Veterans Twice as Likely To Die By Suicide as Civilians

The Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday released its latest report on Suicides and the results, while shocking is not quite unexpected. As we have known of the veteran suicide rate for some time, however, veterans are twice as likely to die by suicide as civilians. Veterans make up more than 14 percent of all […]

Afghan Taliban Resumes Fighting After 3-Day Cease-Fire Ends

The Taliban in Afghanistan wasted little time in their threat to resume fighting after a three-day cease-fire, attacking in nine provinces on Monday against government security forces. Despite the government’s overture to extend a unilateral cease-fire for 10 days. “The cease-fire was violated in some parts of the country, during which 12 of our soldiers […]

Eid cease-fire ends and fighting with the Taliban resumes

The Taliban has confirmed that the temporary cease-fire with the Afghan government will in fact come to an end as planned. The cease-fire marked the end of Ramadan, and while Afghan President Ashraf Ghani proposed a more lengthy truce, the Taliban would only accept one for the duration of Afghanistan’s celebration of Eid al-Fitr. In […]

Mullah Fazlullah, Leader of Pakistan Taliban Killed in Airstrike

  A U.S.-Afghan airstrike has killed the Taliban leader in Pakistan. A senior Afghan Defense Ministry official said on Friday, that Taliban leader Mullah Fazlullah was killed in the air attack.   The U.S. military said in Washington on Thursday it had carried out a strike aimed at a senior militant figure in the eastern […]

Australians Torn by War Crimes Accusations in Afghanistan

Australians are hearing about many incidents that took place in Afghanistan that their government is classifying as possible war crimes. There are currently five unlawful killings under investigation, all of them committed by members of the elite Special Operations Task Group. A spate of current war crime allegations are indeed centered on a country a […]

Revenge of the Guardians: How the Iranians will evade new US Sanctions

The nuclear deal with Iran is gone, lying dead on the rubbish heap of history. It all seemed straightforward on the surface. The Iranians promised to halt the enrichment of uranium and not blow up Israel. In return, the U.S. and the European Union agreed to lift economic sanctions that stunted the Iranian economy. Unfortunately, it […]

Google Drops the Pretenses, Military Millions Rule the Day

Ah, those ethical do-gooders over at Google. Don’t you just love the perks the millennials receive for working there? Slides, laundry service, free meals and on-site gyms with free exercise classes, free massages for those stressed out workers make it one of the best places to work in terms of job satisfaction. And the company […]

What is a ‘fatwa’ and can it really have an effect on suicide bombings?

Religious Islamic leaders met in Afghanistan on Monday, issuing a “fatwa,” condemning the use of suicide attacks. This means that, under the Islamic law, suicide bombings are forbidden. The fatwa actually extended beyond suicide bombings to violent acts, considering them an offense toward Islam. They also plead for peace between the Taliban and the Afghan […]

Pentagon Looking to Cut SOF in Africa to Focus on China, Russia

Special Operations Forces in Africa could be slashed heavily under sweeping Pentagon proposals to retask and reorganize SOF towards more pressing needs facing the rising threats of Russia and China. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had ordered a review of all Special Operations Forces missions as Mattis, along with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Joseph […]

A Third of All Injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan Are Non-Battle Variety

More than a third of all injuries sustained by U.S. military troops in Iraq and Afghanistan are sustained in non-battlefield conditions a recent DOD study found. By far, the most prevalent type of non-battle injuries consisted of falls or vehicle crashes. And they also accounted for about 10 percent of the deaths of troops there. […]

Afghanistan: Clerics killed in suicide bombing after condemnation of suicide attacks

Kabul, Afghanistan — Approximately 2,000 people had gathered as some of Afghanistan’s most prominent clerics and mullahs met on Monday. There was a large tent that had been erected for the council meeting; at the meeting’s close, people began to exit. A suicide bomber positioned himself near the entrance and detonated himself — at least […]