Afghan Special Forces Capture German Taliban in Helmand

Afghan Special Forces reported that they’ve captured a German national in southern Helmand province who has been an eight-year advisor to the Taliban. The German man was captured along with three other militants in a government raid on a bomb-making site in Gereshk district. His identity is unclear. Officials say he speaks German and says […]

On This Day in 2016, Navy SEAL Edward Byers Awarded Medal of Honor

Naval Special Warfare Operator Edward Byers was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Obama on February 29, 2016, in the White House for actions he conducted in the country of Afghanistan on December 5, 2012, while freeing an American hostage from the Taliban. Byers is the Navy’s most decorated living SEAL and one of […]

US Disputes Russian Numbers of ISIS Fighters in Afghanistan

The United States military in Afghanistan has disputed Moscow’s claim the number of Islamic State militants in the country runs into the thousands, and urged Russia and Iran to support the Kabul government, not the Taliban, to help defeat IS in the country. Commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan General John Nicholson made the remark […]

Afghan Military Accused of War Crimes in Joint US Operations

The Afghan military has been accused by an international watchdog group of actively engaging in human rights violations and in war crimes by targeting fleeing civilians during combined combat operations with U.S. forces. The allegations were included in a report released Wednesday by Human Rights Watch, which says Afghan troops opened fire on fleeing civilians […]

Former SF Soldier Indicted for Kickbacks Related to Stolen Material

A former Special Forces soldier has been indicted by a federal grand jury in a scheme to illegally allow U.S. military equipment in Afghanistan to be stolen and sold on the black market and to use the proceeds to get a pool at his new home in North Carolina along with several vehicles. Joseph Russell […]

Watch: What is it like to be an F-16 Fighter Pilot in Afghanistan? Find Out!

Documentary depicting and highlighting the 100th Fighter Squadron during their 2014 deployment to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. The 100th FS is a unit of the Alabama Air National Guard 187th Fighter Wing located at Montgomery Air National Guard Base, Alabama. The 100th FS traces it’s legacy to one of the Tuskegee Airman Squadrons of WWII. Includes […]

Opinion: The ‘Noble Savage’ trope and its modern counterpart

The “Noble Savage” character is an idea about a distant culture or group of people (often used in works of fiction) that are uncorrupted by the evils of society. It’s usually an oversimplification of an indigenous people who are in touch with nature, and, while misunderstood by the industrial powers at large, they are innately […]

Broken Faith: A wounded veteran’s search for self-forgiveness

SOFREP is proud to present its guest author, Zachary Mayne, veteran of 3rd Ranger Battalion.  Welcome, Zachary! Five weeks after being wounded by a burst of high-explosive rounds in combat, I was hooking up my static line for a daylight, Hollywood jump over Fryar DZ. My wounds had healed quickly, it seemed. The sight had […]

The American Road and the Gold Star Family

In World War I, families who had one of their own serving in the military often hung a banner or flag outside with a blue star to symbolize their loved one. If that loved one were killed, the blue star would be turned to a gold one. I can imagine that in a war like […]

Russia Says IS Making Afghanistan “Resting Place” For Terrorism

Russia’s Ambassador to Pakistan had strong words against the rise of the Islamic State in Afghanistan, stating that the terror group is turning northern Afghanistan into a “resting base” of international terrorism and a “bridgehead” for establishing its destructive caliphate in the region. The “international wing of Daesh” is spearheading the effort of terrorists spilling […]

Iraq acknowledges US military draw down

Now that the Islamic State has been eliminated in its conventional form and the cities of Raqqa, Syria and Mosul, Iraq have been liberated from their control, the United States Military has begun decreasing their presence on the ground. The Iraqi government officially declared victory over the Islamic State in December and has confirmed the […]