there are currently about 24 US-led military sites spread throughout eastern Syria.
(8. Juli 2019)
Wie gefĂ€hrlich und fĂŒr die Allermeisten unĂŒbersichtlich die Situation in diesem von allen GroĂmĂ€chten mit Ansage gezĂŒchteten Hexenkessel in Syrien ist, mag man daran erkennen, dass die StaatsfĂŒhrungen von Russland, Iran und Syrien im August 2016 dem von der TĂŒrkei aus erfolgten Einmarsch der Internationalen Kriegskoalition in Syrien tatenlos zusahen und hofften, dass das nicht weiter auffiel.
Alle Kriegsparteien lĂŒgen um die Wette. (…)
Was die VerrĂ€terpartei âS.P.D.â und ihre Hunderttausenden von Parteileichen wollen oder nicht wollen, ist dabei bedeutungslos. Die (internationale) Hierarchie befiehlt, sie folgen.
Wer jetzt allen Ernstes mit anderen VerrĂ€terparteien wie âdie Linkeâ oder âBĂŒndnis 90/Die GrĂŒnenâ ankommt, hat sich offensichtlich zum wiederholten Male blitzdingsen lassen.
Das erste Bundestagsmandat fĂŒr den Einsatz von SpezialkrĂ€ften, Luftwaffe und (im Zuge von âAufklĂ€rungâ) natĂŒrlich auch des Bundesnachrichtendienstes, in einem willkĂŒrlich und praktisch weltweit ausdehnbaren Einsatzgebiet (auf jedem Territorium jedes Staates in der Kriegskoalition), erfolgte am 4. Dezember 2015.
(24 May, 2023)
There are currently at least 24 US-led coalition military sites spread throughout Syriaâs northeast.
The US says its military is stationed in the country to fight against the remnants of IS.
(May 23, 2023)
The senior general in charge of US forces in the Middle East ordered that his command announce on Twitter that a senior al Qaeda leader had been targeted by an American drone strike in Syria earlier this month â despite not yet having confirmation of who was actually killed in the strike, according to multiple defense officials.
Nearly three weeks later, US Central Command still does not know whether a civilian died instead, officials said. CENTCOM did not open a review of the incident, officially known as a civilian-casualty credibility assessment report, until May 15 â twelve days after the strike. That review is ongoing.
(May 18, 2023)
Lotfi Hassan Misto, 56, whose family identified him as the victim of a Hellfire missile attack on May 3, was a former bricklayer who lived quietly in this town in northwest Syria, according to interviews with his brother, son and six others who knew him. They described a kind, hard-working man whose âwhole life was spent poor.â
(April 13, 2023)
âWe will win this war,â Shmyhal said at the top of a meeting between the two at the Pentagon. âBut to achieve it faster and with fewer casualties, Ukraine still needs intensive military support â more air defense systems that minimize the impact of Russian airstrikes, more heavy artillery, mortars and ammunition for them. We also ask you for reconsider the possibility of providing Ukraine with longer range missiles.â