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"As the United States appears to be nearing a deal with the Taliban on pulling its troops from Afghanistan, the country’s security forces are in their worst state in years — almost completely on the defensive in much of the country, according to local military commanders and civilian officials."

"Why would insurgents develop a special operations capability, and what exactly does that look like?"

"It is a highly classified system based on sensors that monitor what is happening on the ground and provide warning in the event of a cavity discovery, but its full details may not be published."

"The Afghan War has entered a critical period in which the U.S. is actively seeking a peace settlement with the Taliban, and doing so in spite of the fact that it is negotiating without the full participation of the Afghan government."

"Afghan forces trained by U.S. and coalition advisers aren’t capable of coordinating airdrops and may not receive adequate training to prevent them from killing civilians and friendly forces during airstrikes, a Defense Department report said."

U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) liberated Raqqa from IS in October 2017. But during the 3-month-long battle, much of the city’s infrastructure was reduced to rubble. Local officials complain the international coalition to defeat IS, which helped free the city, lost interest in rebuilding Raqqa as the focus has shifted to other areas recently liberated from IS.

"As the United States appears to be nearing a deal with the Taliban on pulling its troops from Afghanistan, the country’s security forces are in their worst state in years — almost completely on the defensive in much of the country, according to local military commanders and civilian officials."

"The Pentagon failed to prepare Army units for the cultural difficulties of training local forces in Africa, leading to units reverting to their old tactics, according to a declassified inspector general’s report, a potential blow to efforts to train US-aligned forces in North Africa."

"After a rough couple of months for special operations scandals in the news, the head of U.S. Special Operations Command is opening up a review into the entire command’s culture and ethics, according to a memo released Monday."

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley is a firm believer that a strong military is key in a whole-of-government approach to national security issues.Still, he cautions, there are Americans who believe some myths about the military. Here are his four "Myths of War".

"A Marine who used his personal email account to send a classified warning to his colleagues about a corrupt Afghan police chief should be allowed to continue serving, a board of military officers has determined in the high-profile case."

"Over the past four decades a small outpost in Honduras has housed a mix of U.S. military forces, backed by aid organizations to do a Swiss Army-knife type mission of providing medical assistance, disaster response and military training for Latin American allies."

"The United States and the Taliban have concluded the eighth round of talks aimed at reaching an agreement between the two adversaries to end the 18-year-old war in Afghanistan and jumpstart intra-Afghan peace negotiations."

"After 18 years of war, the United States is once again preparing to unveil a plan for peace in Afghanistan."

"The latest round of talks between the Taliban and the United States on a deal to withdraw thousands of U.S. troops from Afghanistan has ended and now both sides will consult with their leadership on the next steps."

"An uneasy truce took hold in Aden on Sunday after four days of fighting over control of the southern Yemeni city, as the unrest threatens to unravel international attempts to stabilize the country and further splits a U.S.-backed anti-Iran coalition there."

"The ugly truth is that the Taliban have a legitimate claim of representing a part of Afghan society."

In the 4½ months since U.S.-backed forces declared victory over the Islamic State terror group’s last shred of territory in Syria, there has been a steady drumbeat of doubt. One by one, military leaders, diplomats and experts began raising concerns, aiming to convince policymakers that for all of the success in rolling back IS’s self-declared caliphate, the group was far from dead.

"John Bolton’s threats to scuttle tiny U.N. peacekeeping mission stirs fears over regional stability."

"Islamabad faces international pressure to crack down on extremist groups focused on the disputed territory and domestic pressure to counter India’s new strategy there."

"Cities matter. They matter for fighting climate change, for fighting pandemics, and, as the Urban Warfare Project continues to demonstrate, they matter for the future of fighting itself. The heightened importance of urban spaces results from demographic developments, with the global population advancing toward 70 percent living in urban areas by 2050, and from recent trends in terrorism, counterinsurgency and stabilization efforts."

"The Taliban’s waiting game is finally about to pay off."

"The Taliban have left no doubt that they’ll try to overthrow the government if American forces leave."

The Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham is not defeated despite the loss of the territory it claimed as its so-called ‘Caliphate’ in Iraq and Syria. It is stronger today than its predecessor Al Qaeda in Iraq was in 2011, when the U.S. withdrew from Iraq.

Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, the country’s intelligence agency, released a new video showing its special forces attacking Islamic State sleeper cells in rural areas of Kabul Wednesday. The agency also said it arrested this week a key member of the terror group accused of coordinating suicide attacks and managing suicide bombers in the capital.