U.S. Uses Roof Knocking to Warn of Impending Airstrikes in Iraq

“Roof knocking” is a controversial Israeli military practice used in the Gaza Strip. It works on a simple logic designed to minimize civilian casualties. Occupants of a building are given a warning a few minutes before a military strike. The first warning is generally a phone call. The second is a rocket. The Israeli military has argued that the practice […]

Watch: The Tools U.S. Special Operations Forces are Bringing to the Fight in Syria

In the footage, troops are clearly behind the lines, as they are operating from recently constructed berms. One soldier is likely operating a Leupold Mk.4 spotting scope on a tripod, while the soldier in front of him is pointing an LA-16U handheld laser marker. The spotting scope contains crosshairs that would give the observer the […]

Watch: Canadian SOF Trains Peshmerga in Fight Against Daesh [ISIS/ISIL]

A swirl of smoke, then the screams. Two men drop to the ground, “blood” squirting from wounds. Orders are barked in Kurdish as Peshmerga soldiers rush to the aid of the fallen. At this military outpost in Northern Iraq, it’s all a drill run by Canadians, a mock mortar attack to test Peshmerga on their […]

Watch: Dead ISIS Fighter’s GoPro Footage Reveals the Fury of Battle in Iraq

Footage found on a GoPro camera which was mounted on the helmet of a dead Daesh [ISIS/ISIL] fighter has revealed an intense first person perspective of a Daesh fighter during a chaotic and battle with Kurdish forces in northern Iraq. Kurdish Peshmerga forces released the footage and said the camera was found after a battle […]

Watch: Coalition Strike Destroys ISIS VBIED factory near Sultan Abdallah, Iraq

Operation Inherent Resolve,  Coalition Strike Destroys Daesh [ISIS/ISIL] VBIED factory near Sultan Abdallah, Iraq. Coalition strike destroys Da’esh vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) factory and weapons storage facility near the town of Sultan Abdallah, Iraq, to disrupt terrorist operations. The strikes were conducted as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, the operation to eliminate the Daesh […]

26th Marine Expeditionary Unit Forces on the Ground in Iraq

In consultation with the Government of Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force –  Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) has assigned a detachment of U.S. Marines from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit to the support of Iraqi Security Force and Coalition ground operations. The detachment from the 26th MEU will add to the Marines and Sailors currently in […]

Italy arrests terrorism suspects accused of planning attacks on Holy Year pilgrimage

Four suspected “Islamic State” (IS) sympathizers were detained by Italian police during a “vast anti-terrorism operation” in northern Italy on Thursday, according to authorities. Investigators intercepted an IS communication which ordered one of the suspects, a Moroccan-born man, to carry out attacks in Italy “with particular attention to the city of Rome,” Milan prosecutor Maurizio Romanelli told reporters. The […]

ISIS ordered Italian resident to attack Rome, prosecutor says

Italian police have arrested four suspects in a foreign fighter investigation, including a Moroccan-born man living in Italy who had received Islamic State orders to carry out attacks on Rome during Holy Year, prosecutors said Thursday. Milan prosecutor Maurizio Romanelli told reporters that investigators intercepted communications from within ISIS territory ordering attacks in Italy, “with […]

ISIS and the ‘Loser Effect’

In 2014, ISIS racked up a series of stunning successes as it pushed through Iraq and Syria, gaining momentum and new recruits with each victory. But in recent weeks, Syrian government forces liberated the city of Palmyra from ISIS, signifying a broader retreat for the extremist group over the past year. Can ISIS survive the […]

U.S. Special Ops Kill 40 ISIS Operatives Responsible for Attacks from Paris to Egypt

Delta Force and Navy SEALs have crippled the group’s ability to recruit foreign fighters and put pressure on the network responsible for striking Europe and Africa. As the self-proclaimed Islamic State [Daesh] trumpets its global terrorist campaign, U.S. special operations forces have quietly killed more than three dozen key Daesh operatives blamed for plotting deadly attacks […]