ISIS

According to a story that was first published by the Washington Post, President Donald Trump recently insulted his former Secretary of Defense and retired Marine General James Mattis inside a closed-door meeting with congressional leaders at the White House. According to statements made by multiple officials in the room, Trump reportedly referred to the retired […]

U.S. Army Maj. Gen. James Jarrard, left, the then-commander of Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, provides assistant gunner support to a member of the 5th Special Forces Group during counter-ISIS operations in southern Syria. Maj. Gen. Jarrard is currently the commander of the 25 Infantry Division.

Videos surfaced on Twitter in the past week that appear to show Russian mercenaries contracted to the Syrian government via the paramilitary Wagner Group assuming control of an abandoned American installation in Northern Syria. American troops left the base willingly after President Trump issued an order to withdraw from the region, providing Turkey with the […]

President Donald Trump saw harsh criticism from leaders on both sides of the political aisle earlier this week when he gave the order to remove U.S. troops from a number of “safe zones” in Northern Syria, opening up Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces to attack from the Turkish military. The president has made a number of […]

As Turkey invades Northern Syria in an attempt to secure its southern border, deal with the Kurds, and relocate a few millions of people, it worth remembering why U.S. warfighters are in Syria in the first place. This video shows an Air Force Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technician attached to a Special Forces Operational Detachment […]

A compound that houses elements of the elite Kurdish Yekineyen Anti-Terror (YAT) unit was bombed by Turkish forces in the early stages of the invasion of Northern Syria. YAT is a counterterrorism unit created and trained to hunt down Islamic State (ISIS) terrorists. U.S. Special Operations Forces (SOF) are training, advising, and operating with the […]

There is a lot of talk in the media and among military and political leaders these days about the Kurds and their fight against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. This author wrote of the option of going to fight ISIS with the Kurds, and one of SOFREP’s own traveled to the region, and has documented his […]

In the closing days of September, American and Afghan Special Operation Forces (SOF) conducted a raid that resulted in the death of Asim Omar, the leader of al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). According to the Afghan intelligence agency, Omar and an additional six AQIS terrorists were killed in the raid. Among them was also […]

The legal adventures of Special Warfare Operator Chief Eddie Gallagher are far from over. Last year, the Navy SEAL was accused of obstruction of justice, attempted homicide, and murdering a teenage Islamic State detainee in Mosul, Iraq, during a combat deployment in 2017, among other things. After a legal saga that lasted for almost a […]

An Army Special Operations task force just completed one of the most successful combat rotations to Afghanistan. Special Operations Task Force 102 (SOTF-102) received over 50 military decorations for their work against the Taliban, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan (ISIS-K), Haqqani network, and Al-Qaida. SOTF-102 was comprised of Green Berets from the 10th Special […]

In 1989, NATO published a set of requirements that requested a new type of firearm with rounds capable of penetrating body armor. Called the Personal Defense weapon, or PDW, it was meant to replace weapons, such as pistols and submachine guns, whose caliber was found wanting against ballistic protection. Several companies went on to design […]

Coalition Special Forces Operators defend a position while conducting a scenario during Exercise Eager Lion 2019 near the Sahab District, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Sept. 3, 2019. Eager Lion, U.S. Central Command’s largest and most complex exercise, is an opportunity to integrate forces in a multilateral environment, operate in realistic terrain and strengthen military-to-military relationships.