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"The crisis in Syria's Idlib province - already a humanitarian catastrophe - is fast becoming a geopolitical one as well. The Syrian conflict has long had a dual aspect - both civil war and proxy war, with several outside players backing various parties to further their own strategic ends."

"The State Department is warning that violent extremist groups could be scheming an attack in Nairobi, Kenya — a warning that comes weeks after al-Shabab militants attacked U.S. and Kenyan forces in Manda Bay, Kenya in January."

"Turkey says its forces have retaliated against Russia-backed Syrian government forces after at least 33 of its soldiers were killed in air strikes in Idlib Province, as NATO condemned Damascus and Moscow for what it called "indiscriminate" bombing in the region."

"At least 29 Turkish soldiers have been killed in an air strike by Syrian 'regime forces' in north-western Syria, a senior Turkish official has said."

"The Pentagon's top general said recently that the U.S. Army's 1st Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) will face a tough operating environment when it deploys to Africa, one that's much more austere than it faced in Afghanistan."

"The only place in the world where fighters linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group are cooperating is in West Africa’s sprawling Sahel region, giving the extremists greater depth as they push into new areas, according to the commander of the U.S. military’s special operations forces in Africa."

"At least 29 Turkish soldiers were killed in the Syrian province of Idlib today in an escalating confrontation between Russian-backed Syrian forces on one side and Turkish forces and their Sunni rebel allies on the other, marking the highest number of Turkish losses in a single day since the start of the civil conflict in Syria nine years ago."

"The Islamic State’s Afghanistan branch has lost more than half its fighters due to Afghan and U.S. airstrikes, and ground operations conducted by Taliban fighters, according to a recent inspector general report."

"The upcoming 2021 defense policy bill will likely restrict the Pentagon from reducing its footprint in Africa, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said Thursday."

Continue on for links to all the latest articles in the February 2020 edition of CTC's "Sentinel".

"It is the final days before a peace deal between the United States and the Taliban insurgency is expected to be signed, and the partial cease-fire that was set as a precondition seems to be holding. The police on this remote, southern battlefield suddenly have time for questions they once hardly imagined asking: Could there really be peace? What would that be like?"

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says Washington "does not and will not ever recognize" Moscow's claim to Ukraine's Crimea region, which it seized in 2014 and annexed. Pompeo said that "February 27 will mark the sixth anniversary of Russia's attempted annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, and the United States reaffirms: Crimea is Ukraine."

"Turkey-backed Syrian opposition fighters Thursday retook a strategic northwestern town in Syria that was recently captured by government forces, and cut the highway linking the capital, Damascus, with the northern city of Aleppo days after the government reopened it for the first time since 2012."

"Afghanistan has averted a full-blown political crisis after the two main contenders in a bitterly disputed presidential election -- each claiming victory -- agreed to back down from their escalating feud."

"Facing skepticism from members of Congress about plans to alter force posture in Africa, Defense Secretary Mark Esper told members of the House Armed Services Committee that he remains committed to keeping U.S. forces on the continent."

"A bombing in the Afghan capital, Kabul, Wednesday injured at least nine civilians, the first significant incident of violence during the weeklong reduced fighting period agreed to between U.S.-backed Afghan security forces and Taliban insurgents."

"Nearly 17 years after U.S. troops largely pulled up stakes from the kingdom, the U.S. is now back in force."

"Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper is reviewing the combatant commands' force posture to ensure the forces have the right mix of personnel and resources to meet the National Defense Strategy's priorities, a senior defense official told reporters at the Pentagon."

"Pressure appears to be building on the White House and U.S. intelligence agencies to declassify some information and brief the public on possible Russian attempts to meddle in the upcoming presidential election."

Via C4ISRNET - "For military planners who fear future conflicts in megacities, Elma, Washington, provides a near ideal testing ground: an urban environment without the difficulties of an inhabited urban space."

"Governments increasingly order telecoms to turn off web access in neighborhoods, regions or whole countries, sometimes for months."

"The top U.S. commander in Europe is warning of daunting amounts of Chinese investment in European seaports and increases in Russian submarine activity outside of Europe."

"U.S. President Donald Trump says his administration is moving closer to a peace deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan, saying a week-long nationwide 'reduction in violence' truce with the insurgent group is holding up 'so far, so good.'"

"The week-long reduction in violence deal hashed out between the Taliban and the U.S. appears to be holding up. Attacks have so far been significantly reduced, potentially leading to the signing of a long-term peace deal on Feb. 29 and the withdrawal of American troops."

"The senior al-Shabab leader who plotted the attack against U.S. and Kenyan forces in Manda Bay, Kenya is dead — following a series of airstrikes in Somalia over the weekend, U.S. Africa Command announced Tuesday."