Terrorism

Hamas attacks Israel, Israeli Air Force responds, ceasefire breaks

The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel didn’t last long. Hamas members launched rockets into southern Israel on Saturday. Israel responded late Saturday night with airstrikes from fighter jets and helicopters in the city of Deir al-Balah and the southern city of Khan Younis. The IDF said that it targeted the terror group’s military capabilities. “The […]

Special Operations base in Syria attacked by rogue Iranian militias

What has been described as a “rogue Iranian-led militia” has breached the 55 km deconfliction zone around the U.S Special Operations base at al-Tanf and attacked MAT, an anti-ISIS unit trained by the U.S. Maghaweir al-Thowra (MAT) is a group that has been trained, equipped and led by American and coalition SOF operators in the […]

Iran threatens to strike America and Israel if they make ‘the slightest error’

The Iranian military marked the 40-day anniversary of the assassination of Major General Qassem Soleimani by rattling their saber and threatening both the United States and Israel.  Major General Hossein Salami, head of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that Iran is prepared to attack both the U.S.and Israel if either makes the […]

A new Pan-African counterterrorism force?

At the annual African Union (AU) summit in the Ethiopian capital city of Addis Ababa, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi urged for the formation of a joint military force to combat terrorism and other growing threats on the continent. According to Sisi, the proposal “derives from Egypt’s belief in the importance of forming this force […]

There I was, active shooter in JKF airport

The officers ran into baggage claim and yelled, “run for your lives, there’s an active shooter in the terminal!” Talk about a wake-up call. I had just landed from France in Terminal 1 at JFK. It was the same year as the Paris attacks. Imagine the reaction of 400+ people from France and Germany flying […]

Allies, enemies, or just useless? A Special Forces operator on working with Afghan SOF

Fact: The Afghanistan National Army Special Forces (ANASF) is the most overused force in Afghanistan. I have personally worked with several Kandaks (units), and their training, motivation, and ops schedule vary greatly. A Special Forces Captain will often be visiting, building rapport, and convincing their unit commander to do more operations. These Kandak commanders struggle […]

The IRA plotted to bomb a ferry full of people on Brexit night

An offshoot of the infamous Irish Republican Army (IRA) plotted to blow up a ferry full of people on Brexit night. The Continuity IRA (CIRA) admitted that it had loaded a bomb on a lorry and was intending to put the vehicle on a ferry that was bound for Scotland the night that the United […]

American warfighters keep dying in Afghanistan, what do politicians say?

In light of the recent Green-on-Blue attack in Nangarhar Province Afghanistan which claimed the lives of two Special Forces members and wounded several more, it may surprise you to know that both the President and the Democrats seeking their party’s nomination in the upcoming November elections all seem to be in rhetorical agreement. The U.S. […]

Green-on-Blue attacks: Too much, too often

On Saturday, we learned of a deadly attack on American Green Berets by a member of the Afghan National Police. The Green Berets were from the 3rd Battalion of the 7th Special Forces Group (7th SFG) and were on an operation with their counterpart Afghan Special Operations Forces (ANSOF), conducting Key Leader Engagement (KLE). When […]

The spread of Islam in Asia and Africa

The expansion of Islam into Asia was solidified with the formation of the Ottoman Empire in the 13th century. This vast empire helped the spread of Islam throughout the world. The Ottomans were extremely tolerant of most religions at the time. Also, much like the Mongols, the Ottoman Empire was dedicated to a jihad against […]

Op-Ed: The legal conundrum behind the definition of Terrorism

Despite numerous efforts since the 1920s, the international community has failed to define or criminalize “terrorism” in international law. There is a sizeable international disagreement on what exactly defines terrorism. This inability to come to a general agreement is the stem of many shortcomings on the international laws of terrorism. These shortcomings of international law […]

How the US plans to counter Russia and China in Africa

Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. Qassem Soleimani. War with Iran. The Afghan papers. These are some of the more important topics that have been trending in defense and foreign policy news. Russia and China, conversely, have been conspicuous in their absence. But, arguably, these two countries are the most important long-term threats to U.S. national security. […]