Terror group in Syria on the run, 2,000 killed in 2 weeks:
Russian warplanes have destroyed a surface-to-air missile launcher that the Islamic State terrorist group previously captured from the Syrian Army, the Russian Defense Ministry reports. The bombing campaign in Syria is forcing the jihadists to flee. More than 2,000 terrorists have been killed since the start of the Russian airstrikes.
Russian Airstrikes Kill At Least 10 In Central Syria: Report:
At least 10 people were killed Thursday when Russian jets struck areas in central Syria witnessing fierce fighting between regime forces and Islamist rebels.
Syrian army, Russian jets target rebel towns north of Homs:
The offensive that began before dawn builds on over a week of ground attacks launched with Russian air support in areas of western Syria that are crucial to Assad's survival and held by rebel groups other than ISIS.
Fact or propaganda?
Iran 'deploys troops' to help Syrian army offensive: Report:
Activists say thousands arriving via Latakia airport as Assad government declares assault on rebels in Homs province.
Two more Iranian commanders killed in Syria:
Hamid Mokhtarband and Brigadier General Farshad Hassounizadeh died while assisting the Syrian government's battle against ISIL on Monday, reported the Tasnim and Fars news agencies and Press TV.
Iranian MPs arrive in Damascus before joint offensive:
The visit, led by the chairman of the Iranian parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, Alaeddin Boroujerdi, came as Iranian troops prepared to bolster a Syrian army offensive that two senior officials told Reuters would target rebels in Aleppo.
Iran has no military troops in Syria: Syrian minister:
There are no Iranian troops fighting in Syria, Zoubi said in an interview with the Beirut-based al-Mayadeen television channel, stressing that the Islamic Republic's presence in the Arab country is for consultations only.
US defense chief: we will deter Russia's 'malign and destabilizing influence' :
"We will take all necessary steps to deter Russia's malign and destabilising influence, coercion and aggression," Carter said, attacking Russian military intervention in Ukraine and Syria.
US ammunition airdrop in Syria raises concerns amid reduced vetting of rebels:
While the US military previously vetted each Syrian militant receiving US sponsorship, now the program vets only the leadership of rebel groups, raising the prospect that US weaponry could migrate to the broader Syrian civil war.
US munitions delivery to Syria rebels stirs confusion on the ground:
The decision to make the first delivery to Arab factions could indicate unresolved tensions with Turkey over Washington's plans to boost support for the YPG, the sister party of the Turkey-based separatist PKK insurgency.
US refuses to receive PM Medvedev's delegation to coordinate anti-terrorist actions in Syria:
Washington has refused to receive a Russian military delegation, headed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, to discuss coordinated action on the fight against terrorism in Syria, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
Putin: I don't get how US can criticize Russian op in Syria if it refuses dialogue:
"I don't really understand how our American partners can criticize Russia's counterterrorism effort in Syria while refusing direct dialogue on the all-important issue of political settlement," Putin explained.
Lavrov says Russia helping fight against militants in Iraq:
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday Moscow was helping the fight against Islamist insurgents in Iraq with the consent of the Baghdad government.
White House alarmed as Iraq uses intelligence center operated by Russia:
Iraq has begun bombing Islamic State fighters with the help of a new intelligence center operated by Russia, Iran and Syria, a cooperation that is raising concerns in Washington about the threat to U.S. interests in the region.
Iraqi forces in major push against ISIS:
Iraqi forces battled ISIS militants on separate fronts Thursday, ramping up operations to retake Baiji and Ramadi, two of the conflict's worst flash-points.
Iraqi Army Liberates Major Oil Refinery in Baiji, kills ISIS commander:
"The army units and fighters of people's militia managed to completely liberate Baiji oil refinery, there are no signs that some terrorists remain inside," Samir Shuvayli told Iraq's Alsumaria news network.
Iraq says assault to retake Daesh-held Ramadi looming:
Iraqi forces have made significant advances around Ramadi and an operation to retake the city captured by Daesh in May is looming, officers said Wednesday.
US-Led Coalition Destroys ISIL HQ, Military Commander in Northern Iraq:
Airstrikes of the US-led international coalition destroyed on Thursday an Islamic State (ISIL) coordination headquarters, killing one of the group's northern Iraq military commanders, local media reported, citing a military source.
10 PKK fighters killed in military operations in SE Turkey:
Ten militants of the banned Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) were killed Wednesday in military operations in southeastern Turkey, according to a military statement.
Alarm grows over summary executions of Palestinians:
Thirty-two Palestinians have been killed since escalated violence began on 1 October. At least 17 were killed while protesting. Others have been killed in what Amnesty International has described as extrajudicial killings.
U.S. 'excessive force' comment touches nerve in Israel:
Israel bristled on Thursday at U.S. suggestions it may have used excessive force to confront Palestinian stabbings, and also published hospital images it said refuted Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's allegation a teen suspect had been "executed".
Israel to revoke Jerusalem residency of Palestinians:
In addition to punitive home demolitions, Israel is taking steps to banish alleged attackers' relatives from Jerusalem.
Russia says 'hotline' with Israel set up to avoid Syria clashes:
Russia and Israel have been working to find a way to avoid unintended collisions between their aircraft over Syria since President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to set up a "mechanism" at talks in Moscow last month.
US brokering talks for Gulf states to buy Israeli anti-missile system as ":Iran defense":
Bahrain and other Persian Gulf states are in negotiations to buy the Israeli-developed Iron Dome anti-missile system to defend against "a growing arsenal of Iranian missiles".
Arab coalition slowing aid efforts in Yemen - U.S. Navy report:
Aid to Yemen, facing a humanitarian crisis, is being slowed by a Saudi-led coalition which has warned commercial vessels to stay away from areas hit by fighting, a U.S. Navy report said.
The US Could End Saudi War Crimes in Yemen - It Just Doesn't Want To: News Analysis -
The Saudi-led coalition is guilty of systematic war crimes in Yemen, and the US bears legal responsibility because of the use of arms purchased from the United States, an Amnesty International report charged in early October.
Afghan official: Taliban overruns checkpoints, kills 29 border police near Kandahar:
"If reinforcements would have gotten there, the police forces could have survived," said Shakir, who added that the Taliban fighters captured vehicles, weapons and ammunition.
The occupation will continue:
Obama Changes Afghan Strategy, Will Keep 5,500 Troops Past 2016: Officials:
President Barack Obama plans to keep 5,500 U.S. troops across Afghanistan into 2017, senior administration officials told NBC News - well more than the small security force he promised last year.
The occupation will continue:
Carter To Include Funds in FY17 To Maintain Afghan Forces:
"It's not a question of whether, but how to continue the mission in Afghanistan," Defense Secretary Ash Carter said . He added that the US is committed to "an enduring presence in Afghanistan."
Nearly 90% Of Those Killed By US Drones Were Not Intended Targets :
Those are among the key revelations of a bombshell report published by the Intercept Thursday.
US Knew Drones Provided Faulty Intelligence, Led to Civilian Massacres:
The Obama administration's preference for drone strikes took place despite knowledge that the intelligence they provided was faulty, leading to massacres which killed hundreds of innocent civilians.
US, China brace for stand-off over disputed islands sail-by as Aussies fence-sit:
China may use force if the US proceeds with its plan to sail within 12 miles of a reclaimed island in the South China Sea. Australia, which previously supported the American plan, said it wouldn't be part of it.
Australia Won't Join New Patrols of South China Sea, Says Robb:
Australia wouldn't take part in any U.S. naval patrols aimed at testing China's territorial claims in the South China Sea and isn't taking sides in disputes over one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, Trade Minister Andrew Robb said.
Sailing in South China Sea not provocative, U.S. says:
U.S. naval vessels sailing through international waters in the South China Sea, including areas claimed by China, cannot be considered provocative, the U.S. Navy's most senior uniformed officer said on Thursday, while a Chinese newspaper called for a firm response to any "unscrupulous" U.S. behavior.
New details of Chinese space weapons revealed:
"China is pursuing a broad and robust array of counterspace capabilities, which includes direct-ascent anti-satellite missiles, co-orbital anti-satellite systems, computer network operations, ground-based satellite jammers and directed energy weapons," a late draft of the commission's annual report states.
2 Killed, 6 Conscripts Injured In Explosion In Egypt's North Sinai:
At least two persons were killed and six conscripts injured in a bomb explosion in the restive city of Al-Arish in Egypt's North Sinai governorate, reports the Press Trust of India (PTI).
Boko Haram: Military Confirms Seven Killed in Maiduguri Multiple Bomb Blasts:
The Nigerian military has confirmed multiple bomb blasts in several parts of Maiduguri, and killed those that attacked military formations in Geidam, Yobe State.
US troops deployed to Cameroon for Boko Haram fight:
Up to 300 troops and surveillance drones being sent to help West African efforts against Nigerian armed group.
US Troop Deployment in Cameroon Partially a Consequence of Libya War:
Intervention in Libya open-ended for the people of the region.
What Clinton left out about her history with Gadhafi:
In the aftermath of Gadhafi's overthrow, Clinton's aides celebrated her role in Libya. "It shows [Secretary Clinton's] leadership / ownership / stewardship of this country's Libya policy from start to finish," her top foreign policy adviser, Jake Sullivan, wrote to her chief of staff, Cheryl Mills, in an Aug. 22, 2011,
The military's secret military: Green Berets, Navy SEALs and the special ops you'll never know about:
This year, U.S. Special Operations forces have already deployed to 135 nations
Report reveals censored passages about CIA's secret torture sites :
The report's authors said that under the CIA's rendition, detention and interrogation program, more than 130 people are known to have been tortured in the agency's own secret prisons, which operated across the world between 2001-2009.
REVEALED: The boom and bust of the CIA's secret torture sites:
This account unveils many of the censored passages in the report summary, drawing on public data sources such as flight records, aviation contracts, court cases, prisoner testimonies, declassified government documents and media and NGO reporting.
So-Called Email Privacy Bill Re-Authorizes Bureaucrat Snooping Of Emails:
This bill re-authorizes, blesses and encourages the very types of violations of the Fourth Amendment its proponents so righteously claim they are stopping - and even more.
CIA director withheld information about JFK assassination:
McCone's cover up was designed to keep the commission focused on "what the agency believed was the 'best truth' - that Lee Harvey Oswald, ... acted alone in killing John Kennedy," the report said.
