Michael S. Schmidt
Thursday, November 10, 2016 - 07:54
The United States has killed 119 civilians in Iraq and Syria since it began military operations against the Islamic State there in 2014, military officials said Wednesday. In each case, the American military followed the proper procedures and it did not violate laws of armed conflict, officials said.
Tuesday, September 6, 2016 - 05:57
The American military’s extensive use of drones against the Islamic State and other terrorist groups has resulted in a shortage of Air Force pilots and other personnel to operate the aircraft, leading the Pentagon to rely more on private contractors for reconnaissance missions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Monday, June 6, 2016 - 06:16
The delay is expected despite American efforts to keep Iraq’s creaky war machine on track. Although President Obama vowed to end the United States’ role in the war in Iraq, in the last two years the American military has increasingly provided logistics to prop up the Iraqi military, which has struggled to move basics like food, water and ammunition to its troops.
Monday, April 18, 2016 - 06:13
The Obama administration is preparing to broaden its military campaign against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria by increasing the number of Special Operations forces who advise Syrian rebels, and it is also considering the addition of Army attack helicopters to the fight against militants in Iraq.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016 - 06:12
In the days after Sergeant Cardin’s death, American military officials were forced to disclose why he and the Marines were at the base. The new information illustrated how the conflict had quietly expanded far from the public’s view, and raised questions about Mr. Obama’s pledge to keep American troops out of combat there.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016 - 06:43
An American airstrike on Tuesday killed dozens of fighters at a mountainous training camp used by the Yemeni affiliate of Al Qaeda, Pentagon officials said, the latest sign that the military is hastening its strikes against militants in the Middle East and Africa.
Monday, March 21, 2016 - 07:20
The United States has significantly intensified its bombing campaign in Afghanistan in the past two months as part of President Obama’s widening war against the Islamic State militants who have seized territory outside of Iraq and Syria, according to senior military commanders.
Monday, February 1, 2016 - 06:22
The United States has carried out at least a dozen operations — including commando raids and airstrikes — in the past three weeks against militants in Afghanistan aligned with the Islamic State, expanding the Obama administration’s military campaign against the terrorist group beyond Iraq and Syria.
Friday, January 29, 2016 - 06:18
Pentagon officials have concluded that hundreds more trainers, advisers and commandos from the United States and its allies will need to be sent to Iraq and Syria in the coming months as the campaign to isolate the Islamic State intensifies.
Tuesday, February 24, 2015 - 06:48
The new defense secretary, Ashton B. Carter, said Monday after meeting with senior American military and diplomatic officials in Kuwait that the Obama administration had “the ingredients of the strategy” to defeat Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria.