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“As Islamic State is pushed out of urban centers, finding targets is more difficult.”

“Several years after pulling back, American troops will head outside the wire to battle the Taliban and turn up the air war.”

"After months of lobbying NATO allies to increase their troop contributions and support to the war in Afghanistan, the alliance came up short Thursday."

"For the American-led mission to succeed, more international forces, chiefly from NATO members, would also be required."

"Filipino troops guarding the ruins of a city freed from Islamic militants last month said American training and intelligence gave them an edge against the 1,000 insurgents."

"The NATO alliance will meet in Brussels on Thursday to review next steps in the Afghanistan conflict and brainstorm ways to deal with the 16-year-old security crisis."

“Weakening State cedes diplomacy to U.S. adversaries, say current and former officials.”

"The moves came as tensions with Russia remain the highest they have been in the nearly three decades since the end of the Cold War."

The war of words between Iran and Saudi Arabia is escalating in the media and on the ground after the launch of a ballistic missile from Yemen which hit near the airport in Riyadh.

"One presidential trip will not solve these problems, but President Trump can begin to set the stage for a more robust and effective U.S. approach."

"The stakes are highest, and the current dilemmas most acute, in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Yemen and Jordan."

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Taliban bases in Pakistan pose a “big challenge” to efforts aimed at bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan.

"Top to bottom, the Army is changing the way it educates soldiers."

"In rebel-held Syria, access to the weapons you need to wage an insurgency are just a tap away thanks to an encrypted messaging app."

"Mattis called the European Center of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats that Finland established earlier this year 'an institution fit for our times'.”

"As the Islamic State group loses its remaining strongholds in Iraq and Syria, Defense Secretary Mattis is facing a growing chorus of questions from NATO allies."

“We’ve seen this movie before, and it doesn’t end well.”

“After the truck attack in Manhattan, there’s no excuse for a limited imagination when it comes to safer streets.”

“The Kremlin needs a real plan to mitigate the threat of returnee ISIS fighters.”

"For the foreseeable future, the developing world will have fewer American engineers, economists, teachers and health workers to help prepare for the future."

"The area is replete with all possible forms of foreign or domestic interventions. These range from muscular to diplomatic, security-oriented to development- oriented."

"The Americans knew there would be an attack on Kirkuk because their special forces were embedded with the Iraqi army outside the city of Kirkuk and with Kurdish troops."

“The worst scenario is failed states where terror can take root.”

The ideological challenge from the Islamic State has proved intractable. It has been able to spread its ideas, recruit the disaffected, and infiltrate countries across the globe.

"With Islamic State on the wane, the West no longer needs Kurdish help—and the Kurds face a historic calamity once again."