Iraq

American surveillance aircraft crashes in Afghanistan, 2 pilots killed

An American aircraft crashed in the Taliban-controlled area of Afghanistan on Monday. Pentagon officials have denied the Taliban reports that the aircraft was shot down. The bodies of two pilots have been recovered by U.S. forces, but additional recovery efforts are being hampered by poor weather.  The aircraft was assigned to the 430th Expeditionary Electronic […]

The Pic of the Day: Marines brief Middle East expert

U.S. Marines and Sailors give a safety brief to Katherine Zimmerman, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Yemen and Africa subject matter expert, before she departs the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (LHD 5) in the Atlantic Ocean Dec. 19, 2019. The Bataan is operating in the Atlantic Ocean in support of naval operations […]

Ranger medic is voted USO Soldier of the Year

A Ranger medic who helped to save the lives of six of his comrades during a firefight from hell has been recognized as the USO Soldier of the year. Sergeant Ty Able, a combat medic assigned to 1st Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, was part of a Ranger assault force that was going after a […]

Canadian Special Operations: What does it mean to be an operator?

Looking back, I didn’t have a clue what being Special Operations actually meant. I started my career in the Canadian Forces as a combat engineer. Out of all the careers I could have chosen, I chose to enlist as a human mine detector. Frankly, I settled for this trade because infantry seemed too hardcore at […]

Stay vigilant, Iran isn’t done with its revenge

Just about two weeks ago it seemed like the escalation of tensions between the United States and Iran was heading for open warfare. And contrary to what many believe, the danger hasn’t abated at all for American or European troops in the region.  It began with Iranian-led militias that had rocketed and mortared over a […]

The Pic of the Day: Iraqi SOF capture ISIS’ Jabba the Hutt

Last week, Mufti Abu Abdul Bari, also known as Shifa al-Nima, was captured by Iraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) during an operation in Mosul, Iraq. According to Iraqi media reports, the Islamic State cleric weighs approximately an astounding 254 kilograms (560 pounds) — anyone working on his deadlift PR, here’s your chance. The Iraqi commandos […]

11 American warfighters wounded during Iranian missile attack

The military evacuated 11 soldiers from Al Assad Air Base in Iraq and treated them for concussion symptoms after the Iranians rocketed two Iraqi military bases earlier this month, which housed U.S. troops, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command said late on Thursday. In the aftermath of the Iranian rocket attack, some of the injured […]

US Military resumes counter-ISIS operations in Iraq

The United States military has resumed some offensive operations with Iraqi military units against Islamic State targets. The U.S. will also shortly resume the training of Iraqi units. (The two sides are currently trying to work out the details — we don’t currently know who the U.S. negotiators are.) This resumption of operations comes just […]

Iran goes after US allies threatening retaliation for helping America

The Iranian government is facing mounting protests at home, where Iranian security forces are reportedly using live ammunition on Iranian citizens. The citizens were protesting the government shooting down an airliner that took off from Tehran. All 176 onboard, including 82 Iranians died in the shootdown. The government admitted that it “lied to the people” […]

Another US/Iraqi base hit with rockets, 4 Iraqis wounded

On Sunday, eight rockets slammed into an airbase in Balad, Iraq, wounding an Iraqi air force officer and three Iraqi enlisted men. Although the Americans have used that base for training and operations, no Americans were injured and few were even present at the time of this latest attack.  No one has claimed responsibility for […]

Iranian forces arrest British Ambassador as protests against the regime grow

The British ambassador to Iran was arrested Saturday for allegedly “inciting” protesters that were taking to the streets again against the regime outside of the University of Tehran. The protests sprang from a vigil at the university for the victims of the airliner shot down by Iranian forces.   Ambassador Rob Macaire was arrested by Iranian […]

The Iranian version of the famous Deck of Cards

In a move reminiscent of the early stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom, the U.S. Army has compiled a new deck of cards. This time around, however, the deck doesn’t include the top-men of the Baathist party and Iraqi military and intelligence apparatus, but the more important weapons systems in the Iranian arsenal. According to the […]