Blog Posts

"The Syrian armed opposition insurgency in Dera'a demonstrated its growing strength on March 1 by seizing several Assad regime military positions in the province in reaction to a large regime security operation in the north of the province. The scope and scale of the insurgent attacks represent a new threshold for the southern insurgency."

"Armed men killed at least 50 people Sunday in attacks on villages in the Nigerian state of Kaduna, according to local officials and residents."

"The Taliban said Monday they were resuming offensive operations against Afghan security forces, ending the partial truce that preceded the signing of a deal between the insurgents and Washington."

"Turkey’s air force downed two Syrian jet fighters, testing Russia’s dominance of Syrian airspace as a battle for control of the last rebel stronghold continued near the Turkish border."

"Turkey deployed swarms of killer drones to strike Russian-backed Syrian government forces, in what a senior official said was a military innovation that demonstrated Ankara’s technological prowess on the battlefield."

"The Trump administration’s peace deal with the Taliban opens the door for an initial American troop withdrawal that Defense Secretary Mark Esper sees as a step toward the broader goal of preparing for potential future war with China."

"The Afghan government objected Sunday to parts of the historic peace deal between the United States and the Taliban, showing the difficulties that lie ahead for the country as the 18-year conflict enters a new phase."

"Veterans of America’s longest war are finding themselves torn as the U.S. signs a potentially historic peace accord with the Taliban in Afghanistan."

"US, Afghan and Taliban officials have all been careful to avoid calling Saturday's agreement in Doha 'a peace deal.' But in Afghanistan, a sense of cautious optimism has been rising ever since a week long 'reduction in violence' or partial truce leading to the signing came into effect."

"Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says his government has not pledged to free Taliban prisoners, as stated in a deal reached by the US and the militants."

"The agreement to end the brutal U.S.-Taliban conflict in Afghanistan, which began nearly two decades ago with the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington and became America’s longest war, was signed on Saturday under the gaze of tough men in turbans, who clapped and shouted 'Allahu akbar!'"

"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday called on Russia to get out of Turkey’s way in Syria and allow Turkish forces to deal with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad."

"It’s my first time in Kurdistan since the U.S. pulled back and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his proxies invaded last October. How is the situation on the ground? Is Islamic State reappearing? And is the West doing anything to support the Kurdish fighters who are its most reliable allies not only in Syria but in Iraq and Iran? I came here to see with my own eyes."

"The agreement does not require the terrorist group to recognize Afghanistan’s legitimately elected government."

"Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have held crisis talks amid rising tensions after 33 Turkish soldiers died in an air strike by Moscow-backed Syrian government warplanes. At the same time, U.S. President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo restated Washington's support for NATO ally Turkey."

"The United States and the Taliban have signed a peace agreement aimed at ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan, America’s longest."

"Tensions between Russia and Turkey over their sometimes allied and often dueling military campaigns in Syria broke into the open Friday, with Moscow blaming Ankara for the deaths of 33 Turkish troops in Syria’s Idlib region during airstrikes."

"For U.S. defense officials, the deal allows the United States to keep a foothold in Afghanistan depending upon the conditions on the ground, monitor whether the Taliban seeks peace and carry out strikes against the Islamic State militants, who are at war with the Taliban, too. It also could leave U.S. forces vulnerable to some casualties."

"President Donald Trump has called on Afghans to embrace prospects for peace, as the US prepares to sign an agreement with the Taliban on Saturday."

"With mounting losses in Syria and no sign that Turkey’s Western allies are willing to provide significant military support, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is confronting the limits of his strategy of working with the Syrian government’s main backer, Russia."

"President Donald Trump signaled Friday that U.S. officials are set to sign a historic peace deal with Taliban leaders this weekend, one that he hopes will help 'bring our troops home' in the coming months."

"The number of Iranian officials who have tested positive for the virus has drawn attention to the official statistics, with some researchers suggesting the number of infections is far higher—possibly in the tens of thousands."

"Fears of an escalating conflict in Syria grew Friday as Turkish forces pounded Syria's military in retaliation for the killing of 33 Turkish soldiers. Meanwhile, Russia's and Turkey's presidents spoke, as Ankara threatens to launch even more assaults on Russian-backed Syrian forces."

"The US and the Taliban are set to sign an agreement on Saturday to end the 18-year-long war in Afghanistan. But analysts say it comes with many concessions for the insurgent group."

"An airstrike by Syrian government forces killed 29 Turkish soldiers in northeast Syria, a Turkish official said Friday, marking the largest death toll for Turkey in a single day since it first intervened in Syria in 2016."