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Opinion
Talk of US Iraq withdrawal is disconnected from ISIS threat
Details of a future U.S. military posture in Iraq remain murky, but consequences of a premature withdrawal are clear, the author of this op-ed argues.
By Cameron McMillan and Bradley Bowman
What it means for American bases in Syria to be occupied by Syrian and Russian forces
As U.S. forces make a grab for the exit in a hurry, reports and video coming in suggest U.S. troops are dumping equipment and leaving bases in tact while stripping sensitive items.
By Shawn Snow
Trump says US troops are ‘totally safe’ amid growing chaos in Syria
The commander in chief said regional fighting there is not America's problem or responsibility.
US special operations secrets could fall into hands of Russians and Syrians in pullout
A former U.S. military intelligence operator who spent years working with special operations forces told Military Times that the potential spillover of sensitive tradecraft or information by the SDF was “super problematic," but also a symptom of the lack of a genuine strategy in the region.
By Shawn Snow
Russian and Syrian troops fill void as US pulls troops out of Syria
With the U.S. out of the picture, the stage is set for a potential bloody conflict between the major players in Syria’s civil war that has raged since 2011.
By Shawn Snow
The end of an era: 60,000 strong US-trained SDF partner force crumbles in a week under heavy Turkish assault
The U.S.-trained force has been abandoned by its American partners and is under sustained assault by Turkish forces and their ragtag crew of proxy fighters — some who have reportedly fought under ISIS and al-Qaida banners.
By Shawn Snow
US Congress mulls arms export ban on Turkey for incursion into Syria
U.S. lawmakers are readying bills to sanction and potentially ban U.S. arms exports to Turkey to punish it over military operations in northern Syria.
By Joe Gould
US strikes culled ISIS-Libya encampments, unlikely to return to pre-2016 levels, defense official says
The strikes killed an estimated 43 ISIS fighters, with roughly 100 still remaining, according to a senior U.S. defense official, who spoke with reporters on the condition of anonymity.
By Kyle Rempfer
In supporting the Kurds in Syria, US has been playing fast and loose with the law
Soldiers – indeed, officers, have openly questioned the motives of the commander in chief and disparaged his order to withdraw up to 1,000 troops from areas of direct conflict in northeastern Syria.
By John Robinson
US leaves behind dozens of high-value ISIS detainees as Turkey rolls through Syria
U.S. forces could not transfer about five dozen high-value ISIS detainees before the Pentagon’s decision to move U.S. forces out of the zone of Turkish military operations.
By Shawn Snow
US forces are still conducting ground and air patrols in Syria despite Turkish incursion
SMART news agency said it spoke to the leader of the U.S. commando patrol who told SMART that “their forces will target the Turkish army if it advances inside Syrian territory more than the agreed distance between the United States and Turkey,” according to a translation of the Arabic caption describing the video.
By Shawn Snow