ISIS

Kurdish Forces Pushed Out of Long-held Lands by Iraqi Army, Shia Militias

Kurdish forces, in a stunning series of events, have been forced to abandon lands they had controlled since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, after Iraqi troops and Iranian-backed Shia militias swept into areas that had been hoped to be an independent Kurdistan. These peshmerga units were forced out of the towns of Bashiqa, […]

Philippine Military Kills Islamists Isnilon Hapilon, Omar Maute

With the fighting in Marawi is drawing to a close, as Filipino military forces rout the remaining Islamist fighters holding onto the last footholds in the city, the military killed two of the leaders of the terrorists who have held Marawi since May 23. According to sources, army snipers killed both Isnilon Hapilon and Omar […]

US claims dozens killed in attack on IS camps in Yemen

US forces killed dozens of Islamic State (IS) group militants in a strike on Monday on two training camps in Yemen, the Pentagon said. The camps in the central al-Bayda province were being used to train new fighters using AK-47s, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers, the Pentagon said in a statement. IS has used […]

Philippine Military Kills Islamists Isnilon Hapilon, Omar Maute

With the fighting in Marawi is drawing to a close, as Filipino military forces rout the remaining Islamist fighters holding onto the last footholds in the city, the military killed two of the leaders of the terrorists who have held Marawi since May 23. According to sources, army snipers killed both Isnilon Hapilon and Omar […]

Islamic State Fighters Fleeing Raqqa as the Battle Nears the End

U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have agreed to a proposal with the Islamic State that allows Syrian jihadists to leave the city of Raqqa in exchange for the release of civilians held captive by the ISIS group. A statement released by SDF stated ISIS fighters are fleeing as the SDF has nearly totally captured Raqqa. […]

State-Backed Iraqi Militias Attack Kurdish Positions in Kirkuk

Iraqi Kurdish officials said on Monday that federal forces and state-backed militias had launched a “major, multi-pronged” attack aimed at retaking the disputed northern city of Kirkuk that is held by the Kurdish peshmerga forces. One local Iraqi Kurdish commander said federal forces had seized an oil and gas company and other industrial sites south […]

On this day in SOF history—October 13th: Islamic State of Iraq forms

On this day— October 13th 2006: The Islamic State of Iraq is declared. The subject of “when” the Islamic State (ISIS) was founded has been a go-to method of scoring political points since the emergence of the group as a violent worldwide threat. President Trump and other Trump administration figures have recently said that Trump […]

British ‘Jihadi Sally Jones’ No More After US Drone Strike

It is being reported that a US drone strike killed the infamous British jihadi Sally Jones also known as the ‘White Widow’. The US Air Force Predator strike is said to have taken place close to the border between Syria and Iraq. A Whitehall source today confirmed Jones’s death after she left her home in Chatham, […]

Secretary of Defense James Mattis releases plans to counter global threats

American Secretary of Defense James Mattis released a force wide memo late last week, underscoring the importance of bringing America’s military back into a state of readiness, while also emphasizing the importance of alliance building and business reform in the Department of Defense. Mattis, who echoed these sentiments in a speech he delivered on Monday, […]

Russian Defense Ministry accuses US of ‘pretending’ to fight ISIS to sabotage Syria

Relations between the United States and Russia continued to publicly degrade on Tuesday, as a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry accused the United States of only pretending to fight the Islamic State in Iraq, while intentionally permitting their forces to funnel into Syria where they are engaged with Russian-backed Syrian forces. Everyone sees that […]

War in Syria Has Transformed Hezbollah Into a Regional Power

Hezbollah was borne out of a struggle against Israel and now the large organization has transformed into a much larger force since its experience in the civil war in Syria. Their success in fighting against the Islamic State, or Daesh, as they call it, have them flush with new recruits. But while they have fought […]

How Did IS Emerge in Afghanistan Under the US Watch? – Karzai

Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai continues to blame the U.S. for the problems in Afghanistan and wants to know, how under the US watch, with a massive military and intelligence apparatus in place, an organization like the Islamic State was able to take root in the country. “The US came to Afghanistan to bring peace […]