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"The Taliban’s deputy chief, in a rare newspaper opinion piece published Thursday, has said that despite mutual mistrust, the insurgent group is 'fully committed' to upholding a peace deal it is about to sign with the United States to end the war in Afghanistan."

"As the number of civilians fleeing Syrian and Russian bombardments in northwestern Syria approaches the one million mark, the United Nations warned Wednesday that if fighting follows them, the result will be catastrophic."

Via 'The National' - "In the end, Aleppo fell with a whimper. On Sunday and Monday, forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad secured the whole perimeter of the city, seizing towns and villages that had withstood nearly a decade of assaults. The battle for Syria’s greatest city and its once industrial capital is officially over."

Continue on for brief summaries and links to all the new "PRISM" articles.

"U.S. military officials said Wednesday that the seizures of weapons by two U.S. Navy warships in the Arabian Sea in November and February included newly designed Iranian surface-to-air missiles among other weaponry bound for Houthi rebels in Yemen."

"The long-awaited result of Afghanistan’s bitterly disputed presidential election was expected to end months of uncertainty. Instead, President Ashraf Ghani’s reelection has triggered a political crisis that has threatened to spill over into violence and derail a historic peace deal between the United States and the Taliban."

"The U.N. human rights office is calling for an independent, impartial and thorough investigation into the massacre of 23 people in a village in Cameroon’s Northwest Anglophone region on February 14."

"Turkey's president has said it is "only a matter of time" before it launches an operation to stop a Syrian army assault on opposition-held Idlib province."

"A recent Defense Department inspector general report said the U.S. military did not properly account for or adequately store nearly $715 million in weapons and equipment for vetted Syrian partners fighting ISIS."

"The decision by President Rodrigo Duterte to terminate the Philippines’ Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) with the United States has met with a cacophony of wailing and gnashing of teeth in the US foreign policy community. This might soon be followed by recriminations over 'who lost the Philippines'."

"The last time Libya’s war had the world’s full attention, it was being fought mainly by Libyans."

"Five months after Afghanistan’s presidential election, the country's top electoral body Tuesday declared incumbent President Ashraf Ghani a winner for a second term while his top rival Abdullah Abdullah’s team called the decision 'illegal' and declared Abdullah the winner."

"Israel has announced a new multiyear plan to restructure its armed forces to face existing and potential future adversaries for decades."

"During a meeting in Munich, Graham warned Defense Secretary Mike Esper there would be consequences if the Trump administration pulled U.S. troops from Africa."

"The announcement came hours after troops consolidated the government's hold over the key Aleppo province, capturing over 30 villages and hamlets in the western countryside in one day and securing the provincial capital that had for years remained within range of opposition fire."

"European Union foreign ministers agreed to revive a naval mission in the Mediterranean Sea to enforce the internationally backed arms embargo on Libya, a move likely to encounter stiff challenges given the recent arms buildup by regional powers in the North African country."

"Since violent extremist organizations utilize similar tactics and techniques, the ability to share intelligence among partner nations in Africa is absolutely critical, according to the commander of Special Operations Command Africa."

"The Taliban appeared confident Monday it will sign a peace agreement with the United States by the end of this month in the presence of international guarantors to close the 18-year-old war in Afghanistan."

"In the last year, Congress has begun to claw back its constitutional power to declare war. A possible U.S. truce with the Taliban will show whether the legislative branch is willing to reassert its peace-making power as well."

"As the Trump administration weighs a possible reduction of its military presence in West Africa, one of its allies in the region appealed Sunday for continued U.S. support."

"President Erdogan of Turkey has warned the Assad regime and its Russian allies to cease their offensive on the last rebel-held region in Syria or face direct intervention by Turkish forces within two weeks."

"A U.S.-backed Syrian partner force said Sunday that an Iranian-backed group launched an attack inside an agreed upon deconfliction zone."

"Iran will refuse to negotiate with the U.S. as long as Washington maintains its campaign of “maximum pressure”—even if President Trump is re-elected, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday."

"Iran’s latest failed attempt to send a satellite into orbit has rekindled U.S. accusations that Tehran is using satellite launches to develop its ballistic missiles."

"At the office of the National Conference, the oldest political party in Kashmir, the gates are locked, a lone security guard sitting outside. Its longtime rival, the Peoples Democratic Party, also shows little sign of life."