Robert Burns
Monday, August 1, 2016 - 15:06
President Obama's decision to allow more aggressive U.S. military action in support of Afghan combat operations against the Taliban could have a game-changing effect on the long war, Gen. John Nicholson, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, said Saturday.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016 - 06:18
The U.S. has set up a small Marine artillery outpost in northern Iraq to protect a nearby Iraqi military base, expanding the number and the combat exposure of American troops in the country as Iraqi security forces plan and prepare for a counteroffensive against the Islamic State in Mosul.
Tuesday, March 1, 2016 - 06:13
U.S. forces are likely to play a bigger role in the push to recapture Mosul from Islamic State militants than they did in supporting Iraq's retaking of Ramadi in December, senior defense officials said Monday.
Monday, February 8, 2016 - 07:19
The Obama administration is struggling to find the right mix of military and diplomatic moves to stop the Islamic State in Libya, where the extremist group has taken advantage of the political chaos in the country to gain a foothold with worrying implications for the U.S. and Europe — particularly Italy, just 300 miles away.
Friday, February 5, 2016 - 06:16
The Obama administration is struggling to find the right mix of military and diplomatic moves to stop the Islamic State in Libya, where the extremist group has taken advantage of the political chaos in the country to gain a foothold with worrying implications for the U.S. and Europe.
Friday, October 2, 2015 - 06:28
Russia's launch of airstrikes in Syria is prompting discussions within the Pentagon about whether the U.S. should use military force to protect U.S.-trained and equipped Syrian rebels if they come under fire by the Russians.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015 - 06:05
A summer of stalemate in the effort to reclaim the Iraqi provincial capital of Ramadi, despite U.S.-backed Iraqi troops vastly outnumbering Islamic State fighters, calls into question not only Iraq's ability to win a test of wills over key territory but also the future direction of Washington's approach to defeating the extremist group.
Thursday, September 10, 2015 - 05:59
The U.S. is sending dozens of additional troops and support equipment to improve protection for U.S. peacekeepers in the northern Sinai Peninsula in the aftermath of a roadside bomb attack last week that wounded four U.S. soldiers, defense officials said Wednesday.
Thursday, July 2, 2015 - 06:31
Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told a Pentagon news conference Wednesday that while the U.S. needs to develop a credible, moderate fighting partner on the ground to battle the Islamic State in Syria, the vetting must be done carefully to weed out extremists.
Monday, June 29, 2015 - 07:12
Fewer than 100 Syrian rebels are currently being trained by the U.S. military to fight the Islamic State group, a tiny total for a sputtering program with a stated goal of producing 5,400 fighters a year.