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IS leaders accept they will lose control of the city of Mosul but are planning to defend their last major urban stronghold in Iraq tenaciously, U.S. and Kurdish officials say.

Dunford and other military leaders have called countering violent extremism a "generational problem," one they privately concede the U.S. may never resolve.

“The Islamic State group is expected to fall back from its outer perimeter defenses in Mosul and wage what could be brutal urban combat inside the city.”

While Saudi Arabia and other US allies, or individuals close to their governments, have long been suspected of financing extremist groups in the region, this accusation is more specific.

“Four days ago, the U.S. Defense Secretary was predicting a ‘lasting defeat’ of ISIS. Now, a top general is warning that the terror group is preparing for a guerrilla war.”

“The Obama administration's willingness to appease Tehran is costing us in Yemen.”

Zipline International is using drones to deliver vaccines, medicine and blood to some of the most hard-to-reach populations in Rwanda.

“All Colombians want peace. Any future deal with FARC, however, must address citizens’ concerns.”

"American troops are poised to expand their hands-on support to local forces battling the Islamic State."

AP analysis: "While the long-awaited Mosul offensive began earlier this week, there's no sign of an imminent campaign against Raqqa."

“On second day of the offensive, Kurdish fighters accuse the Iraqi army of inaction.”

In this MWI report, CPT John Chambers draws on this case study to recommend ways the US Army can improve its capacity to counter gray-zone hybrid threats.

This work is our fifth Small Wars Journal--El Centro anthology, covering writings first published in 2015.

All women in the military and female veterans are invited to join LeanIn.org Military Women /  Women Veterans and Think Broader Foundation to create a PSA.

Dr. Sean McFate discusses the future of warfare, what it might look like, and why.

The long-anticipated campaign to reclaim Mosul from the Islamic State began Monday. It is the largest military operation in Iraq since U.S. forces left five years ago.

"But hope, as the old military saw goes, is not a plan."

Continue on for all the details.

The U.S. military said Thursday it struck three radar sites in Yemen in response to missile launches from territory controlled by Houthi rebels that targeted a U.S. Navy destroyer.

"The vaunted propaganda operations of the Islamic State, which helped lure more than 30,000 foreign fighters to Syria and Iraq, have dropped off drastically."

"The terror state would survive the loss of Mosul, but not the fall of Raqqa."

"A Critical Exploration of America’s Role as the Policeman in a Globalized World"

"One strain of thought holds that America has a mission to champion democracy and human rights, granting it a unique role in the world, along with special powers and obligations."

The visit to Lashkar Gah, capital of Helmand, the largest Afghan province, came after overnight battlefield advances brought the insurgents extremely close to the city.

Should Aleppo fall, the options for a military solution will require significantly higher levels of risk and a political solution will rely on terms dictated by Moscow and Tehran.