Under Trump, use of contractors in war zone diminishing

Despite the wars in the Middle East showing no signs of slowing down, what is beginning to wane is the US government’s reliance on contractors to help. The Defense Department is using thousands of fewer military contractors in the early days of the Trump administration than at the end of the Obama presidency. With the […]

Trump gives Pentagon power to reset Iraq, Syria troop limits

President Donald Trump has given the military the authority to reset a confusing system of troop limits in Iraq and Syria that critics said allowed the White House to micro-manage battlefield decisions and ultimately obscured the real number of U.S. forces. The Pentagon, which confirmed the move on Wednesday, said no change has yet been […]

Under Trump, Use of Contractors in War Zone Diminishing

Despite the wars in the Middle East showing no signs of slowing down, what is beginning to wane is the US government’s reliance on contractors to help. The Defense Department is using thousands of fewer military contractors in the early days of the Trump administration than at the end of the Obama presidency. With the […]

Turkish jets strike Kurdish fighters in Syria, Iraq’s Sinjar

Turkish planes bombed Kurdish fighters in Iraq’s Sinjar region and northeast Syria on Tuesday, killing at least 20 in a widening campaign against groups linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party. A Turkish military statement said around 70 militants were killed in the operations inside the two neighboring states. The air strikes in Syria targeted […]

USSOCOM Elects Seven New Operators to their Hall of Honor

USSOCOM recently honored seven special operators by inducting them into the USSOCOM Hall of Honor located at MacDill, AFB on April 18th. They all received medals from U.S. Army Gen. Raymond A. Thomas III, USSOCOM commander, and Sgt. Maj. Patrick McCauley, USSOCOM command sergeant major. Their respective names may not ring a bell for anyone […]

Qatari hunters kidnapped in Iraq freed after 16 months

A Qatari party of 26 hunters kidnapped in southern Iraq in 2015 has been freed and was being handed over to a delegation from Doha in Baghdad on Friday, officials said. Sources close to the negotiations said their release was part of a far-reaching regional deal involving the freeing of prisoners and the evacuation of […]

‘We want to learn’: Iraqi girls back at school after years under Islamic State

Iraqi schoolgirl Manar Mahmoud is eager to resume classes after years of life under Islamic State in Mosul, ignoring the nearby rattle of artillery fire. The 13-year-old is back at her old school in the eastern part of the city, which Iraqi forces recaptured from the Sunni Muslim militants in January. Within earshot, fighting is […]

Islamic State seeking alliance with al Qaeda, Iraqi vice president says

Islamic State is talking to al Qaeda about a possible alliance as Iraqi troops close in on IS fighters in Mosul, Iraqi Vice President Ayad Allawi said in an interview on Monday. Allawi said he got the information on Monday from Iraqi and regional contacts knowledgeable about Iraq. “The discussion has started now,” Allawi said. […]

Trump aide McMaster: Time for tough talks with Russia

White House national security adviser H. R. McMaster said on Sunday it was time for tough talks with Russia over its support for Syria’s government and its “subversive” actions in Europe. Speaking on ABC News’ “This Week” program, McMaster said Russia’s backing of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government has perpetuated a civil war and created a […]

USSOCOM Turns 30, Command’s Impact Continues to Grow

Thirty years ago, a small headquarters opened its doors for the first time. The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) was originally formed out of the debacle of the failed Iranian hostage rescue mission, Operation Eagle Claw in 1980. From small beginnings in April 1987 at MacDill AFB, FL the Special Operations Command now encompasses […]

Christians Being Erased from the Middle East, Land of its Birth

In the Middle East, Christianity is dying. Radical Muslims from the ranks of the Islamic State [ISIS] are killing them en masse and are threatening their very existence in the land where Christianity was born. And the world continues to turn a deaf ear. In the United States, our Congress gives lip service to the […]

Germany requests arrest warrant for Iraqi suspect in soccer team bus blast

BERLIN — German prosecutors requested an arrest warrant Thursday for a 26-year-old Iraqi national with suspected links to the Islamic State group who is being held in connection with a bomb attack on a popular soccer team. The statement said there was no direct proof yet that he was involved in Tuesday’s attack on the […]