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'The Trump administration is pressing Turkey and U.S.-backed Kurdish forces to pull back from a deepening military conflict in Syria."

"Kurdish authorities are meting out justice in ad hoc courts, but the region is still part of Syria, and Kurdish control is not internationally recognized."

"Simmering tensions between Turkey and the United States spilled into the open on Wednesday."

"The agency in charge of U.S. foreign aid has put Rex Tillerson on notice about rising frustration over his State Department redesign."

Continue on for an issue overview and links to individual articles for the latest edition of the CTC's "Sentinel"

Turkey is sending the United States “conflicting signals” about its operation against Kurdish forces in northwestern Syria, raising concerns in Washington.

“Threats to our forces are not something we can accept.” That’s what the unraveling U.S. relationship with “NATO partner” Turkey has come to: military brinkmanship.

Continue on for the United Nations press release (summary) and a link to the full report.

"In December 1967, an American Navy vessel called the Pueblo departed Pearl Harbor, heading for Yokosuka, Japan."

“The military offensive is reminding Kurds how little global powers need them now that the fight against Islamic State is coming to an end.”

"A government watchdog suggested that Congress might want to prohibit the DoD from spending money on Afghan military units whose members sexually abuse children."

"A lack of leadership and a reluctance to move aggressively against potential attackers are responsible for the worst spate of United Nations peacekeeping fatalities."

Over the weekend, Turkish troops launched an aerial and ground assault on American-allied Kurdish militias in Syria. Here is what you need to know.

"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed Monday to keep up an offensive against U.S.-backed Kurdish militias in Syria, rejecting American calls for restraint."

"In the battle against the Islamic State, among the most deadly have been the Kurdish formations."

"Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates says he argued against President Barack Obama’s Afghanistan war strategy that set dates for the drawdown of U.S. troops."

"The Navy’s decision to level criminal charges against the commanding officers of the destroyers Fitzgerald and McCain is forcing the surface warfare world into a grim reckoning."

"Turkey on Saturday launched a new air and ground operation to oust a Kurdish militia from their northern Syrian enclave, defying US warnings."

"The U.S.'s primary ally in Syria has come under attack from another partner, Turkey, putting the Pentagon in a difficult position as a new front opened between two friendly forces."

"The new strategy also raises a question: Do American voters agree?"

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"Pentagon war planners are shifting away from the George W. Bush and Obama-era strategies dominated by battling extremist groups such as al Qaeda, the Taliban and Islamic State."

"Mattis unveiled the strategy Friday morning at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies."

“Counterterrorism mission initiated after Duterte government requested aid during battle to oust insurgents from Marawi; improving ties.”

“The use of low-cost fighter planes would allow deployment of higher-tech jets to areas requiring their advanced capabilities.”