News Archive Total: 1000
| Date | Source | Headline | Item | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10/8/2026 | CNN | US has lost or sustained damage to 81 military aircraft worth up to $3.3 billion in Iran war, congressional report says | The United States military has had 81 aircraft destroyed or damaged in the war with Iran, a Congressional Research Service report released this week says. The number includes both airplanes and helicopters as well as drones, with the MQ-9 Reaper drone – used for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, close air support and combat search and rescue – accounting for more than half of the losses. | Link |
| 10/8/2026 | CBSNews | Newly obtained footage, witness accounts detail Iran attack, and U.S. retreat, at major post in Kuwait | New videos obtained exclusively by CBS News show Iranian attacks on a major U.S. military base in Kuwait as the war with Iran kicked off seven months ago. American forces faced ballistic missiles, drones and what witnesses described as Iranian F-5 fighter jets. The attacks on Camp Buehring offer a window into the strain Iranian attacks placed on American forces during the opening days of the war. CBS News has learned that soldiers defending the base ran critically low on .50-caliber ammunition as some soldiers were repositioned into the Udari Desert in Kuwait. Two soldiers were injured by lightning there in late April, according to U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter. | Link |
| 9/23/2026 | CNN | Eight sailors assigned to US carrier group that fought in Iran war attempted suicide, Navy secretary tells Congress | Eight US Navy personnel assigned to the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group attempted suicide during a period that included when the ships undertook combat operations against Iran and the carrier set a modern record for its time at sea, according to a letter from the service’s acting secretary, which was obtained by CNN | Link |
| 9/18/2026 | Bloomberg | Inside the US ‘Kill Chain’ That Destroyed an Iranian School | Within hours of a Feb. 28 missile attack that hit an Iranian school, some Pentagon personnel knew the US was responsible, according to officials involved in an internal investigation of the incident. That probe found what the officials now describe as a cascade of preventable failures. Two Tomahawk missiles struck the Shajarah Tayyebeh Elementary School building and its grounds that Saturday, killing more than 150 people, including at least 123 children. The strikes devastated the two-story school, which was built on land that was part of a military compound in the southern Iranian town of Minab. In terms of child casualties, it’s the deadliest American military targeting error of the 21st century. | Link |
| 9/18/2026 | CNN | US military had close call after using AI for false intelligence report, sources say | The US military swung into action with plans to intercept the vessel, according to four sources familiar with the episode. According to two of the sources, armed members of the US military were preparing to board the ship. Military planes were in the air, one of those sources and another source familiar with the incident said. | Link |
| 9/25/2026 | WaPo | More U.S. troops have died amid Iran war than Pentagon has disclosed publicly | More American service members have died in the Middle East during the ongoing Iran war than the Pentagon has disclosed publicly, according to six U.S. officials familiar with the Defense Department’s internal casualty accounting data. Five of the officials said there have been at least 22 military fatalities — four more than what appears in the Pentagon’s public database, known as the Defense Casualty Analysis System, or DCAS. | Link |
| 9/16/2026 | CBSNews | New photos show widespread damage at US positions caused by Iranian attacks | New photos obtained exclusively by CBS News reveal for the first time the widespread damage and destruction of buildings and vehicles at multiple U.S. positions across the Middle East, as a result of Iranian missile and drone attacks. The images were sent to CBS News by active service members on condition of anonymity because of rigid media restrictions within the military. "This is major damage to our bases that hasn't been communicated to the American public," one deployed service member told CBS News. "We're standing there with our eyes closed getting punched in the face." | Link |
| 9/12/2026 | BBC | Saudi Arabia shuts key oil pipeline after drone attack launched from Iraq | Saudi Arabia has closed a critical oil pipeline after it was attacked by drones launched from Iraq, as conflict in the Middle East widens. Iraq said it had fired a military commander and launched an investigation after admitting the drone attack on its neighbour's East-West pipeline had originated in one of its provinces bordering Iran. | Link |
| 9/12/2026 | NYTimes | Iran Finds Escalation Is Fruitful Path to Leverage in War With U.S. | The routes to export oil out of the Middle East are diminishing. The price of energy is soaring. And Iran’s neighbors could be about to endorse some measure of its authority over the Strait of Hormuz. In the past week, Iran and its allies have used military escalation to upend any minimal sense of stability in the region, most dramatically in Yemen. That is shifting the momentum in Iran’s war with the United States to its advantage. | Link |
| 9/6/2026 | Independent | Iran fuel tanker explosion leaves 11 dead and seven injured | At least 11 people have been killed and seven injured after a fuel tanker exploded in western Iran, state media said. State news agency IRNA reported late on Saturday that the vehicle suffered a brake fault and struck several cars before catching fire near a traffic police station outside Sanandaj, a Kurdish city roughly 400 kilometres (248 miles) west of Tehran. | Link |
| 9/5/2026 | NYTIMES | U.S. Strikes Three Iranian ‘Shadow Network’ Oil Tankers, Military Says | The United States and Iran each said on Saturday they had attacked oil tankers or other ships in the region, setting off a new round of retaliatory attacks days after some of the most intense fighting in weeks. The U.S. military said it had struck three Iranian oil tankers on Saturday, in response to what it said were unprovoked attempts by Iran to attack two U.S. warships. | Link |
| 9/5/2026 | NYTimes | Iran’s State Media Says U.S. Missiles Hit Iranian Oil Tanker Near Kharg | Iran’s state media said Saturday that U.S. forces had struck an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of the strategically important Kharg Island, days after the two sides engaged in the most intense fighting in weeks. The United States has not confirmed the Iranian reports. A spokesman for the U.S. military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. | Link |
| 9/5/2026 | NYTimes | What the War in Iran Has Cost One Gold Star Family | On a windy afternoon in late July, a mother and a father stood on the tarmac at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware, watching as soldiers carried a flag-draped case down the ramp of a cargo plane. Stephen and Shari Feehan’s only child, First Lt. Tyler James Feehan, was inside. Lieutenant Feehan died on July 18, when Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, where he had been deployed for a year as an air defense artillery officer, was hit by a barrage of Iranian missiles and drones. He was 25 years old. | Link |
| 9/1/2026 | BNO | Iran claims U.S. strike on wedding killed 4, injured dozens | Iranian officials claimed a U.S. strike on a wedding ceremony in southern Iran killed at least four people, including a child, and injured dozens more. The claims could not be independently verified. Iranian semi-official news agency Mehr, citing a regional official, reported Tuesday that the alleged strike hit Kohstak in Sirik County, along Iran’s southern coast. | Link |
| 9/1/2026 | NYTIMES | U.S. Launches Intense New Wave of Attacks in Iran | The United States carried out a new wave of attacks against Iran on Tuesday, the latest surge of violence to puncture weeks of relative calm as President Trump has tried to pivot from a military campaign to one of strangling Iran’s economy. U.S. Central Command said it had struck military targets in Iran in retaliation for attacks on ships and American forces in the region. Hours later, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps said in statements that it had launched missiles on an American military base in Jordan and U.S. military equipment warehouses in Iraq. It warned of fierce retaliations on U.S. interests in the region. | Link |
| 9/1/2026 | Meet 'Castle Breaker,' Iran's missile wreaking havoc in US war | Meet 'Castle Breaker,' Iran's missile wreaking havoc in US war | Iran has fielded a new generation of ballistic missiles that can evade American air defenses and strike with far greater precision – a technological leap that military experts say has damaged the ring of U.S. bases across the Persian Gulf and left them more vulnerable than they've been in decades. The centerpiece of that shift is a highly mobile ballistic missile Iran calls the Kheibar Shekan, or "Castle Breaker," which has a range of 900 miles and a satellite-guided, maneuverable warhead. | Link |
| 9/1/2026 | WaPo | U.S. carries out new military strikes in Iran | U.S. forces launched a new round of strikes inside Iran, military officials said Tuesday, an expansion of attacks that recently resumed after weeks of a tenuous ceasefire The strikes were in response to attempted attacks by Iran on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and U.S. service members in the Middle East, according to Central Command, which oversees operations in the region. | Link |
| 8/30/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. Hits Iran With First Strikes in a Month | U.S. forces attacked two Iranian rocket launchers attempting to disperse sea mines into the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to U.S. Central Command. The attack was the first by the United States against Iran in a month and appeared to be limited rather than a resumption of large-scale American bombing. But Iran vowed it would retaliate, raising the risk of renewed military strikes by both sides. | Link |
| 8/18/2026 | WSJ | Iran’s attacks on ships in Hormuz mount, testing US military restraint | Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz are piling up without an American military response, raising the risks of crossing the strategic waterway and frustrating some Arab allies who worry the U.S. doesn’t have a strategy to wind down the conflict. Iran fired two ballistic missiles toward the strait on Tuesday, triggering air defenses in the United Arab Emirates, according to that country’s Ministry of Defense, which said the missiles were targeting maritime traffic but ultimately fell into the sea. | Link |
| 8/18/2026 | Reuters | Hormuz Strait to remain shut until US meets interim deal conditions, Iran says | The Strait of Hormuz will remain shut until the U.S. meets the conditions of an interim deal signed with Iran in June, the top Iranian negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf said in comments published by state media on Tuesday. These conditions include the U.S. lifting its blockade of Iranian ports, lifting oil sanctions, releasing Tehran's frozen assets, and ending threats and military operations on all fronts, Qalibaf told parliament. | Link |
| 8/18/2026 | CNN | Iran has lost significant control of the Strait of Hormuz | The battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz has become the focal point of the Iran war. Over the past several months, both Iran and the United States have claimed the upper hand – and the competing rhetoric has caused considerable confusion and doubt. At the moment, however, the evidence is clear: The United States, patrolling the strait with its navy, is gaining ground – and Iran is losing much of its control of the critical waterway. | Link |
| 8/16/2026 | NYTimes | As Iran War Turns Into Economic Battle, a New U.S. Strategy Recalls Old Ones | The United States and Iran are poised to blow past a deadline they had set themselves to broker terms on peace and Iran’s nuclear program. President Trump’s cease-fire with Iran in June envisioned a broader deal to end the war and rein in the country’s nuclear program, all negotiated within 60 days. But that deadline, set to pass on Monday, has been essentially abandoned, and the war has transformed into a contest of willpower and economic endurance that has no end in sight. | Link |
| 8/13/2026 | WaPo | U.S. military has lost roughly 25% of its Reaper drones as Iran war depletes arsenal | The U.S. military has lost at least 45 MQ-9 Reaper drones during the war with Iran, or roughly 25 percent of its fleet, according to three U.S. officials familiar with the matter. The Reaper is used to conduct surveillance and targeted strikes, and it can cost between $30 million and $50 million depending on the type of sensors and weapons it carries, according to the Air Force. The potential taxpayer cost of recent losses is over $1.3 billion for that weapon system alone. | Link |
| 8/12/2026 | MilitaryTimes | Multiple USS Abraham Lincoln sailors have tried to go overboard amid extended deployment, families say | Annabelle Loma has spoken with her husband only a few times since he attempted to jump overboard from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln during his current deployment. Communication has been difficult to come by, and he is now on medical hold. Loma, who lives in San Diego, said her husband had been repeatedly overextended before he tried to jump from the carrier. | Link |
| 8/12/2026 | LATimes | US strikes targeting Houthis killed 153 civilians in Yemen last year | U.S. airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen last year killed more than 150 civilians, according to a Pentagon review of the attacks, which comes as concerns rise over civilian casualties during military campaigns under the Trump administration. The unclassified assessment, obtained by the Associated Press, was sent to Congress as part of an annual report on civilian casualties and reported earlier by NBC News. A Pentagon official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the department will submit the report in the coming months but had nothing more to announce. | Link |
| 8/10/2026 | NYTimes | Iran Insists Strait Will Stay Closed Until U.S. Agrees to Demands | Iran said on Monday that any deal with Oman on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz would not lead to the waterway being fully reopened and that the route would remain closed until the United States agreed to demands including lifting a naval blockade. The comments were the latest sign that Iran sees its grip on the strait — which has driven up global energy prices, creating a political headache for President Trump — as its best form of leverage in negotiations with Washington. | Link |
| 8/10/2026 | CNBC | Trump signals shift to economic pressure as Iran hardens stance over Strait of Hormuz | U.S. President Donald Trump has signaled he's prepared to let economic pressure take its toll on Iran rather than launching further military strikes, as Tehran insists the Strait of Hormuz will only reopen if Washington agrees to several conditions. Trump, who last week projected confidence of an imminent deal between Washington and Tehran, told Axios on Sunday that he is prepared to wait for economic distress to mount in Iran, backing away from a renewed military offensive. | Link |
| 8/10/2026 | WSJ | Israel rejects next phase of Trump’s Gaza peace plan | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected President Trump’s plan to establish permanent peace in Gaza, a rare public break with the U.S. leader, who just weeks ago hailed “a historic agreement” to disarm Hamas. The plan calls for the militant group to lay down arms in tandem with the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the enclave, which the Israeli leader said Sunday couldn’t happen until Hamas was fully disarmed. | Link |
| 8/8/2026 | NYTimes | Iran Issues List of Demands, Dampening Hopes of Reopening Strait of Hormuz | A top Iranian national security official delivered a sweeping set of demands on Saturday that he said the United States must meet before the Strait of Hormuz can reopen to maritime traffic, throwing the fate of the critical trade waterway into question. Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, issued a statement carried by state media laying out multiple requirements for reopening the strait. He called for the United States to lift its naval blockade and sanctions on Iran, withdraw the U.S. military from around Iran, pay war reparations and release frozen Iranian assets, as well as end attacks on Iran’s allies in the region and threats against the country. | Link |
| 8/6/2026 | AP | Iran war renews concerns about the lasting toll of traumatic brain injuries to US troops | When Joe Shearer was a Marine fighting in Iraq, a blast from an enemy mortar round knocked him down and made him vomit. He got up and kept going despite a searing headache. When a roadside bomb struck his Humvee convoy months later, the explosion’s shock wave swept through his body before headaches and sleeplessness set in for days. | Link |
| 8/6/2026 | AP | Possible Strait of Hormuz deal, a large attack in Yemen and other Mideast news | Iran says it’s in the final stage of drafting an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz waterway with Oman, while two Israeli soldiers have been killed in Lebanon. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz with Oman, which lies on the other side of the waterway, is in the “final stage” of drafting. Speaking Wednesday, he said a joint statement will be issued “if certain parties do not obstruct this process,” apparently referring to the U.S. | Link |
| 8/5/2026 | NYTimes | Iran Says It Is Nearing Final Agreement With Oman on Strait of Hormuz | Iran and Oman are close to finalizing an agreement on an acceptable route for ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said, according to state media reports on Wednesday. The two countries, which sit on opposite sides of the strategic waterway, have been in talks to find a formula to reopen the strait. Iran effectively closed the strait, used to transport a significant quantity of the world’s oil and gas supplies, in retaliation for attacks by the United States and Israel this year. | Link |
| 8/5/2026 | Reuters | Iran threatens to hit Gulf states if US launches new strikes | Iran has warned Gulf states that any new U.S. attack on its territory would trigger retaliation against critical energy infrastructure across the region, according to five sources, as Tehran seeks to raise the cost of military action by threatening Washington's closest regional allies. The warning was delivered through a flurry of high-level diplomatic contacts after President Donald Trump threatened on July 28 to strike Iran's energy network and infrastructure, the sources said. | Link |
| 8/4/2026 | Reuters | US has used 'virtually all' of its long-range precision missiles during Iran war, sources say | The U.S. Army has used up much of its global stockpile of highly accurate long-range missiles during its five-month war with Iran, according to three people familiar with the data, raising concerns about the military's readiness for future conflicts. The missiles are principally the Army's surface-to-surface weapons, known as Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) and Precision Strike Missiles (PrSM). The U.S. has used "virtually all" of these weapons, according to two of the sources. | Link |
| 8/3/2026 | NYTimes | For Iran, Trump’s Reversal on Escalation Shows Who Has the Upper Hand | When President Trump appeared to back down once again from a threatened military escalation against Tehran, he offered fresh fodder to the narrative Iranian officials are eager to promote: They are not the ones who fear war — Mr. Trump is. Iran’s leadership believes it has found the world’s Achilles’ heel. With the help of regional militia allies, Tehran spent the past week underscoring its ability to threaten several of the world’s most critical energy facilities and waterways. | Link |
| 7/27/2026 | NYTimes | Iran and Oman Hold Talks on Reopening the Strait of Hormuz | Iran said on Monday that it was holding talks with Oman on temporarily reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the critical shipping lane in the Persian Gulf, as mediators rushed to tamp down the prospects of renewed war between the United States and Iran. Esmaeil Baghaei, the Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, said at a news conference that there were no direct talks at the moment between Iran and the United States, suggesting that a broader peace deal was not in the offing for now. Instead, he said, the talks with Oman were narrowly focused on negotiating a new route in the strait for ships to traverse. | Link |
| 8/1/2026 | NYTimes | Visuals Suggest U.S. Dropped 2,000-Pound Bomb on Home in Iran, Killing 3 | The United States struck a family home on Iran’s Qeshm Island overnight on Thursday with a large-scale bomb, according to an analysis of videos, photos and satellite imagery by weapons experts and The New York Times. Iranian officials said the strike had killed a husband and wife and their 2-year-old son. The couple’s two other children were pulled from the rubble alive, they said. The size of the crater and munition fragments appear to show the weapon used was a 2,000-pound bomb called a Mark-84, one of the largest conventional bombs used by the U.S. military. The location and time of the strikes are consistent with where and when the United States was operating. The evidence raises questions about what the United States was targeting and why such a large munition was used. | Link |
| 7/29/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. Begins New Wave of Attacks on Iran, Military Says | The scope of the war in the Middle East widened on Wednesday, as American and Saudi fighter jets attacked Iran-allied militias in Iraq, Iran fired missiles at bases in Jordan used by U.S. forces, and an American-owned tanker in an Egyptian port was set on fire in an apparent drone strike. The spate of attacks ended a pause in direct fighting between the United States and Iran. Since the collapse of a cease-fire between the United States and Iran this month, Iran-linked groups across the region have opened new fronts and reopened old ones, embroiling forces in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan in the war that until recently had been contained to countries along the Persian Gulf. | Link |
| 7/29/2026 | WaPo | Trump threatens to hit Iran ‘hard’ following missile attack on U.S. assets | President Donald Trump threatened Wednesday to hit Iran “hard,” after U.S. officials said Iran had launched a ballistic missile attack, which was intercepted, on U.S. military assets in the region. The comments followed U.S. and Saudi joint strikes targeting Iranian-backed forces in Iraq overnight, in what appeared to be Riyadh’s entry into the conflict between Washington and Tehran. | Link |
| 7/29/2026 | Telegraph | US-owned gas tanker set ablaze by drone in Egypt | A US-owned gas storage tanker in Egypt has been struck by a drone in a further escalation of the Middle East war. The floating tanker, the Energos Winter, was set ablaze at the Mediterranean port of Damietta on Wednesday. The fire then spread to an LNG cargo ship, Gaslog Salem, according to port services firm Inchcape. | Link |
| 7/29/2026 | NYTimes | More Countries Pulled Into Conflict With Spate of Attacks | The scope of the war in the Middle East widened on Wednesday, as American and Saudi fighter jets attacked Iran-allied militias in Iraq, Iran fired missiles at bases in Jordan used by U.S. forces, and an American-owned tanker in an Egyptian port was set on fire in an apparent drone strike. The spate of attacks ended a pause in direct fighting between the United States and Iran. Since the collapse of a cease-fire between the United States and Iran this month, Iran-linked groups across the region have opened new fronts and reopened old ones, embroiling forces in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon and Jordan in the war that until recently had been contained to countries along the Persian Gulf. | Link |
| 8/5/2026 | WSJ | Iran gambles on escalation with surprise attack on US forces | Iran’s surprise missile attack on U.S. forces in Jordan shows Tehran’s military leaders would rather risk ramping up the war than play defense or accept a peace deal that would expose them to greater domestic political pressures. Iran fired ballistic missiles on U.S. troops early Wednesday local time, demonstrating a willingness by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which exerts more power than ever in Tehran, to escalate during a relative lull in the conflict and attempt to seize the initiative after weeks in which Iran has mostly reacted to U.S. and Israeli attacks. | Link |
| 7/29/2026 | CNN | US weapons stockpiles continue to dwindle with permanent end to Iran war nowhere in sight | The US military’s weapons stockpiles, including its inventory of crucial air defense missiles, remain severely depleted following a major flare up of the war with Iran in recent weeks, according to three sources familiar with recent Pentagon data and a new report by outside analysts. A substantive settlement to end the conflict remains elusive, and the shortage of the missiles could impact the US’ ability to engage on other fronts. | Link |
| 7/29/2026 | NYTimes | The Whiplash War | After weeks of all-out war, the United States and Iran agreed to a two-week cease-fire in April that paved the way for more negotiations and held open the possibility of a lasting peace. Just days later, clashes started again over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route in the global oil trade. After the United States blockaded Iranian ports, Iran attacked vessels and declared it was closing the waterway. | Link |
| 7/29/2026 | WaPo | Saudi Arabia joins U.S. military strikes on Iranian proxies | Fighter jets from the United States and Saudi Arabia conducted joint military strikes overnight targeting Iranian proxy forces in Iraq, officials said, marking what appeared to be Riyadh’s direct entry into the ongoing conflict between Washington and Tehran. U.S. Central Command said in a statement that the two countries hit “logistics and weapons sites across eastern Iraq” in response to more than 30 drone attacks directed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in recent days. The Saudi Defense Ministry acknowledged its involvement in the operation but provided little detail. | Link |
| 7/29/2026 | NYTimes | Why Iran Is in No Rush to Return to Talks With United States | Iran’s skies have been free of the sound of explosions and airstrikes for the past several days, after a bout of renewed fighting with the United States. But Iranian officials say they have not agreed to a cease-fire and are in no hurry to hold direct talks with American negotiators. Instead, Iranian officials insist that they are in a position of strength, military leaders boast of battlefield successes, and diplomats dismiss U.S. claims that they are eager to return to negotiations. | Link |
| 7/27/2026 | TaskandPurpose | Pentagon reveals hundreds of new Iran war casualties | The Pentagon revealed Saturday that more than 600 troops have been injured or killed in the conflict with Iran, a casualty total more than 200 higher than previously revealed publicly. The new figures were released as part of an apparent overhaul of the Defense Department’s official casualty reporting system, which now splits the war, for the first time, into two time periods. The new figures bring the current total of U.S. troops wounded in the war to 624, according to the Defense Casualty Analysis System, or DCAS. As of Friday, DCAS listed the number of troops injured in the conflict at 420. | Link |
| 7/27/2026 | NYTimes | How the Houthis Cornered Saudi Arabia Into a New Battle | For more than four years, a fragile truce prevailed in Yemen, where a Saudi-led military coalition and the Iran-backed Houthi militia had fought a war that pushed the country to the brink of famine. The limbo was most likely never going to last. Talks toward a durable peace deal had stalled, and the Houthis were growing increasingly frustrated. Saudi officials — distracted by other crises and loath to return to combat — hoped the stalemate would hold a bit longer. Into this tinderbox, the U.S. war with Iran flung a spark. Over the past few weeks, the Houthis and Saudi Arabia have rapidly spiraled into a conflict that could expand into a full-blown war. | Link |
| 7/26/2026 | IndiaToday | After 13 nights, US holds fire on Iran; Houthis attack Saudi ports | Iran-aligned Houthi militants attacked Saudi oil installations at two Red Sea ports on Saturday, raising fears that the conflict involving Iran, the US and Israel could widen to another major shipping route and reignite Yemen's long-running civil war. The attacks came as the United States refrained from launching air strikes on Iran for the first time in nearly two weeks. Washington offered no immediate explanation for the pause after 13 consecutive nights of escalating strikes against Iranian targets. | Link |
| 7/25/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. Strikes Abate, Even as Trump Considers Escalation | The fighting between the United States and Iran appeared to abate for at least one night, though tensions remained high in the region on Saturday as President Trump considered whether to intensify the military assault against Iran. For the first time in about two weeks, U.S. forces did not announce a wave of overnight attacks on Iran. A spokesman for Iran’s health ministry said on social media that there had been no new attacks or casualties. | Link |
| 7/24/2026 | WSJ | Bahrain, Kuwait Warplanes Struck Iran in Rare Gulf Retaliation | Bahrain and Kuwait secretly sent jets to attack sites inside Iran, their first such direct retaliation against Tehran and an indication of the difficult position Arab states find themselves in as the war grinds on, people familiar with the matter said. The airstrikes early this month targeted drone- and missile-storage depots, among other military sites, some of the people said. The United Arab Emirates—which attacked Iran multiple times early in the war—provided intelligence on targets and defensive air cover for the strikes in a sign of budding Arab cooperation in confronting Iran, those people said. | Link |
| 7/24/2026 | Reuters | Trump vows to punish Iran and Houthis for attacks in Red Sea | U.S. President Donald Trump promised "major military punishment" for Iran and its Houthi allies after the Yemeni fighters struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea, extending the Middle East war to a second major shipping chokepoint. Fears that disruption could widen to block another sea route sent global oil prices surging in one of the steepest rises of the war. Brent crude rose more than 6%, piercing the level of $100 a barrel for the first time since May. | Link |
| 7/24/2026 | WSJ | Satellite images show Iran is rebuilding fast | Iran has quickly rebuilt infrastructure damaged during the U.S. and Israeli bombing campaign over recent months, from missile bases nestled deep inside mountains to bridges, ports and production facilities, according to Israeli and Western officials and a review of satellite imagery. The faster-than-expected progress worries some Israeli officials. It helps explain Iran’s continued resilience despite an air campaign that involved more than 20,000 strikes at the height of the war and that continues along Iran’s coast in an effort to break Tehran’s grip on the Strait of Hormuz. Near Kangavar, in western Iran, satellite imagery from Planet Labs in March showed two tunnel entrances and an access road damaged by airstrikes aimed at blocking access to an Iranian missile base. Within weeks, imagery from Airbus revealed a neatly paved road leading to freshly excavated entrances. | Link |
| 7/24/2026 | WaPo | After a hometown soldier’s death, a Texas suburb wrestles with Trump’s Iran war | “Any loss of life is terrible,” Ganzer, 65, said. “But when it’s your hometown, it hits you. Especially when they’re so young.” The death strikes close for many in this diverse, politically divided Dallas suburb of about 135,000, which last lost a member of the military at war 16 years ago. Gonzales is one of 18 U.S. service members to have been killed since President Donald Trump ordered the first strikes in late February, four of them since the ceasefire collapsed July 7. Her death has prompted people here to reflect on the necessity of a war that has divided public opinion from its inception. | Link |
| 7/31/2026 | NYTimes | Strikes Persist After Iran Is Said to Reject U.S. Proposal | The United States and Iran traded more attacks across the Middle East after Tehran was said to have rejected a U.S. cease-fire proposal delivered by the leader of Iraq. American forces targeted Iranian military assets and facilities, including drone storage sites, to reduce the threat to commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Central Command said. The attacks began at 2:15 a.m. local time and ended just over two hours later, according to the command, which oversees operations in the Middle East. | Link |
| 7/23/2026 | NYTimes | Number of U.S. Troop Deaths Suddenly Appears Lower on Pentagon Website | On Wednesday, the Pentagon reported on its casualties website that a total of 18 American service members had been killed during the war in Iran. By Thursday, the Defense Department had lowered that number, reporting that 14 American troops had been killed in the war. Three military officials said that one reason behind the change was that the Trump administration decided to remove four service members killed this past weekend from the list — three in Jordan and one in northern Iraq — because their deaths occurred after President Trump declared a cease-fire in the war in April. | Link |
| 7/23/2026 | Reuters | Iran flew IRGC commanders, missile gear to Yemen's Houthis, sources say | Iran flew Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders, military advisers and missile- and drone-related equipment into Yemen this month, according to four sources, in a move that suggests Tehran is seeking to strengthen the ability of its Houthi allies to threaten Red Sea shipping. Four sources familiar with the matter, including two Iranian sources, Yemen's information minister and a regional security analyst, said Iran transferred the IRGC personnel and military-related equipment on a flight from Tehran to Yemen on July 13 | Link |
| 7/23/2026 | NYTimes | What Visuals Show About Recent Damage to U.S. Military Sites in the Middle East | Iranian attacks on nine U.S. locations across the Middle East in the two weeks since the cease-fire broke down show that the country maintains an ability to inflict damage on precise targets, despite the Trump administration’s repeated claims that Iran’s military capabilities have been diminished or destroyed. A New York Times visual analysis of U.S. military bases and other sites found the strikes have caused damage to living quarters and working areas, drone shelters, radar systems and other structures. | Link |
| 7/21/2026 | DOD | DOD Identifies an Army Casualty | Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, 28, of Ozone Park, New York, is believed to have been killed in action on July 17, 2026, during an enemy attack at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan. The incident is under investigation. U.S. Central Command previously announced this Soldier as missing. The Soldier status was updated to a Duty Status–Whereabouts Unknown and is believed to be deceased. Sgt. Rampersad was assigned to 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air & Missile Defense Command, Ansbach, Germany. | Link |
| 7/21/2026 | CNBC | Iran says it attacked Amazon infrastructure in Bahrain | Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it has attacked Amazon's data infrastructure in Bahrain, according to a statement reported by Fars, an IRGC-linked state media outlet. Fars News Agency said on Tuesday the IRGC had "attacked the central data infrastructure of the American company Amazon in Bahrain with several cruise missiles and destroyed it," according to a translated Telegram post. | Link |
| 7/21/2026 | DOD | DOD Identifies an Army Casualty | The Department of War announced the death of an active-duty Soldier who was supporting overseas operations in Iraq. Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, was killed in action during a controlled detonation of a downed One-Way Unmanned Aerial System on July 19, 2026, at Erbil Air Base, Iraq. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 7/20/2026 | WaPo | U.S. strikes unlikely to move Iran, intelligence reports say | Iran’s government is unlikely to feel significant impact or soften its negotiating position as a result of new rounds of U.S. military strikes like those now underway, according to a new intelligence assessment described by current and former U.S. officials. | Link |
| 7/20/2026 | WaPo | Nearly 100 U.S. troops injured in last two weeks of Iran war, Pentagon says | The Pentagon said Monday that nearly 100 U.S. troops have been injured in the war with Iran over the last two weeks, underscoring the significance of Tehran’s strikes on U.S. military installations across the region since negotiations to end the conflict collapsed. The disclosure came as the U.S. military identified two U.S. soldiers who were killed in a fatal attack on Friday night, and after the Trump administration for days declined to detail how many U.S. service members have been injured recently. Sean Parnell, a Pentagon spokesman, said on social media that “nearly 100 service members were deemed to have some degree of injury since July 7,” with 96 percent of those since returning to duty. | Link |
| 7/20/2026 | NYTimes | Inside the Deadly U.S. Airstrike on a Shadow Fleet Tanker | To the sailors recruited from India, it was just another job. But the ship they boarded was a shadow fleet tanker destined for a war zone. The Settebello had spent at least five years moving Iranian oil that was under U.S. sanctions, often disguising its location, according to a maritime tracking firm. It hid again in early June in the Gulf of Oman, east of the Strait of Hormuz, where it loaded fuel from other ships at sea. | Link |
| 7/20/2026 | Reuters | Houthis impose Saudi naval blockade, opening new front in US-Iran war | Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Monday they were imposing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, a move that opens a new front against the United States in its war on Iran and widens the threat to global energy supplies and trade beyond the Gulf. The announcement came despite signs that Tehran and Washington wanted to resume diplomacy to halt an escalating cycle of attacks that has all but wrecked a fragile interim agreement signed last month. Oil prices briefly rose after the Houthis' statement but fell back due to traders' hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough | Link |
| 7/20/2026 | DoD | DOD Identifies Army Casualties | 1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii was killed in action on July 18, 2026, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Carrollton, Texas, was killed in action on July 17, 2026, during an enemy attack on July 17, 2026, at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan. The incident is under investigation. 1st Lt. Feehan was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 32nd Army Air Missile Defense Command, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Pvt. Gonzales was assigned to 1st Battalion, 57th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 52nd Air Defense Artillery Brigade, 10th Army Air Missile Defense Command, Ansbach, Germany. | Link |
| 7/20/2026 | WSJ | Iran’s missiles have gotten faster and deadlier. The big question is: How? | After nearly five months of war, Iran’s missile capabilities remain lethal. At least two U.S. servicemembers were killed in Jordan on Saturday following an Iranian attack of ballistic missiles and drones. In addition, U.S. officials were working Sunday to try to identify additional human remains found at the site in Jordan as a third servicemember remained missing following the attack. And another U.S. servicemember was killed this weekend during the controlled detonation of a downed Iranian attack drone in Northern Iraq. | Link |
| 7/20/2026 | NYTimes | The Pentagon did not disclose information about dozens of U.S. military injuries. | In the week leading up to the Iranian attack on Friday that killed two U.S. soldiers and left one service member missing in Jordan, Iran carried out three other strikes against U.S. forces in the country. Those attacks injured dozens of U.S. service members and damaged several helicopters, according to several U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters. | Link |
| 7/20/2026 | Reuters | Iranian Sunni cleric killed by unknown gunmen in country's southeast, state media | Molavi Mohammad Anvar Rigi, a Sunni Friday prayer leader in the southeastern Iranian border town of Mirjaveh, was killed on Monday by unidentified gunmen, Iran's state media reported, citing local authorities. Sistan-Baluchistan province, one of the country's poorest provinces and with a large Sunni Baluch population, has long experienced Islamist or ethnic militants fighting security forces or other figures aligned with Tehran. | Link |
| 7/20/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. and Iran Signal Hope for Diplomacy Despite New Attacks | The United States and Iran offered hints on Monday that they were willing to restart talks, with both countries saying they were open to negotiations after a week of deadly attacks across the Middle East shattered last month’s cease-fire. The latest hostilities initially focused on the Strait of Hormuz but have extended wider, killing American service members, hitting U.S. allies across the Persian Gulf and damaging critical infrastructure. The surge in fighting has roiled energy markets, sending oil prices higher. | Link |
| 7/19/2026 | NYTimes | Service member killed in Iraq was not a bomb technician | The service member killed during the disposal of an Iranian drone in Iraq on Saturday was not a bomb technician but another soldier who was hit by debris or fragments when the drone was detonated, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The incident is under investigation, according to the official, who was not authorized to discuss operational matters publicly. | Link |
| 7/19/2026 | Centcom | Update on missing service member (awaiting identification) | the missing status of one in Jordan following an Iranian attack on July 17. After a thorough search, U.S. military personnel found unidentified remains at the location earlier today. An examination process to verify the remains is ongoing. | Link |
| 7/19/2026 | Centcom | U.S. service member killed in northern Iraq | Separately, a U.S. service member in northern Iraq was killed in action July 18 during a controlled detonation of unexploded ordnance from a downed Iranian one-way attack drone. A second service member was wounded and continues to receive medical treatment for a minor injury. | Link |
| 7/19/2026 | msnow | Iran media claims US struck nuclear site still under construction | The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran condemned a U.S. attack on the site of the nuclear power plant under construction, saying the strike violated international law, according to an Iranian state TV report on Sunday, without saying when the strike occurred. | Link |
| 7/18/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. Strikes Leave Iranians Isolated and Scared | U.S. airstrikes targeting parts of southern Iran have rattled Iranians’ nerves this week, they said in interviews, and destroyed key links between one province and the rest of the country. Marzieh, a resident of the port city of Bandar Abbas, said that she had heard from friends that the roads around the city had been “devastated.” Marzieh and other Iranians interviewed gave only their first names for fear of government reprisal. | Link |
| 7/18/2026 | NYTimes | Strait of Hormuz Jordan Is Becoming a New Focus in the U.S.-Iran War | The Iranian attack that killed two U.S. soldiers and left one service member missing on Friday was the fourth in five days on U.S. forces in Jordan, multiple American officials said. Taken together, the attacks have wounded dozens of U.S. service members and damaged a number of helicopters. The flurry of attacks and the losses they have caused are a sign that Iranian forces not only still have ample missile stocks but have also become more adept at evading U.S. air defense systems, said the U.S. officials, who were speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters. | Link |
| 7/18/2026 | WaPo | U.S. strikes Iran after 2 service members killed, 1 missing in attack on Jordan base | Hours after U.S. Central Command announced the deaths, it said on social media that its forces launched fresh attacks against Iran to “degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and swiftly punish Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces who launched attacks against American service members in Jordan last night.” | Link |
| 7/18/2026 | CNN | Two US service members killed, one missing following Iranian strikes | Two US service members were killed and one is missing in action, the military announced Saturday, marking the first American military deaths since March. “On July 17, two U.S. service members in Jordan were killed in action as U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. Additionally, one service member is currently missing in action,” US Central Command said in a social media post. | Link |
| 7/18/2026 | Reuters | Iran hits Gulf states and Jordan after seventh night of US strikes | Iran launched more attacks on Washington's Gulf allies and Jordan on Saturday after a seventh straight night of U.S. strikes on Iranian military targets, escalating the war one week after a ceasefire collapsed. Kuwait came under sustained attack, with a desalination plant hit and operations at Kuwait International Airport suspended due to repeated missile and drone threats. | Link |
| 7/18/2026 | Al Jazeera | Iran suggests MoU ‘suspended’ amid reports 50 killed in US strikes in July | Iran says at least 50 people have been killed and more than 500 injured in strikes by the United States this month, as an Iranian negotiator says their memorandum of understanding (MoU) is effectively “suspended” amid US violations. On Saturday, Iran’s Health Ministry reported the number of casualties from attacks since July 6 , hours after the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) launched a seventh consecutive night of raids on targets across Iran. | Link |
| 7/18/2026 | AP | US and Iran escalate strikes across Mideast | The United States and Iran exchanged strikes aimed at infrastructure and military targets on Saturday as their battle over the Strait of Hormuz intensified. The region has endured days of back-and-forth attacks in a conflict increasingly focused on control of the strait. The collapse of an interim ceasefire leaves no clear end in sight for the war that the U.S. and Israel began more than four months ago. | Link |
| 7/18/2026 | Mediaite | Multiple US service members injured after Iranian attacks on bases | Multiple U.S. service members were reportedly injured in Iranian attacks on Jordanian bases this week amid fresh U.S. strikes and chaos in the Strait of Hormuz. CBS News reported on Friday evening several American service members were injured during attacks by Iran on two Jordanian bases. Multiple U.S. officials confirmed the attacks, but remained anonymous as they were not cleared to speak about the attacks. | Link |
| 7/18/2026 | CNN | Iran’s hardliners warn of a ‘coup’ as US truce comes under pressure | As Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian walked alongside the coffin of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran last week, some of the black-clad mourners surrounding him chanted not in tribute to the late leader, but directly at him – “death to the compromiser.” Not far from that site, Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s top diplomat who negotiated a ceasefire with the Trump administration and lifted some sanctions on the Islamic Republic, was forced to flee the funeral after a mob pelted him with rocks amid death chants accusing him of being a “traitorous sellout.” | Link |
| 7/17/2026 | WSJ | The US and Iran creep toward a wider war with escalating attacks | Fighting between the U.S. and Iran has expanded, with the American military striking a broader range of targets and moving jet fighters into the Middle East while Tehran launches attacks across the Persian Gulf. The fighting is focused on control of the Strait of Hormuz but this round raises the risk of a return to a larger war. The U.S. is hitting bridges and other targets in Iran’s interior to increase pressure across Iran to force an end to attacks on Gulf shipping, after a deal to open the waterway collapsed last week. Iran has responded with broader and deadlier attacks. | Link |
| 7/17/2026 | AP | US strikes bridges and collapses a tower at a key port as its Iran campaign expands | The United States expanded its airstrike campaign against Iran early Friday by hitting more bridges, energy sites and collapsing a tower at a key Iranian port, part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats to start striking infrastructure to pressure Tehran to ease its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz. | Link |
| 7/17/2026 | Reuters | Iran strikes eastern Syria in first such attack during current war | Iran struck eastern Syria on Friday, Iranian state media and a Syrian military source said, in the first known attack by Tehran on Syrian territory since a regional war erupted earlier this year. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had attacked a U.S. special operations command centre at al-Tanf in Syria in retaliation for the killing of Iranian soldiers in Iranshahr, state media reported. | Link |
| 7/16/2026 | LATimes | US expands attacks on Iran, which calls Strait of Hormuz a 'red line' as it retaliates | The United States intensified its strikes against Iran on Thursday, hitting targets farther north and firing into a ship the U.S. accused of trying to break its naval blockade on the Islamic Republic. Iran retaliated by launching missiles and drones at U.S. allies in the region, and warned its attacks may escalate. The interim ceasefire agreed to last month has collapsed and the region has endured days of back-and-forth attacks by the U.S. and Iran as they battle for control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian officials say U.S. strikes have killed more than 35 people and wounded over 300 others. | Link |
| 7/16/2026 | AP | 3 islands help control access to the Strait of Hormuz. They're in the crosshairs of the Iran war | The expanding U.S. military campaign against Iran has put three small islands that sit at the confluence of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz in the crosshairs once again. The islands of Abu Musa and Greater and Lesser Tunb — which were seized in 1971 by Iran from what would become the United Arab Emirates — have become a garrison for Iran, helping it exert significant control over the strait, through which a fifth of all oil and natural gas passes in peacetime. | Link |
| 7/16/2026 | Reuters | Houthi leader threatens Saudi oil and vital facilities if Riyadh escalates in Yemen | Yemen’s Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi says that all Saudi oil and other vital facilities would be targets for the group’s missiles and drones if Riyadh involves itself in what he describes as “comprehensive aggression” against Yemen and moves toward escalation. The Houthis fired missiles at Saudi Arabia after they accused the kingdom of bombing an airport under their control on Monday, breaking a four-year truce in the conflict between the two sides. | Link |
| 7/22/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. and Iran Exchange Strikes for Fifth Straight Day | The United States attacked new Iranian military sites on Wednesday in the fifth straight day of strikes between the two countries, with neither side showing a willingness to back down as the war entered a new phase focused on the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. strikes, which the Pentagon said targeted Iran’s ability to threaten vessels in the strait, followed Iranian attacks on American military facilities in the region. They also came after a day of reversals: The U.S. military reimposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, and President Trump scrapped a short-lived plan to impose tolls on the strait, a critical waterway for shipping oil and gas. | Link |
| 7/15/2026 | CNN | US military says it has redirected 2 commercial vessels since restarting blockade | New wave of attacks: US Central Command says it carried out strikes on Iran for 90 minutes this morning, as tensions flare over the critical Strait of Hormuz. The strikes followed attacks overnight, which Tehran said killed at least seven military personnel in the southeast of Iran. | Link |
| 7/15/2026 | Reuters | The moment a drone hit a warehouse in Kuwait | A drone hit a warehouse in the port town of Al Shuaiba in Kuwait. Kuwait Army confirmed in a statement that several vital and civilian facilities were targeted by Iranian forces | Link |
| 7/14/2026 | Centcom | U.S. Central Command forces began launching an additional round of strikes against Iran | At 3 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command forces began launching an additional round of strikes against Iran to continue degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. The strikes are taking place as American forces prepare to resume the naval blockade against Iranian ports and coastal areas. The blockade goes into effect at 4 p.m. ET. | Link |
| 7/13/2026 | CENTCOM | U.S. Forces Complete New Strikes on Iranian Military Targets | During the five-hour mission, U.S. forces successfully struck military targets across Iran including Bushehr, Chah Bahar, Jask, Konarak, Abu Musa, and Bandar Abbas to further degrade Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping. CENTCOM forces employed precision munitions against Iranian coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites, and maritime capabilities. | Link |
| 7/13/2026 | WaPo | Trump says U.S. military will reimpose blockade on Iranian ports | The deal that the United States and Iran struck last month to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and negotiate over Tehran’s nuclear program was merely “a test,” President Donald Trump said Monday, dismissing what he said weeks ago was a “great deal” that could lead to broader peace across the Middle East. Trump’s remarks in a radio interview came a few hours after he announced on social media that the Navy would reimpose a blockade of Iranian ports and notified Congress that he was resuming hostilities. | Link |
| 7/13/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. Forces Begin New Round of Strikes on Iran | The United States military said it had resumed striking Iran on Monday, hours after President Trump said he would restart the naval blockade of Iran, take control of the Strait of Hormuz and charge heavy fees for ships to transit the waterway. The U.S. moves, along with Iranian threats and claims of fresh strikes on American targets, signaled a return to open conflict less than a month after the two sides reached a truce. | Link |
| 7/13/2026 | WaPo | U.S.-Iran airstrikes intensify as Tehran says deal is in ‘crisis phase’ | The United States and Iran traded heavy airstrikes on Monday, continuing days of renewed bombing as the countries fight for control of the Strait of Hormuz and a tentative truce has all but collapsed. Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps launched missile and drone strikes at U.S. military bases in Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain and claimed to have successfully hit missile, drone and fuel facilities, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported. | Link |
| 7/12/2026 | WaPo | Iran launches attacks on Gulf states after heaviest U.S. strikes in months | The United States and Iran exchanged the heaviest fire in months on Sunday, with both sides striking numerous military targets after Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and disabled a civilian container ship...The Persian Gulf Strait Authority — an Iranian body established in May on which the Treasury Department has imposed sanctions — posted online Sunday that passage through the Strait of Hormuz “is currently not possible” because of “recent illegal movements” by U.S. military forces in the region. | Link |
| 7/12/2026 | WaPo | Survivors of Iranian attack that killed 6 U.S. troops say generals ignored warnings | Seconds after an Iranian drone struck his unit’s operations center in Kuwait, an Army general responsible for the troops inside got up from the floor, grabbed his protective vest and helmet, and shouted an order to a soldier beside him: “Get out!” It was March 1, barely a day into the U.S. war against Iran. The drone hit in the center of the building at Port Shuaiba, its concussive blast hurling troops into walls and igniting a deadly fire, survivors of the strike told The Washington Post. | Link |
| 7/12/2026 | NYTimes | Iran Targets Gulf States After Night of Intense U.S. Strikes | Iran fired at U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf on Sunday after the United States conducted its most intense round of strikes against Iran in recent days, with no signs of diplomatic progress to try to salvage a cease-fire that has been steadily unraveling. U.S. Central Command said that the Iranian navy had attacked a Cypriot-flagged container ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, and that in response, it had hit about 140 Iranian military targets, the heaviest U.S. bombardment in nearly a week of back-and-forth attacks. | Link |
| 7/11/2026 | Centcom | U.S. Central Command forces began launching the third round of strikes this week | At 7:15 p.m. ET today, U.S. Central Command forces began launching the third round of strikes this week against Iran after Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces blatantly attacked M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. A civilian crew member is missing and the vessel is unable to continue the journey due to an onboard fire and significant engineroom damage. | Link |
| 7/11/2026 | Reuters | Iran’s IRGC navy says Strait of Hormuz closed until further notice | of Hormuz on June 27, 2026. (AFP) Iran’s Revolutionary Guards navy says it has closed the Strait of Hormuz until further notice and until the end of US “interference” in the region, after firing a warning shot at a vessel it says attempted to transit along an “unapproved” route, state media reports. The statement says the vessel subsequently stopped. | Link |
| 7/9/2026 | WaPo | U.S. intensifies strikes on Iran’s coast along Strait of Hormuz | U.S. forces hit 90 targets overnight mostly along Iran’s coastline with the Strait of Hormuz, stepping up a renewed bombing campaign after President Donald Trump said he thought a tentative truce agreement was “over.” Iran, in turn, fired drones and missiles at U.S. military targets in the Persian Gulf region and in Jordan, marking the second day of tit-for-tat strikes. | Link |
| 7/9/2026 | AP | New attacks raise questions about what comes next in the Iran war | President Donald Trump says he believes the ceasefire with Iran is over. He says he’s not sure he wants a deal anymore and says the U.S. should “finish the job.” But he also insists that continued attacks do not mean a return to war or long-term action. The confusion and uncertainty in Trump’s mixed messaging and his approval of back-to-back military strikes leave major questions about what comes next in the conflict, just weeks after difficult diplomacy to reach even an initial deal between the longtime adversaries. | Link |
| 7/9/2026 | UPI | Wider war threatens as Iran says it struck US bases | Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said early Thursday that it has launched attacks targeting U.S. bases in Kuwait and Bahrain, hours after U.S. Central Command announced the completion of its attacks against Iran. The tit-for-tat strikes follow President Donald Trump a day prior saying the cease-fire agreement between Washington and Tehran was all but over, and threatened the return to all-out war in the Middle East. | Link |
| 7/8/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. Launches New Strikes on Iran, Military Says | The U.S. military struck Iran in a new round of attacks on Wednesday night, military officials said, hours after President Trump said he thought a three-week-old cease-fire between the two countries was “over.” Iranian state media reported that explosions had been heard in at least three port cities along the country’s southeastern coast. The latest strikes, the U.S. Central Command said, were intended to undercut Iran’s ability to threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global energy supplies that has become a key issue in the conflict. The U.S. military called the attacks retaliation for “recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews.” | Link |
| 7/8/2026 | USAToday | US revokes Iran oil waiver after tanker attacks in Strait of Hormuz | The Trump administration revoked a U.S. waiver that authorized Iran to sell oil in the open market under a memorandum of understanding with Tehran, jeopardizing the preliminary peace deal between the two countries. The Treasury Department's July 7 revocation of the oil license came in response to renewed hostilities near the Strait of Hormuz, where three tankers in recent days were hit by projectiles along the critical waterway for oil exports from Iran. | Link |
| 7/8/2026 | WaPo | Trump says ceasefire with Iran is over, calling its leaders ‘scum’ | The ceasefire between Iran and the United States is “over,” President Donald Trump declared Wednesday, castigating Tehran after days of escalating attacks and raising the prospect of major renewed hostilities. “I think it’s over,” Trump said at a meeting of NATO leaders, the morning after U.S. forces launched over 80 strikes on Iran in response to Iranian attacks on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. | Link |
| 7/8/2026 | CNN | US commanders bypassed warnings about outdated intelligence ahead of strike that hit school in Iran, sources say | Senior US military commanders bypassed warnings in critical databases that intelligence about potential targets in Iran was severely out of date and approved some strikes — including one that hit a school, killing nearly 200 children and adults, according to three sources familiar with the decision-making process. Messages indicating the intelligence was based on years-old intelligence that needed to be re-vetted were embedded in a system used for developing targets and required a senior officer to approve adding a site to the strike list, according to the sources. | Link |
| 7/7/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. Strikes Iran and Reimposes Sanctions in Retaliation for Tanker Attacks The military operation came | The United States carried out airstrikes against several targets in Iran on Tuesday, hours after revoking a waiver allowing the sale of Iranian oil around the world, in a dual response to what the Pentagon said were Iranian attacks on three commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The military’s Central Command said on social media that U.S. forces “have begun launching a series of powerful strikes against Iran to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.” | Link |
| 7/9/2026 | AP | Iran warns oil tankers to use approved routes in Strait of Hormuz or face a 'forceful response' | Iran’s joint military command warned Thursday that all oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz must use its approved routes or face a “forceful response,” again ratcheting up tensions over a waterway crucial for international energy supplies. The strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf, has emerged as one of the top issues in negotiations to reach a permanent end to the Iran war. The statement from the Khatam al-Anbiya military command, reported by Iranian state television, comes after both U.S. and Iranian diplomats met with mediators on Wednesday in Qatar. | Link |
| 6/29/2026 | Reuters | Iran strikes US Gulf, Trump warns Iran 'will no longer exist' | Iran launched missiles and drones on U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain early on Sunday (June 28), shortly after President Donald Trump threatened to wipe out the Iranian leadership if they did not stick to the interim agreement to end their war. | Link |
| 6/29/2026 | WaPo | U.S. and Iran will ‘stand down’ after strikes and resume talks, official says | An American official says the United States and Iran will “stand down for now” after days of strikes tested the fragile ceasefire agreement signed this month and raised questions about the state of talks to reach a broader peace. The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said Sunday that both sides were set to continue talks on “all areas” of the memorandum of understanding that the U.S. and Iran signed this month, and that “vessels can move freely.” | Link |
| 6/27/2026 | WSJ | We investigated damage from Iran to a US naval base. Here’s what we found. | A Wall Street Journal investigation found that the U.S. is rethinking its footprint in the Middle East after Iranian missile and drone attacks caused more damage than previously disclosed to at least 20 U.S. sites, including the Navy’s base in Bahrain. Here are four takeaways from our reporting. | Link |
| 6/27/2026 | WaPo | Iran says it targeted U.S. assets in Mideast as fresh clashes test ceasefire | Iran said it launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. interests in the Middle East on Saturday as Bahrain said it was targeted by an Iranian drone attack, marking the latest threat to a ceasefire and ongoing talks toward a broader peace. | Link |
| 7/4/2026 | NYTimes | Hostilities Flare Between U.S. and Iran, Testing Truce | U.S. forces carried out retaliatory airstrikes on Iran for the second straight night, after Bahrain said it had been targeted by Iranian drones and a ship came under attack in the Strait of Hormuz for the second time in recent days. | Link |
| 6/27/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. Military Strikes Missile and Drone Sites in Iran | The U.S. military said it launched strikes on Iran on Friday in retaliation for an Iranian attack in the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier, hours after President Trump called the Iranian action a “foolish violation” of the fragile cease-fire between the two countries. U.S. Central Command said in a statement that it had struck Iranian missile and drone storage locations and coastal radar sites as a “powerful response” to the Iranian attack on Thursday. | Link |
| 6/25/2026 | NYTIMES | Iran Strikes Ship in Strait of Hormuz, Undermining Efforts to Restore Traffic | Iran’s armed forces struck a container ship that was passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to U.S. and Iranian officials, undermining efforts to restore shipping traffic through the crucial waterway. The attack came hours after Iran, demonstrating its hold over the strait, had warned ships that the only route through the vital pathway for oil and natural gas was through its waters. Many ships had been using a route on the southern side of the strait, hugging the Omani coast. | Link |
| 6/18/2026 | NYTimes | Iran Gets Major Economic Lifeline for Minimal Concessions in Initial Deal | An initial agreement by the United States and Iran to halt their war grants Iran major economic benefits while delaying, for now, the thorniest areas of disagreement between the two countries and the toughest concessions Iran would have to eventually make on its nuclear program. The agreement lifts the U.S.-imposed naval blockade of Iranian ports and, most crucially, grants Iran waivers to begin exporting its oil even before the negotiation of a final agreement on its nuclear program. That will give Iran a critical economic lifeline. In recent years, its economy has been in a tailspin, with a collapsing currency and sky-high inflation. | Link |
| 6/18/2026 | NYTimes | Iran War Timeline: Key Moments and Attacks | The United States and Iran reached an agreement to end hostilities, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and lift an American naval blockade on ships traveling to and from Iranian ports, President Trump said on Sunday. In a post on social media, Mr. Trump said the agreement would end Iran’s effective blockade of the strait, a vital waterway that has been at a near standstill since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February. At the same time, he said he had authorized the “immediate” end of a U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports. | Link |
| 6/16/2026 | WaPo | What to know about the Iran deal | Almost four months after starting a war with Iran, President Donald Trump said the United States has reached a peace deal. “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” he posted Sunday on social media. “Congratulations to all!” But details are scarce, and experts say that based on what both sides are saying, it’s not clear what the United States got from Iran that it didn’t already have before the war. | Link |
| 6/16/2026 | NYTimes | Trump Winds Down the War He Started With Goals Unmet | Almost immediately after striking a deal with Iran, President Trump appeared eager to take a victory lap. He trumpeted that the agreement would open the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the world’s energy supplies whose stalled ship traffic has rattled the global economy. He told The New York Times that his efforts had saved Israel from nuclear extinction and made the Middle East safer. It all gave him a key win as he traveled to France for the Group of 7 summit, where he will meet with European leaders who have criticized his approach to the war. | Link |
| 6/14/2026 | NYTimes | .S. and Iran Reach Cease-Fire Agreement | The United States and Iran reached a cease-fire agreement on Sunday, paving the way for further talks that could ultimately end a monthslong war that has killed thousands and rattled the global economy. “The Deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran is now complete,” President Trump said in a post on social media. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said in a statement that the country had finalized a memorandum of understanding with the United States after “months of long and difficult negotiations.” | Link |
| 6/11/2026 | AP | Trump says he’s called off new military strikes on Iran after threatening escalation | President Donald Trump said Thursday he has called off new military strikes on Iran, hours after threatening to escalate the war. Trump had threatened major strikes on Iran and to seize control of its oil and gas industries as escalating attacks between the countries pushed the Middle East closer to full-scale war. | Link |
| 6/10/2026 | NYTimes | Iran War Live Updates: U.S. Strikes Iran Again After Trump Says Talks Are Taking Too Long | The United States launched a new wave of airstrikes on Iran early Thursday morning local time, hours after President Trump vowed to keep up military pressure on Tehran because Iranian leaders were taking “too long to negotiate.” The U.S. Central Command said the attack began at 5:15 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday. Explosions were heard in Qeshm and Kish Islands near the Strait of Hormuz, as well as the southern cities of Minab and Sirik, and air defenses sounded alarms in the capital of Tehran, according to Iranian state news outlet. | Link |
| 6/10/2026 | WaPo | U.S., Iran negotiate via ultimatums and attacks with ceasefire on the brink | The latest exchange of attacks between the United States and Iran may mark the end of a fragile ceasefire that has withstood numerous violations over the past two months. “The Bully of the Middle East is dead,” President Donald Trump wrote early Wednesday on social media after Iranian missiles struck U.S. assets in Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan. The strikes were in retaliation for U.S. attacks on southern Iran near the Strait of Hormuz in response to what Trump said was Iran’s downing of a U.S. helicopter over the strait on Tuesday. | Link |
| 6/10/2026 | Reuters | Iran’s coordinated strikes on US Gulf bases | Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for missile and drone attacks on U.S. military facilities in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain, citing retaliation for American strikes near the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military said its strikes targeted Iranian air defenses and radar sites after Tehran downed a U.S. Apache helicopter, whose crew was rescued unharmed. Regional militaries reported intercepting most incoming threats, but the attacks mark a sharp escalation since the April ceasefire and risk further destabilizing already tense Gulf security. | Link |
| 6/9/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. Launches Strikes on Iran After Trump Vowed to Retaliate for Downed Helicopter | The United States launched what it described as “self-defense strikes” against Iran on Tuesday, in retaliation for the shooting down of a U.S. helicopter gunship near the Strait of Hormuz a day earlier. “The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” the U.S. Central Command said in a statement, adding that the airstrikes were launched at 5 p.m. Eastern time. | Link |
| 6/9/2026 | Telegraph | Trump vows retaliation after Iran shoots down US Apache | Donald Trump vowed that the US would respond after Iran shot down a US Apache helicopter, stranding its two pilots near the Strait of Hormuz. Both pilots, who were unharmed, were rescued by a sea drone in a first-of-its-kind rescue mission on Monday. The pair were picked up by a Corsair surface boat before being evacuated by helicopter. | Link |
| 6/8/2026 | NYTimes | Iran Signals It Will Halt Strikes Against Israel After Hours of Attacks | Iran signaled that it was ready to wind down a military escalation with Israel on Monday after the adversaries traded attacks for hours, shattering a fragile two-month cease-fire and bringing the Middle East back to the precipice of full-blown war. In remarks carried by Iranian state television on Monday afternoon, Iran’s military said that it was ceasing its attacks for now. But it warned that if Israel resumed its own strikes, including in southern Lebanon, “much harsher and more forceful actions than before will follow.” | Link |
| 6/8/2026 | WaPo | Airstrikes intensify as Israel-Iran clashes leave ceasefire on brink | The intensifying strikes on Monday occurred just hours after Trump told reporters that he was days away from a deal with Tehran and would call Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to urge restraint. Trump’s call to Netanyahu came after Israel had carried out an airstrike on Sunday in Beirut, where the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah is headquartered, triggering a retaliatory ballistic missile barrage from Iran that marked a significant escalation and the first direct blows between the Middle Eastern archenemies since April. | Link |
| 6/7/2026 | MEAWW | Iran offers a 30-day Hormuz reopening plan as US-Iran standoff continues | Iran could impose a 30-day waiting period before reopening the strategically crucial Strait of Hormuz under its administration, according to a member of the country's negotiating team, adding a new layer of uncertainty. Majid Shakeri, who participated in recent talks in Islamabad, said Tehran is considering a proposal that would link the reopening of the strait to the removal of perceived threats from the United States and its allies. | Link |
| 6/7/2026 | US eyes Iranian assets for Gulf allies' reconstruction, source says | Reuters | The U.S. will attempt to redirect Iranian assets to Gulf states for rebuilding and repairs of damage caused by Iran, a source familiar with the matter said, as Tehran followed up a wave of strikes against Kuwait and Bahrain with further drone launches. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has directed a team to assess costs for damage inflicted on Gulf allies by Iran, the source said on Saturday, adding the U.S. will consider using Iranian assets for repairs of any future destruction as well. | Link |
| 6/7/2026 | NYTimes | Iran Fires Missiles at Israel for First Time Since April Cease-Fire | Iran attacked Israel with a limited number of ballistic missiles late Sunday after an Israeli attack in the outskirts of Beirut against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group. It raised the specter of a return to open conflict between Iran and Israel for the first time since a cease-fire paused the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran in early April. The Israeli military said that it had intercepted all Iranian missiles in the first of two barrages and announced at around 11 p.m. local time that citizens were free to leave shelters. The government ordered schools to be closed nationwide on Monday as a precautionary measure. | Link |
| 6/4/2026 | NYTimes | Israel and Hezbollah Trade Strikes, Leaving New Cease-Fire in Doubt | An American-brokered cease-fire agreement between Israel and Lebanon appeared to have had limited, if any, effect on Thursday. Just hours after it was announced, Israel battered southern Lebanon with rounds of strikes, and the leader of Hezbollah, who was not part of the talks, rejected the deal as his fighters fired rockets at Israeli forces in Lebanon. The hostilities added to uncertainty over whether the agreement would survive or if Israel and Hezbollah would intensify fighting. Lebanon’s government has little control over Hezbollah, which is a significant political force in Lebanese society and relies largely on Iran for material support. And Israel has been reluctant to stop fighting, but has been pushed to do so by the Trump administration. | Link |
| 6/3/2026 | NYTimes | Iran Targets Neighbors as U.S. Condemns ‘Aggressive’ Strikes | The U.S. military and Iran both reported a flurry of new strikes on Tuesday, as Trump administration officials painted a murky picture of where diplomatic efforts stood to end the war. U.S. Centcom reported that Iran had launched missiles and drone strikes on two regional neighbors, Kuwait and Bahrain, and on civilian mariners transiting nearby waters. Several failed in flight, it said, and others were intercepted. | Link |
| 6/3/2026 | WaPo | Drone attack damages Kuwait airport as U.S.-Iran strikes widen | The United States and Iran traded strikes overnight in one of the most intense bouts of conflict since the increasingly tenuous ceasefire between the two countries began in April. U.S. forces targeted Qeshm Island and Iran fired missiles and drones at Bahrain and Kuwait, killing one person at Kuwait International Airport, which suspended flights after the attack. | Link |
| 6/3/2026 | NYTimes | War Games and Warnings on Strait of Hormuz Went Unheeded by Trump | In mid-February, shortly before President Trump launched the war on Iran, the country’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps conducted live-fire drills in its coastal waters. Iranian state media publicized the exercise, whose official name made its purpose clear: “Smart Control of the Strait of Hormuz.” The exercise amounted to a flashing red warning light to the Trump administration — one that, for reasons that are still not fully clear, went largely unheeded. Within days of the war’s start, Iran’s military exerted control over the strait, menacing commercial tankers with boats, missiles and drones. Shipping ground to a halt. Energy prices soared. And Mr. Trump was backed into a strategic corner. | Link |
| 6/1/2026 | WaPo | US bombs Iranian military sites and Kuwait is hit by drone and missile fire | The United States said Monday that it bombed radar and drone sites in Iran after Tehran shot down an American drone over the weekend. Iran then said it launched a strike of its own, and Kuwait reported incoming fire. The nominal ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. has been repeatedly tested with such back-and-forth attacks, even as officials from both countries try to negotiate an end to the war. It’s not clear how close they are to a deal — and there is always the risk that an attack could derail those talks. | Link |
| 6/1/2026 | TOL | Iran reopens most entrances to 18 underground missile sites struck in war – report | Iran has salvaged entrances to dozens of missile facilities struck by the US and Israel in the recent war, a Sunday report said, as the Islamic Republic continues to rebuild its military infrastructure amid ceasefire talks with the US. | Link |
| 6/1/2026 | MOverview | Iran’s IRGC says it coordinated 26 vessels through the Strait of Hormuz in 24 hours | Somewhere in the narrow shipping lanes between Iran and Oman, tanker operators are being asked to make a choice that could cost them either way. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps says it is collecting tolls from vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz and claims it moved 26 ships through the waterway in a single 24-hour window. The U.S. Treasury, meanwhile, has told the world that anyone who pays those tolls faces American sanctions. For the companies running oil through the most important chokepoint on Earth, the two directives are mutually exclusive, and the consequences of guessing wrong are severe. | Link |
| 6/1/2026 | AP | US says it struck ship trying to breach blockade and reach Iran | The US military stopped a merchant vessel trying to break through its blockade of Iranian ports by firing a missile into its engine room, the US Central Command said on Saturday. The Gambia-flagged cargo ship Lian Star ignored more than 20 warnings from US forces overnight as it tried to enter an Iranian port, the military said. The ship remained adrift in the Gulf of Oman, and US forces have not boarded it, said a US official with knowledge of the situation, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss military operations. | Link |
| 6/1/2026 | VOH | Iran Imposes New Navigation Restrictions in Strait of Hormuz, Designates Mandatory Routes for Ships | In a fresh escalatory maneuver reasserting its grip over strategic waterways, Iran’s Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters—responsible for strategic defense operations—issued a major military statement regarding navigation protocols in the Strait of Hormuz, announcing strict new regulations on international transit. | Link |
| 5/30/2026 | MOverview | The US just sank seven Iranian boats trying to block the Strait of Hormuz — Iran fired a ballistic missile at Kuwait in retaliation before defenses knocked it down | American warships destroyed at least six Iranian military boats in the Strait of Hormuz in late May 2026 after the vessels moved to intercept civilian tankers, according to the Associated Press, citing U.S. Central Command. Within hours, reports emerged of a ballistic missile launched toward Kuwait that was intercepted before reaching its target. The exchange marks the most serious direct military confrontation between the United States and Iran in the Persian Gulf since the 1988 Operation Praying Mantis, and it has thrown a fragile regional truce into doubt. | Link |
| 5/25/2026 | NYTIMES | Iran War Live Updates: As Talks to End War Resume in Qatar, U.S. Conducts Strikes on Iran’s | Iranian officials went to Doha on Monday for the negotiations, hours before the U.S. military announced the strikes it said were in “self defense” to protect troops. Israel’s leader said his country plans to intensify attacks against Hezbollah, Iran’s ally, in Lebanon. | Link |
| 5/24/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. and Iran Agree in Principle to Reopen Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Official Says | The United States and Iran have agreed in principle to a deal that would wind down the war in the Middle East by reopening the Strait of Hormuz with a commitment from Iran to dispose of its highly enriched uranium, a senior U.S. official told reporters on Sunday. Iran’s leaders or official state media have not publicly commented on what is in the potential agreement or what is being discussed. Over the last 24 hours, Iranian and U.S. officials have offered some conflicting depictions of what a deal might contain. On Sunday, the U.S. official said a deal had not yet been signed and was still subject to final approval from President Trump and Iran’s supreme leader, which could take days. | Link |
| 5/23/2026 | NYTimes | Trump Says Peace Deal Is Near | President Trump said on Saturday that the United States was close to reaching an agreement with Iran toward ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Mr. Trump provided few details about the preliminary agreement, which he said was “largely negotiated.” It is unclear whether the latest negotiations will succeed in extending the current cease-fire and reach a more permanent peace, or break down over the sticking points that have kept the war unresolved for months | Link |
| 5/23/2026 | NYTimes | Israeli Strikes Pummel Lebanon, Killing Medics Amid Fragile Truce | Dozens of Israeli airstrikes pounded Lebanon late Friday and early Saturday, killing and injuring several people, Lebanon’s national news agency said, exposing the mounting strain on a truce between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The strikes mostly hit towns and villages in southern Lebanon, a Hezbollah stronghold where Israel is occupying large swaths of territory and where tens of thousands of residents remain displaced. The Israeli military also issued new evacuation warnings on Saturday afternoon for several towns across southern Lebanon. | Link |
| 5/19/2026 | NYTimes | Iran War Exposes Shortcomings in U.S. Military Industrial Base | When he was defense secretary, Robert M. Gates railed against weapons that did too much and cost too much throughout his time in two presidential administrations. He denounced weapons that offered a “99 percent solution” but took years to build, and called for a new generation of arms that were “75 percent solutions” but could be produced more cheaply in months. | Link |
| 5/19/2026 | WaPo | A ship’s crew risked the Strait of Hormuz. They met with a hail of bullets. | Before chancing the treacherous waters of the Strait of Hormuz, the all-Filipino crew of 23 had been stranded at anchor for more than a month in the Persian Gulf as the U.S. and Israel waged war against Iran. The crew members had huddled on the cargo ship’s bridge to cast a final vote: Should they risk the perilous six-hour journey, made treacherous by mines and Iranian attacks? Although the path was closed to most international traffic, there was no way out but through. | Link |
| 5/16/2026 | MOverview | Iran seized a Chinese-operated ship flying a false Honduras flag off the UAE coast and towed it into Iranian waters | Iranian forces boarded a cargo ship anchored off the coast of the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, seized control, and towed it toward Iranian waters in what amounts to one of the most provocative maritime actions in the region in years. The vessel, identified as the HUI CHUAN, was flying the flag of Honduras and operated by a Chinese company. Within hours of the boarding, the ship went dark on global tracking systems. The seizure took place near Fujairah, a major bunkering hub on the Gulf of Oman, just outside the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes every day. | Link |
| 5/15/2026 | MOverview | 30 vessels including Chinese ships transited the Strait of Hormuz with Iran’s permission — while the US blockade redirected 70 others | Somewhere in the narrow waters between Iran and Oman in late May 2026, the crew of an oil tanker typed two words into their ship’s transponder: “CHINA OWNER.” The message, visible to every warship, coast guard cutter, and port authority monitoring the Strait of Hormuz, was not a routine identifier. It was a survival tactic. | Link |
| 5/15/2026 | NYTimes | Commander of Iraqi Militia Accused of Plotting Attacks on Jewish Sites in U.S. | A commander of an Iran-backed militia has been charged with plotting to attack Jewish sites in the United States, including a synagogue in New York City, federal authorities said. A criminal complaint unsealed on Friday accused the commander, Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, of planning at least 18 attacks in Europe and Canada since late February, in retaliation for the United States and Israel’s attacks on Iran. | Link |
| 5/12/2026 | Reuters | US war in Iran has cost $29 billion so far, Pentagon says | The United States' war in Iran has cost $29 billion so far, a senior Pentagon official said on Tuesday, an increase of $4 billion from an estimate provided late last month. With just six months before midterm elections in which President Donald Trump's Republicans may face an uphill battle to keep their House majority, Democrats are riding high in public opinion polls as they attempt to link the war with cost of living issues. | Link |
| 5/12/2026 | NYTimes | Trump Says Iran Must Make Deal or Face Renewed Attacks | As he departed for China on Tuesday, President Trump sought to assuage concerns that the cease-fire with Iran was in peril, telling reporters at the White House that “we have Iran very much under control.” But he also reiterated that “we’re either going to make a deal or they’re going to be decimated.” Iran’s government showed no sign of backing down from its hard-line negotiating stance. On social media, Kazem Gharibabadi, a deputy foreign minister, said Iran’s position was that any peace deal must include reparations for Iran, Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, and an end to U.S. sanctions. | Link |
| 5/12/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. Intelligence Shows Iran Retains Substantial Missile Capabilities | The Trump administration’s public portrayal of a shattered Iranian military is sharply at odds with what U.S. intelligence agencies are telling policymakers behind closed doors, according to classified assessments from early this month that show Iran has regained access to most of its missile sites, launchers and underground facilities. Most alarming to some senior officials is evidence that Iran has restored operational access to 30 of the 33 missile sites it maintains along the Strait of Hormuz, which could threaten American warships and oil tankers transiting the narrow waterway. | Link |
| 5/11/2026 | WaPo | Trump calls Iran’s response to peace plan ‘unacceptable’ as ceasefire is tested | President Donald Trump called Iran’s response to the latest U.S. proposal to end the war “totally unacceptable.” Trump’s comments Sunday came hours after Tehran said, according to state media, that it sent a response to the peace plan through Pakistani mediators. The back and forth follows an exchange of hostilities around the Strait of Hormuz in recent days that highlighted the fragility of a ceasefire the two sides reached more than a month ago. | Link |
| 5/10/2026 | NYTimes | Iran Responds to U.S. Proposal to End the War, Iranian State Media Says | Iran has formally responded to the latest U.S. proposal to end the war, Iranian state media said on Sunday, after a tense week of attacks and counterattacks in the Persian Gulf has rattled the fragile truce. But the announcement provided few details about whether a comprehensive agreement could follow. Negotiators for Iran passed their response to Pakistan mediators, who have been brokering the talks, according to Iran’s state broadcaster. White House officials did not respond to a request for comment on Iran’s response. | Link |
| 5/10/2026 | NYTimes | Mass Layoffs in Iran as Businesses Buckle Under Wartime Pressures | In mid-March, Babak, a 49-year-old Iranian product designer at a tech company in Tehran, was called into his boss’s office and told that his position was being eliminated. Iran’s government had shut down the internet two weeks earlier, at the outset of U.S.-Israeli war on the country, throwing the country’s tech industry into chaos and making Babak’s job impossible. | Link |
| 5/9/2026 | TOI | Israel built and defended secret base deep in Iraqi desert to support Iran air campaign | Israel set up a secret military base in the Iraqi desert to support its aerial campaign against Iran, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing US officials and other sources. According to the sources, Israel built the base shortly before the war began in late February to serve as a hub for logistics to support the Israeli Air Force. | Link |
| 5/9/2026 | Reuters | US, Iran no closer to ending war as Tehran's response awaited | A state of relative calm prevailed around the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, after days of sporadic flare-ups, as the United States waited for Iran's response to its latest proposals to end more than two months of fighting and begin peace talks. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Washington expected a response within hours. But a day later, there was no sign of movement from Tehran on the proposal, which would formally end the war before talks on more contentious issues, including Iran's nuclear program. | Link |
| 5/9/2026 | MO | Iran’s ‘mosquito fleet’ of small attack boats has struck 26 ships since the war began — and the US Navy can’t sink them all | Sometime before dawn on May 3, 2026, a bulk carrier transiting the Strait of Hormuz was swarmed by multiple small craft operating near Iranian waters. The vessel reported the attack to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center and kept moving. The next day, a tanker north of Fujairah, the major bunkering port on the Gulf of Oman side of the strait, was hit by unknown projectiles. Neither ship’s name, flag state, nor cargo has been publicly confirmed. What is confirmed is that these were not isolated events. They were the latest in a campaign of fast-boat raids that has made the world’s most important oil chokepoint a combat zone. | Link |
| 5/7/2026 | NYTimes | Tehran Says It Is Discussing Plan With U.S. to End Hostilities | Iranian officials said on Thursday that their country is discussing with the United States a one-page proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end hostilities for 30 days while they try to reach a comprehensive peace settlement. The plan has three main points, according to three senior Iranian officials: the lifting of the U.S. blockade on Iranian ships and ports, the opening of the strait to commercial traffic, and an end to the fighting. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations. U.S. officials did not respond to requests for comment | Link |
| 5/7/2026 | WaPo | U.S. launches strikes on Iran after attacks on warships, military says | U.S. forces on Thursday launched a new round of military strikes on Iran in response to attacks on American warships, officials said, casting fresh doubt on efforts by Washington and Tehran to reach a negotiated settlement that would end hostilities. The “self-defense strikes” came after the destroyers USS Truxton, USS Rafael Peralta and USS Mason were attacked with “multiple missiles, drones and small boats,” U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, said in a statement. | Link |
| 5/7/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. Awaits Tehran’s Response to Peace Proposal | The United States was waiting on Thursday for Iran to convey its response to the latest American proposal to end the war, after public messages from top-ranking officials on both sides suggested a burst of behind-the-scenes diplomatic activity. Business leaders, consumers, politicians, shipping companies and many others around the world have also been watching closely for signs of a breakthrough. The conflict, which has dragged on into a third month and prompted Iran and the United States to implement rival blockades around the Strait of Hormuz, has choked off a major oil transit route, wreaking havoc on global supply chains and causing energy prices to spike. | Link |
| 5/7/2026 | WaPo | U.S. intelligence says Iran can outlast Trump’s Hormuz blockade for months | A confidential CIA analysis delivered to administration policymakers this week concludes that Iran can survive the U.S. naval blockade for at least three to four months before facing more severe economic hardship, four people familiar with the document said, a finding that appears to raise new questions about President Donald Trump’s optimism on ending the war. The analysis by the U.S. intelligence community, whose secret assessments on Iran have often been more sober than the administration’s public statements, also found that Tehran retains significant ballistic missile capabilities despite weeks of intense U.S. and Israeli bombardment, three of the people familiar with it said. | Link |
| 5/7/2026 | Bloomberg | US disables Iran-flagged ship that tried to break blockade | The US military disabled an Iran-flagged tanker that tried to dock at an Iranian port on the Gulf of Oman in violation of President Donald Trump’s blockade, the latest flareup around the Strait of Hormuz. An F/A-18 fighter jet launched from the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier disabled the M/T Hasna’s rudder with several rounds fired from a 20mm cannon gun after the crew failed to heed warnings to stop, US Central Command said in a statement. Centcom said the US blockade on ships traveling to and from Iranian ports is in full effect. | Link |
| 5/6/2026 | NYTimes | Tehran Says It Is Reviewing U.S. Proposal as Trump Makes New Threats | Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said Wednesday that his government was reviewing an American plan to end the war, hours after President Trump put pressure on Iran to agree to a deal to end the war and renewed threats, fueling uncertainty around the negotiations. Mr. Baghaei said that Iran had yet to respond to that proposal. “After finalizing its considerations, Iran will convey its views to the Pakistani side,” he said in an interview with the semiofficial news agency ISNA. Earlier in the day, another Iranian official had dismissed a reported proposal to end the war as a “list of American wishes.” | Link |
| 5/6/2026 | WaPo | Iran has hit far more U.S. military assets than reported, satellite images show | Iranian airstrikes have damaged or destroyed at least 228 structures or pieces of equipment at U.S. military sites across the Middle East since the war began, hitting hangars, barracks, fuel depots, aircraft and key radar, communications and air defense equipment, according to a Washington Post analysis of satellite imagery. The amount of destruction is far larger than what has been publicly acknowledged by the U.S. government or previously reported. The threat of air attacks rendered some of the U.S. bases in the region too dangerous to staff at normal levels, and commanders moved most of the personnel from these sites out of the range of Iranian fire at the start of the war, officials have said. | Link |
| 5/5/2026 | NPR | The U.S. fights to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as UAE says it's attacked by Iran | The U.S. military said it fired on Iranian forces and sank six small boats targeting civilian ships as it moved to reopen the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. The United Arab Emirates, a key American ally, said it had come under attack from Iran for the first time since a fragile ceasefire took hold in early April. The attacks appeared to be in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's latest efforts to reopen the strait, a critical waterway for global energy. The U.S. military said two American-flagged merchant ships had successfully transited the strait on Monday as part of a new initiative. | Link |
| 5/4/2026 | NYTimes | Attacks in Gulf Threaten to Reignite Conflict | The Middle East truce faltered on Monday, as the United Arab Emirates said it had been attacked by Iran, while the U.S. military said that it had destroyed six Iranian military boats and that Iran had fired on American ships in the Strait of Hormuz. The Emirati authorities blamed Iran for a drone attack that caused a fire in the Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, the largest oil storage area in the Emirates, in the first such assault since a cease-fire was reached in early April. In neighboring Oman, two people were injured by an attack in Bukha, near Emirati territory, according to an Omani state news agency, which did not identify the culprit. | Link |
| 5/4/2026 | NYTImes | Iran threatens ships after Trump says the U.S. will break Tehran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. | Iran pushed back against President Trump’s claims that the United States would assist ships to exit the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, threatening to attack American warships and any commercial vessels that sought to transit through the waterway without Iranian permission. Ali Abdollahi, a top Iranian military commander, warned “all commercial ships and oil tankers to refrain from any attempt to transit without coordination with the armed forces,” Iranian state media reported. | Link |
| 4/27/2026 | AP | Iran offers to reopen Strait of Hormuz if US lifts its blockade and the war ends, officials say | Iran has offered to end its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz if the U.S. lifts its blockade on the country and ends the war in a proposal that would postpone discussions on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, two regional officials said Monday. U.S. President Donald Trump seems unlikely to accept the offer, which was passed to the Americans by Pakistan and would leave unresolved the disagreements that led the U.S. and Israel to go to war on Feb. 28. | Link |
| 4/26/2026 | Reuters | Israel says it will attack Hezbollah 'forcefully' as four killed in strikes on southern Lebanon | Israel said on Saturday it would attack Hezbollah targets forcefully, further testing a fragile ceasefire with Lebanon that U.S. President Donald Trump recently said had been extended by three weeks. Four people were killed on Saturday in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, Lebanon's state news agency reported, while the Israeli military said Hezbollah had fired rockets at Israel, posing the latest challenges to the tenuous ceasefire. | Link |
| 4/26/2026 | Newweek | US intercepts Iranian shadow fleet vessel as ports blockade intensifies | U.S. Central Command (CENTCOMM) on Saturday announced that its forces had intercepted one of the 19 “shadow fleet” vessels identified as part of Operation Economic Fury. In a post on X, CENTCOMM named the vessel as M/V Sevan, which was among vessels sanctioned by the Treasury Department as part of the U.S. effort to strengthen its blockade of Iranian ports as the Trump administration tries to use economic pressure to force a peace deal with Tehran. | Link |
| 4/25/2026 | WaPo | Iran says no direct talks planned as Witkoff, Kushner expected in Pakistan | Senior Iranian and U.S. officials are expected in Pakistan this weekend as part of a diplomatic push to resume face-to-face negotiations on a deal to end the war in Iran, now in its second month. But it is unclear if the two sides will meet. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday “the Iranians want to talk. They want to talk in person,” when she announced a U.S. delegation including special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, would travel to Pakistan. | Link |
| 4/25/2026 | NYTimes | On Iran’s Border, Cooking Oil Trade Is a Snapshot of the Country’s Struggles | On Turkey’s bustling border crossing with Iran, in a shed filled with boxes of cooking oil, a shopkeeper read aloud to his colleagues the latest news on his phone: Peace talks between the United States and Iran were postponed. For these merchants, the twists and turns of the war, and economic crisis in Iran, have brought an unexpected boon to their business. As the prices of basic goods have spiraled in Iran, they can sell olive, sunflower and corn oils for a modest profit to Iranians at the border, who will either sell the oil inside their country or use it themselves. | Link |
| 4/25/2026 | NYTimes | Trump Seeks to Abolish Iran’s Atomic Stockpile, a Problem He Helped Create | As nuclear talks restart in Pakistan this weekend, President Trump will confront the complicated legacy of his own decision, eight years ago, to cancel what he has called “a horrible, one-sided deal.” That Obama-era agreement suffered from flaws and omissions. It would have expired after 15 years, leaving Iran free after 2030 to make as much nuclear fuel as it wanted. But once Mr. Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, the Iranians went on an enrichment spree much sooner, leaving them closer to a bomb than ever before. | Link |
| 4/23/2026 | NYTimes | A New Era and New Leadership: The Generals Who Are Running Iran | When Ayatollah Ali Khamenei ruled Iran as the supreme leader, he exerted absolute power over all decisions about war, peace and negotiations with the United States. His son and successor does not play the same role. Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, the son, is an elusive figure who has not been seen and whose voice has not been heard since he was appointed in March. Instead, a battle-hardened collective of commanders in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and those aligned with them are the key decision makers on matters of security, war and diplomacy. | Link |
| 4/22/2026 | AP | More confusion looms over Strait of Hormuz after Iran attacks three ships near waterway | Confusion deepened Wednesday in the Strait of Hormuz as Iran attacked three ships near the crucial waterway whose closure has plunged the world into an energy crisis after tankers carrying a fifth of the world’s oil were blocked from using the channel. The attacks unfolded just a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he would extend the two-week ceasefire with Iran. The Islamic Republic said it fired on three outbound ships and seized two, calling it retaliation for the American naval blockade of Iranian ports and for the U.S. firing on and seizing an Iranian ship that did not stop when hailed by a vessel enforcing the blockade. | Link |
| 4/22/2026 | CBSNews | At least 2 ships attacked in Strait of Hormuz as peace talks remain stalled | At least two ships have come under attack in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the British military, one cargo ship and one container ship, potentially jeopardizing efforts to resume peace talks between the U.S. and Iran. The U.K. Maritime Trade Operations Centre (UKMTO) reported early Wednesday that an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) "gun boat" had fired at a container ship 15 nautical miles northeast of Oman. There was no radio warning before the boat "fired upon the vessel," according to the British Royal Navy-led UKMTO, causing "heavy damage to the bridge" but with all crew "reported safe. | Link |
| 4/22/2026 | Reuters | Trump declares Iran ceasefire extension with Hormuz Strait still blocked | U.S. President Donald Trump called off attacks on Iran indefinitely, though the Strait of Hormuz remained blocked on Wednesday with three ships reportedly hit by gunfire, and neither side showed up for peace talks in Pakistan. | Link |
| 4/21/2026 | CNN | A deal to end the Iran war seemed close. Then Trump started posting on social media | As the weekend approached, the US and Iran appeared to be closing in on a deal to end the seven-week war. Then President Donald Trump did exactly what his staffers have repeatedly said they wouldn’t do: He seemed to try negotiating via the press, posting about ongoing talks on social media and speaking to several reporters by phone Friday morning as Pakistani intermediaries updated him on ongoing talks with Iranian officials in Tehran. | Link |
| 4/21/2026 | Businessinsider | What a US destroyer shooting a cargo ship's engine out reveals about how the Navy is handling Iran blockade runners | A US Navy destroyer opened fire on an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel's engine room in the north Arabian Sea over the weekend, a rare use of force that spoke to the US willingness to fully enforce its blockade on Iran. US forces train to escalate from warnings to disabling fire, but they don't often have to carry it out in routine sanctions enforcement. The strike on the ship is an unusual case where the playbook moved from training to reality. | Link |
| 4/20/2026 | AP | US seizure of Iranian ship near Strait of Hormuz casts doubt on fresh ceasefire talks | The U.S. attacked and seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship it said had tried to evade its naval blockade near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday. It was the first interception since the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports began last week. Iran’s joint military command vowed to respond, throwing a fragile ceasefire into question days before it expires on Wednesday. | Link |
| 4/20/2026 | WaPo | Oil prices jump after U.S. seizes Iranian vessel, imperiling ceasefire | Iran threatened to retaliate Monday after the U.S. military seized an Iranian-flagged cargo ship in the Gulf of Oman, sending oil prices soaring and further imperiling a fragile ceasefire. The seizure on Sunday came hours after President Donald Trump renewed his threats of broad attacks on Iran’s infrastructure if no deal is reached in talks expected this week in Pakistan. | Link |
| 4/20/2026 | NYTimes | Iran Vows Retaliation for U.S. Attack on Cargo Ship | Iran on Monday toughened its threats to retaliate after the United States attacked and seized an Iranian cargo ship near the Strait of Hormuz, an escalation that put pressure on the fragile cease-fire set to expire this week. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman also said Monday that there were “no plans” in place for the next round of peace talks in Pakistan, even as President Trump said American negotiators would arrive in the country in the evening for a second round of negotiations since the two-week truce went into effect on April 8. A White House official said Vice President JD Vance was expected to lead the delegation. | Link |
| 4/19/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. Attacks Iranian Cargo Ship While Preparing for New Round of Talks | A U.S. Navy destroyer on Sunday attacked and seized an Iranian cargo ship that defied an American blockade of Iran’s ports, President Trump said, posing a fresh threat to the fragile cease-fire that is set to expire this week. Mr. Trump announced the attack hours after a White House official said the U.S. was dispatching a high-level delegation including Vice President JD Vance to peace talks in Pakistan, even as Iranian state media said Tehran had not yet agreed to a meeting. | Link |
| 4/19/2026 | WaPo | Trump says Iran talks will resume, threatens power plants and bridges if no deal | President Donald Trump said Sunday that U.S. representatives are returning to Pakistan for negotiations to end the war with Iran and renewed his threats of broad attacks on the country’s infrastructure if no deal is reached. Hours after his announcement, it remained unclear whether Tehran had agreed to send representatives. | Link |
| 4/19/2026 | NYTimes | For Iran, Flexing Control Over Waterway Is New Deterrent | The United States and Israel launched their war against Iran on the argument that if Iran one day got a nuclear weapon, it would have the ultimate deterrent against future attacks. It turns out that Iran already has a deterrent: its own geography. Iran’s decision to flex its control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, the strategic choke point through which 20 percent of the world’s oil supply flows, has brought global economic pain in the form of higher prices for gasoline, fertilizer and other staples. It has upended war planning in the United States and Israel, where officials have had to devise military options to wrest the strait from Iranian control. | Link |
| 4/19/2026 | AP | Trump says US negotiators will head to Pakistan on Monday for talks with Iran | President Donald Trump said U.S. negotiators will head to Pakistan on Monday for another round of talks with Iran, raising hopes of extending a fragile ceasefire set to expire by Wednesday even as Washington and Tehran remain in a standoff over the Strait of Hormuz. Iran did not immediately confirm the talks but its chief negotiator, parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Qalibaf, said in an interview aired on state television late Saturday that “there will be no retreat in the field of diplomacy,” while acknowledging a wide gap remained between the sides. | Link |
| 4/18/2026 | NYTimes | Two Ships Are Fired On As Iran Says the Strait of Hormuz is Closed | Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps on Saturday declared it was closing the Strait of Hormuz, just a day after the Iranian foreign minister said it was reopened, according to state media. Earlier in the day, two Indian-flagged ships reported coming under fire while trying to pass through what is one of the world’s most important transit routes for oil. The announcement by the Guards was effectively a threat to fire on ships trying to pass through the strait, and it added to the fear and confusion looming over a narrow waterway that has become the central focus in the effort to end the war. | Link |
| 4/25/2026 | NYTimes | Iran’s Military Says It Has Reimposed ‘Strict Control’ of Strait of Hormuz | Iran tightened its grip on the Strait of Hormuz again on Saturday, asserting that it was “under strict control” by Iranian forces — just hours after Iranian officials and President Trump had raised hopes for an end to the war by announcing that the waterway had reopened. Iran’s military said in a statement that the strait had now “returned to its previous state” unless the United States ended its own blockade of Iranian ports. A shipping monitor run by the British navy said Saturday that it had received a report of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards firing at a tanker in the strait. | Link |
| 4/17/2026 | NYTimes | Trump Is Urged to Act on Iranian Site Feared Impervious to Airstrikes | Over the past year, U.S. airstrikes have crippled Iran’s nuclear program. Several Iranian nuclear facilities lie in ruins. And Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium — “nuclear dust,” as President Trump calls it — is thought to be deeply buried under rubble. But even after a U.S. bombing raid last June and more than five weeks of attacks on Iran since February, one suspected nuclear site remains untouched. Experts say the underground facility, known as Pickaxe Mountain, is buried so deep that it may lie beyond the reach of America’s most powerful bunker-buster bombs. | Link |
| 4/17/2026 | NYTimes | Hopes for Peace Deal Rise After Iran Says Strait Is Open | President Trump’s announcement that Iran had agreed to “completely open” the Strait of Hormuz bolstered hopes that the two governments were keeping alive a cease-fire agreement reached last week and nearing a framework for further negotiations to reach a lasting peace deal. The announcement came a day after Mr. Trump said U.S. and Iranian teams would probably meet this weekend for a second round of talks, as Iranian officials said the sides were nearing agreement on a document that sets a formal framework for negotiations. | Link |
| 4/17/2026 | BBC | Trump's Lebanon ceasefire takes Israel by surprise | As news of the ceasefire spread through Israel's northern communities, sirens blared three times this evening warning of incoming rockets from Lebanon. In the sky above the northern city of Nahariya, Israel's air defence interceptors shot up to block them, triggering loud explosions. Ambulance crews said at least three people were wounded by shrapnel in the hours before the ceasefire took effect, including two seriously. | Link |
| 4/15/2026 | WaPo | U.S. sends thousands more troops to Mideast as Trump seeks to squeeze Iran | The Pentagon is sending thousands of additional troops into the Middle East in the coming days, as the Trump administration attempts to pressure Iran into a deal that could end the weeks-long conflict there while considering the possibility of additional strikes or ground operations if a fragile ceasefire does not hold, U.S. officials said. The forces moving into the region include about 6,000 troops aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and several warships escorting it, said current and former officials, who like some others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss military movements. About 4,200 others with the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and its embarked Marine Corps task force, the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, are expected to arrive near the end of the month. | Link |
| 4/15/2026 | BBC | Iranian commander threatens shipping in Gulf and Red Sea if US naval blockade continues | An Iranian commander says if the blockade continues, Iran will not allow "any exports or imports to continue" in the three major waterways | Link |
| 4/15/2026 | NYTimes | Trump Again Offers Conflicting Signals on War’s End | President Trump offered mixed messages on the future of the war with Iran, insisting in an interview aired Wednesday that the conflict was “close to over” — a claim he has made before — while repeating his threat to attack Iranian civilian infrastructure. In a televised interview with Fox Business, Mr. Trump said that Iran’s new leadership was “pretty reasonable” compared with those killed by Israel in the war’s opening attacks in late February. He insisted, again, that this amounted to “regime change,” even though the Islamic Republic appears very much intact. | Link |
| 4/13/2026 | Reuters | US blockade of Iran will be major military endeavor, experts say | A U.S. naval blockade of Iran is a major, open-ended military endeavor that could trigger fresh retaliation from Tehran and put tremendous strain on an already fragile ceasefire, experts say. President Donald Trump, in a social media post after no deal emerged from peace talks this weekend in Islamabad, said the U.S. Navy "will begin the process of BLOCKADING any and all Ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz." | Link |
| 4/12/2026 | NYTimes | Trump Says U.S. Will ‘Blockade’ Strait of Hormuz After Peace Talks Fail | President Trump said Sunday that the United States will enforce a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, stepping up pressure on Iran after marathon peace talks between top Iranian and American leaders in Pakistan ended without a breakthrough. The announcement by Mr. Trump plunged the already brittle truce into further uncertainty. Vice President JD Vance and the chief Iranian negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, met in Pakistan over the weekend, but did not reach a deal to fully reopen the strait and end the war. A naval blockade could be considered an act of war by Iran. | Link |
| 4/12/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. And Iran Fail to Agree on Peace Deal After 21 Hours of Talks, Vance Says | Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday that 21 hours of peace talks in Pakistan, between the United States and Iran had failed to produce an agreement to end the war, leaving the question of what happens after the current two-week cease-fire up in the air. | Link |
| 4/18/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. and Iran Hold Marathon Peace Talks Into the Early Morning | Marathon talks between high-level officials from the United States and Iran in Pakistan stretched into the early hours of Sunday, a historic encounter between decades-old adversaries as they sought to broker peace after more than a month of war. The sheer length of the discussions — the U.S. delegation led by Vice President JD Vance arrived at the hotel where talks were taking place more than 14 hours ago — suggested the two sides remained engaged and still had topics to discuss. Control of the Strait of Hormuz, the economically vital waterway that Iran closed at the start of the war, remains a sticking point, according to two senior Iranian officials familiar with the negotiations | Link |
| 4/10/2026 | NYTimes | Iran Unable to Find Mines It Planted in Strait of Hormuz, U.S. Says | Iran has been unable to open the Strait of Hormuz to more shipping traffic because it cannot locate all of the mines it laid in the waterway and lacks the capability to remove them, according to U.S. officials. | Link |
| 4/10/2026 | NYTimes | Iran War Live Updates: Iranian Delegation Arrives at Peace Talks, With Vance en Route | An Iranian delegation led by Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Pakistan’s capital for peace talks with the United States, Iranian state media reported on Friday, as the warring governments angled for leverage in the negotiations. The U.S. vice president, JD Vance, was traveling to Islamabad, as were President Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, to represent the White House in the talks. | Link |
| 4/10/2026 | WaPo | Trump fumes as Iran retains choke hold on Strait of Hormuz ahead of peace talks | President Donald Trump accused Iran of “doing a very poor job, dishonorable some would say, of allowing Oil to go through the Strait of Hormuz” in a post on Truth Social overnight. “That is not the agreement we have!” he wrote, referring to the two-week ceasefire announced Tuesday. | Link |
| 4/10/2026 | WaPo | U.S. negotiators to ask Iran to release detained Americans | The Trump administration intends to request the release of Americans detained in Iran as part of upcoming negotiations aimed at ending the U.S.-Israeli war there, according to people briefed on the plans. It was not immediately clear how aggressively administration officials may push Iran to release the detained Americans when peace talks open this weekend in Pakistan, these people said, with some expressing concern that if the negotiations prove difficult the ask could be delayed. The ceasefire declared earlier this week already is under immense strain. | Link |
| 4/9/2026 | CBSNews | Army survivors of deadly attack in Kuwait dispute Pentagon's account, say unit "was unprepared" to defend itself | Survivors of the deadliest Iranian attack on U.S. forces since the war began have disputed the Pentagon's description of events and said their unit in Kuwait was left dangerously exposed when six service members were killed and more than 20 wounded...The members CBS News spoke to disputed the description of events from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who described the drone as a "squirter" — in that it squirted through the defenses of a fortified unit inside Kuwait. "Painting a picture that 'one squeaked through' is a falsehood," one of the injured soldiers told CBS News. "I want people to know the unit … was unprepared to provide any defense for itself. It was not a fortified position." | Link |
| 4/8/2026 | WaPo | Iran accuses U.S. and Israel of ceasefire violations, threatening truce | A two-week agreement to halt U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran was under threat from multiple directions on Wednesday. Iran accused the United States of violating the ceasefire. Israel carried out widespread strikes in Lebanon. Iran conducted retaliatory attacks in the Persian Gulf region. And traffic in the Strait of Hormuz remained at a standstill. | Link |
| 4/8/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. Forces Stand Ready to Resume Combat. The President May Not Be as Enthused | At the Pentagon on Wednesday morning, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared that the Iranians had been “humiliated and demoralized” over the past five weeks, and that the United States would get ahold of the country’s nuclear stockpiles — by persuasion or by force. | Link |
| 4/8/2026 | NYTimes | Cease-Fire Tested by Confusion Over Strait and Strikes on Lebanon | The day-old cease-fire between the United States and Iran was being tested on Wednesday by uncertainty over the status of the economically vital Strait of Hormuz and disagreement over whether the truce applied to Lebanon, where Israel continued to carry out punishing attacks. Iran accused the United States of not upholding its end of the deal, and its foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Washington had to choose between a cease-fire or continued war via Israel, and “cannot have both.” Pakistan, which mediated the truce, said the deal covered Lebanon, a claim disputed by the White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt. | Link |
| 4/7/2026 | NYTimes | U.S. and Iran Agree to Cease-Fire, Avoiding Trump’s Threats of Imminent Devastation | The United States and Iran reached an 11th-hour cease-fire deal on Tuesday evening, hours after President Trump threatened to start wiping out Iran’s “whole civilization” if it did not allow commercial shipping to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz. | Link |
| 4/7/2026 | NYTimes | Iran War Live Updates: Trump Announces Two-Week Cease-Fire, Backing Down From Threats of Imminent Devastation | The United States and Iran reached an 11th-hour cease-fire deal on Tuesday evening, hours after President Trump threatened to start wiping out a “whole civilization” if the Iranians did not allow commercial shipping to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz. The agreement was announced by Mr. Trump in a post on social media hours after Pakistan, a mediator in the dispute, urged Mr. Trump to stand down from the 8 p.m. Eastern time deadline he had set for Iran to accede to his demands. Pakistan proposed that each side observe a two-week cease-fire, and that during that time Iran allow oil, gas and other vessels to proceed unmolested through the economically vital waterway. | Link |
| 4/7/2026 | WaPo | U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson, kidnapped in Iraq, is freed in prisoner swap | The Iran-backed militia that kidnapped U.S. journalist Shelly Kittleson in Baghdad freed her Tuesday in a prisoner swap with Iraq, Iraqi officials said. “In appreciation of the national positions of the outgoing Prime Minister, we have decided to release the American detainee, Shelly Kittleson, on the condition that she leaves the country immediately,” Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, a security official with Kataib Hezbollah, wrote on Telegram. “This initiative will not be repeated again in the coming days. We are in a state of war resembling that imposed by the American enemy against Islam, and in such situations, many considerations are set aside.” | Link |
| 4/7/2026 | NYTimes | Trump Calls to Wipe Out a ‘Whole Civilization’ as Iranians Reject Threats | President Trump threatened on Tuesday to wipe out a “whole civilization” and the United States hit military targets on Iran’s main oil export hub, as the Trump administration ramped up pressure on Tehran to fully open the Strait of Hormuz or face devastating strikes on critical infrastructure within hours. The prime minister of Pakistan, which has been acting as intermediary in the search for a peace deal, appealed to Mr. Trump to extend his 8 p.m. | Link |
| 4/6/2026 | AP | Trump widens threat to all of Iran’s power plants and bridges as his deadline for a deal approaches | President Donald Trump on Monday expanded his threat against Iran to include all power plants and bridges as his ultimatum to make a deal ticked closer, after Tehran rejected a 45-day ceasefire proposal and said it wants a permanent end to the war. “The entire country can be taken out in one night, and that night might be tomorrow night,” Trump said. He suggested that his Tuesday 8 p.m. ET deadline was final, saying he’d already given Iran enough extensions. | Link |
| 4/6/2026 | AP | A 12-hour drive through Iran offers glimpses of destruction, defiance and daily life | A black banner hangs over the border crossing and portraits of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei stare down, promising vengeance against the United States and Israel. But on the 12-hour drive south to the capital, Tehran, daily life continued, with only occasional signs of the ongoing war, including a Shiite religious center that officials say was damaged by a recent airstrike. | Link |
| 4/6/2026 | AP | 3 US troops injured during the fighter jet shootdown and rescue | 3 US troops were injured during the fighter jet shootdown and rescue, a US official tells me. The injured were the WSO from the U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter jet as well as 2 aircrewmen from a HH-60 Jolly Green II helicopter that took fire during the rescue of the pilot. | Link |
| 4/6/2026 | CNN | Iran rejects temporary ceasefire, as Trump sets deadline for reopening Strait of Hormuz | Trump and Iran have traded threats over the vital shipping route. Meanwhile, Israel says it has killed Iran's IRGC intelligence chief. US President Donald Trump has not signed off on a proposal drafted by countries calling for a 45-day ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a White House official said. Iran has rejected a temporary ceasefire and said it has formulated a response to the US’ demands to end the war. | Link |
| 4/5/2026 | NYTimes | How the C.I.A. Helped Locate a U.S. Airman Hiding on an Iranian Ridgeline | When word reached Langley, Va., on Friday that Iran had downed a U.S. military jet and two Air Force officers had ejected into enemy territory, America’s top intelligence officers sprang into action. While the pilot of the F-15E Strike Eagle was relatively quickly rescued, the U.S. military was unable to locate a second crew member, a weapons systems officer, setting off an urgent race to find him before Iranian forces did. | Link |
| 4/5/2026 | CNN | Inside the mission to recover a downed American airman | Hiding alone in a mountain crevice behind enemy lines, the injured American airman knew exactly what to do: survive and evade. For more than a day, the weapons systems officer whose F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down inside Iran avoided being captured by encroaching Iranian forces. At one point, he scaled the rugged terrain to a ridgeline 7,000 feet above sea level, equipped with little more than a pistol, a communication device and a tracking beacon. | Link |
| 4/5/2026 | Reuters | Iran says several 'enemy aircraft' destroyed during US pilot rescue mission | Several aircraft were destroyed in the south of Iran's Isfahan province during a U.S. mission to find a stranded airman, Iranian military officials said on Sunday. U.S. officials told Reuters late on Saturday that a second airman whose F-15 jet was downed on Friday in Iran was rescued, a day after the first crew member was recovered. | Link |
| 4/5/2026 | WaPo | U.S. rescues missing crew member in Iran after fighter jet shot down | U.S. forces have rescued the missing crew member of a fighter jet that was shot down over Iran, and all personnel involved in the rescue have returned safely, President Donald Trump announced early Sunday, bringing to a close a dramatic and politically perilous moment in the war. | Link |
| 4/4/2026 | TheHill | 2 US helicopters hit during recovery efforts in Iran | Two U.S. military helicopters were hit by Iranian fire on Friday while engaging in a search-and-rescue mission for the crew of a downed fighter jet. A U.S. Air Force UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter and a second search-and-rescue helicopter were struck but were able to escape, a source familiar with the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity to share operational matters, told The Hill. | Link |
| 4/4/2026 | WaPo | U.S. races to find missing airman as Iranian TV broadcasts reward for capture | U.S. forces were racing to find a missing F-15 crew member in Iran as the risky search-and-rescue mission continued into the weekend. The fighter jet was one of two military aircraft shot down Friday while conducting combat operations against Iran. President Donald Trump has indicated his interest in wrapping up military involvement in Iran within the next few weeks. But if the missing crew member is not rescued — or is taken prisoner — it could create a significant issue for the administration as it tries to force negotiations with the new Iranian regime. | Link |
| 4/4/2026 | Reuters | Iran Says New Air Defence System Used to Target US Fighter Jet | Iran used a new air defence system on Friday to target a U.S. fighter jet, Iran's Khatam al-Anbiya joint military command said on Saturday. A spokesperson for the joint military command said the country would "definitely achieve full control" over its airspace, according to Iranian state media. | Link |
| 4/3/2026 | NYTimes | A-10 Warthog, crashed in the Persian Gulf region on Friday | A second Air Force combat plane crashed in the Persian Gulf region on Friday, and the lone pilot was safely rescued, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss operational matters. The A-10 Warthog attack plane went down near the Strait of Hormuz about the same time that an Air Force F-15E was shot down over Iran, the officials said. In that incident, one crew member was rescued and search-and-rescue operators are looking for the second airman. Officials provided scant details about the A-10 crash, including how and where it happened. | Link |
| 4/3/2026 | WaPo | Two U.S. warplanes shot down; search ongoing in Iran for 1 missing crew member | Two U.S. military aircraft were shot down in separate incidents Friday while conducting combat operations against Iran, setting off a frantic search-and-rescue effort that remains ongoing for one missing crew member, U.S. officials said. The F-15E fighter jet and the A-10 attack plane both were hit by incoming fire, U.S. officials said. One of two crew members aboard the F-15, which crashed inside Iran, was rescued, though their condition was not immediately clear, the officials said. The A-10 pilot navigated the damaged plane to Kuwaiti airspace before ejecting and was subsequently rescued, they added. | Link |
| 4/3/2026 | Axios | U.S. fighter jet shot down in Iran: One crew member rescued, search for other ongoing | One of two crew members of a U.S. fighter jet that was shot down over Iran was located and rescued by U.S. special forces and the search for the second is ongoing, an Israeli official and a second source with knowledge of the situation told Axios. The latest: Iran is also hunting for the two crew members and has asked civilians in the area to join the search. | Link |
| 4/3/2026 | NYT | Iraqi Militia Offers to Negotiate Release of Kidnapped U.S. Journalist | An Iraqi militia allied with Iran offered on Wednesday to negotiate with the Iraqi government for the release of a kidnapped American journalist, according to two Iraqi security officials. The group, Kataib Hezbollah, is a powerful militia in Iraq outside the control of the state. In March 2023, it abducted an Israeli-Russian dual national who was a doctoral student at Princeton University, Elizabeth Tsurkov, and held her hostage for more than two years, torturing her while in captivity. | Link |
| 4/3/2026 | AP | Iran’s civilian casualties are mostly from strikes on state-linked sites, monitor says | Civilian casualties in Iran were clustered around strikes on government-linked sites “rather than indiscriminate bombardment” of urban areas, according to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, the U.S-based group known as ACLED. Iran reported at least 1,973 people were killed since the start of the war. The deadliest attack was on Feb. 28 on a school near a Revolutionary Guard base in southern Iran, killing over 160 civilians, most of them children. | Link |
| 4/2/2026 | CNN | US intelligence assesses Iran maintains significant missile launching capability, sources say | Politics Subscribe Politics 6 min read Exclusive: US intelligence assesses Iran maintains significant missile launching capability, sources say By Haley Britzky , CNN Expansion DC - November 2021, Shoot ID: 1089822 , 11/15/2021, Natasha Bertrand Natasha Bertrand , Jim Sciutto , Tal Shalev 1 hr 16 min ago A projectile approaches what US Central Command says is an Iranian missile launcher that was struck by US forces, at an unknown location, in this screen grab from a video released on March 9, 2026. A portion of the image was blurred before its release. A projectile approaches what US Central ... Roughly half of Iran’s missile launchers are still intact and thousands of one-way attack drones remain in Iran’s arsenal despite the daily pounding by US and Israeli strikes against military targets over the past five weeks, according to recent US intelligence assessments, three sources familiar with the intel told CNN. “They are still very much poised to wreak absolute havoc throughout the entire region,” one of the sources said of Iran. | Link |
| 4/2/2026 | NYT | Trump Hails Strike on Iranian Bridge, Warning ‘More to Follow’ | President Trump celebrated a strike on a highway bridge near Tehran on Thursday, warning on social media that there was “much more to follow.” The attack on the B1 bridge between Tehran and the shores of the Caspian Sea killed eight people and wounded 95, according to Ghodratollah Seif, the deputy governor of Alborz province. | Link |
| 4/1/2026 | WaPo | Risky commando plan to seize Iran’s uranium came at Trump’s request | The U.S. military has given the president a plan to seize nearly 1,000 pounds of highly enriched uranium in Iran that would involve flying in excavation equipment and building a runway for cargo planes to take the radioactive material out, according to two people familiar with the matter. The complex plan was briefed to the president in the past week after he asked for a proposal, they said, as were its significant operational risks. | Link |
| 4/1/2026 | WaPO | American journalist Shelly Kittleson kidnapped in Baghdad | An American journalist has been kidnapped in Baghdad, U.S. and Iraqi authorities said Tuesday. The journalist, identified as Shelly Kittleson by outlets for which she has written, has reported extensively from the Middle East as a freelance contributor to Al-Monitor, Foreign Policy, Politico and the BBC. She is based in Rome but travels frequently in the region. | Link |
| 4/1/2026 | NYT | Iran War Live Updates: Trump Berates Allies While Signaling He Will Wind Down the War | President Trump said that he was considering pulling the United States out of NATO over the war with Iran, as he heaps pressure on allies to manage the fallout of a conflict he signaled he would wind down in two or three weeks. In an interview with Britain’s Telegraph newspaper published on Wednesday, Mr. Trump was asked whether he was reconsidering U.S. membership in the military alliance and was quoted as replying, “Oh yes,” and that it was “beyond reconsideration.” | Link |
| 3/30/2026 | NYT | Iran’s Fractured Leadership Is Struggling to Coordinate, Officials Say | The U.S.-Israeli war against Iran has fractured the Iranian government, complicating its ability to make decisions and coordinate larger retaliatory attacks, according to officials familiar with U.S. and Western intelligence assessments. Several dozen Iranian leaders and their deputies have been killed since the war began four weeks ago. Those who survive have had difficulty communicating and are unable to meet in person, for fear of having their calls intercepted by the United States or Israel and being targeted in an airstrike. | Link |
| 3/29/2026 | NYTimes | A Toothless Iran? Missile and Drone Strikes Show It Can Still Inflict Pain | An Iranian strike on an American military base in Saudi Arabia, injuring two dozen troops. Two drones targeting a port in Oman, and a strike on the Kuwait International Airport. Workers at an aluminum facility in Abu Dhabi wounded by a missile and drone attack. President Trump has said that the United States has all but obliterated Iranian military abilities, portraying Iran as a defanged adversary. The U.S. military says that the number of attacks Iran has launched has declined by roughly 90 percent from the opening days of the war, and the Israeli military says it has rendered roughly 70 percent of Iran’s hundreds of missile launchers inoperable. | Link |
| 3/29/2026 | WaPo | Pentagon prepares for weeks of ground operations in Iran | The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, U.S. officials said, as thousands of American soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle East for what could become a dangerous new phase of the war should President Donald Trump choose to escalate. Any potential ground operation would fall short of a full-scale invasion and could instead involve raids by a mixture of Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops, said the officials. All spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss highly sensitive military plans that have been in development for weeks. | Link |
| 3/28/2026 | PBS | More than 300 US service members wounded | The number of American service members wounded in the Iran war has grown beyond 300, with more than two dozen troops injured this week from attacks on a Saudi air base. Iran fired six ballistic missiles and 29 drones at Saudi Arabia's Prince Sultan air base in an attack Friday that injured at least 15 troops, including five seriously, according to two people briefed on the matter. U.S. officials initially reported that at least 10 U.S. troops were injured, including two who were seriously wounded. | Link |
| 3/28/2026 | BBC | Video shows US missile likely used in deadly strike on Iranian town, experts say | State-of-the-art US missiles were likely used in a deadly strike on a residential area of Iran last month, according to an analysis of footage by weapons experts. The analysts said a projectile visible in footage of the strike on residential buildings in the southern town of Lamerd was likely a Precision Strike Missile (PrSM). The munition is a new long-range weapon operated by the US military. | Link |
| 3/28/2026 | CBSNews | More than 3,500 U.S. Troops arrive in Middle East as Iran war strikes intensify | More than 3,500 U.S. troops, including the USS Tripoli with about 2,500 Marines, arrived in the Middle East, officials announced Saturday, as strikes in the Iran war intensified. The U.S. Central Command said in a social media post that the USS Tripoli, which serves as the flagship for the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group / 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, arrived in its area of responsibility. | Link |
| 3/28/2026 | Centcom | Statement on Non-Combat Related Injury Aboard USS Abraham Lincoln | A U.S. Navy Sailor was injured aboard USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) while the aircraft carrier was conducting flight operations in the Arabian Sea on March 25. The injury is not combat-related nor life threatening. The Sailor has been transported ashore for additional medical care and remains in stable condition. The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. | Link |
| 3/28/2026 | JerusalemPost | Kuwait Airport attacked by several drones as Iran continues attacking Gulf | Drone and missile attacks continued to strike the Gulf over the weekend, targeting critical infrastructure in Kuwait, Oman, and the UAE, while also wounding US troops in Saudi Arabia. Also on Saturday, a drone fell in Iraq's Majnoon oil field, but did not explode, according to the country's Defense Ministry. Kuwait International Airport was subjected to several drone attacks on Saturday, according to the state news agency KUNA | Link |
| 3/27/2026 | BBC | 'My daughter is under the rubble': Inside Tehran as civilian toll of strikes rises | For a month, Iran has been at war with the US and Israel, which have been carrying out strikes across the country at targets linked to the regime. But these attacks are also having a devastating impact on civilians living nearby. | Link |
| 3/27/2026 | Haaretz | Israel and U.S. Running Low on Interceptors as Iran War Drains Stocks | The Royal United Services Institute for Defense and Security warns that Israel has used most of its Arrow 2 and 3 interceptors, while U.S. THAAD missiles protecting Gulf allies are heavily depleted. The report highlighted the stark cost imbalance between Iran's cheap attacks and the expensive interceptors defending against them | Link |
| 3/27/2026 | taskandpurpose | Pentagon looks for vendors to supply pre-made bunkers within 30 days | The Defense Department is trying to quickly find vendors who are able to ship pre-made shelters to protect troops in the Middle East as the United States’ war with Iran continues. The department is looking for information from private contractors who can provide “prefabricated, transportable, hardened shelter systems designed to protect personnel from blast and fragmentation threats,” according to a new federal contract notice posted Monday. | Link |
| 3/27/2026 | Euronews | Iran says nuclear facilities hit by strikes after Israel warns attacks 'will escalate' | Israel struck several nuclear sites in Iran on Friday, hitting uranium and heavy water facilities with no reported radiation leak, as both sides trade fresh threats amid reports of Washington-Tehran talks. Nuclear facilities in Iran have been targeted by air strikes, just hours after Israel threatened to “escalate and expand” its campaign, state-run media and Tehran regime officials said on Friday. | Link |
| 3/27/2026 | WaPo | Nearly 1,500 Iranian civilians killed in U.S., Israeli strikes, report says | Nearly 1,500 Iranian civilians have been killed in dozens of U.S. and Israeli strikes that have hit schools, hospitals and other nonmilitary infrastructure since the Iran war began last month, a consortium of human rights groups alleged in a report issued Friday. | Link |
| 3/27/2026 | WSJ | Ten Americans Injured in Attack on Saudi Air Base | Ten American servicemembers were wounded in an Iranian attack on the Prince Sultan air base in Saudi Arabia Friday, according to multiple U.S. and Arab officials. Two of the servicemembers are considered seriously wounded, the officials said. The injured servicemembers were inside a building on the base that was struck in the attack, the officials said. The attack also damaged multiple U.S. refueling aircraft. At least one missile struck the base, as well as several unmanned aerial vehicles, according to two of the officials. | Link |
| 3/27/2026 | WSJ | The U.S. Military Assets Damaged or Lost in the Iran War | Billions of dollars of highly sophisticated military equipment has been lost or significantly damaged since the U.S. and Israel began striking thousands of targets across Iran more than three weeks ago. The bulk of the damage on the ground has been caused by Iranian ballistic missiles and drones. Battle damage and replacement of losses over the first three weeks of the war likely costs roughly $1.4 billion to $2.9 billion, according to Elaine McCusker, a top Pentagon budget official during the first Trump administration who has been tracking the cost of the conflict for the American Enterprise Institute. The higher estimate includes damage to a Qatari radar housed on a U.S. air base in the country. | Link |
| 3/27/2026 | CNN | As of Friday, 303 US troops have been wounded since the start of combat ops targeting Iran, per a defense official. | Updated number of U.S. troops injured in ongoing combat operations targeting Iran, per CENTCOM: Approximately 290 wounded (up from 200 last week) 255 have returned to duty Number of seriously wounded remains at 10. 13 US service members have been killed in action to date | Link |
| 3/27/2026 | CSIS | Assessing the Air Campaign After Three Weeks: Iran War By the Numbers | The U.S. strike campaign has settled into a sustainable pace of bombing between 300 and 500 targets per day. U.S. forces also now predominantly use far less expensive, short-range munitions. This “munitions transition” has vastly lowered the daily war costs. | Link |
| 3/27/2026 | WaPo | Iran images appear to show land mines scattered by U.S. forces, a first in years | Images posted to social media Thursday show what experts said are U.S. land mines dispersed across a residential area in southern Iran, in what appears to be the first instance in more than two decades of American forces using the weapons. The photos show American BLU-91/B anti-tank land mines, which are released from an aircraft as part of the Gator mine scattering system, according to four munitions experts who reviewed the imagery at The Washington Post’s request. The United States is the only party in the Iran war known to possess the system. | Link |
| 3/27/2026 | WaPo | U.S. uses hundreds of Tomahawk missiles on Iran, alarming some at Pentagon | The U.S. military has fired more than 850 Tomahawk cruise missiles in four weeks of war with Iran, burning through the precision weapons at a rate that has alarmed some Pentagon officials and prompted internal discussions about how to make more available, said people familiar with the matter... The heavy reliance on them in the Iran conflict will require urgent discussions about whether to relocate some from other parts of the world, including the Indo-Pacific, and a concerted long-term effort to build more, said several U.S. officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military planning. | Link |
| 3/27/2026 | WaPo | Trump says U.S. to hold off for 10 days on hitting Iran energy sites | President Donald Trump said Thursday that he would delay attacks on Iran’s energy infrastructure by an additional 10 days — extending for a second time his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, as he cited progress in negotiations with Tehran. In the same post, Trump said he was halting further strikes on Iran’s energy assets. Trump issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Iran last weekend, saying he would “obliterate” the country’s power plants, beginning with the largest, if it did not reopen the Strait of Hormuz | Link |
| 3/26/2026 | WSJ | Pentagon Weighs Sending Another 10,000 Ground Troops to the Middle East | The Pentagon is looking at sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give President Trump more military options even as he weighs peace talks with Tehran, Department of Defense officials with knowledge of the planning said. | Link |
| 3/26/2026 | ABCNews | What to know about US ground troops headed to the Middle East | The Pentagon is preparing to surge as many as 5,000 troops to the Middle East -- with some forces already in transit, according to two U.S. officials. It's a mix of Army paratroopers and Marines. Among them are some 1,500 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division, the Army's premier ground combat unit based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. There are also two Marine units likely headed to the region, according to the two U.S. officials. | Link |
| 3/26/2026 | timesofisrael | Official from mediating country: Trump leaning toward ground invasion, convinced Iran will then capitulate | An official from one of the countries mediating between the US and Iran tells The Times of Israel that US President Donald Trump appears to be leaning toward ordering a US ground operation against Iran, with Washington convinced Tehran will buckle under such military pressure. The official intimately familiar with the mediation efforts says the US privately recognizes that Iran is not likely to agree to the concessions presented in Washington’s 15-point plan and has dispatched thousands of troops to the region in order to capture Tehran’s Kharg Island on Trump’s orders. | Link |
| 3/26/2026 | WaPo | Iraq accuses U.S. of killing 7 soldiers in clinic strike | The Iraqi government on Wednesday accused the United States of attacking a clinic on a military base in western Anbar province, killing seven members of the Iraqi military and injuring 13. The incident could strain relations between the two nations amid the war in neighboring Iran. The airstrike constituted “heinous aggression,” to which Iraq reserved “the right to respond by all available means,” said Sabah al-Numan, a spokesman for the commander of Iraq’s armed forces. It “undermines the relationship between the peoples of Iraq and the United States of America,” he added. | Link |
| 3/26/2026 | Axios | Pentagon prepares for massive "final blow" of Iran war | The Pentagon is developing military options for a "final blow" in Iran that could include the use of ground forces and a massive bombing campaign, according to two U.S. officials and two sources with knowledge. Why it matters: A dramatic military escalation will grow more likely if no progress is made in diplomatic talks and, in particular, if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Some U.S. officials think a crushing show of force to conclude the fighting would create more leverage in peace | Link |
| 3/26/2026 | WaPo | Pentagon considers diverting Ukraine military aid to the Middle East | The Pentagon is considering whether to divert weapons intended for Ukraine to the Middle East as the war in Iran depletes some of the U.S. military’s most critical munitions, according to three people familiar with the matter. Although a final decision to redirect the equipment has not yet been made, the shift would highlight the growing trade-offs required to sustain the U.S. war against Iran, where U.S. Central Command has hit more than 9,000 targets in just under four weeks of fighting. | Link |
| 3/26/2026 | NYT | Iran’s Attacks Force U.S. Troops to Work Remotely Iran has severely damaged sev | Iran has bombed U.S. bases across the Middle East in retaliation for the U.S.-Israeli war, forcing many American troops to relocate to hotels and office spaces throughout the region, according to military personnel and American officials. So now much of the land-based military is, in essence, fighting the war while working remotely, with the exception of fighter pilots and crews operating and maintaining warplanes and conducting strikes. | Link |
| 3/25/2026 | CNN | Iran building up defenses of Kharg Island to protect against potential US ground attack, sources say | Iran has been laying traps and moving additional military personnel and air defenses to Kharg Island in recent weeks in preparation for a possible US operation to take control of the island, according to multiple people familiar with US intelligence reporting on the issue. The Trump administration has been weighing using US troops to seize the tiny island in the northeastern Persian Gulf — an economic lifeline for Iran that handles roughly 90% of the country’s crude exports — as leverage over the Iranians to coerce them to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, CNN has reported. | Link |
| 3/25/2026 | BBC | Iran rejects US 15-point peace plan, state media reports | Iran has rejected US President Donald Trump's 15-point plan to end the war, according to state-run Press TV. It cited an unknown "senior political-security official" laying out five of Tehran's own conditions to bring the conflict to an end, including paying reparations for damage. They bear no resemblance to Trump's proposals, published by Israel's Channel 12 network after US officials had confirmed their existence. They include Iran committing not to build nuclear weapons and to reopen the strategically important Strait of Hormuz. | Link |
| 3/24/2026 | Politico | Pentagon prepares to send another 3,000 troops to Middle East | The Pentagon is preparing to deploy about 3,000 troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, adding to the thousands of Marines already headed to the region to assist with operations in Iran No decisions have been made for troops to enter the country, according to two defense officials, who confirmed the planned deployment. But the buildup of troops is a drastic escalation in the U.S.-Israel war against the Iranian regime and heightens the possibility that American servicemembers will go into Iran. | Link |
| 3/24/2026 | twz | Land-Based Marine Corps F-35Cs Are Now Moving Towards The Middle East | F-35Cs from the U.S. Marine Corps are the latest fighters poised to deploy to the Middle East region for Operation Epic Fury. The movement of these aircraft to RAF Lakenheath in England signals what is set to be the first land-based combat deployment for the F-35C, the carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter flown by both the Navy and Marine Corps. | Link |
| 3/24/2026 | WaPo | Israel, Iran trade strikes as U.S. says it is pausing attacks on energy targets | Iranian forces launched a fresh round of missile and drone strikes toward several Gulf states and Israel on Tuesday, according to national authorities, as Israel said its forces were striking Iran and Lebanon, including targets in Beirut. The exchanges came after President Donald Trump said the United States was postponing strikes against Iranian energy infrastructure for five days while negotiating with Iran to end the war, although Iranian authorities denied such negotiations are taking place. | Link |
| 3/23/2026 | NBC | What we know about the U.S. service members killed in the Iran war | The U.S. government has said six U.S. service members have been killed in the military operation that started early Saturday with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran. Iran responded by launching missiles and drones in nearby countries. | Link |
| 3/23/2026 | NYT | Iran War Live Updates: U.S., Iran and Israel Send Conflicting Signals on Peace Prospects | Conflicting signals from leaders of the United States, Iran and Israel on Monday left a murky picture of whether peace talks were underway, and what prospects there were for ending the war in the Middle East any time soon. President Trump told reporters that the United States and Iran were engaging in “very strong talks” toward resolving the war that began on Feb. 28, which had produced “many, like 15 points,” of agreement. He said he was postponing until Friday his threat to attack Iranian power plants while talks take place. | Link |
| 3/23/2026 | NYT | Pentagon Officials Weigh Deployment of Airborne Troops for Iran War | Senior military officials are weighing a possible deployment of a combat brigade from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division and some elements of the division’s headquarters staff to support U.S. military operations in Iran, defense officials said. The officials described the military’s actions as prudent planning, noting that nothing had been ordered by the Pentagon or U.S. Central Command, which declined to comment. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing planning. | Link |
| 3/23/2026 | Air and Space Forces | USAF Pilot Suffered Shrapnel Wounds after F-35 Hit Over Iran | A U.S. Air Force F-35A pilot suffered shrapnel wounds after their aircraft was damaged during a combat mission over Iran on March 19, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine. The aircraft was hit by ground fire. Though U.S. Central Command has not provided details, the aircraft was most likely damaged by a surface-to-air missile rather than by small-arms fire or another projectile, given the altitude at which the F-35 typically flies. The incident is under investigation, according to U.S. military officials. | Link |
| 3/22/2026 | Reuters | US Patriot missile involved in explosion in Bahrain | A US-operated Patriot battery likely fired the missile involved in an explosion that injured dozens of civilians and tore through homes in U.S.-ally Bahrain 10 days into the Iran war, according to an analysis by academic researchers examined by Reuters. - | Link |
| 3/22/2026 | CNN | Iran’s military says Strait of Hormuz will be ‘completely closed’ if US bombs power plants | Iran’s military declared it is ready to close the Strait of Hormuz indefinitely if US President Donald Trump carries out a threat to bomb its power plants. Separately, an Iranian source told CNN that Tehran is moving forward with monetizing control of the critical waterway. | Link |
| 3/22/2026 | AFP | More than 20 countries say want to contribute to efforts for safe passage in Hormuz strait | More than 20 countries on Saturday said they would contribute to efforts ensuring safe passage in the Strait of Hormuz, condemning Iran’s closure of the vital waterway. “We condemn in the strongest terms recent attacks by Iran on unarmed commercial vessels in the Gulf, attacks on civilian infrastructure including oil and gas installations, and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian forces,” said the 22 countries, mostly European but also including the UAE and Bahrain. | Link |
| 3/21/2026 | ABC | Attacks on Middle East energy sites deepen threat to US economy, analysts say | The U.S.-Israeli war with Iran set off a surge in gasoline prices as fighting clogged a critical waterway for global oil delivery. Shoppers held out hope, however, for a reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and a relatively speedy recovery. Tit-for-tat attacks on oil and gas sites across the Middle East in recent days have all but foreclosed that glide path, since repairs could stretch on for months and diminish fuel supply in the meantime, industry analysts told ABC News. | Link |
| 3/21/2026 | Reuters | Trump threatens Iran with power plant strikes over Hormuz oil blockade | U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to "obliterate" Iran's power plants if Tehran does not fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within 48 hours, a significant escalation barely a day after he talked about "winding down" the war. | Link |
| 3/21/2026 | AP | Dozens injured in Israel after Iranian missile strikes target two areas near main nuclear research center | https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/dozens-injured-in-israel-after-iranian-missile-strikes-target-two-areas-near-main-nuclear-research-center | Link |
| 3/21/2026 | Reuters | Lebanon's mounting death toll | Lebanon has suffered the deadliest spillover of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Israeli warplanes have pounded Beirut, hitting apartments and downing entire buildings, in strikes that Israel says are targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah, which fired into Israeli territory in early March. | Link |
| 3/21/2026 | NYT | Why Energy Is Such a Potent Target in the War With Iran | At least 39 energy oil refineries, natural gas fields and other energy sites in nine countries have been damaged since the United States and Israel began bombarding Iran, a New York Times analysis found. Some have been struck by drones. Several have been hit more than once. | Link |
| 3/21/2026 | ABC | Traumatic brain injury emerging as signature injury in Iran war | Traumatic brain injuries are quickly emerging as the signature wound of the U.S. war with Iran so far, echoing a pattern of post-9/11 wars, according to a U.S. official. More than 200 U.S. troops have so far been wounded in the war, and at least 140 of those were TBI-related injuries, the U.S. official said. It’s a surge being driven by Iran’s reliance on one-way attack drones and the concussive blasts they deliver in strikes against American troops in countries across the Middle East, including Kuwait and Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. | Link |
| 3/20/2026 | WSJ | Iran Targeted Diego Garcia Base With Ballistic Missiles | Iran fired two intermediate-range ballistic missiles at Diego Garcia, a joint U.S.-U.K. military base in the middle of the Indian Ocean, according to multiple U.S. officials. Neither of the missiles hit the base, but the move marked Iran’s first operational use of IRBMs and a significant attempt to reach far beyond the Middle East and threaten U.S. interests. | Link |
| 3/21/2026 | AP | 232 service members injured in Iran war so far, U.S. military says | The Associated Press reported that Capt. Tim Hawkins, the spokesman for U.S. Central Command, told The Associated Press that 232 service members have been injured in the Middle East. That’s 30 more than a previous military tally of roughly 200 from Monday, the AP noted. Hawkins said 207 of the 232 injured have already returned to duty. The number of service members that are considered seriously wounded has remained at 10. | Link |
| 3/21/2026 | CBS | Trump administration making heavy preparations for potential use of ground troops in Iran | Pentagon officials have made detailed preparations for deploying U.S. ground forces into Iran, multiple sources briefed on the discussions told CBS News. Senior military commanders have submitted specific requests aimed at preparing for such an option as President Trump weighs moves in the U.S.-Israel-led conflict with Iran, the sources said. | Link |
| 3/27/2026 | ABC | Multiple waves of unauthorized drones recently spotted over strategic US Air Force base | A drone sighting that temporarily raised alarms at one of the United States Air Force’s largest and most strategic airfields earlier this month was more extensive, and potentially more dangerous, than first reported, according to a confidential internal briefing document reviewed by ABC News. | Link |
| 3/20/2026 | WaPo | U.S.-Israeli rift widens over potential endgame in Iran | But nearly three weeks into the conflict, the war aims are diverging between a U.S. president who saw the historic opportunity of a quick military victory with only modest economic pain and an Israeli leader with grander visions of toppling a regime he’s sought to vanquish for 40 years, said multiple U.S., Israeli and Middle East officials and lawmakers familiar with the matter. | Link |
| 3/20/2026 | NBC | U.S. speeding up deployment of another Marine unit and sailors to Middle East | The U.S. is accelerating the deployment of thousands more Marines and sailors to the Middle East, according to two people familiar with the decision. The 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), made up of at least 2,200 marines, is expected to deploy from San Diego in the coming days, sooner than they were scheduled to leave, the people said | Link |
| 3/20/2026 | WSJ | U.S. War Planes and Helicopters Kick Off Battle to Reopen Hormuz | The U.S. and its allies have intensified the battle to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, sending low-flying attack jets over the sea lanes to blast Iranian naval vessels and Apache helicopters to shoot down Iran’s deadly drones, American military officials said. | Link |
| 3/20/2026 | Reuters | Iran hits Kuwait refinery | Iran attacked an oil refinery in Kuwait on Friday and Israel killed a spokesman of Iran's Revolutionary Guards as the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran showed no sign of ending. Israel promised to avoid further attacks on Iran's South Pars gasfield the day after an Iranian retaliatory strike on Qatar caused damage that will leave the world short of natural gas for years to come. | Link |
| 3/20/2026 | Reuters | Israel kills Iranian Guards spokesman as war rages on | Israel's military said it had attacked government facilities in Tehran. Iranian state TV said Ali Mohammad Naini, deputy head of public relations for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, had been killed - the latest of dozens of leading government and military officials to be assassinated by Israel. | Link |
| 3/19/2026 | ABC | US and allied radar sites in the Middle East struck at least 10 times: Visual analysis | An ABC News analysis of satellite imagery and verified videos suggest that at least 10 radar sites have been struck by Iranian drones or missiles since the start of the war, including apparent damage to radar systems that rely on rare components and cost hundreds of millions of dollars | Link |
| 3/19/2026 | Economist | The Iran war could sap American military power for years | “WE LIVE IN a world of scarcity,” declared J.D. Vance, then a senator, at the Munich Security Conference in 2024. “We don’t make enough munitions to support a war in eastern Europe, a war in the Middle East and potentially a contingency in East Asia.” Mr Vance, who is now vice-president, was correct. The war that his boss, Donald Trump, has launched in Iran will pile pressure on America’s overstretched armed forces, leaving them less prepared for a conflict in Asia. The impact of Operation Epic Fury could last for years. | Link |
| 3/19/2026 | CNN | US F-35 damaged by suspected Iranian fire makes emergency landing, sources say | A US F-35 fighter jet made an emergency landing at US air base in the Middle East after it was struck by what is believed to be Iranian fire, according to two sources familiar with the matter. Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesperson for US Central Command, said the fifth-generation stealth jet was “flying a combat mission over Iran” when it was forced to make an emergency landing. Hawkins said the aircraft landed safely and the incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 3/19/2026 | jpost | Bazan oil refinery damaged after Iran launches series of missile barrages across Israel | The Bazan oil refinery in Haifa was damaged by fallen shrapnel after several consecutive missile barrages from Iran triggered sirens across Israel on Thursday afternoon. Magen David Adom units were sent to the site. No injuries were reported, and an Environmental Protection Ministry spokesperson confirmed there had been no leakage of hazardous substances. | Link |
| 3/18/2026 | Reuters | US Weighs Military Reinforcements as Iran War Enters Possible New Phase | President Donald Trump's administration is considering deploying thousands of U.S. troops to reinforce its operation in the Middle East, as the U.S. military prepares for possible next steps in its campaign against Iran, said a U.S. official and three people familiar with the matter. The deployments could help provide Trump with additional options as he weighs expanding U.S. operations, with the Iran war well into its third week. | Link |
| 3/18/2026 | NYT | U.S. Intelligence Saw No Change in Iran’s Missile Capabilities Before War | Two top intelligence officials directly contradicted one of the Trump administration’s justifications for going to war with Iran, repeating on Wednesday the intelligence community’s conclusion that Iran was years away from developing missiles capable of hitting the United States. | Link |
| 3/19/2026 | PBS | Both sides in Iran war ratchet up attacks as oil prices surge | Israel kept up its campaign of targeting Iran's leaders on Wednesday, killing the country's intelligence minister, and an Iranian offshore natural gas field was struck in a sign of the war's mounting pressure – from both sides -- on the region's economic lifeblood: energy. Iran has been taking aim at its Persian Gulf neighbors' energy facilities since the war started on Feb. 28, and has made the Strait of Hormuz shipping channel — through which one-fifth of the world's oil travels — nearly impassable. | Link |
| 3/18/2026 | CNN | US warship believed to be carrying additional Marines to Middle East tracked off Singapore | A US Navy warship believed to be carrying Marines and sailors to the Middle East is nearing the Malacca Strait off Singapore as it makes its way to the region, maritime tracking data showed Tuesday. The amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli was approaching Singapore, at the southwestern edge of the South China Sea, Tuesday morning, according to AIS tracking data seen by CNN. | Link |
| 3/18/2026 | Guardian | US spending on first week of Iran war raises stark questions about priorities | The US spent $11.3bn on just the first week of its military assault on Iran. This huge expenditure dwarves the annual budgets of many of the public health and scientific agencies the Trump administration has sought to cut, raising stark questions about the country’s priorities. | Link |
| 3/18/2026 | CBS | Iran launches deadly missile attacks on Israel, Gulf states as war spirals | Iran launched waves of missiles and drones at Israel and Persian Gulf states Wednesday, lashing out as Israel said it killed another top official – Iran's intelligence minister – after killing top security chief Ali Larijani. Two people were killed near Tel Aviv by falling debris, Israeli first responders said. | Link |
| 3/18/2026 | AP | Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib killed, Israel defense minister says | Israel’s defense minister said Wednesday that the Israeli military killed Iranian Intelligence Minister Esmail Khatib. Israel Katz made the announcement. Khatib’s killing follows Israel’s killing of top Iranian security official Ali Larijani and the head of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force. | Link |
| 3/17/2026 | CNBC | Politics U.S. counterterrorism director Joe Kent resigns over war | National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent on Tuesday announced he will resign in response to the Trump administration’s war against Iran. “I cannot in good conscience support the ongoing war,” Kent said in a letter addressed to President Donald Trump, that was posted on Kent’s personal X account. | Link |
| 3/17/2026 | CNBC | Iran targets UAE energy infrastructure as gas field set ablaze, tanker struck near Strait of Hormuz | A fresh wave of attacks on the United Arab Emirates’ energy infrastructure has ramped up concerns over prolonged supply disruptions amid the Iran war. It comes after the world’s largest ultra-sour gas developments were struck by a drone, a fire broke out in the UAE’s Fujairah Oil Industry Zone, and another tanker was hit near the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. | Link |
| 3/17/2026 | CNBC | Israel says Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, has been killed in a strike | Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday that Iran’s security chief, Ali Larijani, had been killed in airstrikes overnight. Katz said in a statement that he had been informed by the military that Larijani and the commander of Iran’s Basij forces, Gholamreza Soleimani, had both been killed, according to Reuters. | Link |
| 3/16/2026 | WaPo | U.S. intelligence says Iran’s regime is consolidating power | Despite more than two weeks of relentless airstrikes, U.S. intelligence assessments say, Iran’s regime likely will remain in place for now, weakened but more hard-line, with the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps security forces exerting greater control. | Link |
| 3/16/2026 | NYT | Fire on U.S. Aircraft Carrier Raged for Hours, Sailors Say | It took more than 30 hours for sailors to put out the fire aboard the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford last week, sailors and military officials said, as the beleaguered ship continued its monthslong slog through President Trump’s military operations. | Link |
| 3/16/2026 | WaPo | Number of U.S. troops wounded in Iran war surpasses 200 across 7 countries | The number of U.S. troops who have been wounded or injured during the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran now exceeds 200 across seven countries, a U.S. military spokesman said Monday, providing the most detailed accounting yet of how American personnel have been put in harm’s way. | Link |
| 3/16/2026 | BBc | US embassy in Iraq targeted by drone strikes | The US embassy in Baghdad has been targeted by a wave of drone and rocket attacks, according to reports from Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP). Iraqi security sources have told the latter that it was "the most intense assault since the attacks began". | Link |
| 3/16/2026 | WaPo | Iran targets commerce as drone hits Dubai airport; Israel says war will go on | An Iranian drone attack ignited a fuel tank at Dubai International Airport early Monday, authorities said, as Tehran continued to strike civilian infrastructure across the Persian Gulf and Israel said it would keep hitting Iran “as long as needed” — suggesting there would be no quick end to the Middle East war now in its 17th day. | Link |
| 3/16/2026 | WSJ | U.S. Allies Look at Hormuz Options After Trump Pressure | The U.K. and the European Union said they were discussing options for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway that Iran has effectively closed. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the U.K. was looking at deploying robot mine hunters. | Link |
| 3/16/2026 | CNBC | Brent crude holds above $100 as Trump says U.S. may hit Iran’s oil hub again ‘just for fun’ | Oil prices reversed gains on Monday as the Trump administration ramps up pressure on allies to help safeguard the Strait of Hormuz and as investors react to threats facing Middle East export facilities...Trump also told NBC News in an interview published Saturday that U.S. strikes on Iran’s Kharg Island “totally demolished” most of the island but that “we may hit it a few more times just for fun.” | Link |
| 3/16/2026 | BBC | European countries resist Trump's request to help clear the strait of Hormuz | Italy is the latest European country (after the UK, Germany and Greece) to react cautiously to Donald Trump’s demand that allies help open the strait of Hormuz. Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, told reporters in Brussels that Italy backs reinforcing EU naval missions in the Red Sea. | Link |
| 3/15/2026 | euronews | Iran continues strikes on Gulf states day after US threatens oil facilities | Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the UAE warned people that they were working to intercept incoming projectiles, a day after Iran called for port evacuations, threatening for the first time a neighbouring country’s non-US assets. Gulf states reported new missile and drone attacks on Sunday after Tehran threatened to widen its campaign and called for the evacuation of three major ports in the United Arab Emirates. | Link |
| 3/15/2026 | AP | After attacks on Iran’s oil facilities, toxic black rain endangers the public | Clouds of toxic smoke unleashed into the atmosphere by U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iranian oil facilities made a dangerous return to Earth in the form of “black rain,” prompting international health officials to warn of serious risks to the public. Residents in Tehran complained last week of burning eyes and difficulty breathing when the dark and oily precipitation fell near the Iranian capital after several fuel oil depots and a refinery were struck. | Link |
| 3/15/2026 | AP | Gulf Arab states intercept new missiles and drones as Iran threatens to widen the war | Gulf Arab states reported new missile and drone attacks on Sunday after Iran threatened to widen its campaign and called for the evacuation of three major ports in the United Arab Emirates as the war in the Middle East, now in its third week, expands further. | Link |
| 3/15/2026 | BBC | Tehran 'lashing out' at Gulf countries is not a surprise, Iranians tell BBC | Countries in the Gulf are still dealing with attacks in a war they feel they've been unjustly pulled into. In Iran, residents I've spoken to are not surprised that Iran is lashing out at the region. One man in northern Iran tells us "it was predictable since the regime has no way of putting pressure other than threatening the world economy". | Link |
| 3/14/2026 | DoD | Air Force Casualty Identified | Tech. Sgt. Tyler H. Simmons, 28, of Columbus, Ohio assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio. died on March 12, 2026, in the crash of a KC-135 in western Iraq, supporting Operation Epic Fury | Link |
| 3/14/2026 | DoD | Air Force Casualty Identified | Capt. Curtis J. Angst, 30, of Wilmington, Ohio assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio. died on March 12, 2026, in the crash of a KC-135 in western Iraq, supporting Operation Epic Fury | Link |
| 3/14/2026 | DoD | Air Force Casualty Identified | Capt. Seth R. Koval, 38, of Mooresville, Ind. assigned to the 121st Air Refueling Wing at Rickenbacker Air National Guard Base, Columbus, Ohio. died on March 12, 2026, in the crash of a KC-135 in western Iraq, supporting Operation Epic Fury | Link |
| 3/14/2026 | DoD | Air Force Casualty Identified | Tech. Sgt. Ashley B. Pruitt, 34, of Bardstown, Ky. assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. died on March 12, 2026, in the crash of a KC-135 in western Iraq, supporting Operation Epic Fury | Link |
| 3/14/2026 | DoD | Air Force Casualty Identified | Capt. Ariana G. Savino, 31, of Covington, Wash, 33, of Auburn, Ala. assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. died on March 12, 2026, in the crash of a KC-135 in western Iraq, supporting Operation Epic Fury | Link |
| 3/14/2026 | DoD | Air Force Casualty Identified | Maj. John A. Klinner, 33, of Auburn, Ala. assigned to the 6th Air Refueling Wing, MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. died on March 12, 2026, in the crash of a KC-135 in western Iraq, supporting Operation Epic Fury | Link |
| 3/14/2026 | Aljazeera | Iran continues intensified attacks across Gulf in US-Israeli war fallout | Iran has pressed on with sustained missile and drone attacks across the Gulf region, despite repeated protests from its neighbours, in ongoing retaliation in the war launched by the United States and Israel. Tehran’s strikes targeted multiple countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), late on Friday and into Saturday. | Link |
| 3/14/2026 | WaPo | Satellite analysis provides first look at damage to structures across Iran during war | Damage to structures is widespread, particularly in Tehran, the capital and most populated city, and in the south central city of Shiraz, according to the research. In the port city of Bandar Abbas, home to a major Iranian naval base, more than 40 structures were damaged, the research shows. Bandar Abbas holds a strategic position on the Strait of Hormuz, a conduit for one-fifth of the world’s oil supply, where oil-laden vessels are backing up because of the threat of Iranian attacks. | Link |
| 3/13/2026 | Axios | U.S. conducts major bombing of strategic Iran Island | "Moments ago, at my direction, the United States Central Command executed one of the most powerful bombing raids in the History of the Middle East, and totally obliterated every MILITARY target in Iran’s crown jewel, Kharg Island," Trump wrote. | Link |
| 3/13/2026 | WSJ | Five Air Force Refueling Planes Hit in Iranian Strike on Saudi Arabia | Five US Air Force refueling planes were struck and damaged on the ground at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing two US officials. The planes, which were hit during an Iranian missile strike on the Saudi base in recent days, were damaged but not fully destroyed and are being repaired, the Journal says, adding that no one was killed in the strikes. | Link |
| 3/13/2026 | Centom | All Crew Members of U.S. KC-135 Loss in Iraq Confirmed Deceased | All six crew members aboard a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft that went down in western Iraq are now confirmed deceased. The aircraft was lost while flying over friendly airspace March 12 during Operation Epic Fury. | Link |
| 3/13/2026 | MSN | Donald Trump deploys 5,000 Marines to the Middle East amid fears of new war phase | President Donald Trump has reportedly deployed 5,000 marines to the Middle East as both the U.S. and Israel continue to pummel Iran with coordinated strikes. The deployment of troops to the Strait of Hormuz comes as many fear there could be conflict over the waterway, through which most of the world's oil flows. | Link |
| 3/13/2026 | CBS | U.S. fired at Iranian vessel that approached aircraft carrier, officials say | An Iranian vessel sailed too close to the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, and the U.S. fired at the vessel, according to two U.S. officials briefed on the matter who spoke to CBS News under condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. | Link |
| 3/13/2026 | BBC | Bodies of 84 Iranian sailors killed in US torpedo strike to be repatriated | The bodies of 84 Iranian sailors killed in a torpedo attack by a US submarine last week in the Indian Ocean are due to be flown home on Friday, Sri Lanka's defence ministry has said. The seamen were among 130 thought to be aboard the Iranian warship, the Iris Dena, when it was sunk on 4 March about 40km (25 miles) from Sri Lanka's southern coastline. | Link |
| 3/13/2026 | Cetcom | Four Confirmed Deceased in Loss of U.S. KC-135 Over Iraq | At approximately 2 pm ET on March 12, a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft went down in western Iraq. Four of six crew members on board the aircraft have been confirmed deceased as rescue efforts continue. The circumstances of the incident are under investigation. However, the loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire | Link |
| 3/12/2026 | Guardian | Pentagon tells lawmakers Iran war costs top $11.3bn – but true price unknown | Pentagon officials told top lawmakers in a closed-door briefing on Tuesday that the cost of the war against Iran has already exceeded $11.3bn in its first six days, but the true cost of the opening days of the conflict is likely far greater, according to two people familiar with the matter. | Link |
| 3/12/2026 | Cetcom | Loss of U.S. KC-135 Over Iraq | U.S. Central Command is aware of the loss of a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft. The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing. Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely. | Link |
| 3/12/2026 | NYT | Iran War Live Updates: U.S. Refueling Plane Crashes in Iraq, Military Says | The incident was not because of hostile fire or friendly fire, U.S. Central Command said. In the Strait of Hormuz, Iran is using smaller boats to lay mines, an American official said. And Israeli airstrikes pounded the Lebanese and Iranian capitals. | Link |
| 3/12/2026 | Cetcom | Loss of U.S. KC-135 Over Iraq | U.S. Central Command is aware of the loss of a U.S. KC-135 refueling aircraft. The incident occurred in friendly airspace during Operation Epic Fury, and rescue efforts are ongoing. Two aircraft were involved in the incident. One of the aircraft went down in western Iraq, and the second landed safely. | Link |
| 3/12/2026 | AP | Israeli strikes on checkpoints in Iran aim to weaken state control, | At least 18 instances in which Israel struck checkpoints operated by Iran’s paramilitary Basij forces, mostly in the capital, were documented on Wednesday alone by Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, the U.S-based group known as ACLED. | Link |
| 3/12/2026 | AFP | Iran vows unrelenting war as oil prices soar | Iran vowed Thursday to make the United States regret attacking the Islamic republic, and said it would keep up a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz that has sent oil prices soaring. | Link |
| 3/12/2026 | NPR | Pentagon probe points to U.S. missile hitting Iranian school | The U.S. has launched a formal investigation into a missile strike on an Iranian girls' school that killed at least 165 civilians, many of them children, after a preliminary assessment determined the U.S. was at fault, according to a U.S. official who was not authorized to speak publicly. The investigation is expected to take months and will include interviews with all those involved, from planners and commanders to those who carried out the strike. | Link |
| 3/11/2026 | Reuters | Factbox – How many people have been killed in the US-Israel war on Iran? | Hundreds of people have been killed across the Middle East since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran on February 28, with Gulf states that host U.S. military bases and personnel as well as Lebanon quickly drawn into the conflict. | Link |
| 3/10/2026 | WaPo | Drone hits U.S. diplomatic facility in Iraq as Mideast violence deepens | A drone assault hit a major U.S. diplomatic facility in Iraq on Tuesday in a suspected retaliation by pro-Tehran militias to the U.S. and Israel’s war on Iran, according to a security official and an internal U.S. alert reviewed by The Washington Post. | Link |
| 3/10/2026 | WaPo | Pentagon says about 140 troops wounded, 8 severely, in war with Iran | About 140 U.S. service members have been wounded in the war with Iran, a Pentagon official said Tuesday, as personnel remain under threat from drones and missiles that have left seven U.S. troops dead. The vast majority of the wounded had minor injuries... Eight are severely wounded | Link |
| 3/10/2026 | PBS | U.S. and Iran ramp up threats as Hegseth warns of 'most intense day of strikes' | Iran's attacks on regional oil infrastructure and pledges to choke off maritime traffic left markets on edge Tuesday as the United States promised blistering new strikes. The war entered its 11th day with no end in sight as its effects were felt across the region and beyond. | Link |
| 3/9/2026 | DoD | DOW Identifies Army Casualty | Maj. Sorffly Davius, 46, of Cambria Heights, Queens, N.Y., died on March 6, 2026, in Camp Buehring, Kuwait, as a result of a non-combat related incident. The Soldier was assigned to the Headquarters, Headquarters Battalion, 42nd Infantry Division, Troy, N.Y. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 3/9/2026 | DoD | DOW Identifies Army Casualty | Maj. Jeffrey R. O'Brien, 45, of Indianola, Iowa, died on March 1, 2026, in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, during an unmanned aircraft system attack. The Soldier was assigned to the 103rd Sustainment Command, Des Moines, Iowa. | Link |
| 3/9/2026 | DoD | DOW Identifies An Army Believed to Be Casualty | Chief Warrant Officer 3 Robert M. Marzan, 54, of Sacramento, Calif., was at the scene of the incident on March 1, 2026, in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, and is believed to be the individual who perished at the scene. Positive identification of Chief Warrant Officer 3 Marzan will be completed by the medical examiner. | Link |
| 3/9/2026 | DoD | DoW Identifies Army Casualty | Sgt. Benjamin N. Pennington, 26, of Glendale, Ky., died of his wounds on March 8, 2026, from injuries sustained during an enemy attack on March 1, 2026, at Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia. The Soldier was assigned to 1st Space Battalion, 1st Space Brigade, Fort Carson, Colo. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 3/9/2026 | DoD | DoW Identifies Army Casualties | Capt. Cody A. Khork, 35, of Winter Haven, Fla.; Sgt. 1st Class Noah L. Tietjens, 42, of Bellevue, Neb.; Sgt. 1st Class Nicole M. Amor, 39, of White Bear Lake, Minn.; and Sgt. Declan J. Coady, 20, of West Des Moines, Iowa, died on March 1, 2026, in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, during an unmanned aircraft system attack. | Link |
| 3/2/2026 | Centcom | Operation Epic Fury Update | As of 4 pm ET, March 2, six U.S. service members have been killed in action. U.S. forces recently recovered the remains of two previously unaccounted for service members from a facility that was struck during Iran's initial attacks in the region. Major combat operations continue. The identities of the fallen are being withheld until 24 hours after next of kin notification. | Link |
| 3/1/2026 | Reuters | US announces its first casualties in Iran war | The U.S. military announced on Sunday the first American casualties of President Donald Trump's intensifying attack on Iran, as a new poll showed only one in four Americans supported strikes against the Middle Eastern country. | Link |
| 3/1/2026 | AP | U.S. and Israel launch a major attack on Iran, Trump says Supreme Leader Khamenei killed | Two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter have been killed in Syria in an ambush by an Islamic State (IS) gunman, the US Central Command (Centcom) has said. Officials said three other service members were injured in the attack, during which the gunman was "engaged and killed". | Link |
| 12/14/2025 | BBC | Three Americans killed by IS gunman in Syria, US military says | Two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter have been killed in Syria in an ambush by an Islamic State (IS) gunman, the US Central Command (Centcom) has said. Officials said three other service members were injured in the attack, during which the gunman was "engaged and killed". | Link |
| 2/2/2024 | CNN | US launches strikes in Iraq and Syria as Israel-Hamas war rages | The US has begun conducting strikes on targets in Iraq and Syria, the start of what will likely be a series of larger-scale US strikes on Iranian-backed militias who have carried out attacks on US troops in the Middle East, according to two US officials. | Link |
| 1/29/2024 | DoD | DoD Identifies Fatalities | Three U.S. soldiers were killed yesterday in Jordan, while more than 40 other service members were injured following an uncrewed aerial system attack at a military base near the Syrian border. Spc. Breonna Alexsondria Moffett of Savannah, Georgia. | Link |
| 1/29/2024 | DoD | DoD Identifies Fatalities | Three U.S. soldiers were killed yesterday in Jordan, while more than 40 other service members were injured following an uncrewed aerial system attack at a military base near the Syrian border. Spc. Kennedy Ladon Sanders of Waycross, Georgia | Link |
| 1/29/2024 | DoD | DoD Identifies Fatalities | Three U.S. soldiers were killed yesterday in Jordan, while more than 40 other service members were injured following an uncrewed aerial system attack at a military base near the Syrian border. Sgt. William Jerome Rivers of Carrollton, assigned to the 718th Engineer Company, 926th Engineer Battalion, 926th Engineer Brigade, Fort Moore, Georgia. | Link |
| 1/28/2024 | CNN | Three US troops killed in drone attack in Jordan, more than 30 injured | Three US Army soldiers were killed and more than 30 service members were injured in a drone attack overnight on a small US outpost in Jordan, US officials told CNN, marking the first time US troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since the beginning of the Gaza war. | Link |
| 8/1/2022 | Reuters | US kills al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in drone strike in Afghanistan | The United States killed al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in a drone strike, President Joe Biden said Monday in a speech from the White House. "I authorized a precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield, once and for all," Biden said.Zawahiri, who just turned 71 years old, had remained a visible international symbol of the group, 11 years after the US killed Osama bin Laden. At one point, he acted as bin Laden's personal physician. | Link |
| 3/12/2022 | Reuters | Rockets hit northern Iraq's Kurdish capital, but no casualties reported | Several rockets landed in Irbil, the capital of Iraq's autonomous northern Kurdish region on Sunday, Kurdish officials said, but added there were no confirmed casualties so far from the incident. A U.S. official told Reuters on condition of anonymity that there were no U.S. military casualties caused by the attack. Few other details were immediately available. | Link |
| 10/15/2021 | AP | Suicide attack on Shiite mosque in Afghanistan kills 37 | Suicide bombers assaulted a Shiite mosque in southern Afghanistan that was packed with worshippers attending weekly Friday prayers, killing at least 37 people and wounding more than 70, according to a hospital official and an eyewitness. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack on the Imam Barga mosque. It came a week after a bombing claimed by the local Islamic State affiliate killed 46 people at a Shiite mosque in northern Afghanistan. | Link |
| 10/7/2021 | Reuters | U.S. charges former Taliban commander with killing U.S. troops in 2008 | A former Taliban commander has been charged with killing U.S. troops in 2008, the U.S. Department of Justice said, adding that a federal grand jury in New York unsealed the indictment on Thursday. "Haji Najibullah, previously charged in the 2008 kidnapping of an American journalist, was also indicted today for 2008 attacks on U.S. Service members in Afghanistan, including attacks resulting in the deaths of three American soldiers and their Afghan interpreter and the downing of a U.S. helicopter," the Justice Department said in a statement. | Link |
| 9/26/2021 | WaPo | How Afghanistan’s security forces lost the war | A sophisticated Taliban campaign aimed at securing surrender deals lay at the heart of the Afghan military’s collapse, but layers of corruption, waste and logistical failures left the country’s security forces so underequipped and with such battered morale that it enabled the militants’ success. | Link |
| 9/26/2021 | WaPo | Taliban puts bodies of alleged kidnappers on public display, in a sign of return to harsh Islamic justice | Taliban authorities have put the bodies of four alleged kidnappers on public display, in a sign the militant group is returning to a harsh version of Islamic justice in Afghanistan following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops last month. | Link |
| 9/18/2021 | msn | Pentagon admits Aug. 29 drone strike in Kabul killed 10 civilians, including up to 7 children | The Pentagon said Friday that a U.S. drone strike in Kabul last month killed as many as 10 civilians including up to seven children."This strike was taken in the earnest belief that it would prevent an imminent threat to our forces and the evacuees at the airport, but it was a mistake," U.S. Marine Corps General Kenneth McKenzie, commander of U.S. Central Command, said Friday. | Link |
| 9/18/2021 | hindustantimes | Series of explosions in Afghanistan's Jalalabad, Taliban officials among dead | A series of three explosions killed at least three, including Taliban officials, and injured around 20 in Afghanistan's Jalalabad on Saturday, reports said. The explosion that took place in the capital of Afghanistan's Nangarhar province was targeted at Taliban vehicles. Local officials in Nangarhar told Tolo News that the roadside bomb exploded when a Taliban ranger struck it. | Link |
| 9/16/2021 | Reuters | Macron says French forces killed Islamic State leader in Sahara | French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that French military forces had killed Islamic militant Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi, the leader of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. "It's another major success in our fight against terrorist groups in the Sahel," Macron said in a tweet, without disclosing the location of the operation. | Link |
| 9/9/2021 | Reuters | Asia Pacific Taliban to allow 200 Americans, other civilians to leave Afghanistan -U.S. official | Taliban authorities have agreed to let 200 American civilians and third country nationals who remained in Afghanistan after the end of the U.S. evacuation operation to depart on charter flights from Kabul airport, a U.S. official said. The Taliban were pressed to allow the departures by U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad, said the official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. | Link |
| 9/8/2021 | KP | https://www.khaama.com/resistance-front-to-declare-parallel-government-in-afghanistan-568568/ | The resistance front in Panjshir province led by Ahmad Masoud reacted to the new cabinet announced by the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and said that they will declare a parallel government after consultation with politicians. The front named the Taliban’s caretaker government as illegitimate and a vivid enmity with the people of Afghanistan. | Link |
| 9/6/2021 | lawfareblog | Five Myths About NATO and Afghanistan | NATO allies were briefed on the plans at a joint meeting of foreign and defense ministers on April 14 of this year by none other than Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin themselves. | Link |
| 9/6/2021 | WaPo | U.S. Embassy contractors, visa applicants among Afghans left behind after one of the largest airlifts in history | The day Afghanistan’s capital fell, a contractor who had worked at the U.S. Embassy for six years was dismissed from work early. Embassy staff had collected his family’s information weeks before in preparation for a possible evacuation. But after he was told on Aug. 15 to leave the embassy’s grounds, “nobody called, nobody emailed.” | Link |
| 9/6/2021 | WaPo | Panjshir Valley, last resistance holdout in Afghanistan, falls to the Taliban | The Taliban on Monday seized Panjshir province, a restive mountain region that was the final holdout of resistance forces in the country, cementing its total control over Afghanistan a week after U.S. forces departed the country. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement that the Islamist group had “completely conquered” the Panjshir Valley. “Our last efforts for establishing peace and security in the country have given results,” he said. | Link |
| 9/5/2021 | NPR | They Came To The U.S. As Afghan Refugees. Now They Hope Their Story Will Help Others | Scenes of violence in Afghanistan triggered painful memories for Hossein Mahrammi and his wife, Razia Mahrami, refugees living in the U.S. He sees the hope of a democratic, peaceful Afghanistan vanishing as the Taliban take over the country and the future of family and friends there uncertain. The couple know all too well the hardships that await the thousands of refugees fleeing. | Link |
| 9/5/2021 | TheGuardian | Taliban break up Afghan women’s rights march with gunfire | Taliban fighters have broken up a women’s rights march in Kabul with gunfire as bitter fighting continued in Afghanistan’s last rebel holdout and the US army’s most senior general warned that the country risked falling into wider civil war. Camouflaged members of the Islamist militia fired shots into the air on Saturday to disperse the second protest march in as many days in the capital by Afghan women demanding equal rights from the new rulers | Link |
| 9/5/2021 | KP | Domestic flights resumed from Kabul after three weeks of sabotage | Domestic flights from Hamid Karzai International Airport HKIA based in Kabul resumed over twenty days after the Taliban takeover which halted both the domestic and international flights. The first domestic flight was conducted from Kabul to the northern Mazar-e-sharif city on Saturday, September 4. A domestic airlines-De Arian Afghan Airlines- said that two other domestic flights from Kabul were conducted to Herat and Kandahar provinces on Sunday, September 05. | Link |
| 9/3/2021 | NPR | Fearful Of The Taliban, At-Risk Afghans Urgently Seek A Way Out | When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, a former Afghan army colonel named Mohammed became part of the massive crush of people trying to flee at the Kabul airport last week. Mohammed and his family — a wife and five children — waited for hours to reach a Taliban checkpoint outside the airport. He presented identification documents that included his U.S. Social Security card and a Texas driver's license, both acquired during two training stints at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, more than a decade ago. | Link |
| 9/3/2021 | ABCNews | One of Iraq's most influential Shiite clerics dies at 85 | Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim, one of Iraq’s most senior and influential Muslim Shiite clerics, has died of a heart attack, members of his family said. He was 85. A relative, Mohsen al-Hakim, told The Associated Press that al-Hakim died at the Al Hayat hospital in the southern holy city of Najaf Friday where he was taken after suffering a sudden heart attack. His office announced that he died of a sudden medical condition it did not specify | Link |
| 9/3/2021 | DOJ | ISIS Militant Pleads Guilty to Role in Deaths of Four Americans in Syria | A militant fighter for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a foreign terrorist organization, pleaded guilty today to all charges that were pending against him in the United States relating to his participation in a brutal hostage-taking scheme that resulted in the deaths of four American citizens, as well as the deaths of British and Japanese nationals, in Syria. | Link |
| 9/3/2021 | marinecorpstimes | 15 Marines wounded in Afghanistan are being treated at Walter Reed | As of Wednesday morning, 15 wounded Marines were receiving treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, following an Aug. 26 bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. “Of those, one is in critical condition, three are in serious condition and 11 are in stable condition,” Maj. James Stenger, a Marine Corps spokesman, told Marine Corps Times in a written statement Wednesday evening. | Link |
| 9/3/2021 | AA | Kabul women rally for rights in Afghanistan | A small group of women staged a rally in the Afghan capital Kabul on Friday, calling on the Taliban to ensure equal rights in the country and allow them to be contributing members of Afghan society. They gathered in front of the Presidential Palace in Kabul before moving down nearby streets, chanting slogans in support of women’s rights in Afghanistan, which was under a governance system introduced by the US after it invaded the country in 2001 and overthrew the first Taliban regime. | Link |
| 9/3/2021 | KP | Taliban claim capture of district in Panjshir, resistance forces deny | Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan claims to have captured the Shutul district of Panjshir province but resistance forces have denied the claim. Acting minister of culture and information and spokesperson of the Taliban, Zabiullah Mujahid said that eleven outposts have also been taken and over 30 resistance forces have been killed. | Link |
| 9/3/2021 | aljazeera | Residents flee as Taliban intensifies battle to take Panjshir | Fighting between the Taliban fighters and resistance forces has intensified in the northern province of Panjshir, as the Afghan group battles to take control of the country’s last rebel stronghold. Residents in nearby areas of neighbouring Parwan province say it has been four days that their lives have been disrupted by the intensified battles between the Taliban and forces being commanded by Ahmad Massoud, the son of slain commander, Ahmad Shah Massoud. | Link |
| 9/2/2021 | Reuters | Taliban and Afghan rebels claim heavy casualties in fighting over valley | Taliban forces and fighters loyal to local leader Ahmad Massoud, fought in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley on Thursday, with each side saying it had inflicted heavy casualties in recent days of combat in the last province resisting Taliban rule. Following the fall of Kabul on Aug. 15, several thousand fighters from local militias and the remnants of army and special forces units have massed in Panjshir. | Link |
| 8/31/2021 | NBCNews | A small fraction of America's Afghan allies made it out of Afghanistan | More than 120,000 people of all nationalities were evacuated from the Kabul airport as the U.S. military withdrew, but initial figures suggest that only about 8,500 of those who left Afghanistan in recent months were Afghans, according to numbers released by the Biden administration and estimates from advocates. That is a small percentage of the tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the U.S. government or U.S. organizations and applied for special U.S. visas, and an even smaller percentage of the Afghans eligible to apply. | Link |
| 8/30/2021 | Newsweek | U.S. War in Afghanistan 'Is Over' as Final Plane Leaves | The two-decade U.S.-led war in Afghanistan has officially come to a close as the final military plane departed the international airport in Taliban-ruled Kabul amid a chaotic airlift to transport U.S. nationals and allied Afghans that served the war effort. "Final plane is wheels up. War is over," a senior U.S. defense official told Newsweek. Shortly after Newsweek broke the news of the war's official conclusion, the development was confirmed by U.S. Central Command chief Marine Corps General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. during a press briefing. | Link |
| 8/30/2021 | NBCNews | Last plane carrying Americans from Afghanistan departs as longest U.S. war concludes | The Pentagon said Monday the U.S. had completed efforts to evacuate its remaining civilians and troops from Afghanistan, effectively ending the longest war in American history. “I’m here to announce the completion of our mission in Afghanistan,” Marine Corps General Kenneth McKenzie told reporters in a virtual briefing. "The last C-17 took off at 3:29 pm." | Link |
| 8/30/2021 | ANI | Death toll from US drone attack on vehicle in Kabul rises to 12 | The death toll from a US drone attack near the Kabul airport has climbed to 12, Al Jazeera reported on Monday. CNN initially reported that the attack had claimed the lives of nine civilians, including six children. Death toll from US drone attack on vehicle in Kabul rises to 12: Reports | Link |
| 8/30/2021 | NPR | Rockets Hit Near Kabul Airport A Day Before The Deadline For The Exit Of U.S. Forces | As rockets apparently aimed at Kabul's airport rained down on a nearby neighborhood, U.S. forces scrambled to evacuate thousands of Afghan trying to flee ahead of a Tuesday deadline for the withdraw of all American troops. The attack, reportedly involving several rockets, occurred as U.S. C-17 cargo jets continued operations to evacuate people desperate to escape from an Afghanistan that is now controlled by the hard-line Taliban. | Link |
| 8/30/2021 | lawfareblog | What Is Known About ISIS-K Funding in Afghanistan? | The horrific Aug. 26 complex attack against Afghan civilians and U.S. Marines at the Kabul airport has put international attention on the Islamic State in Khorasan (ISIS-K), a relatively small and obscure offshoot of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS-Core). The attack raised an important question about the group’s capabilities to conduct further attacks against U.S. interests, both in Afghanistan and abroad. | Link |
| 8/29/2021 | axios | U.S. announces joint arrangement to continue evacuating Afghan allies past Aug. 31 | The United States, along with 97 other countries, announced Sunday that they had reached an agreement with the Taliban to allow them to continue to get Afghan allies out of the country after the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline. Why it matters: "We are all committed to ensuring that our citizens, nationals and residents, employees, Afghans who have worked with us and those who are at risk can continue to travel freely to destinations outside Afghanistan," the joint statement said. | Link |
| 8/29/2021 | NYTimes | U.S. Conducts Drone Strike in Kabul and Winds Down Airlift as Deadline Near | The strike eliminated what U.S. officials called an imminent terrorist threat. The military evacuation of Afghans is ending, but the United States and others say they will still get people out. A U.S. drone strike on Sunday destroyed an explosives-laden vehicle that the Pentagon said posed an imminent threat to Afghanistan’s main airport, as the massive airlift of Afghans fleeing Taliban rule shut down just two days before the scheduled final withdrawal of American forces. | Link |
| 8/29/2021 | ntd | Biden Admin Says 300 Americans Remain in Afghanistan as Terror Risk Remains ‘Very High’ | Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday revealed that 300 Americans remain in Afghanistan and are awaiting evacuation amid a heightened terror threat near the airport. “We have about 300 American citizens left who have indicated to us that they want to leave. We are very actively working to help them get to the airport, get on a plane, and get out of Afghanistan,” President Joe Biden’s top diplomat said during an ABC News interview on Sunday. | Link |
| 8/29/2021 | AP | US has capacity to evacuate remaining Americans | The United States has the capacity to evacuate the approximately 300 U.S. citizens remaining in Afghanistan who want to leave before President Joe Biden's Tuesday deadline, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday. He also said the administration's current plan is not to have "an ongoing embassy presence'' after the final U.S. troop withdrawal. | Link |
| 8/29/2021 | Reuters | U.S. in final phase of Kabul evacuations, Taliban prepares government | U.S. forces were in the final phase of pulling out of Kabul, ending two decades of costly involvement in Afghanistan, as the country's new Taliban rulers prepared to take control of the airport. Just over 1,000 civilians remained at the airport on Sunday to be flown out before the troops finally leave, a Western security official told Reuters. | Link |
| 8/29/2021 | WaPo | The deaths of 2 Marines in Kabul underscore the evolving roles of women in the military | Clad in body armor with her hair pulled back in a tight bun, Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee cradled the barefoot Afghan infant in her arm as softly as she could through thick work gloves. "I love my job," the 23-year-old wrote in an Instagram caption last week, after her unit's enormous task of processing thousands of Afghan and American evacuees through the Kabul airport gates after the capital fell. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | wcpo | Marine from Dearborn County injured in Kabul airport attack | A Marine from Dearborn County was injured Thursday in a suicide bombing outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Kelsee Lainhart, a 2019 East Central High School graduate, was one of 15 U.S. service members injured in the attack, according to her father Glen Lainhart. There is no word on Lainhart's condition at this time. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | DoD | DOD Identifies Marine Corps Fatality (13 of 13) Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss | Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee...assigned to 9th PSYOP Battalion, 8th PSYOP Group, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina...died Aug. 26, 2021, as the result of an enemy attack while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | DoD | DOD Identifies Marine Corps Fatality (12 of 13) Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss | Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee...assigned to 9th PSYOP Battalion, 8th PSYOP Group, Ft. Bragg, North Carolina...died Aug. 26, 2021, as the result of an enemy attack while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | DoD | DOD Identifies Marine Corps Fatality (11 of 13) Navy Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak | Navy Hospitalman Maxton W. Soviak, 22, of Berlin Heights, Ohio...1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Camp Pendleton, California...died Aug. 26, 2021, as the result of an enemy attack while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | DoD | DOD Identifies Marine Corps Fatality (10 of 13) Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui | Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20, of Norco, California... assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California...died Aug. 26, 2021, as the result of an enemy attack while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | DoD | DOD Identifies Marine Corps Fatality (9 of 13) Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola | Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20, of Rancho Cucamonga, California... assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California...died Aug. 26, 2021, as the result of an enemy attack while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | DoD | DOD Identifies Marine Corps Fatality (8 of 13) Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum | Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20, of Jackson, Wyoming... assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California...died Aug. 26, 2021, as the result of an enemy attack while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | DoD | DOD Identifies Marine Corps Fatality (7 of 13) Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz | Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20, of St. Charles, Missouri... assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California...died Aug. 26, 2021, as the result of an enemy attack while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | DoD | DOD Identifies Marine Corps Fatality (6 of 13) Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza | Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Texas... assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California...died Aug. 26, 2021, as the result of an enemy attack while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | DoD | DOD Identifies Marine Corps Fatality (5 of 13) Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez | Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22, of Logansport, Indiana... assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California...died Aug. 26, 2021, as the result of an enemy attack while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | DoD | DOD Identifies Marine Corps Fatality (4 of 13) Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page | Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23, of Omaha, Nebraska... assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California...died Aug. 26, 2021, as the result of an enemy attack while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | DoD | DOD Identifies Marine Corps Fatality (4 of 13) Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez | Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Indio, California... assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California...died Aug. 26, 2021, as the result of an enemy attack while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | DoD | DOD Identifies Marine Corps Fatality (3 of 13) Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee | Marine Corps Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23, of Sacramento, California... assigned to Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina...died Aug. 26, 2021, as the result of an enemy attack while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | DoD | DOD Identifies Marine Corps Fatality (2 of 13) Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosariopichardo | Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosariopichardo, 25, of Lawrence, Massachusetts...5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade, Naval Support Activity Bahrain...died Aug. 26, 2021, as the result of an enemy attack while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | DoD | DOD Identifies Marine Corps Fatality (1 of 13) Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover | Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31, of Salt Lake City, Utah... assigned to 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, California...died Aug. 26, 2021, as the result of an enemy attack while supporting non-combatant evacuation operations in Kabul, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | Reuters | U.S. troop strength in Kabul falls below 4,000-official | The number of U.S. troops at Kabul airport has fallen below 4,000, a U.S. official told Reuters on Saturday, down from a peak of 5,800. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | WaPo | The 13 U.S. service members killed in the Kabul airport attack: What we know so far | The U.S. toll from Thursday’s terrorist attack in Afghanistan came into sharper focus Friday, as the identities of 13 U.S. service members who were killed began to surface. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Rylee McCollum, 20, Jackson, Wyo. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, 20, of Wentzville, Mo. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. David Espinoza, 20, of Rio Bravo, Tex. Navy Hospital Corpsman Max Soviak, of Berlin Heights, Ohio Marine Corps Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22, of Riverside County, Calif. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Kareem Nikoui, 20, of Norco, Calif. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Taylor Hoover, 31, of Utah Marine Corps Cpl. Daegan William-Tyeler Page, 23, of Omaha Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Knauss, 23, of Knoxville, Tenn. Marine Corps Sgt. Johanny Rosario, 25, Lawrence, Mass. Marine Corps Cpl. Humberto Sanchez, 22, Logansport, Ind. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | USAToday | Indiana Marine Humberto Sanchez killed in Afghanistan airport attack | Humberto Sanchez, an Indiana Marine corporal, was among the 13 American troops killed in a suicide bombing Thursday near Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport, Congress members say. In a Facebook post, U.S. Rep. Jim Baird, whose district includes Logansport, where Sanchez is from, asked Hoosiers to pray for the Marine's family. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | Stripes | Sgt. Nicole Gee, from Roseville, Calif killed in Kubul | Sgt. Nicole Gee, 23, had been pictured in photos of the evacuation holding an Afghan baby and escorting girls to a waiting military aircraft... from Roseville, Calif., was a maintenance technician with 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, according to a caption on a military photo in April. She was a “model Marine” who had recently been promoted to sergeant meritoriously and had perfect fitness scores, Holliday said. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | cbsnews | U.S. continues Afghanistan evacuations as Taliban beefs up security after Kabul attack | The mass exodus out of Afghanistan presses on as the U.S. military oversees flights taking American and Afghan allies out of Taliban-controlled Kabul. A flight packed with hundreds of babies, children and the elderly landed early Saturday morning in Albania, while another is due to arrive in Philadelphia. Charlie D'Agata reports from Doha, Qatar. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | Reuters | No more UK civilian flights to leave Kabul | No more British flights purely for civilian evacuees will leave Kabul airport, but flights for British military personnel and a small number of Afghan evacuees will continue, a Defence Ministry spokesperson said on Saturday. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | AP | France ends evacuations at Kabul airport | Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Defense Minister Florence Parly announced that evacuations drew to a close with nearly 3,000 transferred out of Afghanistan. France ended evacuation operations on Friday and its team at the makeshift French Embassy at Kabul's airport pulled up stakes. | Link |
| 8/28/2021 | wcvb | Marine killed in Kabul airport attack was from Massachusetts | One of the Marines killed in Thursday's suicide bombing attack on the Kabul airport was from Massachusetts. Sources have identified the Marine as Johanny Rosario, 25, who attended Lawrence High School...In May, Sgt. Rosario was honored by her unit, the Naval Amphibious Force, Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade. The same unit has posted several photos in recent days of members assisting in the evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport. | Link |
| 8/27/2021 | theolympian | American strike kills Isis-K ‘planner’ in Afghanistan, US says | U.S. forces on Friday carried out a strike in Afghanistan against the terrorist organization believed responsible for the devastating bombing that killed at least 88 people near the Kabul airport a day earlier. “U.S. military forces conducted an over-the-horizon counterterrorism operation today against an ISIS-K planner,” said Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command. He added that the unmanned assault took place in Afghanistan’s Nangahar Province. | Link |
| 8/27/2021 | USAToday | US Army soldier Ryan Knauss, 23, 'a Tennessee volunteer,' killed in Afghanistan airport attack | A U.S. Army staff sergeant from Tennessee on his second deployment to Afghanistan was killed Thursday in a suicide bombing near Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport, his family announced Friday.. Ryan Knauss was among 13 American service members who died in the attack blamed on the terrorist group ISIS-K, an offshoot of ISIS based in Afghanistan. | Link |
| 8/27/2021 | KETV | Omaha Marine Corporal Daegan William-Tyeler dies in terror attack at Kabul Airport | An Omaha native, Corporal Daegan William-Tyeler Page, was among the U.S. Marines and others killed in Thursday’s terrorist attack at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. Page, 23, was a former Millard South student who joined the Marines in 2019. | Link |
| 8/27/2021 | DesertNews | Utah Marine among 13 U.S. service members killed in Kabul attack | Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover Jr. is one of the Marines killed in Afghanistan yesterday. He’s from Utah. His father told me he was one of the best people you could ever know and is proud of him for doing an incredibly tough job with honor. | Link |
| 8/27/2021 | AP | US airstrike targets Islamic State member in Afghanistan | The United States military struck back at the Islamic State on Saturday, bombing an IS member in Afghanistan. The airstrike comes in retaliation for a devastating suicide bombing claimed by the group that killed as many as 169 Afghans and 13 American service members at the Kabul airport Thursday. | Link |
| 8/27/2021 | asia.nikkei | Death toll from Afghanistan terror attacks rises to 170 | The death toll from the latest terrorist attacks outside Kabul's international airport has risen to at least 170, U.S. media reported Friday, citing a local official. ABC News and other media also said at least 200 people were injured in two explosions that occurred on Thursday as the airport was flooded with people wishing to leave Afghanistan amid growing concerns over security and potential human rights infringement following the recent takeover by the Taliban. | Link |
| 8/27/2021 | USAToday | Photo of a crying father holding daughter from Iraq, not Afghanistan | A viral image purports to show the scene in Afghanistan after the recent Taliban takeover. "A good father will protect his daughter. Pray for Afghanistan," reads an Aug. 21 post on Facebook. Along with the post is a photo of a man crying and holding his young daughter in his arms. | Link |
| 8/27/2021 | ShafaqNews | Three rockets target a US military base on the Iraqi-Kuwaiti borders | On Friday evening, a security source reported that rockets were fired from the Iraqi territory towards a US military base on the Iraqi-Kuwaiti borders. The Source told Shafaq News Agency, "Unidentified persons fired three rockets from Iraq towards the US base near the Jraischan border crossing (Safwan border crossing from the Iraqi side)." | Link |
| 8/27/2021 | Shafaaq | Three killed in an explosion in Baghdad | A security source reported that three persons were killed in an explosion that targeted a religious gathering in Baghdad. The source told Shafaq News Agency that, according to preliminary information, that a liquid gas cylinder blew up, killing two brothers and their cousin. | Link |
| 8/27/2021 | Newsweek | Afghan Refugees Are Entering the US—Here's What We Know | During a Friday briefing at the Pentagon, Air Force General Glen D. VanHerck addressed the ongoing evacuation process in Afghanistan and what Afghan refugees will face as they make their way into the U.S. and settle at military bases across the country. With just under 7,000 Afghan refugees currently in the United States, and more set to enter, the federal government has continued to expand the number of bases that will house these individuals. Right now, the Fort Pickett and Fort Lee bases in Virginia, Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, Fort Bliss in Texas, Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey are all prepared to take in refugees. | Link |
| 8/27/2021 | fox2now | Wentzville man among 13 marines killed in Afghanistan | One of the marines killed in yesterday’s suicide bombings in Afghanistan is from Wentzville. KMOX talked with the father of 20-year-old Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz. Mark Schmitz told KMOX the marines notified his family about 2:40 a.m. about his son’s death. | Link |
| 8/27/2021 | Reuters | US Marine killed in Afghanistan blast was newlywed from Wyoming | Rylee McCollum, one of 13 US service members killed in the airport suicide bombing in Afghanistan's capital Kabul, was a Wyoming native who graduated from a local high school two years ago before joining the US Marine Corps, state officials said on Friday (Aug 27). | Link |
| 8/27/2021 | BorderReport | Marine from Laredo, Texas, among those killed in Afghanistan airport blasts | A South Texas Marine from the border city of Laredo was among the 13 service members killed on Thursday in Afghanistan at blasts at the Kabul airport, South Texas leaders told Border Report on Friday. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat whose hometown is Laredo, confirmed on Friday morning during a call with media from Washington, D.C., that David Lee Espinoza, a 20-year-old U.S. Marine from Laredo was among those killed on Thursday in Kabul. Cuellar confirmed earlier reports from KGNS-TV. | Link |
| 8/27/2021 | DailyBeast | Dad of Marine Slain in Kabul Vents Anger at Military | Kareem Nikoui was one of at least 13 U.S. service members killed in a suicide bombing outside Kabul airport on Thursday. Thursday was “an excruciating day” for California carpenter Steve Nikoui. He knew his son Kareem, a young U.S. Marine, was stationed at the Kabul airport. But when he heard there had been a bombing there, he had no idea if Kareem was alive or dead. | Link |
| 8/27/2021 | USAToday | Navy hospital corpsman Max Soviak, from Ohio, killed in Kabul airport attack in Afghanistan | An Ohio Navy hospital corpsman is among the 13 Americans and scores of Afghans killed in a suicide bombing Thursday near Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport, a school district confirmed Friday. The Edison Local School District said Max Soviak, a 2017 graduate of Edison High School in Milan, was killed in the attack. "It is with deepest sorrow that I am sharing this news," Superintendent Thomas Roth said in a statement. "Max was a good student who was active in sports and other activities throughout his school career. He was well respected and liked by everyone who knew him. Max was full of life in everything he did." | Link |
| 8/27/2021 | BBC | British nationals killed in Kabul airport attack | Two British nationals, and the child of another British national, died in the explosion at Kabul airport, the foreign secretary has said. Dominic Raab said two others were also injured in the suicide bomb attack on Thursday. "It is a tragedy that as they sought to bring their loved ones to safety in the UK they were murdered by cowardly terrorists," he said. | Link |
| 8/26/2021 | USAToday | Navy confirms 13th US service member killed in Kabul | A 13th U.S. service member was killed in attacks at the Kabul airport Thursday, U.S. officials confirmed. "The latest number of injured is now 18, all of whom are in the process of being aeromedically evacuated from Afghanistan on specially equipped C-17s with embarked surgical units," Navy Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesperson for U.S. Central Command. | Link |
| 8/26/2021 | AP | Kabul airport attack kills 60 Afghans, 12 US troops | Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. The attacks killed at least 60 Afghans and 12 U.S. troops, Afghan and U.S. officials said. | Link |
| 8/26/2021 | AP | 11 Marines and Navy medic killed in Afghanistan | Two suicide bombers and gunmen attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul's airport Thursday, transforming a scene of desperation into one of horror in the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover. At least 13 people were killed and dozens wounded, Russian officials and aid workers said. At least 12 U.S. service members were among the dead, including 11 Marines and one Navy medic, according to two U.S. officials. Officials say a number of U.S. military troops were wounded and warned the toll could grow. It was not clear if they were included in the Russian toll. | Link |
| 8/26/2021 | Agencies | At least 13 said killed in Kabul airport blast; suicide bombing suspected | An explosion went off on Thursday outside the Kabul airport, where thousands of people were gathered to try to flee Afghanistan on Western airlifts since the Taliban seized power earlier this month. A Taliban official told Reuters the bombing killed 13 people, including children. Numerous Taliban guards were among the injured, according to the official. A US official told Fox News that the explosion near one of the airport gates in Kabul was a combined suicide bombing and firefight. The outlet said at least three US troops were injured and that there were also Afghan casualties. Russian officials said the blast killed at least 2 people and wounded 15. | Link |
| 8/26/2021 | NPR | There's Been An Explosion Outside Of Kabul's Airport, The Pentagon Says | Pentagon press secretary John Kirby confirmed reports of an explosion outside of the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday. "Casualties are unclear at this time," he wrote in a tweet. "We will provide additional details when we can." | Link |
| 8/26/2021 | NYTimes | At Least 250,000 Afghans Who Worked With U.S. Haven’t Been Evacuated, Estimates Say | At least 250,000 Afghans who may be eligible for expedited American visas remain in Afghanistan, far too many for American forces to rescue before their deadline to leave next week, new estimates suggest. | Link |
| 8/26/2021 | Reuters | 4,400 American nationals have been evacuated from Kabul | A total of 4,400 American nationals have so far been evacuated from Kabul, its spokesman said, but he did not know how many were still there. Over the weekend, the number stood at about 2,500. | Link |
| 8/26/2021 | Reuters | Evacuations from Afghanistan by country | The United States and allies are hurrying to evacuate as many people from Afghanistan as possible before an Aug. 31 deadline amid growing security fears at Kabul airport. In total, around 88,000 people have been airlifted from Kabul airport since evacuation efforts began, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. | Link |
| 8/26/2021 | Reuters | Afghans told to leave Kabul airport over 'very credible' Islamic State threat | The United States and allies urged Afghans to leave Kabul airport on Thursday, citing the threat of an attack by Islamic State (IS) militants, as Western troops hurry to evacuate as many people as possible before an Aug. 31 deadline. Pressure to complete the evacuations of tens of thousands of foreigners, and Afghans who helped Western countries during the 20-year war against the Taliban, has intensified. U.S. and allied troops have to to switch their focus in the coming hours or days to the logistics of their own withdrawal. | Link |
| 8/26/2021 | AP | Britain says most of those eligible evacuated | Britain's prime minster says the “overwhelming majority” of people eligible to come to Britain have been evacuated from Afghanistan, but time is running out on the airlift. Boris Johnson said about 15,000 people have left Kabul airport on Royal Air Force flights. He said that “in the time we have left, which may be -- as I’m sure everybody can appreciate -- quite short, we’ll do everything we can to get everybody else.” | Link |
| 8/26/2021 | AP | Hungary says has evacuated all known citizens | Hungary says its army has evacuated all Hungarian citizens from Afghanistan of which the defense ministry is aware. Defense Minister Tibor Benko told a press conference on Thursday that 540 people, among them 57 Afghan families including 180 children, had been evacuated to Hungary from Kabul. | Link |
| 8/26/2021 | AP | Canada ends its evacuation flights from Kabul | Canada has ended evacuations from Kabul’s airport, a Canadian general said Thursday, as the clock ticks down on dramatic Western efforts to help people flee the Taliban takeover ahead of a full American withdrawal. | Link |
| 8/25/2021 | PBS | Blinken estimates 1,500 Americans may still await evacuation from Afghanistan | Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that as many as 1,500 Americans may be awaiting evacuation from Afghanistan, a figure that suggests that part of the U.S.-led airlift from the Taliban-controlled country could be completed before President Joe Biden’s Tuesday deadline. Blinken said the State Department estimates there were about 6,000 Americans who wanted to leave Afghanistan when the airlift began Aug. 14, and that about 4,500 of them have been evacuated so far. | Link |
| 8/25/2021 | sandiegouniontribune | San Diego County students, parents stranded in Afghanistan | At least two dozen San Diego County students and 16 parents are stranded in Afghanistan, unable to get to the airport in Kabul after a summer trip to visit relatives. The families from the Cajon Valley Union School District in East County are among thousands of individuals waiting to leave the country that has devolved into chaos amid the U.S. pullout of troops after 20 years of occupation. | Link |
| 8/25/2021 | USAToday | Another 19K evacuated with one week before US withdrawal deadline | About 19,000 people were evacuated from Afghanistan by U.S. and allied military forces on Tuesday, according to the White House. On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said the U.S. is on track to evacuate all American and allied citizens, as well as Afghans eligible for special immigrant visas or otherwise at risk of persecution by the Taliban, out of the country by Aug. 31. | Link |
| 8/24/2021 | Reuters | U.S. on pace to complete Afghan pullout by Aug 31, Biden told G7 | President Joe Biden told G7 leaders on Tuesday that the United States is on pace to complete the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan by Aug. 31 depending on cooperation from the Taliban, the White House said. Biden sent thousands of U.S. troops to the Kabul airport after the Taliban militant group took over the city and much of the country less than two weeks ago. | Link |
| 8/24/2021 | AP | US pulls off record single-day evacuation flights from Afghanistan, over 20,000 flown out | The US military on Tuesday pulled off its biggest day of evacuation flights from Afghanistan since the operation began. But deadly violence that has blocked many desperate evacuees from entering Kabul's airport persisted, and the Taliban signaled they might soon seek to shut down the airlifts. Amid the tense operation to get people out of the country, CIA Director William Burns secretly swooped into Kabul on Monday to meet with the Taliban's top political leader, a US official told The Associated Press. About 21,600 people were flown safely out of Taliban-held Afghanistan in the 24-hour period that ended early Tuesday, the White House said. That compares with about 16,000 the previous day. | Link |
| 8/24/2021 | AP | US troops surge evacuations, CIA chief meets with Taliban | The U.S. military has pulled off its biggest day of evacuation flights from Afghanistan since the operation began, but deadly violence that has blocked many desperate evacuees from entering Kabul's airport persisted and the Taliban signaled they might soon seek to shut down the airlifts. | Link |
| 8/23/2021 | Reuters | US military evacuated 10,400 people from Kabul on Sunday | The US military flew approximately 10,400 people out of Kabul over 24 hours on Sunday, and 61 coalition planes helped evacuate approximately 5,900, a White House official said on Monday. Since August 14, the US has gotten 37,000 people out of Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, or helped with their evacuation, the official said. | Link |
| 8/22/2021 | Reuters | Ukraine evacuates 83 people from Kabul, foreign minister says | A Ukrainian military plane evacuated 83 people from Kabul on Sunday, including journalists, activists, and Afghan women and children, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said. Thousands of people wanting to escape Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers have gathered at the airport as the United States and other nations attempt to evacuate thousands of their diplomats and civilians as well Afghans | Link |
| 8/22/2021 | CNN | US military helicopters evacuated Americans from hotel near Kabul airport | The US military used helicopters to evacuate a group of Americans from a hotel near Kabul's airport, according to a Pentagon spokesman who provided new details about the mission that was first revealed by President Joe Biden in his speech on Friday. The 169 Americans were retrieved after another country informed US commanders that citizens had gathered at the Baron Hotel near the airport, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said Friday evening. | Link |
| 8/22/2021 | Axios | Pentagon asks commercial airlines to assist Afghanistan evacuation efforts | Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has activated the first stage of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), asking 18 commercial aircraft from several airlines to support the U.S. military in its efforts to evacuate Americans and Afghan allies. It's the third time a CRAF was activated in the program's history. | Link |
| 8/22/2021 | hindustantimes | At least 20 deaths in and around Kabul airport in past week, says NATO official | An official of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) said on Sunday “at least 20” people have lost their lives in the past seven days in and around the Kabul airport during evacuation efforts following the Taliban regime seizing power in Afghanistan on August 15, according to Reuters. Fearing persecution at the hands of the insurgents, Afghans have swamped Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport in a bid to leave their country. | Link |
| 8/21/2021 | VOANews | Biden Vows to Bring Americans Home From Afghanistan | President Joe Biden speaks about the evacuation of American citizens, their families, visa applicants and vulnerable Afghans, in the East Room of the White House, Aug. 20, 2021, in Washington. U.S. President Joe Biden reiterated a vow Friday to stay in Afghanistan until all American citizens who want to leave and Afghans who risked their lives working for the U.S. government during the conflict have been evacuated. | Link |
| 8/21/2021 | CNBC | Taliban’s pledge of peaceful leadership is quickly coming undone amid reports of beatings, deaths | Reports of violence and repression by Taliban militants are surfacing around Afghanistan, despite pledges by the group’s representatives that their leadership would be conciliatory and peaceful. At least 12 people have been killed in and around Kabul airport alone since Sunday, when the Taliban entered the Afghan capital, NATO and Taliban officials said Thursday, as cited by Reuters. The deaths may have been caused by gunfire or stampede | Link |
| 8/21/2021 | MSN | NATO is 'working 24/7' to get as many people out of Afghanistan as possible, its chief says | The main focus in Afghanistan now is to evacuate people from the country, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, as reports of violence and repression continue to emerge despite promises of peace from the Taliban. "We are working 24/7 to get as many people out as possible," he told CNBC's Hadley Gamble on Friday. U.S. President Joe Biden said more than 18,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan since the end of July, and 5,700 in the last 24 hours as of Friday afternoon in the U.S. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said most of the evacuees are Afghan nationals. | Link |
| 8/21/2021 | GulfToday | Soldiers from the US Army look after children at Kabul Airport | On Friday, the US military released pictures of its soldiers caring for infants and Afghan children at Kabul airport have gone viral. The US military published pictures showing its soldiers taking care of children on the grounds of Hamid Karzai International Airport. Another image shows two female soldiers with two children, while the third shows a soldier kneeling and offering water to a young child. | Link |
| 8/20/2021 | Stripes | US aircraft ready to evacuate thousands per day from Afghanistan — but issues on the ground are slowing efforts | Thirteen U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo jets removed some 2,000 people from Taliban-controlled Kabul during the past day, Pentagon officials said Thursday, acknowledging issues at the city’s airport hindered efforts to boost the number of evacuees. Since Saturday, some 7,000 people had been evacuated on U.S. military flights out of Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport, the last Afghan ground in American hands, said Army Maj. Gen. Hank Taylor, the Joint Staff’s deputy director for regional operations. He and other Pentagon officials have said for several days that the United States has aimed to evacuate 5,000 to 9,000 people per day on more than 24 military flights. | Link |
| 8/20/2021 | CBSNews | U.S. pauses Afghanistan evacuation flights as processing facility hits capacity | With tens of thousands of U.S. nationals, legal residents, their families and untold numbers of Afghans all desperate for a way out of the Taliban's Afghanistan, the U.S. military was forced on Friday to pause its evacuation flights out of Kabul. The suspension stemmed from the fact that the current processing facility in Qatar had reached its maximum capacity. | Link |
| 8/20/2021 | CNBC | NATO pledges to speed evacuations from Afghanistan as criticism mounts | More than 18,000 people have been flown out of Kabul since the Taliban took over Afghanistan’s capital, a NATO official said on Friday, pledging to redouble evacuation efforts as criticism of the West’s handling of the crisis mounted. | Link |
| 8/20/2021 | BBC | Taliban carrying out door-to-door manhunt, report says | The Taliban have stepped up their search for people who worked for Nato forces or the previous Afghan government, a report has warned. It said the militants have been going door-to-door to find targets and threaten their family members. The hardline Islamist group has tried to reassure Afghans since seizing power in a lightning offensive, promising there would be "no revenge". | Link |
| 8/19/2021 | VOA | Complex US Refugee Policies Likely to Limit Number of Afghan Admissions | Despite round-the-clock efforts by the military to evacuate Afghans loyal to the United States in the wake of the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan just days ago, immigration experts say it is unknown how many of them will actually be admitted to the U.S. as refugees. | Link |
| 8/19/2021 | NBCNews | Protests pose early challenge as Taliban assert rule over uneasy Afghanistan | Afghan protesters defied the Taliban on Thursday, wielding the national flag in a nascent symbol of resistance as the militant group's rule faced a growing number of early challenges. While the country settled uneasily into its new life, the Taliban celebrated independence day for "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" — marking the occasion with a declaration of victory over the United States and a reassertion of their regime. | Link |
| 8/19/2021 | WaPo | Chaos persists at Kabul airport, imperiling Afghanistan evacuation effort | A chaotic and dangerous dynamic at Kabul's airport showed few signs of relenting Thursday as thousands of people attempting to board flights faced beatings by Taliban guards, the crush of heaving crowds and interminable spells in the dust and heat while waiting to escape Afghanistan. | Link |
| 8/19/2021 | TheGuardian | Biden says US troops may stay in Afghanistan beyond 31 August deadline | Joe Biden has said US troops may stay past a 31 August deadline so as to evacuate all Americans from Afghanistan, and defended the withdrawal, saying there was no way for the US to pull out “without chaos ensuing”. | Link |
| 8/19/2021 | Reuters | Biden's promised review of pullout from Afghanistan not yet started | The Biden administration has not yet begun a promised review of its handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, as officials focus on the more immediate issue of evacuations, a source familiar with the situation said on Thursday. President Joe Biden, facing strong criticism from bipartisan lawmakers for his handling of the crisis, told ABC News in an interview on Wednesday "we're going to go back in hindsight and look" at whether the U.S. exit could have been conducted in a better way. | Link |
| 8/19/2021 | BBC | Afghanistan evacuations: Woman on trip back to Kabul describes fleeing city | A former child refugee who has grown up to become a London councillor has described how she feared for her life as she fled Afghanistan this week. Peymana Assad came to the UK at the age of three, but was visiting family in Kabul when the Taliban takeover began. She told BBC Radio 5 Live she was warned by one local man "if the Taliban catch you they are going to kill you". | Link |
| 8/19/2021 | CBSNews | Amid Afghanistan crisis, refugees will find Europe less welcoming | Amid scenes of frantic Afghans clinging to airplanes to try to escape the Taliban, some European leaders said this week that they would work to prevent migrants and refugees from journeying to the continent without permission. | Link |
| 8/19/2021 | cnbc | U.S. evacuates 7,000 from Afghanistan in 5 days, thousands more ready to board planes in Kabul | The U.S. has airlifted about 7,000 people out of Kabul, Afghanistan, by cargo aircraft in the past five days, the Pentagon said Thursday, as U.S. forces race to evacuate as many people as possible with less than two weeks before a self-imposed deadline to pull out of the country. | Link |
| 8/18/2021 | Bloomberg | Biden Says Troops Stay Til Americans Leave | The United Arab Emirates announced it was hosting Ashraf Ghani after the exiled president of Afghanistan fled the country. U.S. President Joe Biden said chaos in Afghanistan was unavoidable as troops withdrew. He added that troops will remain in the country until all Americans are evacuated. | Link |
| 8/18/2021 | BI | CNN reporter details clashes between the Taliban and Afghans outside Kabul airport | CNN correspondent Clarissa Ward detailed the chaotic scene and violent clashes between Taliban fighters and Afghans trying to get to the airport as "mayhem" and "nuts" on Wednesday, and captured Taliban gunfire on camera. The efforts to evacuate US citizens and Afghans seeking visas following the collapse of the Afghan government over the weekend were hampered first by the airport in Kabul being overrun by Afghans desperate to leave, and now, by the Taliban controlling the crowd flow to the aiport and setting up checkpoints that intimidated many from making the journey. | Link |
| 8/18/2021 | ABC | Biden says he did not see a way to withdraw from Afghanistan without 'chaos ensuing' | In an exclusive interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, and the president's first since the fall of Afghanistan to the Taliban, President Joe Biden stood firm in his defense of the United States' withdrawal, but asserted for the first time that he believes the chaos was unavoidable. | Link |
| 8/18/2021 | NYTimes | Taliban Meet Protests in Afghanistan With Force | The Taliban faced the first street protests on Wednesday against their takeover of Afghanistan, with demonstrations in at least two cities, even as they moved to form a new government. A public display of dissent in the northeastern city of Jalalabad was met by force. Taliban soldiers fired into the crowd and beat protesters and journalists. | Link |
| 8/17/2021 | Newsweek | Pentagon Says 'Speed of Evacuation Will Pick Up' as Chaos Consumes Afghanistan | The United States has put up a "Herculean" effort to evacuate thousands of Americans and allies from Afghanistan as the Taliban have seized control of the country, plunging its future into uncertainty, but thousands more remain in limbo, the Pentagon acknowledged Tuesday. | Link |
| 8/17/2021 | Newsweek | Pentagon Spokesperson John Kirby Says There Are Thousands of Americans Still in Afghanistan | There are thousands of Americans still trapped in Afghanistan amid the Taliban takeover of Kabul, a Pentagon spokesperson said Tuesday. John Kirby, the press secretary for the Department of Defense, told CNN's New Day host John Berman that there could be anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 U.S. citizens near Afghanistan's capital. | Link |
| 8/17/2021 | NBCNews | Body found in landing gear of U.S. plane that had people clinging to side as it left Kabul | A body was found in the wheel well of a U.S. military plane hours after it left Kabul amid the chaos of desperate Afghans hoping to flee as the Taliban took power, the U.S. Air Force said Tuesday. The Department of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations "is reviewing all available information regarding a C-17 aircraft that departed Hamid Karzai International Airport" on Monday, with scores of Afghans running alongside it and others actually holding on to the craft as it taxied. | Link |
| 8/17/2021 | kuow | She Is Staying In Afghanistan To Ensure Women's Gains Aren't Lost Under Taliban Rule | From 1996 to 2001, when the Taliban previously held power in Afghanistan, women and girls were denied basic rights, such as the ability to go to school, hold a job outside the home or travel unescorted. Many are concerned that with the Taliban once again in control, the rights of women in the country will once again be denied. For their part, the Taliban have encouraged women to join the new government and declared amnesty across the country. However, many Afghans remain skeptical. | Link |
| 8/17/2021 | AirForceTimes | Air Force launches investigation after human remains found in C-17 flying out of Kabul | The U.S. Air Force on Tuesday confirmed that human remains were found in the wheel well of a C-17 Globemaster III after desperate Afghans mobbed the transport jet as it departed Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul Monday. The service’s Office of Special Investigations has opened an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the widely covered incident that went viral on social media. | Link |
| 8/17/2021 | BI | A Taliban commander who helped seize the Afghan presidential palace spent nearly 6 years at Guantanamo | One of the Taliban fighters filmed celebrating the capture of Kabul at the Afghan presidential palace on Sunday has been identified as a former Guantanamo Bay prison inmate, who once told a guard there: "We will get you on the outside," according to prison records published by The New York Times. | Link |
| 8/17/2021 | CNN | The Taliban knocked on her door 3 times. The fourth time, they killed her | Najia was at home with her three young sons and daughter in a small village in northern Afghanistan when Taliban fighters knocked on their door. Najia's daughter Manizha, 25, knew they were coming -- her mother had told her they'd done the same thing the previous three days, demanding that she cook food for up to 15 fighters. | Link |
| 8/16/2021 | DoD | Officials Say Kabul Airport Is Secured; DOD Evacuating Americans, Afghans | Army Maj. Gen. Henry "Hank" Taylor, Joint Staff director of current operations, and Gary Reed, director of DOD's Afghanistan crisis action group, updated reporters at the Pentagon in the wake of the Afghanistan crisis. "We're actively monitoring the situation, what's happening on the ground, and we will continue to support the commander and adjust forces, as necessary, to allow the mission to be successful," Taylor said. "Our troops are trained professionals; they understand the complexity, the urgency and the importance of their mission. They remain agile." | Link |
| 8/16/2021 | Reuters | Kabul airport operations restarted for evacuation flights- Pentagon | The Pentagon said on Monday that the airfield at Kabul's airport had been reopened after a pause earlier in the day. An official from the Joint Staff told reporters at the Pentagon that a C-17 landed earlier on Monday with Marines aboard and another C-17 was expected to land later in the day. | Link |
| 8/16/2021 | pakobserver | Seven killed in Kabul airport evacuation chaos US Embassy flag lowered; Flights suspended | Thousands of Afghans rushed onto the tarmac of Kabul’s international airport Monday, so desperate to escape the Taliban capture of their country that they held onto an American military jet as it took off and plunged to death in chaos that killed at least seven people, US officials said. | Link |
| 8/15/2021 | WaPo | Afghanistan’s military collapse: Illicit deals and mass desertions | The spectacular collapse of Afghanistan’s military that allowed Taliban fighters to reach the gates of Kabul on Sunday despite twenty years of training and billions of dollars in American aid began with a series of deals brokered in rural villages between the militant group and some of the Afghan government’s lowest-ranking officials. The deals, initially offered early last year, were often described by Afghan officials as cease-fires, but Taliban leaders were in fact offering money in exchange for government forces to hand over their weapons, according to an Afghan officer and a U.S. official. | Link |
| 8/15/2021 | CNN | Taliban take control of presidential palace in Kabul | Taliban fighters are assuming control of the Afghan capital of Kabul and have taken control of the presidential palace, after the country's president Ashraf Ghani fled to Tajikistan. One of its units shared pictures of the Palace interior – seemingly intact, but empty and abandoned by Afghan officials – on an official Telegram account. A video posted on social media a few hours before showed fighters arriving at the Presidential Palace in Kabul | Link |
| 8/15/2021 | nbcnews | Afghan president flees country as U.S. rushes to exit with Taliban on brink of power | Afghanistan's president fled the country on Sunday with Taliban fighters in Kabul and the group on the brink of taking power as the United States rushed to exit 20 years after toppling the militant regime. Ashraf Ghani's departure — and the rushed evacuation of all personnel from the American embassy — followed a lightning-fast Taliban offensive across the country that brought an embarrassing end to the U.S. military presence after two decades and billions of dollars spent in the country. | Link |
| 8/15/2021 | Reuters | U.S. Embassy in Kabul warns of worsening security at airport amid evacuation | The U.S. Embassy in Kabul said in a security alert on Sunday that the security situation in the Afghan capital was changing quickly, including at the airport, where there were reports of gunfire as U.S. troops aid an evacuation of most U.S. personnel. | Link |
| 8/15/2021 | ABCNews | US Embassy in Kabul tells Americans to shelter in place, says airport reportedly taking fire | US Embassy in Kabul tells Americans to shelter in place, says airport reportedly taking fire. | Link |
| 8/15/2021 | NPR | The Taliban Moved Quicker Than Anticipated To Take Afghanistan | President Biden said several days ago that he did not regret his decision to withdraw from Afghanistan. The speed with which the Taliban have swept through is not what he had said to anticipate. | Link |
| 8/15/2021 | VOA | Taliban Arrive at Kabul – Await Power Transfer | The Taliban have reached Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital, and say they is awaiting a peaceful transfer of power. Earlier Sunday the Taliban took over Jalalabad, capital of Nangarhar province and the last major city outside the capital to have been under government control. Various reports said security forces were also retreating from other districts of Nangarhar province, which borders Pakistan and holds one of the key border crossings into Pakistan via Torkhem. | Link |
| 8/15/2021 | independent | Afghanistan on verge of Taliban takeover as fighters enter Kabul | Taliban fighters have come into Kabul after capturing the last remaining major cities from the government, and tightening the noose around the capital by systematically cutting off every route out to the rest of the country. | Link |
| 8/13/2021 | CNN | US Embassy in Afghanistan tells staff to destroy sensitive materials | The US Embassy in Kabul is instructing personnel to destroy sensitive materials as well as items “which could be misused in propaganda efforts,” according to a management notice sent Friday to embassy staff, seen by CNN and described by another source familiar. The notice comes as the embassy prepares to withdraw a significant number of diplomats and as the security situation on the ground in Afghanistan continues to deteriorate, with one diplomatic source telling CNN that one intelligence assessment indicates that Kabul could be isolated by the Taliban within the week, possibly within the next 72 hours. | Link |
| 8/13/2021 | newsobserver | Fort Bragg troops head to Middle East to aid evacuations from Afghanistan Fort Bragg troops head to Middle East to aid evacuations from Afghanistan | As many as 4,000 troops from Fayetteville’s Fort Bragg are deploying to the Middle East to potentially assist with American evacuations in Afghanistan. An infantry brigade combat team from Fort Bragg should arrive in Kuwait within the next week, a Department of Defense spokesman said Thursday. | Link |
| 8/13/2021 | NYTimes | U.N. Calls for Taliban to End Its Offensive in Afghanistan | The United Nations secretary general urged the Taliban to return to peace talks in Qatar, and highlighted the humanitarian crisis that had ensued since the insurgents began to quickly seize provincial capitals throughout the country. | Link |
| 8/13/2021 | abc.net.au | If their city falls | On the side of a mountain, a group of men ready their weapons and keep watch. The fighters have secured a prime position overlooking the Tandoorak Valley in the north of Afghanistan. It’s quiet, but the enemy are just a couple of hundred metres away. Seyed Barqi, 56, knows they could soon attack and what that would mean for his people. | Link |
| 8/12/2021 | WaPo | Afghanistan’s rapid collapse is part of a long, slow U.S. defeat | To many watching now, the collapse seems so sudden. In the space of a few blistering summer months, Taliban forces have swept across much of Afghanistan. One after the other, provincial centers across the country’s north and west are being captured by the insurgents as government resistance melts away. When the militants on Thursday seized the city of Ghazni, it was the 10th provincial capital to fall in a week. Then, in what would be a stunning blow to the beleaguered government of President Ashraf Ghani, the Associated Press reported that Taliban forces also took over the major cities of Herat and Kandahar. A U.S. official told my | Link |
| 8/12/2021 | longwarjournal | https://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2021/08/kandahar-city-falls-to-the-taliban.php | The Taliban continues to wrack up a string of major victories today. Kandahar City, the country’s second largest city, collapsed after Taliban forces besieged it for more than two months. It is the third major city and the fourth provincial capital to fall to the Taliban today. | Link |
| 8/12/2021 | CBSNews | U.S. military sending troops to help safely remove staff from embassy in Kabul | The U.S. military is sending thousands of troops to safely remove State Department staff from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan. The emergency move comes as a Taliban takeover of the country could be weeks, if not days away — and it's happening with alarming speed. | Link |
| 7/16/2021 | Reuters | Reuters journalist killed covering clash between Afghan forces, Taliban | Reuters journalist Danish Siddiqui was killed on Friday while covering a clash between Afghan security forces and Taliban fighters near a border crossing with Pakistan, an Afghan commander said. Afghan special forces had been fighting to retake the main market area of Spin Boldak when Siddiqui and a senior Afghan officer were killed in what they described as Taliban crossfire, the official told Reuters. | Link |
| 7/13/2021 | AA | Afghan border crossings come into prominence amid Taliban’s advance | The Afghan border crossings have once again become an agenda topic after Taliban’s attacks on northern and western borders and capture of Islam Qala, a key border crossing with Iran. According to UN data, Afghanistan’s population is estimated to reach to 65 million by 2050. Afghanistan, a landlocked country, trade mostly via land as it has no access to world’s key seaports. | Link |
| 7/13/2021 | nzherald | Taliban surge in north Afghanistan sends thousands of innocent citizens fleeing | Sakina, who is 11, maybe 12, walked with her family for 10 days after the Taliban seized her village in northern Afghanistan and burned down the local school. They are now among around 50 families living in a makeshift camp on a rocky patch of land on the edge of the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif. They roast in plastic tents under scorching heat that reaches 44C at midday. There are no trees, and the only bathroom for the entire camp is a tattered tent pitched over a foul-smelling hole. | Link |
| 7/13/2021 | ToloNews | Taliban Restores Customs Activities in Key Border Areas | Herat officials said that security forces, as well as the public uprising forces, will soon start operations to retake the Torghundi and Islam Qala border towns. | Link |
| 7/13/2021 | WaPo | Top U.S. commander in Afghanistan steps down, marking a symbolic end to 20 years of war | The top U.S. general in Afghanistan stepped down on Monday, marking a symbolic end to 20 years of American military involvement here as an ascendant Taliban threatens to topple the central government. Army Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller, who has overseen the war effort for nearly three years, relinquished his responsibilities in a small ceremony at the U.S. military’s headquarters inside Kabul’s heavily fortified Green Zone. | Link |
| 7/11/2021 | kurdistan24 | US to send new Army brigade to Erbil in troop rotation | The US Army announced on Tuesday that it would send the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team to Iraq later this summer to support the anti-ISIS Coalition, formally known as CJTF-OIR (Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve.) The Stryker Brigade will come out of Fort Carson, Colorado, and some 1,800 personnel will replace the 256th Infantry Brigade Combat Team from the Louisiana National Guard, which will return to the US. The 256th Infantry Brigade deployed to Erbil last January, when it replaced troops from the 82nd Airborne. | Link |
| 12/3/2020 | TaskandPurpose | The inside story of the deadliest attack on a U.S. military base during the Iraq War | Sonja Ruhren vividly recalls that morning 16 years ago. Just days before Christmas, she heard someone pull into her driveway and then knock on her door. A pair of uniformed troops stood on her front porch in Stafford, Virginia. One was a chaplain. Confused, she invited them in out of the cold. They appeared painfully uncomfortable. It took them a while to finally explain why they were there. They had come to talk to her about her only child, Davey, her best friend, her “Golden Boy,” the sensitive, generous, forgiving son with green eyes she raised as a single mother. He was gone. Killed in Iraq. | Link |
| 12/1/2020 | DoD | Air Force Casualty Identified | The Department of Defense announced today the death of an Airman who was supporting Operation Freedom’s Sentinel. Captain Kelliann Leli, 30, of Parlin, New Jersey, died November 27 in a non-combat related vehicle incident at Al Dhafra Air Base, United Arab Emirates. The cause of the incident is under investigation. She was assigned to the 60th Healthcare Operations Squadron, Travis Air Force Base, California. | Link |
| 11/21/2020 | middleeasteye | Iraqi security forces killed in Islamic State attack, say police | Six Iraqi security personnel and three civilians were killed in an ambush on Saturday carried out by the Islamic State (IS) group north of Baghdad, police and a local official said. A police source said a roadside bomb hit a car and that jihadists had opened fire on a rescue team of policemen and state-aligned paramilitary forces when they arrived at the scene, about 200km from the capital. | Link |
| 11/21/2020 | kfyrtv | B-52s from Minot Air Force Base sent to Middle East Saturday | B-52 Stratofortress crews assigned to the 5th Bomb Wing at Minot Air Force Base conducted a “short-notice, long-range mission” in the Middle East Saturday, according to U.S. Central Command. According to CENTCOM, the mission was intended to “deter aggression and reassure U.S. partners and allies.” | Link |
| 11/21/2020 | TVNZ | ISIS attack hits Afghan capital killing eight | Mortars slammed into a residential area of the Afghan capital, killing eight people, hours before outgoing US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held what are likely his last meetings with the Taliban and Afghan government negotiators trying to hammer out a peace deal. | Link |
| 11/21/2020 | ariananews | US Embassy issues Alert to all Americans in Kabul following rocket attack | The US Embassy in Kabul issued a security alert to all its citizens on Saturday, just hours after a rocket attack rattled residents across the capital and suggested Americans in Kabul “may wish to consider departing”. In the alert, the American Embassy said the US “Department of State warns US citizens against travel to Afghanistan. The security situation in Afghanistan is extremely unstable, and the threat to all US citizens in Afghanistan remains critical. | Link |
| 11/21/2020 | TheGuardian | Afghanistan - footage shows aftermath of rocket strikes in Kabul | Several rockets hit residential areas of the Afghan capital in the early rush hour on Saturday, killing at least three civilians and wounding a dozen more, police officials said. The explosions, close to the diplomatic quarter, set embassies' warning sirens blaring two days before a major donor conference for Afghanistan in Geneva | Link |
| 11/17/2020 | CBSNews | Trump plans to withdraw thousands of troops from Iraq, Afghanistan before leaving office | President Trump is expected to order the drawdown of thousands of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan by mid-January, leaving about 2,500 left in each country. The president's recently-fired defense secretary had warned it could lead to more violence. Weijia Jiang reports from the White House. | Link |
| 11/17/2020 | taskandpurpose | Thousands of troops will depart Iraq and Afghanistan before Trump leaves office | It’s official: The U.S. military is drawing down to 2,500 troops in Afghanistan and 2,500 service members in Iraq before President Donald Trump leaves office, Acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller announced on Tuesday. There are currently about 4,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan and roughly 3,000 troops in Iraq. | Link |
| 11/17/2020 | AP | Iraqi officials say 2 rockets land in Baghdad's Green Zone | At least two Katyusha rockets hit inside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone on Tuesday, two Iraqi officials said, wounding at least two people and signaling an end to an informal truce announced by Iran-backed militias in October. | Link |
| 11/2/2020 | KP | Kabul University Complex Attack Claims 19, Wounds 22 | Kabul University’s complex attack ended after six hours, leaving 19 individuals dead and 22 other wounded. According to MOI all of the three militants are killed during the combat and rescue operation. Militants entered the campus around 11 am this morning, heading towards LAW Faculty which is reported to be the main target. | Link |
| 9/25/2020 | ShafaqNews | COVID-19. 4593 new cases and 68 fatalities in Iraq today | The Ministry of Health and Environment registered on Friday 4593 new cases, 4505 recoveries, and 68 fatalities of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. The ministry said in a statement the total number of confirmed cases has reached 341699, including 59566 inpatients and 553 ICU patients. The death toll has reached 8867. | Link |
| 9/25/2020 | Al-Monitor | US shakes up Iraqi factions with reported warning on militias | As the attacks against US and other foreign missions and bases in Iraq continue, the United States is warning the Iraqi government that it will take action against the militias involved in the attacks if it fails to do so itself. A source attending a meeting called by Iraqi President Barham Salih, attended by many Iraqi political and faction leaders, told Al-Monitor that Salih told the participants that he had received a letter from US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warning Iraq that if the attacks against the United States do not stop, it will close its embassy in Baghdad and target all involved militias without distinction. | Link |
| 9/25/2020 | ariananews | Two people killed in shooting at wedding party in Kabul | At least two people killed as the result of a shooting at a wedding party in Kabul city on Friday night, police confirmed. Kabul said in a statement that the incident took place at a wedding hall PD^15 of the city. Tariq Arian, spokesman for the Interior Ministry said that the incident happened over personal disputes. | Link |
| 9/25/2020 | AA | 68 Taliban killed as violence flares up in Afghanistan | Violence erupted in Afghanistan on Thursday as members of the country's security forces killed at least 68 Taliban insurgents attempting to overrun the police headquarters of a district in the eastern Paktika province, an official confirmed. The spokesman for the police headquarters, Shah Mohammad, told Anadolu Agency that the Taliban had staged coordinated assaults on the Waza Khwa district police headquarters. | Link |
| 9/23/2020 | ariananews | Taliban kill 28 policemen after calling for them to surrender | Uruzgan officials have confirmed 28 Afghan National Defense and Security Force (ANDSF) members have been killed in a raid by the Taliban. Zargoi Ebadi, spokesman for the provincial governor, said the security situation has deteriorated rapidly recently resulting in ANDSF troops withdrawing from some checkposts while other checkposts were besieged by the Taliban. | Link |
| 9/23/2020 | ariananews | Taliban seize Murghab district in Ghor province | As the Afghan negotiating team prepares for upcoming peace talks in Doha, the Taliban on Monday seized control of the center of Murghab district, in Ghor province. A security source told Ariana News that fierce clashes broke out between the Afghan security forces and the Taliban after insurgents attacked the district center from several directions early Monday morning. | Link |
| 9/21/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Iraq records 64 deaths and over 3,400 new infections | Iraq's Ministry of Health and Environment on Sunday announced 3,438 new coronavirus infections and 64 deaths due to the disease over the past 24 hours. The health ministry said in a statement that it had conducted 18,064 tests in the past 24 hours, making for more than two million such tests since the pandemic hit Iraq. According to the health ministry's figures, the total number of infections in Iraq reached 319,035, including 253,591 recoveries and 8,555 deaths. | Link |
| 9/21/2020 | aawsat | Iraqi Security Forces Arrest ISIS Commander in Baghdad | An ISIS commander has been arrested by Iraqi security forces in Baghdad following an operation to determine the whereabouts of the militant who has been recently granted a high-ranking position in the organization. The Security Media Cell issued a statement announcing that the Baghdad Security Department set several ambushes that resulted in the arrest of the extremist upon his return from the northern governorates. | Link |
| 9/21/2020 | PrensaLatina | Iraqi security forces search for perpetrators of airport bombing | Iraqi security forces are searching for perpetrators of a rocket attack near the Baghdad international airport on Sunday night. Experts determined that it was a Katyusha projectile, and due to its trajectory, it was launched from the city of Abu Ghraib, 40 kilometers west of this capital. No casualties were reported. The airport hosts a US military base and the Diplomatic Support Center of Baghdad, a branch of the US Embassy, which has been the target of several bombings. | Link |
| 9/21/2020 | Afghanistantimes | 98 civilians dead in Afghanistan as war escalates | Afghanistan’s war is intensifying amid increased Taliban’s countrywide hostilities as the government and militants tussle in Qatar peace talks for a political settlement to end the conflict. Terrorist attacks and roadside bombings have been increasingly rampant in Nangarhar, Takhar, Kapisa, Badghis, Paktia, Paktika, Uruzgan, Kunduz, Maidan Wardak, Kandahar, Ghazni, Kabul and Bamyan provinces, exacerbating civilian casualties. | Link |
| 9/21/2020 | Reuters | Dozens killed in bloodiest Afghanistan clashes since peace talks began | At least 57 members of the Afghan security forces were killed and dozens injured in overnight clashes with Taliban fighters across Afghanistan, security officials said on Monday, in the bloodiest day of fighting since government and insurgent forces began peace talks in Doha over a week ago. Negotiating teams representing the Taliban and the Afghan government have been meeting in the Qatari capital since talks started on Sept. 12. But little headway has been made, particularly on a ceasefire, which many international capitals have called for but which the insurgent group has rejected. | Link |
| 9/21/2020 | ToloNews | 14 Security Force Members Killed in Taliban Attack in Takhar | At least 13 public uprising forces and a border policeman were killed and six others were wounded in a Taliban attack in northern Takhar province on Wednesday night, a security source said. In Khwaja Bahauddin district the Taliban attacked the public uprising forces in several areas which led to clashes that lasted for several hours, the source said. | Link |
| 9/21/2020 | ToloNews | 29 Soldiers Killed in Taliban Attacks Amid Doha Talks | At least 29 security force members were killed in clashes in different parts of the country over the last 24 hours amid calls for a nationwide ceasefire and efforts in Doha to begin face-to-face negotiations between delegates from both sides. The clashes occurred between Afghan security forces and the Taliban in Balkh, Kandahar, Takhar and Kapisa provinces. At least six army soldiers and three policemen were killed and four others were wounded in a Taliban attack in the northeastern province of Takhar on Sunday night, a security source said. | Link |
| 9/20/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Iraq registers over 4,300 new cases, 76 deaths in the past 24 hours | Iraq’s Health and Environment Ministry announced on Friday that it had confirmed over 4,305 new coronavirus infections over the previous 24 hours, pushing the total national tally to over 300,000 since the country's first infection appeared last February. According to figures released by the Ministry, health workers completed 23,291 coronavirus tests in the past day, adding up to 2,021,586 tests to date. The total number of individuals in Iraq who have so far contracted the highly-contagious disease has reached 311,690, with 8,408 deaths. | Link |
| 9/20/2020 | AA | Iraq captures 2 Daesh/ISIS militants in Baghdad | Iraqi security forces arrested two militants from the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group in raids in the capital Baghdad, according to the Defense Ministry on Sunday. A ministry statement said the two militants were captured upon an intelligence tip-off. According to the ministry, one of the militants was planning attacks against the Arbaeen ceremony by Shia pilgrims on Oct. 19. | Link |
| 9/20/2020 | ShafaqNews | Rockets and artillery shells detonation in two Iraqi governorates | The Iraqi Security Media Cell reported, on Sunday, that rockets and artillery shells had been detonated and ISIS sites were destroyed in Nineveh and Diyala governorates. The media agency said in two separated statements received by Shafaq News Agency that "Iraqi forces in the West Nineveh, and Diyala Operations have found different weapons and materials left over from ISIS gangs. | Link |
| 9/20/2020 | Reuters | Civilians killed in airstrikes on Taliban base, Afghan official says | At least 12 civilians were killed and more than 10 others injured on Saturday in twin airstrikes on a Taliban base in the northeastern Afghan province of Kunduz, a provincial official said. Defence ministry officials in Kabul, who said more than 40 Taliban fighters had been killed in the strikes, did not confirm any civilian casualties. They said an investigation was underway into the incident which comes as the warring sides hold peace talks. | Link |
| 9/20/2020 | Rferl | Two Pakistani Soldiers Killed Near Afghan Border | At least two Pakistani soldiers were killed in the northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan on September 20,according to a statement issued by the country's military. The soldiers were killed in an exchange of fire, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing, said in a statement. | Link |
| 9/16/2020 | ShafaqNews | Member of Al-Hashd killed in an ISIS attack | A security source in Diyala reported on Wednesday that two members of Al-Hashd were killed and wounded in an ISIS attack on the outskirts of Al-Azim district, 60 km north of Baqubah. The leader of Al-Hashd , Muhammad Ibrahim Dhaifan, told Shafaq News agency that ISIS militants attacked a checkpoint in Al-Wehdah village; 3 km north of Al-Azim, killing one member and wounding another. He added that ISIS members destroyed water pumps and electrical transformers during the attack, pointing out that the clashes were still continuing and that reinforcements from Al-Hashd rushed to the scene. | Link |
| 9/16/2020 | ShafaqNews | A new Crime in Baghdad | Baghdad governorate police revealed, on Wednesday, a murder crime by slaughtering a girl after threatening to rape her, pointing to the arrest of the perpetrator and taking legal measures against him. Lieutenant Colonel Aziz Nasser, Director of Information and Relationships of the Baghdad Police Command, said in an interview received by Shafaq News agency that “based on the directives and supervision of the Undersecretary for Police Affairs and the Baghdad Police Commander a murder incident took place in Dora, Baghdad where a man slaughtered a girl.” | Link |
| 9/16/2020 | ShafaqNews | A Katyusha rocket targets the Green Zone | On Wednesday, missile strikes targeted the Green Zone in central Baghdad, which has been witnessing repeated bombing in the recent period. A source told Shafaq News, that a Katyusha missile was fired towards the Green City, without giving any further details. The Security Media Cell clarified that the Katyusha rocket had fallen on a residential complex in the Green Zone. A statement by the cell stated that” a Katyusha missile was launched from Amil District, near Al-Hadi Mosque, and fell inside the Green Zone, specifically on residential building No. 31 in Al-Qadisiyah residential complex without causing any causalities.” | Link |
| 9/16/2020 | VOA | Taliban Attacks Continue as Peace Negotiations Progress | Multiple Taliban attacks in three provinces across northern Afghanistan since Tuesday killed at least 17 people, including six civilians, and wounded scores of others even as a Taliban political team was negotiating peace with Afghan government representatives in Doha, Qatar. | Link |
| 9/16/2020 | BNA | Three Fuel Tankers Set on Fire by Taliban | hree fuel tankers set on fire during a Taliban attack on Pul-e-Khumri-Aibak highway. According to reports, the attackers attacked a fuel convoy in Cheshma Sher area this morning. A security source in Baghlan told BNA that in this Taliban attack, three tankers carrying fuel set on fire. | Link |
| 9/16/2020 | ToloNews | 40 New COVID-19 Cases Reported in Afghanistan | The Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday reported 40 new cases of COVID-19 out of 161 samples tested over the last 24 hours. So far, 107,593 samples have been tested in government centers and there are 4,916 known active COVID-19 cases in the country, according to data from the Ministry of Public Health. In the last 24 hours, the ministry also reported 10 deaths and 405 recoveries from COVID-19. | Link |
| 9/16/2020 | ToloNews | No Ceasefire Until Cause of War is Discussed | The Taliban’s spokesman Mohammad Naeem has said that the group will not agree to a ceasefire unless the peace negotiators can discuss the main cause of the war in the country at the peace negotiating table. He claimed that the Taliban has reduced the level of violence with the start of the preliminary round of the talks. | Link |
| 9/16/2020 | Afghanistantimes | 15 killed as Taliban violence rages in north amid ceasefire push | At least nine security forces and six civilians were killed in latest clashes erupted between the Afghan security forces and the Taliban fighters in Northern parts of Afghanistan, authorities said on Wednesday. The Taliban staged attacks on several areas of Chaharkant district of northern Balkh province. District Governor, Salima Mazari said that nine people, including three public uprising forces and six civilians were killed, and five others wounded. | Link |
| 9/16/2020 | DoD | Air Force Casualty Identified | The Department of Defense announced today the death of an Airman who was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. Staff Sergeant Ronald J. Ouellette, 23, of Merrimack, New Hampshire, died September 14 in a single all-terrain-vehicle non-combat related accident on the flightline at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait. The cause of the accident is under investigation. He was assigned to the 42nd Aerial Port Squadron, Westover Air Reserve Base, Massachusetts. | Link |
| 9/14/2020 | DoD | Air Force Casualty Identified | The Department of Defense announced today the death of an Airman who was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. Senior Airman Jason Khai Phan, 26, of Anaheim, California, died September 12 in a single-vehicle non-combat related accident while conducting a routine patrol outside the perimeter of Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait. The cause of the accident is under investigation. | Link |
| 9/5/2020 | ShafaqNews | Covid-19 - More than 4500 new cases in Iraq today | The Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment said in a statement that, 23872 tests were performed today, The newly 3891 recovery cases were distributed as follows: Baghdad / Al-Rusafa 449, Baghdad / Al-Karkh 370, Medical City 101, Najaf 168, Al-Sulaymaniyah 76, Erbil 210, Duhok 206, Karbala 335, Kirkuk 224, Diyala 122, Wasit 61, Babel 110, Basra 534, Maysan 130, Al-Diwaniyah 72, Dhi Qar 215, Al-Anbar 124, Muthanna 144 and Nineveh 240 . | Link |
| 9/5/2020 | Afghanistantimes | Security forces kill 25 Taliban militants in Herat | The Afghan security forces killed at least 25 Taliban insurgents in a latest military sting in the western Herat province, defense ministry said on Saturday. Eight other Taliban fighters received injuries in the assault. It has been for days that scores of Taliban rebels had gathered in several villages of Pashton Zarghon district for terroristic activities, the ministry said in a statement. “Clash between the Taliban and the Afghan forces erupted on Friday through active defense posture in Deh Shaikh and Ziarat Gulmir areas.” | Link |
| 9/5/2020 | KP | Officer Dies after Afghan Border Clashes | At least one Afghan Border Force killed and further three wounded in a shootouts with Pakistani forces in Durand Line in eastern province of Nangarhar, local authorities confirmed. Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman to the Nangarhar Governor, said among the victims are three civilians who bore injuring during the one-hour clashes. | Link |
| 9/2/2020 | ShafaqNews | COVID-19 - 1100+ cases in Al-Karkh in a single day | A source informed Shafaq News Agency on Wednesday that the Al-Karkh, Baghdad, registered a new record of daily COVID-19 case-counts. The source said that 1115 new cases of COVID-19 were registered in Al-Karkh, indicating that it was the highest daily toll since the outbreak of the virus in the country... Iraq has registered 242,284 confirmed cases, 184,205 recoveries and 7201 deaths of COVID-19 since the outbreak of the pandemic. | Link |
| 9/2/2020 | VOA | US Soldier to Receive Medal of Honor for Iraq Hostage Rescue | An American soldier who helped rescue about 70 hostages set to be executed by Islamic State militants in Iraq has been approved to receive the Medal of Honor for actions during a daring 2015 raid, The Associated Press has learned. Sgt. Maj. Thomas "Patrick" Payne, a Ranger assigned to the U.S. Army's Special Operations Command, will receive the U.S. military's highest honor for valor in combat in a White House ceremony set to be held on the 19th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. | Link |
| 9/2/2020 | ariananews | Four civilians wounded in Helmand motorcycle bomb blast | A motorcycle bomb exploded Wednesday night in Helmand’s Garmsir district injuring four civilians, officials confirmed. Governor’s spokesman Omar Zwak said the explosive-laden motorcycle was detonated at about 7.30pm. He said the explosion took place in front of a shop and all victims are civilians. Zwak also stated that there were no military installations or checkpoints near the blast site. | Link |
| 9/2/2020 | NPR | Trump Administration Sanctions ICC Prosecutor Investigating Alleged U.S. War Crimes | The Trump Administration has leveled sanctions against the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor, who is investigating allegations that U.S. troops committed war crimes in Afghanistan. Human rights groups swiftly decried the sanctions as an attack on international justice. | Link |
| 9/2/2020 | ToloNews | Afghan Govt Resumes Release of 'Hardcore' Taliban Prisoners | The Afghan government has begun the release of the last portion of Taliban detainees, following the Taliban's release of Afghan commandos. These Taliban were singled-out for having allegedly committed serious crimes. Amrullah Saleh, the Afghan first vice president, on Wednesday said that currently no commando is in the Taliban’s custody, stating that the Taliban’s prisoners will be released in several phases. | Link |
| 9/2/2020 | ToloNews | Residents in Nangarhar District Take Up Arms Against Taliban | People in Dur Baba district in the eastern province of Nangarhar have taken up arms against the Taliban after the group warned the residents to not let its young men join the Afghan national security forces. The Taliban also reportedly forbade anyone from holding prayer ceremonies for the fallen members of the Afghan security forces, and demanded that the locals pay taxes to the group. Azizullah Shinwari, 32, is a resident of Dur Baba and has taken command of 150 people in the area to fight against the Taliban. Azizullah said that 11 people from his family serve in the ranks of the Afghan security forces. | Link |
| 9/2/2020 | Afghanistantimes | Taliban shot dead a female police officer in Kunduz | A female police officer, Saleha was shot dead by the Taliban insurgents in the northern Kunduz province, security officials said Wednesday. Provincial Police Spokesman, Hijratullah Akbari said the incident took place on Tuesday night in Shorakhak area which is located a long distance from the Kunduz city. He said that the area was covered with jungles and was insecure. | Link |
| 9/1/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Over 3,400 new cases in Iraq as WHO warns world that lifting restrictions is 'recipe for disaster' | The Iraqi government in Baghdad announced 3,404 new coronavirus infections and 81 deaths on Tuesday in its daily pandemic briefing. The Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment said in a statement that it had completed 18,427 tests for the disease within the previous 24 hours, making for a total of 1,624,331 carried out since the first case was confirmed in the Middle Eastern nation in February. | Link |
| 9/1/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Suicide bombing at Kirkuk checkpoint leaves causalities | A suicide bomber detonated at Kirkuk’s southern checkpoint while trying to infiltrate into the province, resulting in causalities, according to military sources on Tuesday. One civilian is dead and nearly six individuals injured—four security members and two civilians—as a result of a car bomb in southern Kirkuk’s Maryam Bag checkpoint earlier in the morning, the 5th division of Iraq’s Federal Police announced. | Link |
| 9/1/2020 | Rferl | Three Afghan Soldiers Slain In Taliban Attack On Military Base | Taliban militants attacked a military base in Afghanistan's eastern Paktia Province, killing at least three Afghan soldiers. An official said that at least five other members of the security forces were wounded in the September 1 assault. | Link |
| 9/1/2020 | KP | ANA’s chopper crashes in Northern Takhar province | An Afghan National Army’s chopper carrying fallen soldiers on its route to Kabul crashed in the Rustaq district of Northern Takhar province. Officials have confirmed the incident took place when an ANA helicopter was transporting fallen soldiers to Kabul. | Link |
| 9/1/2020 | ToloNews | 11 Taliban Killed in Faryab Airstrike | At least 11 Taliban were killed in an Afghan forces airstrike in northern Faryab province, 209 Shaheen Army Corps said in a statement on Monday. The airstrike took place in Qarma Qul district on Sunday, it said, adding that the Taliban camp was destroyed. | Link |
| 8/29/2020 | BNA | Failed Taliban Attack in Maidan-Wardak, Twelve Assailants Killed | Taliban attack on several military checkpoints in Sayed Abad district of Maidan Wardak failed. Twelve assailants, including their two commanders were killed and nine others wounded in the attack. The Taliban attacked several checkpoints in Sayed Abad district this morning, targeting by air and ground raid of security forces. Thunder Corps said in a statement that twelve Taliban | Link |
| 8/29/2020 | BNA | Civilians Martyred in Mine Explosion in Nangarhar | Two civilians were martyred in a landmine explosion in Nangarhar. The victims were father and son were on their way home from Jalalabad to Khogyani district. According to reports, the victims were displaced to Jalalabad two years ago of fear of ISIS from their homes in Khogyani and now, after clearing their village of terrorists, they wanted to return to their homes, which were targeted by an explosion in Khogyani district. | Link |
| 8/29/2020 | CBC | Afghanistan flash floods kill 160, search for missing continues | Rescuers in Afghanistan continued to search amidst mud and rubble for missing people on Saturday after flash flooding this week killed around 160 people and washed away homes across the country, officials said. Thirteen provinces, mostly in the country's north, had been affected by floods, according to the Ministry for Disaster Management. | Link |
| 8/29/2020 | ShafaqNews | Why COVID-19 Is Ravaging Iran Again | Foreign Policy magazine said that COVID-19 could not have arrived in Iran at a worse time. Within weeks of confirming its first case, infections exploded, briefly turning the country into the epicenter of the world’s coronavirus outbreak at a time when its economy was already reeling from U.S. sanctions. Iran’s first official cases of the new coronavirus were announced on Feb. 19: two deaths in the holy city of Qom. Alarm bells should have gone off immediately. | Link |
| 8/29/2020 | ShafaqNews | Two soldiers injure in Mosul | A security official source said, on Saturday, that two members of the army were injured in an explosion south of Mosul, the local capital of Nineveh Governorate. The source told Shafaq News agency that a bomb exploded on an Iraqi army patrol between of Zalahfa and Suruj villages south of Mosul, wounding two soldiers. | Link |
| 8/29/2020 | Reuters | U.S. expected to reduce troops in Iraq by a third to about 3,500 - official | The United States is expected to reduce its troops presence in Iraq by about a third in the coming months, a U.S. official said on Friday, a move that had been expected after President Donald Trump’s administration committed to a reduction recently. The United States has around 5,200 troops that were deployed in Iraq to fight the Islamic State militant group. Officials in the U.S.-led coalition say Iraqi forces are now mostly able to handle the remnants of Islamic State on their own. | Link |
| 8/29/2020 | ShafaqNews | Casualties among army personnel in an ISIS attack in Khanaqin | A security source reported that multiple casualties were registered among the Iraqi army personnel on Friday in an attack by ISIS militants in Khanaqin district in Diyala governorate. The source told Shafaq News agency that ISIS militants launched an attack on the army forces in the village of Shirk in Khanaqin district sparking violent clashes between the two sides. | Link |
| 8/27/2020 | ShafaqNews | A new ISIS attack in Kirkuk | A security source stated, on Thursday, that ISIS carried out an armed attack on a housing complex south of Kirkuk, at a time when a security force had seized a vehicle carrying weapons at an entrance to the governorate. The source told Shafaq News Agency that ISIS militants carried out, late last night, an attack on the Al-Oubour complex of Daquq district, south of Kirkuk Governorate, indicating that "the attack did not result in any losses." | Link |
| 8/27/2020 | middleeastmonitor | Iraq Shia militia deploy 250 fighters in Syria’s Idlib | The Iraqi Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) deployed about 250 fighters to support Syrian regime forces in the de-escalation zone in Idlib governorate, local sources said yesterday. According to the sources, the Iraqi Shia fighters entered Syria from Iraq on Sunday via the Syrian city of Albu Kamal and were stationed in a camp for pro-Iran militia fighters, north of Deir Ez-Zor. | Link |
| 8/27/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Kurdistan Region announces over 400 new cases, more than 15 deaths | The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Health on Thursday announced 409 new daily COVID-19 infections as well as 19 fatalities in the past 24 hours amid continued spikes in the region.= The ministry said in a statement that it had conducted 4,155 new tests across the region, with 409 returning positive: 220 in Erbil, 82 in Sulaimani, 78 in Duhok province, and eight cases in Halabja. The statement pointed out that there were also 19 more fatalities due to the disease, raising the total death tally to 981. | Link |
| 8/27/2020 | ShafaqNews | A new attack on the green zone | A Katyusha missile landed, on Thursday evening, in the vicinity of the Green Zone in central Baghdad. No further details were given. Few hours ago, The Security Media Center confirmed that Jadriyah area in Baghdad was subjected to missile strikes, noting that the missile was launched from the Dora highway. | Link |
| 8/27/2020 | Reuters | Taliban kill four survivors of Afghanistan flash floods | Taliban fighters killed four civilians on Thursday during clashes with Afghan forces in the central province of Parwan, amid rescue work after flash floods claimed more than 150 lives, officials said. It was the latest violence amid peace talks between the warring sides that have been delayed over the issue of prisoner releases, as part of efforts to end the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, which has spanned nearly two decades. | Link |
| 8/27/2020 | didpress | 16 new Covid-19 cases surfaced in Afghanistan | In the past 24 hours, 275 suspicious Covid-19 cases were tested in the laboratories, in which, 16 cases turned out positive, the Ministry said in a statement on Thursday. The new cases have been reported in Kabul, Balkh, Nangarhar, Takhar, Baghlan and Kunduz provinces. According to the Ministry, 9 patients have been recovered in the country, bringing the total number of recoveries to 29,037 while the total number of deaths has reached 1,401 so far. | Link |
| 8/27/2020 | Reuters | Shooting fails to deter Afghan woman on Taliban talks team | Afghan women’s rights advocate Fawzia Koofi had nightmares for days after a volley of bullets was fired at her car as she travelled with her daughter in the restive province of Parwan. Just two weeks later and with her arm still in a cast, Koofi, one of the few female members of the Afghan team negotiating a peace deal with the Taliban, is planning to return to the area, where floods have killed more than 150 people. | Link |
| 8/26/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Iraq records 72 deaths and 3,837 new infections in 24 hours | The Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment on Wednesday announced more than 3,800 new coronavirus infections and 72 deaths resulting from the disease in the past 24 hours. The ministry announced in its daily epidemiological status update that it had conducted 20,359 tests in that time period, making a total of 1,502,546 tests carried out since the outbreak of the virus in Iraq in February. | Link |
| 8/26/2020 | Shafaaq | 16 members of the Iraqi Security Forces wounded in an attack in Maysan | An official security source reported, on Wednesday, that at least 16 members of the security forces were wounded in an attack that targeted them in Al-Majer district in Maysan governorate, southern Iraq. The source told Shafaq News Agency, "A wanted man threw a grenade at the security forces after they surrounded him to arrest him in Al-Majer district in Maysan governorate" | Link |
| 8/26/2020 | Shafaaq | An Iraqi military force attacked a Kuwaiti diplomatic mission | A private security source said, on Wednesday, that an Iraqi military force had attacked a Kuwaiti diplomatic mission in Basra. The source told Shafaq News agency, "A force of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense attacked a Kuwaiti diplomatic mission at the gate of the Safwan border crossing." He added that "the military force in Safwan recorded several mistakes during the past 48 hours," noting that it "prevented the entry of dozens of Iraqi trucks that wanted to bring oxygen from the Kuwaiti side." | Link |
| 8/26/2020 | Rferl | Dozens Killed, Homes Swept Away, By Flash Floods In Afghanistan | Flash floods caused by torrential rains have killed more than 100 people in Afghanistan. Authorities say at least 1,000 houses were destroyed in Parwan Province, just north of the capital, Kabul. There was also severe flooding in Maidan Wardak Province, west of Kabul. | Link |
| 8/26/2020 | AFP | US offers $5 million reward for men kidnapped in Afghanistan | The US State Department offered a $5 million reward Wednesday for information toward locating and freeing two Americans kidnapped in Afghanistan. Paul Overby, 77, disappeared in 2014 in Khost near the Pakistan border as he was researching a book on the Afghan people. | Link |
| 8/26/2020 | Afghanistantimes | Taliban storm several villages in Baghlan | A security official in northern Baghlan province said that the Taliban has overrun several villages in Baghlan Markazi district of the province. The official, who was talking on condition of anonymity, said that the Taliban arrested and then shot dead 10 armed men related to Hezb-e-Islami, a former jihadi party-turned political and led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. | Link |
| 8/26/2020 | Politico | U.S. service members injured in Syria after skirmish with Russian forces | U.S. service members were injured after an altercation with Russian forces in northeast Syria this week, according to a draft military statement and a person familiar with the matter. Four troops have been diagnosed with mild concussion-like symptoms after the incident, according to draft Pentagon statement reviewed by POLITICO. A second U.S. source briefed on the matter confirmed that multiple U.S. troops were injured. | Link |
| 8/7/2020 | VOA | Afghan Council to Meet on Final Stumbling Block to Peace Talks | Afghanistan is holding a loya jirga, an assembly of elders, Friday to determine what to do about the final stumbling block before peace negotiations can begin – the release of 400 Taliban prisoners. The U.S. and Taliban negotiators agreed earlier this year that peace talks could move forward on the conditions that Kabul released 5,000 Taliban prisoners and the Taliban release 1,000 government personnel that the militants were holding captive. | Link |
| 8/7/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Iraq records all-time high daily infections of over 3,400 | On Friday, Iraq's Ministry of Health and Environment announced an all-time record high of over 3,400 new infections of the coronavirus that were detected in the country over the previous 24 hours. The new figures raise the total infections to 144,064. The ministry also reported that 75 new deaths had occurred over the same time period, raising the number of fatalities since the infection began to 5,236. | Link |
| 8/7/2020 | taskandpurpose | 10 Marines punished following investigation into death of former Green Beret in Iraq | Ten Marines have been disciplined administratively following an investigation into the death of a former Green Beret who was working as a contractor in Irbil, Iraq, according to Marine Forces Special Operations Command. Rick Anthony Rodriguez died at Landstuhl, Germany, on Jan. 4, 2019. Two Marine Raiders and a Navy corpsman have been charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with his death. | Link |
| 8/5/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Iraq reports over 2,800 new cases, 77 fatalities | Iraq's Ministry of Health and Environment announced on Wednesday that it had recorded over 2,800 new coronavirus cases for the second day in a row, as well as more than 75 fatalities in the past 24 hours. Per a ministry statement, health workers had conducted 16,531 coronavirus tests during the same period, raising the total number of such tests to 1,076,150 given since the start of the pandemic. | Link |
| 8/5/2020 | KP | Lives of Afghan Children during Coronavirus Pandemic | Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world and its poor economy continues to pose immense challenges to its population. Among the citizens, young lives especially children struggle to live happily and to meet daily needs. The recent Corona pandemic has further added to the woes in those growing lives. In a survey, researchers outlined that approximately 3 million children across the country are vulnerable to daily survival struggle, 2 million are engaged in construction and mining activities, and over 5 million are unable to attend schools for basic education. | Link |
| 8/5/2020 | KP | Indian doctor detonated car bomb in deadly attack targeting jail in East of Afghanistan | An Indian doctor detonated a Vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) in the initial phase of a deadly attack on a jail in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, it has been reported. According to local media reports emerging from India, a medical graduate, hailing originally from Malayali of Kerala of India, detonated a car bomb close to the provincial jail in Jalalabad city, the provincial capital of India. | Link |
| 8/5/2020 | Rferl | Nearly Dozen Killed In Roadside Bombing In Northern Afghanistan | An Afghan official says at least 11 people have been killed in a roadside bombing in the country's north. Ahmad Javid Besharat, the spokesman for the police of Baghlan Province, said the bomb struck a vehicle carrying the bodyguards and family members of a former provincial official. Mahbubullah Ghafari, a former member of the provincial council, was unhurt in the blast. | Link |
| 8/3/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Iraq records over 2,400 daily infections, over 60 deaths | On Sunday, Iraq's Ministry of Health and Environment announced that it had detected over 2,400 positive cases of COVID-19 from the tests conducted in the past 24 hours, as it also reported more than 60 fatalities due to the disease. Per a ministry statement, health workers had conducted 14,399 coronavirus tests during the same period, raising the total number of such tests to 1,029,159 since the start of the pandemic. | Link |
| 8/3/2020 | Bloomberg | Record Heat Sets Off a Cascade of Suffering in Baghdad | The Middle East is enduring one of its hottest summers ever, but Iraqis have had it especially tough. In Baghdad last week, the temperature reached 52° Celsius (125° Fahrenheit), the highest figure ever measured for the capital. Basra, a southern oil hub, reached 53°C, just one degree shy of the overall heat record for the country set in 2016. While things cooled down before the weekend celebration of Eid-al-Adha, temperatures remained well above their historical averages. | Link |
| 8/3/2020 | thenewdaily | Afghan troops retake jail attacked by IS | Afghan forces have retaken a prison in the country’s east following an hours-long gun battle a day after the facility was targeted by Islamic State militants in an attack that killed 29 people. The prison is believed to hold hundreds of IS members. The attack highlighted the challenges ahead for Afghanistan even as US and NATO forces begin to withdraw following a US-Taliban peace deal struck earlier this year. | Link |
| 8/3/2020 | Axios | Massive ISIS attack in Afghanistan kills 29, frees hundreds of prisoners | An Islamic State attack on a prison in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, turned into a nearly daylong gun battle that saw more than 1,000 Islamic State and Taliban prisoners escape, report the New York Times' Zabihullah Ghazi and Mujib Mashal. Driving the news: The attack, which started with a car bomb before morphing into an ongoing battle with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades, left at least 21 people dead and 43 people wounded. | Link |
| 8/1/2020 | BBC | In pictures - Iraqis try to stay cool in 51C heatwave | Iraqis have been struggling to keep cool as a heatwave continues across much of the Middle East. The temperature in the capital Baghdad reportedly approached 52C on Tuesday, one of the highest the city has ever seen. | Link |
| 8/1/2020 | ABCNews | Since October, 560 protesters, police died in rallies | Iraq’s government said Thursday that since last October when anti-government protests erupted in the country, a total of 560 protesters and members of the security forces have been killed in the violence. The figure was reported by Hisham Daoud, an advisor to Iraq’s prime minister, at a press conference in Baghdad. He said a fact-finding committee would investigate the killings further. | Link |
| 8/1/2020 | Remix | ISIS fighters heading to new jihad fronts as they withdraw from Syria and Iraq | ISIS foreign fighters leave Syria and Iraq, heading to new battlefields further in Asia and Africa, according to a new analysis by security experts from King's College London, When Syrian Kurds, with the support of the U.S. Air Force, conquered the village of Baghuz on the border between Syria and Iraq in February last year, they erased the last remnants of ISIS-controlled territory from the map. The caliphate, which struck terror across the world for five years and occupied an area the size of the United Kingdom at one time, then disappeared. | Link |
| 8/1/2020 | ToloNews | Afghan NDS Kills Daesh Intelligence Head in East | The Afghan intelligence agency---the National Directorate of Security (NDS)--on Saturday said that it had killed Assadullah Orakzai, the head of intelligence for the Khorasan branch of Daesh. The NDS told TOLOnews that the Daesh commander was killed during an operation near Jalalabad city, the center of Nangarhar province. A statement was released by the NDS late Saturday officially confirming the death of the Daesh leader. | Link |
| 8/1/2020 | AA | Afghanistan, Pakistan at odds over border clash | Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned the alleged shelling by Pakistani border forces at a busy border crossing point that left at least 15 Afghan civilians dead. The ministry called for a serious investigation into the incident that reportedly took place in the Spin Boldak district in Kandahar on Thursday, the eve of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha. It said “active diplomacy can be critical to preventing such unfortunate events in the future.” | Link |
| 8/1/2020 | didpress | 35 new COVID-19 cases Surfaced in Afghanistan | The Ministry of Public Health announced Saturday that 35 new coronavirus cases were recorded in Afghanistan. In the past 24 hours, 35 new covid-19 cases were registered in Afghanistan bringing the total number of cases to 36,710 so far, the ministry said. Herat, Kabul, Nangarhar, Balkh have recorded the highest number of infections. According to the Ministry, one patient died from the virus in the past 24 hours. The total number of deaths has soared to 1,283. | Link |
| 7/31/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Iraq exceeds 120,000 total coronavirus infections | The Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment announced 2,963 new cases of coronavirus and 68 deaths during the previous 24 hours on Thursday, causing the total confirmed infections in the nation so far to exceed 120,000. The ministry said in a statement that 18,018 tests for the highly-contagious disease had been carried out in the past day. | Link |
| 7/31/2020 | Al-Monitor | Iraqis face record-breaking heat, electricity cuts | Iraqis are contending with record-breaking temperatures and a poorly functioning electricity system as a heat wave sweeps across the country. “I felt a burn on the street when I walked home,” Erbil resident Ali Abdulwahid told Al-Monitor. | Link |
| 7/31/2020 | AFP | Iraqi army confirms two rockets target Baghdad airport, no casualties reported | Two rockets Thursday targeted Baghdad airport, where US soldiers are posted, Iraq’s army said, adding there were no casualties. It was the 39th attack targeting US interests since October last year in Iraq, a country where the US and its sworn enemy Iran vie for influence. | Link |
| 7/31/2020 | VOA | Afghan Bomb Blast Kills 17 | A car bomb blast in the capital city of the Afghan province of Logarn killed at least 17 people and injured dozens more, according to local Afghan officials who spoke to VOA. They said the suicide bomber targeted a security force’s convoy in the provincial capital of Pul-e-Alam. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid swiftly denied involvement, saying their fighters had nothing to do with the attack, which came just hours before the three-day Taliban Eid ceasefire went into effect. | Link |
| 7/27/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Iraq declares holiday lockdown, reports over 2,400 more cases | The Iraqi government on Sunday announced a total lockdown during the Eid al-Adha holidays, as the Ministry of Health and Environment reported 2,459 new coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours. The health ministry said in its daily statement that health workers had conducted 17,511 tests over the past 24 hours, raising the total to 912,698 such tests since the start of the outbreak in Iraq in late February. | Link |
| 7/27/2020 | Reuters | Two protesters die after clashes with police in Baghdad, medics and security sources say | Clashes between Iraqi protesters and security forces in central Baghdad killed at least two demonstrators overnight, security and medical sources said on Monday. It was the first such deadly incident in months at Tahrir Square, which became a symbol of anti-government protests during months-long mass unrest last year. The protesters had begun marching from Tahrir to nearby Tayaran Square chanting about worsening power cuts during a heat wave that has sent temperatures soaring above 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit). | Link |
| 7/27/2020 | AA | Rockets target Iraqi military base housing US forces | An Iraqi military airbase, which houses US forces, was targeted by rockets on Monday, a police officer said. Al-Taji military airbase, located 85 kilometers (some 53 miles) north of the capital Baghdad, was targeted by four Katyusha rockets, according to Capt. Ahmed Khalaf. "Initial information indicates that the missile attack left only physical damages," Khalaf told Anadolu Agency. | Link |
| 7/27/2020 | ToloNews | 6 Taliban Killed in Logar Clashes: Officials | At least 6 Taliban were killed and 8 were wounded in attacks on security checkpoints in central Logar province, said the 203 Tandar Military Corps said in a statement on Monday. The attacks took place at security checkpoints in Logar's capital Pul-e-Alam and Mohammad Agha district on Sunday, the statement said. | Link |
| 7/27/2020 | taskandpurpose | Soldier returns from fifth deployment to a changed America | For the past 11 months — since well before the COVID-19 pandemic — Kabul, Afghanistan, has been home for Army Sgt. Maj. Ron Gill of Franklin — who was serving his fifth tour of duty away from his fiancee, children, family and friends. He returned to a pandemic-affected nation in which face masks and social distancing are part of daily life. | Link |
| 7/27/2020 | Afghanistantimes | Civilian casualties increase 35pc in Ghor | Officials in the mountainous province of Ghor in the center of the country say that civilian casualties have increased 35 per cent there since a February peace agreement between the United States and Taliban under which the latter pledged to reduce violence. Aref Shadan, head of the provincial human rights commission, said on Monday that clashes between Taliban and government forces had intensified since the US-Taliban peace deal. | Link |
| 7/27/2020 | Afghanistantimes | US not withdraw fully from Afghanistan | The United States is not going to totally pull back its soldiers from Afghanistan, says Karim Khorram, a former government official. Khorram said on Monday that if the US wraps up military presence in the country, it would rely very much to the local militia men. He said that Washington had trained and armed militias in Afghanistan, but did not elaborate about them, and just said that “these militia men are active under different titles and there are 12,000 of them in KHost province alone”. | Link |
| 7/27/2020 | NYTimes | Taliban Executes Female Prison Guard, and U.N. Raises Concern Over Afghan Violence | The Taliban abducted and executed a female prison guard in the eastern Afghan province of Ghazni, officials and relatives said Monday, as the United Nations expressed concern over the war’s unending toll on civilians. Fatima Rajabi, 23, who had trained as a police officer, was pulled out of a civilian minibus on her way to her home village in the Jaghori district two weeks ago. After holding her captive for two weeks, the Taliban executed the young woman and sent her body to her family, her brother, Samiullah Rajabi, said. | Link |
| 7/26/2020 | KP | Taliban militants suffer heavy casualties in Khost; at least 29 killed, wounded | The Taliban militants suffered heavy casualties during a clash with the Afghan forces in South-eastern Khost province with the Afghan military saying the security forces killed or wounded at least 29 militants. The 203rd Thunder Corps in a statement said the Taliban militants were planning to attack the army outposts in Do Mandi and Sur Kali areas of Musa Khel district. | Link |
| 7/26/2020 | KP | 5 Taliban militants killed, wounded in Afghan forces’ counter-attack | The Afghan forces countered a Taliban attack in northern Faryab province, killing or wounding at least militants of the group, the Afghan military said. The 209th Shaheen Corps in a statement said a group of Taliban militants were looking to launch an attack in the vicinity of Dawlatbad district of Faryab on Friday. | Link |
| 7/26/2020 | KP | 5 civilians suffer casualties in Taliban roadside bomb in Baghlan province | An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) inflicted casualties on five civilians in norhtern Kunduz proivnce of Afghanistan, the Afghan security officials said. Tariq Arian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior (MoI), said a roadside bomb planted by Taliban militants went off in Pul-e Khumri city late on Friday. The statement further added that the incident took place in Bagh-e Shamal area of Pul-e Khumri city, the provincial capital of Baghlan province. | Link |
| 7/23/2020 | ABNA | Twin bombings hit convoy carrying logistical aid for US forces in Iraq | A convoy carrying logistical support for American troops in southern Iraq has been struck by two roadside bombs in the second attack of its kind in less than two weeks. The convoy was making its way to support US troops in southern Iraq when it was hit by the twin explosives on Wednesday, Turkey's Anadolu news agency reports, citing a security source from Iraq. The two explosive devices blew up a tire on the Iraqi trucks carrying logistical support for American forces on the Al-Bathaa road in Dhi Qar province, a police captain told Anadolu on condition of anonymity. | Link |
| 7/23/2020 | ShafaqNews | More than 1000 Covid-19 cases in 24 hours in Iraq | Iraq registered, on Wednesday, 80 fatalities in the past 24 hours. The Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment said in a statement that, 16947 tests were performed today, Baghdad / Al-Rusafa 305, Baghdad / Al-Karkh 318, Medical City 128, Najaf 119, Al-Sulaymaniyah 39, Erbil 96, Duhok 8, Karbala 90, Kirkuk 126, Diyala 75, Wasit 193, Babel 184, Basra 237, Maysan 86, Al-Diwaniyah 55, Dhi Qar 76, Al-Anbar 4, Muthanna 71, Saladin 28, and Nineveh 20 . | Link |
| 7/23/2020 | ToloNews | 250 Afghan Soldiers Killed in 3 Weeks | Assessments conducted by TOLOnews indicate that 250 Afghan security force members were killed and over 300 more were wounded in 220 attacks staged by the Taliban over the past three weeks in eleven provinces of the country. The assessment indicates that the majority of casualties among the government forces occurred in the north and southeast regions of the country. | Link |
| 7/23/2020 | AFP | Eight civilians killed in Afghan strike on freed Taliban fighter | Eight civilians were killed when an Afghan air strike hit a group of people gathered to celebrate a Taliban commander's release from prison, an official said Thursday. The strike in the western province of Herat on Wednesday drew condemnation from a top US diplomat and underscores the worsening violence in Afghanistan's war even as the Taliban and Kabul are supposed to be preparing for peace talks. | Link |
| 7/23/2020 | BNA | Twenty Four Taliban “Red Unit” Fighters Kill In Balkh | Twenty four Taliban “Red Unit” fighters were killed in northern Balkh province last night. Mohammad Hanif Rezai, spokesperson for 209 Shaheen army corps stated BNA, a group of Taliban fighters stormed on security precincts in Qezelkin region, Sholgara district, which faced with full resistances of Afghan security forces. Twenty four Taliban “Red Unit” members were killed and eight others including Imam Mansor a commander of Taliban “Red Unit” were wounded, Rezai added. | Link |
| 7/23/2020 | ToloNews | Released Taliban Prisoners Returned to the Battlefields: ONSC | Jawzjan province, local officials have said that the Afghan security forces have captured at least two Taliban prisoners who were released from the Bagram jail. | Link |
| 7/23/2020 | DoD | Army Casualty Identified | Sgt. Bryan Cooper Mount, 25, from St. George, Utah, died as the result of a vehicle rollover accident while conducting reconnaissance operations, July 21, 2020, in Eastern Syria. The incident is under investigation. Mount was assigned to 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. | Link |
| 7/19/2020 | ShafaqNews | COVID-19, 90 fatalities and 2300+ cases in Iraq today | The Iraqi Ministry of Health announced, on Sunday, that 90 new deaths from COVID-19 had been recorded within the past 24 hours. A health statement, reported to Shafaq News agency, stated that 15737 tests were carried out within the past 24 hours. 2036 cases of recovery were registered in Iraq, distributed as follows: Baghdad / Al-Rusafa 299 Baghdad / Al-Karkh 354... | Link |
| 7/19/2020 | ShafaqNews | Three Katyushas landed near the US embassy in Baghdad | A security source said today, Sunday, that two Katyusha missiles landed near the American embassy in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. The source told Shafaq News agency that, "the Green Zone in central Baghdad today was targeted two Katyusha rockets". The source said, "The two missiles fell on a dirt field near the US embassy, without any casualties". The American "Patriot" missile system thwarted at the dawn of July 5, a missile attack that attempted to target the United States embassy in the Green Zone in the center of the capital, Baghdad. | Link |
| 7/19/2020 | Afghanistantimes | Afghanistan records 174 new covid-19 cases in the last 24 hours | With 174 new positive cases in the last 24 hours, Afghanistan now officially has 35,463 coronavirus cases across the country. The Ministry of Public Health on Sunday said that out of 633 suspected samples, 174 were reported positive during the period. 17 patients have lost their lives to the virus and 361 others recovered during this period of time, according to the ministry. | Link |
| 7/19/2020 | Militarytimes | Number of American troops in Afghanistan drops to 8,600 as Taliban make big changes ahead of expected talks | The Taliban have put the son of the movement’s feared founder in charge of their military wing and added several powerful figures to their negotiating team, Taliban officials said. The shake-up, one of the most significant in years, comes ahead of expected talks with Kabul aimed at ending decades of war in Afghanistan. | Link |
| 7/19/2020 | 1TVNews | Two district police chiefs killed in one day in Afghanistan | A bomb blast killed police chief of a district in Afghanistan's eastern Paktika province on Saturday, second district police chief to be killed in the country in one day. Bakhtyar Gul Hemat, head of Paktika provincial council, told 1TV that Darya khan Talash, police chief of Surobi district, was killed by bomb while he was on his way to defend a security checkpoint that had come under attack by militants. | Link |
| 7/17/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Iraq to reduce curfew measures, reopen airports on July 23 | The Iraqi government’s High National Health and Safety Committee announced on Thursday that it was lifting some of current coronavirus pandemic restrictions across the country, including allowing airports to reopen on July 23. According to a statement issued by the committee, it decided to reduce curfew hours from a complete 24-hour lockdown to only be in effect from 9:30 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. | Link |
| 7/17/2020 | NYTimes | Southern Iraq’s Toxic Twilight - Burning Gas and Poisoning the Air | The men of Nahran Omar, a village in the heart of southern Iraq’s oil country, filed into a Shiite shrine clutching envelopes with X-rays, medical reports and death certificates. They had come to describe the misery they say is caused by the burning gas and chemicals spewing out of the oil wells in their village. Each one had a sick son or a dying wife, an ill brother or sister. | Link |
| 7/17/2020 | TheNational | British forces pull out of Iraq's Taji base even as fight against ISIS rages | Only weeks after a military medic was killed in a rocket attack by an Iranian-backed group, Britain's army said it was pulling out its remaining troops from Camp Taji north of Baghdad. The UK government said a six year mission to train the Iraqi security forces had come to an end and the last troops had left the sprawling facility that has been at the heart of the struggle for the country over the past two decades. | Link |
| 7/17/2020 | ShafaqNews | Covid-19, about 2179 recoveries and 2023 news cases in Iraq today | The Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment said in a statement that, tests were performed today, so the total number of tests is 17211, in which the total performed test is 762058. | Link |
| 7/17/2020 | Afghanistantimes | 159 patients test positive for covid-19 within 24 hours | Of 572 suspected patients, the ministry of public health said that 159 of them were tested positive for covid-19 within the past 24 hours. The ministry in a statement said on Friday that the total tally of the coronavirus patients in the country surpasses 35,229. At least 32 patients have lost their lives battling the virus and 327 others recovered during this period, the statement added. | Link |
| 7/17/2020 | WaPo | Taliban make big changes ahead of expected talks with Kabul | The Taliban have put the son of the movement’s feared founder in charge of their military wing and added several powerful figures to their negotiating team, Taliban officials said. The shake-up, one of the most significant in years, comes ahead of expected talks with Kabul aimed at ending decades of war in Afghanistan. | Link |
| 7/17/2020 | KP | Nearly 20 civilians killed, wounded in clashes between Afghan and Pakistani forces | At least 20 Afghan civilians were killed or wounded during a clash between the Afghan and Pakistani forces in eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan. A source in the provincial government confirmed that that 8 civilians lost their lives and at least 11 others sustained injurires during the clash between Afghan and Pakistani forces in Sarkanoo district. The source further added that the Pakistani forces fired several mortar rounds on Sarkano district after attempting to establish security posts inside the Afghan soil which the Afghan forces prevented. | Link |
| 7/17/2020 | KP | U.S. forces launched multiple drone strikes in 3 provinces | The Taliban group has claimed that the U.S. forces based in Afghanistan carried out multiple drone strikes in three provinces of Afghanistan. “The American forces, today, committed a violation of the Agreement by launching several drone strikes in non-combat zones in Helmand, Ghazni and Zabul provinces. It is unacceptable to the Islamic Emirate and condemns it,” Suhail Shaheen, a spokesperson for the political office of Taliban said late on Thursday. | Link |
| 7/15/2020 | AA | Iraq bans parties, tribes from carrying weapons | The Iraqi government decided on Wednesday to ban parties and tribes from carrying weapons, according to the official Iraqi news agency. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi said his cabinet held a meeting in the southern Basra province and voted to prevent any party or tribe from carrying arms. | Link |
| 7/15/2020 | didpress | 254 new COVID-19 cases recorded in Afghanistan | The Ministry of Public Health announced Wednesday that with 254 new coronavirus cases, the total number of infections has soared to over 34,900 cases in the country. In the past 24 hours, 682 suspicious COVID-19 cases were tested in the laboratories, in which, 254 cases were positive, bringing the total number of infections to 34,994. | Link |
| 7/15/2020 | BNA | 11 Suicide Bombers Killed in Helmand | Eleven suicide bombers were killed in Helmand last night. The bombers were targeted after attack on several police checkpoints in Sangeen and Gereshk Districts by air and ground raids. Atal army corps medias office in south of country with releasing a statement said, eleven suicide bombers were killed and number of others have been injured. | Link |
| 7/14/2020 | minnpost | ‘Frontline’ reviews the Iraq war and aftermath | The great PBS documentary series “Frontline” will air on Tuesday “Once Upon a Time in Iraq,” a look back at the U.S. invasion of Iraq that led to the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003 — a mission the U.S. titled “Operation Iraqi Freedom.” It’s an excellent refresher course. If you watch it, you’ll meet an old man who refers to the former dictator as “the late martyr Saddam Hussein,” and comments, “I miss him every moment of every day.” | Link |
| 7/14/2020 | ShafaqNews | 94 fatalities and 2000+ in Iraq today | The Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment registered, on Tuesday, 95 deaths and more than 2000 new cases of Covid-19 over the past 24 hours in Iraq. In a statement received by Shafaq News agency, the Ministry said that 15540 tests were conducted in all the specialized laboratories in country, bringing the total number of tests conducted since the outbreak of the virus to 713552. | Link |
| 7/14/2020 | middleeasteye | The Iraqi power struggle behind a murder in Baghdad | The clocks struck 8.19pm on 6 July when Hisham al-Hashemi pulled his white Jeep Cherokee up outside his house in the eastern Baghdad neighbourhood of Zayouna. It seems the prominent specialist in jihadist groups and star of Iraqi satellite news channels paid no attention to the motorcyclists parked approximately 20 metres from his home. As Hashimi turned his car towards the front door of his house, the biker closest to him, hooded and dressed all in black, ran over to the car and attempted to fire his automatic rifle. The Kalashnikov only fired a single bullet, but “it was enough to paralyse Hisham's movement”, a senior police officer involved in the investigations told Middle East Eye. | Link |
| 7/14/2020 | ekurd | 181 new coronavirus cases, 12 deaths reported in Iraqi Kurdistan | 181 new cases of coronavirus recorded across Iraqi Kurdistan in the past 24-hour, the ministry of health of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said in a statement on Tuesday. According to the ministry 69 people in Sulaimani province, 48 in Germiyan administration, 40 in Erbil, 14 in Halabja, and 10 in Duhok have tested positive for coronavirus. | Link |
| 7/14/2020 | CNN | Pentagon says US has withdrawn from 5 bases in Afghanistan as part of agreement with Taliban | The Pentagon announced Tuesday that the US has withdrawn from five bases in Afghanistan and reduced the size of its forces there as part of the agreement it entered into with the Taliban earlier this year. "US forces in Afghanistan remain in the mid-8,000s and five bases formerly occupied by US forces have been transferred to our Afghan partners," Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement. | Link |
| 7/14/2020 | didpress | 16 Civilians Killed, Wounded in Kabul Blast | 16 civilians were killed and wounded as a result of IED explosion in Kabul’s Surobi district, said local officials. Local officials in Surobi district of capital Kabul said Tuesday that as a result of an IED blast, 5 civilians were killed and 11 more were wounded on Tuesday morning. “The incident took place at 11 am in Jagdalak village,” said Gawhar Baburi, the district governor of Surobi district. | Link |
| 7/14/2020 | 1TVNews | Taliban carries out attacks with cooperation of al Qaeda | The Taliban plans and carries out attacks with the cooperation of foreign terrorist groups, including al Qaeda, Afghanistan's intelligence agency said on Tuesday. The statement comes a day after the Taliban carried out a major attack on provincial headquarter of National Directorate of Security in northern Samangan, killing 11 people and wounding 63 others. | Link |
| 7/14/2020 | ariananews | 135 new Coronavirus cases registered – Afghanistan | The Ministry of Public Health says that in the last twenty-four hours, 135 positive cases of Coronavirus have been registered in the whole country, with Kabul having the highest number of cases of Covid-19 with 51 people. Coronavirus cases are declining in Afghanistan. However, the number of patients in the country is still in the triple digits. | Link |
| 7/14/2020 | ariananews | Around 3,000 civilians casualties in six months | The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said in its six-month report that 1,213 Afghan civilians were killed and 1,744 were injured in the first six months of 2020. These casualties were reported in 880 incidents. The Independent Human Rights Commission (IHRC) said that the death toll was up 19 percent from last year. In the first six months of this year, an average of 16 civilians killed every day, according to the report. | Link |
| 7/14/2020 | ABC.Net | The same AK-47 was photographed on two dead Afghan civilians killed by Australian soldiers | Australian special forces allegedly planted the same weapon on the bodies of two different Afghan civilians after a raid in which locals say unarmed civilians were executed, the ABC can reveal. An AK-47 assault rifle with teal-coloured tape wrapped around the stock was photographed next to two bodies in separate locations and logged in the special forces database after the raid at the village of Shina in May 2012. | Link |
| 7/14/2020 | NYTimes | Three Marines, Now Focus of Russian Bounties Investigation, Show the Costs of an Endless War | The American military convoy was almost back to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan when a vehicle, laden with explosives, careened into it and detonated. The powerful blast blew up a heavily armored troop carrier, engulfing it in flames. Marines poured out of the other vehicles in the convoy as they battled desperately to save the occupants of the burning carrier, including a Marine reservist — a New York City firefighter — who had once rescued a woman from a burning high-rise apartment. | Link |
| 7/13/2020 | AsharqAl-Awsat | Iraqi Army Launches 4th Phase of Iraqi Heroes Operation | The Iraqi forces launched Saturday the fourth phase of its battle against the terrorist organizations, in Diyala governorate on the border with Iran Deputy chief of staff Lieutenant General Abdul Amir al-Shammari announced the launch of the fourth phase of the “Iraqi Heroes” military operation targeting ISIS remnants and establishing security and stability in Diyala. | Link |
| 7/13/2020 | ShafaqNews | 5 terrorists killed in a qualitative operation | The security media cell announced, on Sunday, the killing of terrorists in a qualitative operation southwest of Baghdad. The cell said in a statement received by Shafaq News agency, that "according to accurate intelligence from the Falcon cell in the Ministry of Interior, an operation carried out jointly with a drone from the International Alliance and supported by Brigade 54 in Al Zaidan southwest Baghdad”. "Iraqi forces raided important hideouts with five terrorists in it, where one of them blew himself up, and even though the Iraqi forces were able to kill the 5 suicide bombers who were inside," it said. | Link |
| 7/13/2020 | ShafaqNews | Covid-19, 2229 new cases and 2274 recoveries in Iraq today | The Iraqi Ministry of Health and environment registered today, Monday, 2229 new cases, 2274 recoveries and 100 fatalities of Covid-19. In a statement received by Shafaq News agency, the ministry said that 15380 tests were performed today, raising the total number performed tests since the beginning of the outbreak to 698012. | Link |
| 7/13/2020 | didpress | 154 new COVID-19 cases Recorded in Afghanista | 883 suspicious coronavirus cases were tested, in which, 154 cases were positive, bringing the total number of infections to 34,605 in the country, says the Ministry of Public Health. The Ministry announced Monday that out 3,605 coronavirus cases in the country, 1,038 patients died from the virus. Kabul, Daikundi, Bamyan and Badakhshsan have had the highest number of infections. In the past 24 hours, 28 patients died from the virus. Kabul has the highest number of deaths. | Link |
| 7/13/2020 | VOA | Taliban Attack on Afghan Spy Agency’s Office Kills 11 | Officials in Afghanistan say a Taliban suicide assault on a provincial headquarters of the Afghan spy agency has killed at least 11 people and injured 63 others. The insurgent raid in Aybak, the capital city of northern Samangan province, comes amid a string of Taliban attacks in the last week that killed a number of Afghan forces, posing fresh challenges to U.S.-led peacemaking efforts. Provincial governor Abdul Latif Ibrahimi told VOA that civilians, including women, were among the victims of Monday’s attack on the National Directorate of Security (NDS). | Link |
| 7/13/2020 | Afghanistantimes | 21 soldiers killed in clashes with Taliban in the North | At least 21 Afghan security forces have lost their lives and several others wounded in the fight against the Taliban insurgents in the Northern provinces of Afghanistan, officials said on Monday. Kunduz governor spokesman, Ismatullah Muradi said the Taliban stormed the security forces checkpoints in Imam-Saib and Chahardara districts. According to him, 14 security forces were killed and two others wounded in the attack. | Link |
| 7/13/2020 | NYTimes | Taliban Stage a Major Attack, as Violence Intensifies in Northern Afghanistan | The Taliban waged a sustained assault against an Afghan intelligence complex in the city of Aybak on Monday, killing at least 11 people and wounding more than 60 others, part of a bloody wave of violence across the country’s north. With the opening of peace talks between the insurgency and the Afghan government stalled for months, the Taliban have intensified their offensives, creating one of the deadliest years of the long war. | Link |
| 7/13/2020 | DoD | Army Casualty Identified | 1st Lt. Joseph Trent Allbaugh, 24, from Folsom, California, died as the result of a non-combat-related incident, July 12, 2020, in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. Allbaugh was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 44th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 108th ADA Brigade, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. | Link |
| 7/12/2020 | bulgarianmilitary | US military convoy was subjected to an armed attack by militants in Iraq | Militants attacked a convoy with supplies intended for a US military base in southern Iraq, learned BulgarianMilitary.com citing RIA Novosti and a source from the Iraqi security service. “Four wagons were subjected to an armed attack in the Najme region between Divaniya and Es Samava,” the source said. According to him, the citizens of Iraq, driving the trucks, transported supplies from Bosra for one of the US bases. | Link |
| 7/12/2020 | Shafaaq | Covid-19 - 2321 new cases and 95 fatalities today in Iraq | The Iraqi Ministry of Health and environment registered today, Sunday, 2312 new cases, 1645 recoveries and 95 fatalities of Covid-19. The ministry said in a statement received by Shafaq News agency, that 11154 tests were performed today, raising the total number of performed since the beginning of the outbreak in the country to 682632. | Link |
| 7/12/2020 | yenisafak | Senior military officer dies of coronavirus in Iraq | A senior Iraqi military officer has succumbed to coronavirus, the army said on Sunday. A military statement said Maj.-Gen Murad al-Rabi'e, commander of the infantry corps of the Iraqi army, died from COVID-19. The statement did not give any further details. Al-Rabi'e is the highest-ranking military officer to have died of the virus in Iraq since the outbreak hit the country in March. | Link |
| 7/12/2020 | Rferl | As U.S. Moves To Exit Afghanistan, Rivals Prepare To Swoop In | The U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 was backed by most countries in the region, who shared the goal of ousting the extremist Taliban regime and eliminating the allied Al-Qaeda terrorist network. The governments in Tehran, Moscow, and Islamabad readily helped the United States fight the extremist groups. Iran provided crucial intelligence to support U.S. special forces and CIA teams orchestrating the invasion. | Link |
| 7/12/2020 | KP | Explosion reported close to a ministry compound in Kabul city | An explosion went off close to the Ministry of Public Works in Kabul city earlier today with the preliminary reports indicating the blast wounded at least two people. A security source confirmed the explosion took place close to the Ministry of Public Works in Kabul city earlier today, wounding at least two people. The source further added that a magnetic improvised explosive device went off close to the ministry compound. | Link |
| 7/12/2020 | KP | 28 Georgian soldiers infected with coronavirus in Afghanistan | At least 28 Georgian soldiers have reportedly contracted the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Afghanistan, it has been reported. The local Georgian media outlets, quoting the country’s Ministry of Defense, reported that the Georgian defense authorities have moved the infected soldiers out of Afghanistan. The reports further added that the infected soldiers are currently undergoing treatment in a military hospital in Georgia. | Link |
| 7/12/2020 | KP | Women, children among 14 killed, wounded as Taliban IED hits civilian vehicle in Ghazni | An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) planted by Taliban ripped through a civilian vehicle in South-eastern Ghazni province, killing or wounding at least 14 civilians. According to local government officials, the explosion killed at least 6 civilians and wounded at least 8 others including women and children. Wahidullah Jumazada, provincial governor’s spokesperson, confirmed the incident and said a roadside bomb planted by Taliban ripped through a civilian mini-van in Jaghatoo district. | Link |
| 7/12/2020 | KP | 10 Taliban militants killed, wounded in Ghazni province | The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces killed at least 8 Taliban militants and wounded two others during separate incidents in South-eastern Ghazni province. The 203rd Thunder Corps in a statement said a group of Taliban militants attacked the security posts in Mangoor Bazar area located in the outskirts of Ghazni city. The statement further added that the security forces killed 5 Taliban militants and wounded 2 others during the clash. | Link |
| 7/10/2020 | Afghanistantimes | 286 patients test positive for Covid-19 within 24 hours | The ministry of public health said that of 742 samples 286 patients were tested positive for the Covid-19 in a past round clock across Afghanistan. The total tally surpasses 34,194 cases as of July 10th, the ministry said in a statement. According to the statement, at least 41 patients recovered and 14 others died during this period. The general number of recoveries reached to over 20,800 and the dead are around 917, according to statement. | Link |
| 7/10/2020 | Afghanistantimes | Three children killed in rocket blast in Zabul | Three children in the southern province of Zabul were killed when a rocket they were playing with, went off, provincial officials said on Friday. The incident happened in the Zozgar area of the Qalat district. Gul Islam Seyal, provincial spokesman, said Friday that the rocket was prepared by Taliban militants to fire on the security, but the children found it and it exploded. A number of other children were also wounded in the blast, according to Seyal, who said the injured were taken to a nearby medical facility. | Link |
| 7/10/2020 | ArabNews | Iraqi MP dies of COVID-19 as cases jump 600% | Iraqi lawmaker Ghida Kambash died Friday after contracting the novel coronavirus, parliament announced, its first member to succumb to the virus as its spread ramps up across the country. The 46-year-old was a three-time MP from Baquba, northeast of Baghdad, and helped pass laws on education reform and social welfare. She leaves behind four children. Last month, parliament speaker Mohammed Al-Halbussi said up to 20 deputies were confirmed to have been infected with COVID-19. | Link |
| 7/10/2020 | Shafaaq | A Katyusha missile attack on the green zone averted | Baghdad Operations Command announced, on Friday, that it had thwarted a new missile attack on the green zone, in the center of the capital Baghdad. "The security forces were able to find a Katyusha rocket intended for launch towards the Green Zone, on Al-Rusafa side", the command said in a statement reported to Shafaq News agency. The statement added, "It was dismantled and lifted safely". | Link |
| 7/10/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Iraq announces record 2,848 infections, over 70 deaths in single day | On Friday, the Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment announced that health officials had again confirmed over 2,000 new COVID-19 infections and the death of over 70 people across the country within the previous 24 hours. The ministry’s daily statement noted that it had conducted 12,054 coronavirus tests in a single day, 2,848 of which returned positive. According to the statement, since the spread of the virus to Iraq began in late February, 72,460 people have been infected, 41,380 have recovered, and a total of 2,960 individuals have died from the disease. | Link |
| 7/8/2020 | Xinhua | Iraq faces long battle against COVID-19, as daily cases hike to 2,741 | An Iraqi official said Wednesday that Iraq is facing a long battle against the coronavirus pandemic, as the Health Ministry recorded 2,741 new COVID-19 cases, the highest in single day since the outbreak of the disease. "The battle against the virus is long, as Iraq has entered the stage of the outbreak of the disease despite that all necessary measures have been taken, but this stage requires new preparations," Hassan Khalatti, member of the parliamentary health committee, said in a statement. The Health Ministry pursued a good plan when it increased the number of beds in hospitals and established more quarantine centers, he said, adding that the ministry still needs to take into consideration providing more medical supplies. | Link |
| 7/8/2020 | BBC | Leading Iraqi security expert shot dead in Baghdad | A leading Iraqi expert on armed groups, who advised governments and appeared frequently in the media, has been shot dead in the capital, Baghdad. Hisham al-Hashimi was killed near his home in the Ziyouna district on Monday night by two gunmen riding a motorbike. No group has said it was behind the shooting, but he had reportedly been threatened by the Sunni jihadist group Islamic State and Shia militias. | Link |
| 7/8/2020 | AP | Iran-backed militia says PM's actions could bring escalation | A powerful Iran-backed militia said Wednesday there would be “escalation” if Iraq's prime minister continues to clamp down on armed groups, as tensions spiked following the killing of a prominent analyst, pitting the state against rogue elements. Hostilities have flared as Iraq reels from the assassination of Hisham al-Hashimi, 47, who was gunned down by unknown assailants on motorbikes outside his Baghdad home Monday. He had received death threats from the Islamic State group and Iran-backed militia groups. | Link |
| 7/8/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Kurdistan announces 294 new infections, 11 deaths in 24 hours | The Kurdistan Region’s Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday nearly 300 new coronavirus infections during the previous 24 hours, along with 11 deaths and 140 recoveries. Health officials' daily coronavirus statement mentioned that the ministry conducted 2,247 new tests for the highly-contagious disease, of which 294 came back positive. Some 515 individuals have been quarantined in the past 24 hours, making a total of 1,287 individuals now under the restriction in 23 different locations across the region. | Link |
| 7/8/2020 | KP | 22 Taliban militants killed, wounded on Kabul-Jalalabad highway | The security forces killed or wounded at least 22 Taliban militants during a clash on Kabul-Jalalabad highway, the Afghan military said. The 201st Silab Corps in a statement said the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces conducted a joint operation based on a tip off in Sarkund Baba area Laghman province which is located on Kabul-Jalalabad highway. | Link |
| 7/8/2020 | Afghanistantimes | ‘Taliban truck bomb’ kills three in Kandahar | At least three Afghan National Police members were killed in a Taliban truck bombing in southern Kandahar province, the first of such big attacks by the Taliban since Eid’s ceasefire almost two months ago. Taliban bomber targeted Shah Walikot police HQ on Wednesday morning, in which 14 people, majority of them civilians were also wounded, according to the provincial officials. | Link |
| 7/8/2020 | Afghanistantimes | Gunmen kill six members of a family in Paktika | Some unknown armed men entered into a house and killed six members of a family including a woman in Sharana, the capital city of southern Paktika province. Head of provincial public health confirmed receiving six dead bodies. A surviving member of the family told Pajhwok that the incident occurred on Tuesday night. “We don’t have hostility with anyone,” he said. “We didn’t recognize the attackers.” He demanded for justice and called on the government to prosecute the perpetrators. | Link |
| 7/8/2020 | Afghanistantimes | Freed Taliban prisoner kills govt. employees in Takhar | A local official in northern Takhar province has said that three government employees were killed by a Taliban member who just freed from government jails as part of peace efforts. District Governor of Khwajaghar, Mohammad Omar said on Wednesday that the assassinated people were members of the local development communities – who were working for the betterment of the local people. | Link |
| 7/6/2020 | Iraq-businessnews | Iraq sees 600% rise in COVID-19 cases in June | With a 600 per cent rise in COVID-19 cases in Iraq through June, efforts must be re-doubled to slow the spread of the disease, warns the International Rescue Committee (IRC). With the number of confirmed cases standing at 53,708 on July 1 - up from 6,868 on June 1 - the Ministry of Health has announced that hospitals are almost at full capacity, and that schools and universities will be converted into isolation units to cope with the ever-increasing number of cases | Link |
| 7/6/2020 | Reuters | Gunmen kill prominent Iraqi analyst and advisor | Gunmen in Baghdad shot dead a well-known former government advisor and political analyst near his home on Monday in a rare high-profile killing in the Iraqi capital, government officials, police sources and medics said. The government officials described the killing of Hisham al-Hashemi, who had written about politics, Islamic State and the role of Iran-backed militias in Iraq, as a targeted killing but did not point the finger at any particular group. | Link |
| 7/6/2020 | Al-Monitor | US air defenses intercept rocket fired toward Baghdad’s Green Zone | The US military suspects Iran-backed militias in Iraq are responsible for rockets launched on Baghdad International Airport and the city’s Green Zone over the 4th of July weekend. A Katyusha rocket was launched at Baghdad’s airport Sunday night, though no casualties were reported. | Link |
| 7/6/2020 | Afghanistantimes | Covid-19 cases in Afghanistan jump past 33k | With 239 new positive cases in the last 24 hours, Afghanistan now officially has 33,190 coronavirus cases across the country. The Ministry of Public Health on Monday said that out of 668 suspected samples, 239 were positive. 34 coronavirus patients have lost their lives to the virus, and 737 others recovered during this period, according to the ministry. | Link |
| 7/6/2020 | KP | Tough challenge for people of Afghanistan amid COVID-19 | The first case to test positive for COVID-19 in Afghanistan was reported on February 24 in western Herat province. The patient was a newly deported Afghan who had arrived from Iran. Since February 24, the number of people testing positive for Covid-19 has increased. Initially, one of the key reasons for the high rate of infection was that Tehran continued to deport Afghan asylum-seekers at an accelerated rate, sending them to Afghanistan through Herat province as the crisis began. | Link |
| 7/6/2020 | KP | Clash in Kabul leaves one terrorist dead | A clash broke out between security forces and the terrorists in Kabul in the early hours of Monday, leaving one terrorist dead. The Kabul Police Headquarters in a statement said a clash broke out security forces and the terrorists in Mir Bacha Kot district of Kabul at around 2 am on Monday. The statement further added that the clash broke out after two terrorists attacked a security check post in Sufiyan area of the district. | Link |
| 7/5/2020 | AP | Rocket fired toward US Embassy in Iraq injures child | The Iraqi military said Sunday that a rocket aimed at Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, home of the U.S. Embassy, struck a residential house and injured a child. Iraqi officials said the embassy's recently installed C-RAM air defense system may have attempted to intercept the rocket as the system was operational late Saturday. A recent spate of rocket attacks have struck close to the U.S. Embassy and targeted American troops in Iraqi bases. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. | Link |
| 7/5/2020 | NPR | Experts Say Intel Should Have Reached Trump On Russian Bounty Program | President Trump has said he had not been told about a suspected Russian bounty program to pay the Taliban to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Yet the president's critics, former intelligence officers and even some members of his own party have questioned this. They note that in addition to regular face-to-face security briefings, the U.S. intelligence community compiles a detailed, leather-bound book every weekday for Trump and his top advisers, known as the President's Daily Briefing. | Link |
| 7/5/2020 | ToloNews | 3 Police Killed in Herat Roadside Mine Blast | At least three policemen were killed and three others were wounded in a roadside mine blast in the Kohistan district of Herat on the Herat-Islam Qala highway on Saturday, local officials said. The incident happened around 100 km away from Herat city as a police vehicle struck a roadside mine, said Amindullah Haft Bala, district governor of Kohsan district. | Link |
| 7/5/2020 | Afghanistantimes | Hundreds recruit to army after training completion | Hundreds of persons have joined the Afghan National Army Forces (ANA) after being successfully completed their training courses in southern Kandahar province. A statement issued by Ministry of Defense said that 636 persons, including 16 girls have joined ANA after passing military training course successfully in Kandahar province. | Link |
| 7/5/2020 | DoD | Army Fatality Identified | Spc. Vincent Sebastian Ibarria, 21, from San Antonio, Texas, died as the result of a vehicle rollover accident, July 3, 2020, in Farah, Afghanistan. The incident is under investigation. Ibarria was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York. | Link |
| 7/3/2020 | Shafaaq | Covid-19 - 102 fatalities and 2312 new cases in Iraq today | The Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment registered today, Friday, 102 fatalities, 2312 new cases and 1688 recoveries of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. In a statement received by Shafaq news agency, the ministry indicated that 12176 tests were performed today, raising the total number of performed tests since the beginning of the outbreak in the country to 579861. The newly diagnosed cases were distributed as follows: Baghdad / Al-Rusafa 485, Baghdad / Al-Karkh 241, Medical City 40, Najaf 96, Al-Sulaymaniya 177, Erbil 73, Duhok 4, Karbala 122, Kirkuk 76 Diyala 31, Wasit 92, Babel 195, Basra 221, Maysan 110, Al-Diwaniyah 92, Dhi Qar 118, Al-Anbar 6, Saladin 85, Al-Muthanna 48. | Link |
| 7/3/2020 | ekurd | Iraqi Kurdistan records 187 new coronavirus cases, 8 deaths: ministry | 187 new cases of coronavirus recorded across Iraqi Kurdistan in the past 24-hour, the ministry of health of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said in a statement on Friday. According to the ministry 89 people in Sulaimani province, 39 in Erbil, 44 in Germiyan administration, 10 in Raperin, and 5 in Duhok have tested positive for coronavirus. | Link |
| 7/3/2020 | Al-Monitor | Counter-Terrorism forces take greater role in Iraq | Since Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi was sworn in on May 7, the Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Services (CTS) have taken part in several high-profile operations and seem ever more in the foreground of the country’s security efforts. Their June 26 arrests of over a dozen Kataib Hezbollah (KH) fighters in a Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) headquarters in southern Baghdad sparked concern that the CTS might, however, end up targeted by Iran-linked factions. | Link |
| 7/3/2020 | KP | 3 Taliban leaders among 5 killed, wounded in Faryab | The security forces inflicted casualties on five Taliban militants including three local leaders of the group in northern Faryab province. The 209th Shaheen Corps in a statement said the Taliban militants attacked the security posts of the Afghan forces in Ozlik Village of Qaisar district. The statement further added that the security forces killed two local leaders of Taliban during the clash, including Qari Abdullah and Mullah Abid. | Link |
| 7/3/2020 | Forces | How Has Coronavirus Impacted British Troops Deployed To Afghanistan? | A British Army officer has been speaking to Forces News about the impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on British troops deployed to Afghanistan. There are around 1,000 UK troops currently based in the country as part of a NATO mission there, helping to provide security to government officials. As well as completing their duties, the troops are also having to deal with the threat of coronavirus as well as continued violence with attacks from the Taliban and other militants. | Link |
| 7/3/2020 | CNN | New US memo highlights gaps in intelligence reports on Russian bounties | A recent memo from the council helmed by the nation's intelligence chief confirmed accounts that Russia offered bounties to Taliban fighters to kill US troops in Afghanistan -- but cast the reports as incomplete and potentially dubious, The New York Times reported Friday. Citing three officials, the paper reported that the National Intelligence Council, led by Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, wrote the two-and-a-half page memo, which was dated on Wednesday -- just days after the Times first reported last week on intelligence officials' knowledge of the bounties and the White House's subsequent inaction. | Link |
| 7/1/2020 | BBC | CIA did not verbally brief Trump on Russia report, says official | President Donald Trump was not verbally briefed on reports Russia paid militants to kill US soldiers, said national security adviser Robert O'Brien, because of a lack of confidence in the intelligence. The CIA officer decided the intelligence was not verified. Mr O'Brien did not say if the president was handed a written briefing. The intelligence reportedly arrived amid US attempts to negotiate a peace deal to end the Afghanistan war. | Link |
| 7/1/2020 | NPR | In Iraq, Rising Virus Cases And Oxygen Shortages Stoke Outrage, Fears Of 'Chaos' | Coronavirus cases are spiking sharply in Iraq amid a shortage of supplies that has resulted in protesters storming an oxygen cylinder factory and relatives of patients seizing oxygen canisters in hospitals. "This is a war against the coronavirus and we have lost the war," says an Iraqi official who has been briefed on the government's response to the pandemic. The official, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly, tells NPR the true number of cases is believed to be many times higher than reported figures of more than 1,900 deaths and more than 49,100 infections. | Link |
| 7/1/2020 | ekurd | Iraqi Kurdistan confirms 259 new coronavirus cases, 6 deaths | 259 new cases of coronavirus recorded across Iraqi Kurdistan in the past 24-hour, the ministry of health of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said in a statement on Wednesday. According to the ministry 92 people in Sulaimani province, 80 in Erbil, 69 in Germiyan administration and 18 in Halabja have tested positive for coronavirus. | Link |
| 7/1/2020 | Afghanistantimes | Covid-19 cases nearing 32k | With 319 new positive cases in the last 24 hours, Afghanistan now officially has 31,836 coronavirus cases across the country. Covid-19 positive cases slightly decreased, but still 28 patients have lost their lives to the virus. 1,520 patients were also recovered during this period. | Link |
| 7/1/2020 | VOA | COVID-19 Adds to Addiction Woes in Afghanistan | ince the coronavirus pandemic began, police have targeted areas where drug users gather in effort to clear Afghanistan’s streets of people like Mohammed Reza. | Link |
| 7/1/2020 | KP | Taliban militants suffer heavy casualties in Jawzjan province | The Taliban militants suffered heavy casualties during the operations in northern Jawzjan province of Afghanistan, the Afghan military said. The 209th Shaheen Corps in a statement said at least 7 Taliban militants were killed and 4 others were wounded during the operations in Khamaab district and on the highway between Jawzjan and Sar-e Pul provinces. The statement further added that the security forces also destroyed 2 motorcycles of the militants during the militants along with some weapons and munitions. | Link |
| 7/1/2020 | KP | Pentagon reacts to alleged cooperation between Russia and Taliban to kill U.S. forces | The Department of Defense (Pentagon) reacted to the alleged reports which suggest that the Russian Intelligence Unit paid Taliban to kill the U.S. forces inAfghanistan. “The Department of Defense continues to evaluate intelligence that Russian GRU operatives were engaged in malign activity against United States and coalition forces in Afghanistan,” Chief Pentagon Spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a statement. | Link |
| 7/1/2020 | KP | 3 Taliban leaders among 5 killed, wounded in Faryab | The security forces inflicted casualties on five Taliban militants including three local leaders of the group in northern Faryab province. The 209th Shaheen Corps in a statement said the Taliban militants attacked the security posts of the Afghan forces in Ozlik Village of Qaisar district. The statement further added that the security forces killed two local leaders of Taliban during the clash, including Qari Abdullah and Mullah Abid. | Link |
| 6/28/2020 | aawsat | Iraqi Forces Launch Night Raid on Armed Factions | The Iraqi government launched a night raid on armed factions accused of firing Katyusha rockets into the Green Zone, the Iraqi army, and international coalition forces. The government's recent move came within the framework of previous pledges of Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to “restrict weapons to the state” and “no party or force has the right to operate outside the state.” | Link |
| 6/28/2020 | DPA | Turkey says solider killed in clash with PKK in northern Iraq | Turkey's Defence Ministry on Sunday said that one of the country's soldiers had been killed during clashes with fighters from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq. The clashes with the "terrorists" took place as part of Operation Claw-Tiger, the ministry said. Turkey launched the operation along with a parallel air offensive known as Claw-Eagle against PKK targets in northern Iraq last week. | Link |
| 6/28/2020 | AA | 13 doctors die from coronavirus in Iraq | Iraqi authorities said Sunday 13 doctors have succumbed to coronavirus in the country since February. A further 775 doctors have contracted the virus, Abdulalameer al-Shimmary, head of Iraq's Doctors' Association, told Anadolu Agency. "All doctors are doing their utmost efforts to provide services to patients at the available resources," he said. Fears have been growing across Iraq over the collapse of the country's health system amid a surge in infections. Iraq's confirmed virus cases have reached 43,262, including 1,660 deaths, and 19,983 recoveries. The government has imposed a partial curfew, banned gatherings and made the wearing of face masks mandatory in an effort to stem the spread of the virus. | Link |
| 6/28/2020 | didpress | 351 new COVID-19 cases Registered in Afghanistan | The Ministry of Public Health announced that with 351 new positive coronavirus cases, the number of infections soar to 30,967 nationwide. In the past 24 hours, 701 suspicious samples were tested in the laboratories, in which, 351 new cases were positive, the Ministry said on Sunday. Kabul, Balkh, Herat, Nangarhar, Kandahar and Paktia have the highest number of infections. According to the Ministry, in the past 24 hours, 2,967 patients have been recovered, bringing the total number of recoveries to 12,588. | Link |
| 6/28/2020 | AP | Roadside bomb kills 6 Afghan civilians in Helmand province | A roadside bomb killed at least six Afghan civilians Sunday in the southern Helmand province, including a woman and two children, an official said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Another woman in the vehicle was wounded in the explosion, which took place in Washer district, said Omar Zwak, spokesman for Helmand's governor. He did not have additional information on her condition or whether the victims were from one family. | Link |
| 6/28/2020 | ariananews | 9 Taliban militants killed, 5 wounded in Paktia Clash | At least nine Taliban insurgents were killed and five others wounded in a clash with the Afghan forces in Paktia province, police said. Hayatullah Nezami, a spokesman for Paktia police told Ariana News that the clash broke out between the two sides after the militants stormed security outposts in Dandaw Patan district of the province on Saturday night. | Link |
| 6/27/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Elite Iraqi force raids base of Iran-aligned militia in Baghdad | An elite Iraqi unit raided a headquarters of an Iran-aligned militia of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in southern Baghdad late Thursday and arrested a number of its fighters, according to multiple sources and media organizations. Various sources have given conflicting statements regarding how many fighters from the militia, Kata’ib Hizbollah, were detained and which forces now have custody of them. | Link |
| 6/27/2020 | Shafaaq | 5 ISIS terrorists killed between Diyala and Saladin | Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi media official in Diyala, Sadiq al-Husseini, told Shafaq News agency today, Friday, that, " Al-Hashd, in cooperation with the police forces, carried out full clearing operations across Diyala and Saladin, during which 5 ISIS terrorists were killed, and 5 dens were destroyed”. The Security forces and Al-Hashd, ended earlier, the third phase of “Iraq Heroes" operation on the borders of Diyala, Kirkuk and Saladin, killing dozens of ISIS terrorists and destroying multiple dens, as well as dismantling hundreds of bombs. | Link |
| 6/27/2020 | Shafaaq | 100 fatalities and 2000+ in Iraq today | The Iraqi Ministry of Health and environment registered, on Saturday, more than 100 fatalities and 2000 cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. The ministry said in a statement received by Shafaq News agency, that 9630 tests were performed today, raising the total number of performed tests since the beginning of outbreak in the country to 510353. The newly diagnosed cases (2069) were distributed as follows: Baghdad / Al-Rusafa 303, Baghdad / Al-Karkh 340, Medical City 37, Najaf 132, Al-Sulaymaniyah 255, Erbil 50, Duhok 6, Karbala 92, Kirkuk 48, Diyala 77, Wasit 59, Babel 62, Basra 116, Maysan 174, Al-Diwaniya 99, Dhi Qar 157, Al-Anbar 18, Nineveh 14, Saladin 7, Al-Muthanna 23. | Link |
| 6/27/2020 | ariananews | 29 Taliban militants killed in Kandahar, Helmand | At least 29 Taliban militants were killed and six others wounded in an airstrike and ground clashes in Kandahar and Helmand provinces. Naser Barikzai, a spokesman for Kandahar police told Ariana News that the Resolute Support Mission conducted an airstrike in Dar-e Syasang in Arghandab district of Kandahar, aimed to prevent Taliban attacks on a number of Afghan security outpost. | Link |
| 6/27/2020 | TheGuardian | Outrage mounts over report Russia offered bounties to Afghanistan militants for killing US soldiers | Outrage has greeted a bombshell New York Times story that says American intelligence officials believe a Russian military intelligence unit offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing foreign soldiers in Afghanistan, including targeting Americans. The story, citing its sources as unnamed officials briefed on the matter, said that the US had come to the conclusion about the operation several months ago and and offered rewards for successful attacks last year. | Link |
| 6/27/2020 | BNA | Seven Civilians Kill, Wounded in Taliban Mortar Attack | About four civilians lost their lives and three more were wounded following mortar attack carried out by Taliban fighters in eastern Khost province late on Friday. Talib Mangal spokesman of Khost governor told BNA reporter, the incident took place in relevant areas of Shamal Damanda district of the province, in which four civilians lost their lives and three others were wounded. Doctors in a health center in Khost claimed that the health condition of an injured not satisfactory. Taliban said nothing about the event so far. | Link |
| 6/27/2020 | Reuters | Two Afghan human rights workers killed in blast in Kabul | A bomb attached to a vehicle killed two members of Afghanistan’s independent human rights commission in Kabul on Saturday, the group said, as violence in the country rises despite a U.S.-brokered peace process. The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) said in a statement that 24-year-old donor coordinator Fatima Khalil and 41-year-old driver Ahmad Jawed Folad were killed by an explosive device while in an AIHRC vehicle on the way to its office on Saturday. | Link |
| 6/27/2020 | NYTimes | Russia Secretly Offered Afghan Militants Bounties to Kill U.S. Troops, Intelligence Says | American intelligence officials have concluded that a Russian military intelligence unit secretly offered bounties to Taliban-linked militants for killing coalition forces in Afghanistan — including targeting American troops — amid the peace talks to end the long-running war there, according to officials briefed on the matter. The United States concluded months ago that the Russian unit, which has been linked to assassination attempts and other covert operations in Europe intended to destabilize the West or take revenge on turncoats, had covertly offered rewards for successful attacks last year. | Link |
| 6/25/2020 | ToloNews | '25 Taliban' Killed in Balkh Airstrike | At least 25 Taliban were killed in an Afghan air force airstrike in northern Balkh province on Wednesday night, local officials said on Thursday. The airstrike took place in Dawlat Abad village of Balkh district as the Taliban were gathered, said Munir Ahmad Farhad, a spokesman for the provincial governor. Residents of Balkh district said that four members of a family--including women and children--were killed last night in an Afghan airstrike. The bodies of the dead have been brought to the governor's office. | Link |
| 6/25/2020 | ANINews | 25 Taliban terrorists killed in airstrike in Afghanistan's Balkh province | As many as 25 Taliban terrorists have been killed in an airstrike in northern Balkh province of Afghanistan on Wednesday night. The airstrike occurred in Dawlat Abad village in Balkh district, TOLO news quoted Munir Ahmad Farhad, spokesperson for the provincial governor, as saying. According to local sources, the airforce had targeted a farmer's house and during the strike four civilians, including a child and a woman, were killed. This claim, however, has been rejected by Farhad and other officials of the 209th Shaheen Military Corps. | Link |
| 6/25/2020 | china.org | 2 army officers, 11 militants killed in Afghanistan | Two army officers and 11 Taliban militants were killed and four militants and one army soldier were wounded during clashes Wednesday night, authorities said Thursday. In northern Baghlan province, two army officers and six Taliban militants were killed when Taliban attacked a national army military camp in Dand-e-Ghori, an area on the outskirts of provincial capital Pul-e-Khumri city, provincial government spokesman Nazir Najim told Xinhua. One soldier and four militants were wounded during the fighting which forced the militants to flee to nearby mountains. | Link |
| 6/25/2020 | didpress | COVID-19 cases Exceed 30,000 in Afghanistan | The Ministry of Public Health announced that 460 new coronavirus cases were registered in the country, bringing the total number to 30,175. The Ministry said Thursday that 460 new positive cases were recorded in the past 24 hours. According to the ministry, 36 patients died due to the virus in the past 24 hours while 305 patients have been recovered. The total number of deaths in the country has reached 675 so far while 10,174 patients have been recovered nationwide. The figures come as Afghanistan is currently passing through a tragic phase of the coronavirus. | Link |
| 6/25/2020 | Reuters | Iraqi forces raid Iran-backed militia base, detain commanders- govt sources | Iraqi security forces raided a headquarters belonging to a powerful Iran-backed militia in southern Baghdad late on Thursday, seized rockets and detained three commanders of the group, two Iraqi government officials said. The officials said the militia group targeted was the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah, which U.S. officials have accused of firing rockets at bases hosting U.S. troops and other facilities in Iraq. | Link |
| 6/25/2020 | Kurdistan24 | US looks to long-term defense relationship with Iraq | Brig. Gen. Duke Pirak, CENTCOM’s Deputy Director for Strategy, Plans and Policy, explained that CENTCOM was now looking at how to turn its security relationship with Iraq, currently based on the fight against the so-called Islamic State, into a long-term defense relationship. Speaking by video conference on Tuesday with the Middle East Institute’s Bilal Saab, Director of the institute’s Defense and Security Program, Pirak explained that the US was now looking at developing its relationship with the Iraqi Security Forces, which is currently embedded in Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR), into a relationship which is “normalized into an enduring security cooperation program.” | Link |
| 6/25/2020 | ABCNews | Iraq passes bill to unlock funds for cash-strapped state | Iraqi lawmakers Wednesday passed a crucial bill allowing the country to finance a widening fiscal deficit amid an unprecedented economic crisis spurred by falling oil prices and the pandemic. Of 329 members of parliament, 168 voted in favor of a law enabling domestic and foreign borrowing by the government, a key legal step for Iraq to access funds and pay state salaries as revenues take a hit with plummeting oil prices. | Link |
| 6/25/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Iraq increases funds to facilitate the return home of displaced Yezidis | Iraq's Ministry of Migration and Displacement (MoMD) announced on Wednesday that it will be providing an additional 2 billion IQD as financial support and to facilitate the return home displaced members of the Yezidi (Ezidi) religious minority who were displaced by the Islamic State in 2014 and after. | Link |
| 6/25/2020 | Rudaw | Joint operation kills at least 12 ISIS militants in Makhmour | At least 12 Islamic State (ISIS) militants were killed on Mount Qarachogh in the disputed territory of Makhmour, Erbil province in a joint operation by Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) and the US-led coalition in the early hours of Wednesday, a top Iraqi army official announced. "Based on accurate intelligence information, 59 air strikes were directed against the caves and bunkers that the ISIS terrorist gangs were holed up [on Mount Qarachough]," tweeted Brig. Gen. Yehia Rasool, spokesperson of the Iraqi Armed Forces. | Link |
| 6/25/2020 | TheNational | Civilians killed and wounded in Turkish strike in north Iraq | Two members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and a civilian were killed on Thursday in a Turkish airstrike on the northern Iraqi Kurdish city of Sulaymaniyah, officials told The National. An official in the Kurdish Regional Government of Iraq said several civilians were also wounded in the blast that comes a week into a major Turkish operation into northern Iraq to battle the group it considers a terrorist organisation. | Link |
| 6/25/2020 | DoD | Army Casualty Identified | The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. Spc. Nick Bravo-Regules, 20, from Largo, Florida, died June 23, 2020, in Jordan while supporting operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, from a non-combat-related incident. The incident is under investigation. Bravo-Regules was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 11th ADA Brigade, Fort Bliss, Texas. | Link |
| 6/2/2020 | Reuters | Suicide bomber injures at least three in Kabul mosque compound | A suicide bomber blew himself up inside a large mosque compound near a high-security diplomatic district in Kabul on Tuesday, government officials said, adding that at least three people were injured in the blast. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, which took place near homes and offices belonging to dozens of international organisations and embassies. | Link |
| 6/1/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Iraq records 260 new COVID-19 cases, ten deaths in 24 hours | On Sunday, the Iraqi Ministry of Health and Environment said it had recorded 260 new coronavirus cases and ten deaths due to the virus over the past 24 hours across the country, including the Kurdistan Region. A ministry statement said that 5,381 individuals were tested for the disease across Iraqi provinces outside the Kurdistan Region, bringing the total number of tests since the infection first came into the country in late February to 227,756. | Link |
| 6/1/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Kurdistan reports all-time high 104 new COVID-19 infections | The Kurdistan Region's health ministry on Sunday announced 104 new coronavirus infections over the previous 24 hours, the highest daily count since the virus first crossed into the region's borders. | Link |
| 6/1/2020 | mehrnews | Iraq captures 12 terrorist suspects in suburb of Samarra | Iraqi Army and Federal Police forces managed to arrest 12 terrorist suspects during an operation against ISIL on the outskirts of Samarra. Extensive operations were carried out by the Iraqi Army and Federal Police against ISIL positions around Samarra, according to a statement released by Iraq’s Army. | Link |
| 6/1/2020 | ShafaqNews | Explosion kills Iraqi soldiers near Erbil | Two Iraqi soldiers were killed on Monday, by an explosion in Makhmour district in Nineveh Governorate near Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan Region. A roadside bomb exploded on a vehicle of the 14th Commando Regiment while searching Kraw Mount area within Makhmour, A security media cell statement reported to Shafaq News Agency. The cell added that the bombing caused "the death of two fighters and the injury of two others." | Link |
| 6/1/2020 | Stripes | Infiltrator who killed two US service members in insider attack released from Afghan prison | An infiltrator who killed two U.S. officers in one of the Afghan War’s highest-profile insider attacks has walked free from a Parwan province prison, Afghan officials said Monday. Abdul Saboor, who killed Air Force Lt. Col. John Darin Loftis and Army Maj. Robert Marchanti II in 2012, had been sentenced to 20 years in prison but was set free Friday after four years of time served, officials said. | Link |
| 6/1/2020 | BNA | Taliban Released 45 Soldiers from their Prison in Baghlan | Taliban released 45 soldiers from their prison in Baghlan. Nazir Najem spokesman for Baghlan governor told BNA, the soldiers are belonged to national police and local police and have been captive by the Taliban for several months. | Link |
| 6/1/2020 | VOA | COVID-19 Infections Rise 684% in Afghanistan | COVID-19 infections in Afghanistan rose by 684% in May, the International Rescue Committee said in a statement Monday. “The country's extremely low testing capacity means many more are going untested and undetected,” according to the Committee. Millions of Afghans were already facing food insecurity after decades of conflict and now the economic strain of the COVID pandemic “leaves Afghanistan on the brink of a humanitarian disaster,” IRC said. | Link |
| 6/1/2020 | Time | Defying Trump's Landmark Peace Deal, Taliban Continues to Back Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, UN Report Says | The U.S. went to war in Afghanistan with one goal in mind: ridding the country of the threat of al-Qaeda just weeks after the group killed nearly 3,000 people in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Now, after nearly 20 years of fighting in which more than 3,500 American and coalition lives have been lost, President Donald Trump is pushing to withdraw U.S. forces on the back of a wobbly peace deal signed with the Taliban. But a U.N. report released on Monday shows the Islamist militant group has failed to fulfill one of the central tenets of the agreement – that it would break ties with al-Qaeda – undermining Trump’s biggest foreign policy win as he seeks re-election in November. | Link |
| 5/30/2020 | Al-Monitor | Iraq registers dramatic jump in COVID-19 cases | Iraq registered more than 400 positive COVID-19 tests today, its highest ever total in a single day. The Iraqi Health Ministry reported 416 infections today. The number included a whopping 265 in the capital, Baghdad. There were other cases in the south, the Kurdistan Region and throughout the country, according to the ministry. | Link |
| 5/30/2020 | Shafaaq | We are concerned about ISIS growing activity, attacking and kidnapping Kurdish farmers | The Prime Minister of Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) , Masrour Barzani expressed on Saturday his concern about Kurdish farmers being targeted in the disputed areas between Erbil and Baghdad. This came during a meeting today with the Special Operations Joint Task Force (SOJTF) Commander of the International coalition, Major General Eric T. Hill, according to a statement issued by KRG in which Shafaq News Agency received a copy of it. | Link |
| 5/30/2020 | JPost | Turkish drone strikes kill civilians, Iranian insurgents in Iraq | Turkish airstrikes killed civilians on Saturday, days after another set of airstrikes killed members of a far-left Iranian dissident group in the mountains of the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq. The attacks appear to represent an increase in Ankara’s use of drones and airstrikes against Kurdish groups. Ankara claims these groups, linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) are “terrorists” but presents no evidence that any of them are involved in “terror.” | Link |
| 5/30/2020 | Afghanistantimes | Coronavirus spreading fast and wide in Afghanistan | The deadly Corona virus is unprecedentedly breaking out in Afghanistan, with the latest reports suggesting that 866 positive tests in the past 24 hours. Now, according to official reports, the total number of the Corona virus patients is 14,525. The Ministry of Public Health says that the recent cases are 411 in Kabul, 177 in Herat, 39 in Balkh, 35 in Nangarhar, 29 in Takhar, 28 in Paktia, 27 in Parwan, 26 in Badghis, 19 in Logar, 19 in Baghlan, 16 in Kunduz, 15 in Kapisa, 10 in Ghazni, six in Panjshir, four in Badakhshan, three in Wardak and two in Faryab provinces. | Link |
| 5/30/2020 | ToloNews | Journalist, Driver Killed in Kabul IED Blast, 6 Wounded | An IED hit a vehicle of Khurshid TV channel in PD4 of Kabul city, killing at least one journalist and a driver. 6 people were wounded in the attack. Khurshid TV’s economic reporter Zamir Amiri and technical staff member Shafiq were killed in the blast. Rafi Sediqqi, the editor-in-chief of Khurshid TV, said that six staff members of the channel were wounded in the blast and two are in serious condition. Those wounded in the blast were transferred to Kabul's Emergency Hospital. | Link |
| 5/27/2020 | KP | Coronavirus spreading at an alarming rate in Afghanistan, 658 new cases recorded | The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) announced Tuesday that the authorities have recorded 658 new positive cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) across the country in the past 24 hours. According to MoPH, the authorities tested 1,152 people in the past 24 hours out of which the results of 658 people returned as positive. The majority of the new cases were recorded in Kabul where 237 of the new cases while 85 others were recorded in western Herat province. | Link |
| 5/27/2020 | KP | US commanders discussing ‘Earlier than planned Significant troops reduction’ in Afghanistan | The U.S. commanders are discussing options for significantly reducing the U.S. troops in Afghanistan, a move that could bring all U.S. troops back before the voters go to the polls in next presidential elections. Several U.S. defense officials have told the local media outlets in the United States that the senior military officials are discussing options in the wake of concerns sparked by President Donald Trump’s repeated calls for withdrawing the troops from Afghanistan. | Link |
| 5/25/2020 | syriahr | Report: Airstrikes in east Syria kill Iran-backed fighters | Unknown warplanes attacked Iran-backed fighters in eastern Syria near the Iraqi border, killing several of the Iraqi militiamen, Syrian opposition activists said Sunday. The strikes late Saturday targeted a base near the border town of Boukamal, killing seven fighters, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor. | Link |
| 5/25/2020 | Kurdistan24 | Iraq reports 197 new COVID-19 cases; 20 in Kurdistan | On the first day of the Eid al-Fitr holidays, the Iraqi health ministry reported 197 new coronavirus infections over the previous 24 hours, with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announcing twenty new cases over the same period. Iraqi health authorities said that the total number of confirmed COVID-19 infections recorded throughout Iraq reached 4,469 on Sunday, including 160 deaths, and a total of 2,738 recoveries. | Link |
| 5/25/2020 | abna24 | 25 Daesh members killed in north of Iraq in one month | Fighters from Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Sha'abi, have killed 25 Daesh militants over a span of one month in the north of the country, a spokesman for the popular movement said. Ali al-Husseini, the spokesperson of Hashd al-Sha'abi for northern Iraq, told the local al-Maalouma news agency that popular forces carried out four major operations against Daesh in the cities of Kirkuk, Hawijah, Tuz Khurmatu, Amerli, and al-Zarqa in the past month. | Link |
| 5/25/2020 | SPA | At Least 10 People Killed in Afghanistan | Ten people were killed today and five wounded, after an exchange of fire between two armed local leaders in Takhar province in northern Afghanistan. A spokesman for the provincial governor said that the exchange of fire took place in the Kalafjan region. The motive for the exchange of fire is not known yet, but it is worth mentioning that the two militia leaders who exchanged fire have been in a competitive state for a long time. | Link |
| 5/25/2020 | ariananews | COVID-19 cases in Afghanistan hike to 10,582 | According to the Ministry of Public Health, 584 new cases tested positive in the past 24 hours bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 10,582. Tawhid Shokohmand, the Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Public Health said, “In the Past 24 hours, 1,075 samples were tested in the laboratories of the Ministry, out of which 584 samples were positive.” | Link |
| 5/25/2020 | BNA | Mortar Shell Kill, Wounded 11 People in Laghman | At least four people lost their lives and seven more were wounded after a mortar shell hit on a residential house in eastern Laghman province the other day. Asadullah Dawlat Zai spokesman of Laghman governor told BNA correspondent, the mortar shell hit on a residential house in relevant areas of Alishing district of the province, as a result four people including children lost their live and seven others were wounded. | Link |
| 5/25/2020 | AFP | Afghanistan releases 100 Taliban prisoners after ceasefire | Some 100 Taliban prisoners were released from a military prison in Afghanistan Monday as part of the government’s response to a surprise ceasefire offered by the militants to mark the Eid al-Fitr festival. “The government of Afghanistan has today released 100 Taliban prisoners from Bagram prison,” National Security Council spokesman Javid Faisal told AFP. | Link |
| 5/21/2020 | Kurdistan24 | US-led Coalition airstrikes destroy ISIS tunnels southwest of Erbil: Source | The US-led coalition against the Islamic State, in coordination with Kurdish Peshmerga forces, carried out airstrikes on Wednesday against the terrorist group's fighters in the area known as Qarachukh Mountain, located outside the disputed district of Makhmour, a security source told Kurdistan 24. | Link |
| 5/21/2020 | JPost | Iraqi security services arrest ISIS leader - report | Iraqi security services arrested the ISIS operative who took over leading the terror group after the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019, Israeli media reported on Wednesday. | Link |
| 5/21/2020 | taskandpurpose | 2019 was the 'deadliest year on record' for insider attacks in Afghanistan | Last year was the "deadliest year on record" for insider attacks carried out in Afghanistan, according to a new inspector general report to Congress. In its first quarterly report issued for 2020, the lead inspector general for Operation Freedom's Sentinel in Afghanistan marked the grim milestone in attacks on Afghan security forces by their own colleagues, which are sometimes referred to as "green-on-blue" attacks. | Link |
| 5/21/2020 | ToloNews | 531 New COVID-19 Cases Reported in Afghanistan | The Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday said that it registered 531 new positive cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours --bringing the total positive cases to 8,676. The number of total known active cases in Afghanistan is 7,547, said the MoPH. According to the Health Ministry, six people lost their lives over the past 24 hours and eight more recovered. The known death toll from the coronavirus is now 193. The total number of recoveries is 938. | Link |
| 5/21/2020 | lbcnews | Oxfam to close operations in 18 countries as virus drains finances | Aid agency Oxfam International is to severely curtail its work because of the financial strain caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Its plans include the closure of operations in 18 countries at the potential cost of 1,450 jobs. The organisation, which currently operates in 66 countries and whose global work is coordinated via 20 affiliate offices around the world, said in a statement that it has had to accelerate changes as a result of the pandemic. Countries it will be exiting include Afghanistan, Egypt, Rwanda, Sudan and Tanzania. It said the changes will affect around 1,450 out of nearly 5,000 programme staff. | Link |
| 5/21/2020 | ToloNews | Suicide Bomber Targets Convoy of District Governor | In Nangarhar, the convoy of Chaparhar district governor Mohammad Seddiq Dawlatzai was targeted by a suicide bomber on Thursday afternoon, said local officials. The attack took place at 03:00 pm in Behsud district, when a suicide bomber detonated his explosives close to Dawlatzai’s convoy, leaving him and his son wounded, said officials. “The wounded are in stable condition,” officials said. However, the officials did not provide further details about the attack. No group has yet claimed responsibility. | Link |
| 5/21/2020 | DoD | Army Casualty Identified | The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Freedom's Sentinel. 1st Lt. Trevarius Ravon Bowman, 25, from Spartanburg, South Carolina, died May 19, 2020, in Bagram Air Force Base, Afghanistan, from a non-combat-related incident. The incident is under investigation. Bowman was assigned to Company B, 198th Signal Battalion, 261st Signal Brigade, Newberry, South Carolina. The unit is attached to the 228th Theater Tactical Signal Brigade, South Carolina National Guard. | Link |
| 5/19/2020 | ShafaqNews | Explosion in minibus causes casualties in Baghdad | An Iraqi police officer said on Tuesday that one person was killed and at least two others injured when a homemade bomb exploded inside a minibus to transport passengers southeast of the capital Baghdad. A homemade bomb placed inside a vehicle of transporting passengers, exploded as it was passing through Al-Madaen district, southeast of Baghdad , the source told Shafaq News agency. The source added that the explosion killed one person and wounded two others. | Link |
| 5/19/2020 | Neweurope | French fighter jets launch airstrikes against ISIS in northern Iraq | Two French jets launched airstrikes against buildings used by ISIS fighters, near Iraq’s city Kirkuk on May 10, the US-led Coalition announced on Monday. The French defense ministry said in a statement that the Rafale jets “completely destroyed a building used by Daesh fighters as a bed down location west of Kirkuk, in an area identified as a sanctuary for the terrorist group”. | Link |
| 5/19/2020 | Stratfor | Rumblings of an Islamic State Resurgence in Iraq | The Islamic State may have faded from international headlines, but the group remains a potent threat capable of returning with force in its core territory. Since beginning its initial resurgence in Iraq during 2011, the Islamic State has morphed from a local insurgent group to a global movement, with branches that have... | Link |
| 5/19/2020 | AP | Rocket hit Baghdad Green Zone, minor damages | A rocket struck Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, the seat of Iraq’s government, early on Tuesday morning, according to an Iraqi military statement, the first attack on the area since a new prime minister was sworn in earlier this month. The Katyusha rocket hit an empty house, causing minor damages. The Green Zone is where government buildings and foreign embassies are located. A preliminary investigation indicated the rocket was launched from the nearby Al-Idrisi neighborhood on Palestine Street, the statement said. | Link |
| 5/19/2020 | KP | Taliban militants set the bodies of 5 people on fire after shooting them dead | The Ministry of Interior (MoI) said the Taliban militants set the bodies of five people on fire after shooting them dead in South-eastern Ghazni province. According to a statement released by MoI, the Taliban militants killed the five people including three civilians and two policemen in Qayaq Valley of Jaghatoo district. The statement further added that the victims were travelling in a vehicle when they were targeted by Taliban militants and their dead bodies were set on fire inside the car. | Link |
| 5/19/2020 | KP | 20 Taliban militants killed in Ghazni, Paktika and Wardak provinces | The security forces killed at least 11 Taliban militants during the operations in Ghazni, Paktika and Wardak provinces, the Afghan military said. The 203rd Thunder Corps in a statement said the security forces conducted an operation in Nani area of Ghazni city as Taliban militants were planning to launch an attack. | Link |
| 5/19/2020 | KP | Taliban militants set the bodies of 5 people on fire after shooting them dead | The Ministry of Interior (MoI) said the Taliban militants set the bodies of five people on fire after shooting them dead in South-eastern Ghazni province. According to a statement released by MoI, the Taliban militants killed the five people including three civilians and two policemen in Qayaq Valley of Jaghatoo district. The statement further added that the victims were travelling in a vehicle when they were targeted by Taliban militants and their dead bodies were set on fire inside the car. | Link |
| 5/19/2020 | NYTimes | Clinic Bombed as Afghan Forces Fend Off Taliban Attack on Kunduz | Airstrikes destroyed much of a small health center after the militants again besieged the northern city, which they have repeatedly overrun. n a day of intensifying violence across Afghanistan, the country’s security forces bombed a clinic in the northern province of Kunduz on Tuesday in their efforts to thwart another coordinated run by the Taliban on the provincial capital that the militants have twice overrun and continue to besiege. | Link |
| 5/19/2020 | Afghanistantimes | 4 killed in Zabul roadside bomb | At least four civilians, including two children were killed after a vehicle they were traveling in hit with a roadside mine in southern Zabul province, official said on Tuesday. The roadside bomb, planted by the Taliban militants took the lives of civilians in Mizan district of the province, Spokesman for Ministry of Interior, Tariq Arian said. | Link |
| 5/19/2020 | Afghanistantimes | Security forces push back Taliban attack in Kunduz, killing 40 rebels | Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) have pushed back the comprehensive attack of the Taliban in northern Kunduz province, killing 40 fighters, defense official said on Tuesday. Taliban rebels coordinately attacked areas at the outskirt city of northern Kunduz on Monday night that faced a resistance from the Afghan security forces, said Ministry of Defense (MoD) Deputy Spokesman Fawad Aman. | Link |
| 5/13/2020 | Afghanistantimes | Kabul hospital attack’s death toll rises to 24 | The death toll of Tuesday’s attack on a maternity hospital in the Dasht-e-Barchi neighborhood, west of Kabul reached to 24, health officials said. Wahid Majroh, deputy public health minister, said Wednesday that a professional midwife was among the dead, calling the incident as attack on health sector. He said that 16 more people were injured in the attack claimed by the Daesh terrorist attack. | Link |
| 5/11/2020 | Kurdistan24 | COVID-19 Updates - Iraq reports 51 new cases, as KRG, again, says no new infections | Iraq’s Ministry of Health and the Environment on Monday announced it had recorded 51 new coronavirus cases and one death over the past 24 hours. Kurdistan Region authorities, meanwhile, said there had been no new infections in the region over the same time period. A federal health ministry statement noted that, out of 2,548 tests conducted in Iraq over the past 24 hours, 51 had come back positive. The regional health ministry in its announcement said all 976 coronavirus examinations over 1the same period had returned negative. | Link |
| 5/11/2020 | KP | 6 Afghan soldiers martyred, 5 wounded in Laghman clash | At least six Afghan soldiers lost their lives and five others sustained injuries during a clash in eastern Laghman province of Afghanistan. The 201st Silab Corps in a statement said the Taliban militants attacked the security posts in Alisheng district of Laghman province late on Sunday night. The statement further added that the Afghan forces responded to the attack in a bid to repel the attack. | Link |
| 5/11/2020 | ToloNews | 4 More Blasts in Kabul, No Casualties | At least four explosions occurred in Tahia Maskan area in PD4 of Kabul city on Monday morning, said security officials, who added: “None of the explosions caused casualties.” This follows three explosions on Sunday night, also without reported casualties. The security forces said that the target was the National Directorate of Security (NDS) and government vehicles | Link |
| 5/11/2020 | WaPo | Retired Afghan general joins the Taliban as concerns rise over defections | A retired Afghan general has defected to the Taliban in western Farah province, according to Afghan and Taliban officials, as concerns rise over members of the Afghan security forces switching sides at a critical moment in the war. A spokesman for Afghanistan’s Interior Ministry called the news “regretful” in a statement Sunday, accusing retired Gen. Abdul Jalil Bakhtawar of choosing “violence over a life of dignity.” | Link |
| 5/10/2020 | BasNews | COVID-19 Cases in Iraq Rise to 2,679 | The total number of people so far infected with the new coronavirus in Iraq has now risen to 2,679, the health ministry reported on Saturday evening. At least 76 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Iraq over the past day, a statement by the ministry explained. With three new deaths confirmed in the same period of time, the total death toll reached 197 in the country, the statement added. | Link |
| 5/10/2020 | Shafaaq | Missile attack foiled at the outskirts of Karbala | Al-Abbas combat group, a faction of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), reported on Sunday that it had foiled a missile attack on the outskirts of Karbala Governorate. The combat group said in a statement today that "based on accurate intelligence information, a combat detachment with the tactical team of Abbas Division went outside the sector of responsibility 25 km east of Wadi Ghafd in Anbar desert to control a group of projectiles prepared for the operation containing 6 missiles with a motorcycle which was preparing to target Al-Nukhaib district of Al-Anbar Governorate, adding that the missiles were destroyed while the terrorists fled away. " | Link |
| 5/10/2020 | Reuters | Seven killed in protests over food distribution in Afghanistan, local MP says | Seven people were killed when protesters angry over what they see as unfair food aid distribution during the coronavirus pandemic clashed with police in Afghanistan’s western Ghor province on Saturday, according to a local member of parliament. Fourteen more were wounded during the protest - sparked by growing unhappiness at the distribution allegedly favouring people with political connections, said Gulzaman Nayeb, a lawmaker representing Ghor. | Link |
| 5/10/2020 | KP | 361 new cases of coronavirus recorded in Afghanistan in past 24 hours | The Ministry of Public Health announced Sunday that the authorities have recorded 361 new positive cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past 24 hours. Wahid Majroh, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Public Health, said the authorities recorded the new positive cases in various provinces. According to Majroh, the authorities also recorded deaths of at least five people from COVID-19 disease while 65 others who had contracted the disease, have recovered. | Link |
| 5/10/2020 | KP | Terrorists killed after hurling hand grenades at a security tower in Kandahar city | The security forces killed two terrorists who hurled hand grenades at a security watch tower in Kandahar city, the provincial capital of Kandahar province. General Tadin Khan Achakzai, the Police Chief of Kandahar, said the two terrorists hurled hand grenades at a security watch tower in 10th district of Kandahar city. He also added that the security forces returned fire after coming attack, killing the two terrorists who had hurled hand grenades. | Link |
| 5/10/2020 | ABCNews | Family of American kidnapped in Afghanistan fears US leaving him behind; with Taliban deal stalled, violence surging | The family of an American kidnapped in Afghanistan weeks before the U.S. and the Taliban signed a peace deal in late February is voicing fears that he will be left behind as the Trump administration pushes ahead with its implementation of an agreement to end the 18-year war. Their concerns come amid growing pressure from Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the administration to do more to ensure the release of Mark Frerichs, 57, of Lombard, Illinois, and to halt a dramatic increase in violence between the Taliban and the U.S.-backed Afghan government. | Link |
| 5/10/2020 | KP | Kabul Police arrest 2 suspects in connection with targets killings | The Kabul Police arrested two suspects in connection with target killings in the city, the Kabul Police Headquarters said. According to a statement released by Kabul Police, the police forces arrested the two suspects during a raid which they conducted in Bot Khak area located in the 12th district of the city. The statement further added that the police forces also confiscated an Ak-47 assault rifle, 200 rounds of munitions of the weapon and two motorcycles belonging to the suspects. | Link |
| 5/7/2020 | KP | 5 killed as Special Forces bust major network led by ISIS, Haqqani Network in Kabul | The Afghan Special Forces busted a major network of terrorists led by ISIS and Haqqani Network in Kabul, killing at least 5 terrorists during the raid. The Afghan Intelligence, National Directorate of Security (NDS), in a statement said the Special Forces of the directorate conducted the raid in Shakar Dara district and 11th district of Kabul city. | Link |
| 5/7/2020 | AfghanistanTimes | Covid-19 cases surge to 3,392 in Afghanistan | Ministry of Public Health on Wednesday said it has recorded 168 new positive cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, bringing the tally to 3,392 across Afghanistan. Out of 701 suspected samples, 168 came positive, a statement issued by the ministry said. | Link |
| 5/7/2020 | KabulTimes | 168 more tested positive as virus spread all over Afghanistan | Another 168 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Afghanistan in the past 24 hours, taking the nation’s tally to 3,392, the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) said on Wednesday. Wahidullah Mayar, spokesman for the ministry, told a media briefing here that 104 Afghan citizens, including four doctors, had died from the pandemic while 458 Afghans had recovered so far. | Link |
| 5/7/2020 | UPI | 132 civilians killed in U.S. military operations in 2019 | U.S. military operations last year in four countries, including Afghanistan, killed at least 132 civilians, the Pentagon said. In its annual Congress-mandated report on civilian casualties linked to U.S. military operations published Wednesday, the Department of Defense said another 91 civilians were injured in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Somalia. | Link |
| 5/7/2020 | Reuters | Afghanistan says it has found 17 bodies of migrants drowned by Iran border guards | Afghan authorities said on Thursday they had recovered 12 more bodies of migrants who were thrown into a river by Iranian border guards this month to stop them entering the country, bringing the death toll from the alleged incident to 17. Iran has already rejected the allegations. The case has triggered a diplomatic crisis between the neighbouring countries, who share trade, economic and cultural ties. | Link |
| 5/6/2020 | BasNews | Iraq COVID-19 Cases Reach 2,480 | Iraq's Ministry of Health said on Wednesday that the total number of coronavirus infections in the country had reached 2,480. A statement by the ministry explained that at least 49 new infections had been detected over the past 24 hours. No new deaths were registered on Wednesday while 31 patients were discharged from the hospital after they recovered from the novel virus. The death toll remained steady at 102, according to the latest updates by the health ministry. | Link |
| 5/6/2020 | MiddleEastEye | Rockets hit military complex near Baghdad airport used by US troops | Three rockets struck a military complex near Baghdad International Airport used to house US forces and diplomats, Iraq's military has said. An Iraqi security official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said there were no reported causalities or damages in Wednesday's attack and no immediate claim of responsibility. According to the official, one of the rockets struck close to Iraqi forces at the military airport, another near Camp Cropper, which was at one point an American detention facility, and the last near a facility where US forces are stationed. | Link |
| 5/6/2020 | DoD | Army Casualty Identified | Sgt. Christopher Wesley Curry, 23, from Terre Haute, Indiana, died May 4, 2020 in Erbil, Iraq, from a non-combat-related incident. The incident is under investigation. Curry was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska. | Link |
| 5/3/2020 | VOA | IS Militants Kill 10 Iraqi Militiamen in Most Lethal Attack in Months | Ten Iraqi Shi'ite "Hushd" militiamen were killed early Saturday in an Islamic State (IS) attack on their positions in Salahuddin province. The attack comes as the country's prime minister-designate prepares to present his new government to parliament this coming week. Hushd militiamen traded gunfire with IS attackers overnight in Salahuddin province, when the 10 dead militiamen were killed and a number of them wounded, according to a statement by the Iraqi government. It was the first major IS attack on Hushd militiamen or government forces in a number of months. | Link |
| 5/3/2020 | BasNews | Fresh IS Attack Kills 7 Iraqi Forces, Injures 8 | Islamic State (IS) jihadists on Saturday night carried out two separate attacks in Iraq’s Diyala province, killing at least seven troops and wounding eight others. Diyala police spokesperson Nihad Mohammed told BasNews that the first attack occurred near Uzeim subdistrict where the IS jihadists attacked the Iraqi army personnel with a roadside bomb. According to Mohammed, one fighter was killed and three others were wounded as a result of the explosion. | Link |
| 5/3/2020 | VOA | Iranian Border Guards Beat Afghan Migrants and Throw Into a River | Officials in Afghanistan are investigating reports that Iranian guards beat and tortured dozens of Afghan men trying to cross the border and threw them into the Harirud River. Afghan officials say at least 12 bodies have been pulled from the river in Heart province and eight others are missing. As many as 70 were said to be attacked. A Taliban statement says 23 were killed. “They kept hitting us with pipes and saying, ‘Don’t come back to our country,’ and kept pushing us into the river,” one of the survivors told reporters. | Link |
| 5/3/2020 | KP | 26 Taliban militants killed, wounded in Balkh province | The Afghan forces killed 16 Taliban militants during separate operations in northern Balkh province of Afghanistan, the Afghan military said. The 209th Shaheen Corps in a statement said a group of Taliban militants ambushed a convoy of the Afghan forces between Zari district and Mazar-e Sharif city. The statement further added the Afghan force carried out airstrikes in response to the attack, killing at least 14 militants and wounding 6 others. | Link |
| 5/3/2020 | KP | 17 Taliban militants killed, wounded in Paktiya and Logar provinces | The Afghan forces killed 11 Taliban militants during the operations in Paktiya and Logar provinces, the Afghan military said. The 203rd Thunder Corps in a statement said the Taliban militants attacked the security posts in Pir Laka area of Jani Khel district on Saturday night. The statement further added that the Afghan forces effectively responded to the attack with the support of the Afghan Air Force, killing at least 6 militants. | Link |
| 5/3/2020 | Afghanistantimes | Covid-19 cases increase rapidly, tally reaches to 2,704 | The Ministry of Public Health on Sunday said it has recorded 235 new positive cases of coronavirus in the past 24 hours, pushing the tally to 2,704 across Afghanistan. Health Ministry Spokesman Wahidullah Mayar in a press conference said that out of 581 suspected samples, 235 came positive. These cases are included 63 in Kabul, 54 in Kandahar, 19 in Herat, 14 in Panjshir, 13 in Takhar, 12 in Nangarhar and 10 cases each in Samangan and Ghor provinces. Nine cases were also reported in Baghalan, seven in Maidan Wardak and five each in Badghis, Bamyan and Laghman provinces. Three cases recorded in Sar-e-Pul, two cases in Parwan, two cases in Kunar and one case each in Helmand and Farah provinces. | Link |
| 5/1/2020 | BasNews | Two Policemen Injured in IS Attack | As a result of an Islamic State (IS) attack in Diyala province, two policemen were wounded, a spokesperson has confirmed. Speaking to BasNews, Nihad Mohammed, a spokesperson for Diyala Police, noted that the incident occurred overnight on Thursday in Jalawla district. He further explained that the two policemen were targeted by the Islamic State snipers. | Link |
| 5/1/2020 | BasNews | Three IS Militants Killed in Diyala | At least three militants of the Islamic State (IS) were killed in the Iraqi province of Diyala during a military operation, reports said on Friday. Sadiq al-Husseini, a pro-Iranian Hashd al-Shaabi spokesperson in Diyala, told reporters that the militias conduced an operation in Hamrin mountains, Diyala province, noting that they have also set up several checkpoints in Naft Khana region. | Link |
| 5/1/2020 | AP | Iraq’s revenues plummet, raising fears of economic collapse | Iraq’s revenues plummeted in April amid a historic oil price crash, the Oil Ministry said Friday, raising concerns over how the country will cope severe financial shortfalls while struggling to contain the coronavirus pandemic. The crude-dependent economy earned just $1.4 billion in oil revenues last month, at an average price of $13.8 per barrel, according to data released by the ministry, a sixth of average figures from before the oil price crash. Oil traded between $20 and $30 in April, but Iraq sells its crude at a discounted rate. | Link |
| 5/1/2020 | Rferl | Gunmen Critically Injure Pashtun Rights Activist In Pakistan's Tribal Areas | Unidentified gunmen have critically injured a prominent ethnic Pashtun rights activist in an attack in Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal district. Sardar Arif Wazir, one of the leaders of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM), was traveling by car in the city of Wanna when gunmen opened fire from another vehicle, RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal reported late on May 1. | Link |
| 5/1/2020 | VOA | US Argues Diplomacy Demands Withholding Taliban Attack Data | The Defense Department is defending its decision to withhold information on the frequency and success of Taliban attacks, saying it is necessary if the United States is going to be able to help usher in an era of peace in Afghanistan. Officials Friday pushed back against a U.S. government watchdog's report that said restricting access to the data was making it difficult to assess the security situation as Afghan and Taliban officials have struggled to build on a U.S.-Taliban peace-building deal signed in February. | Link |
| 5/1/2020 | KP | Taliban militants, Afghan soldiers among 30 killed, wounded in Logar clashes | A clash broke out between Taliban militants and Afghan forces in Logar province which left at least 29 dead or wounded including 21 militants. The Ministry of Defense (MoD) in a statement said the Taliban militants attacked the security posts in Baraki district of Logar. The statement further added that the Afghan forces responded to the attack, killing at least 15 Taliban militants and wounding at least 6 others. | Link |
| 5/1/2020 | KP | 11 Afghan soldiers suffer casualties while repelling a Taliban attack in Balkh | At least eleven Afghan soldiers suffered casualties during a clash in northern Balkh province of Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defense said. According to a statement released by defense ministry, the Taliban militants attacked the security posts in Balkh province late on Thursday night. The statement further added that the Afghan forces responded to the attack and inflicted heavy casualties on Taliban militants while repelling the attack. | Link |
| 5/1/2020 | VOANews | US Troop Reduction Plan on Track in Afghanistan | The U.S. military said Friday its withdrawal from Afghanistan is continuing and that it expects troop levels to drop to 8,600 by mid-July under terms of a peace-building deal with the Taliban. The “conditions-based” military withdrawal began within days after the signing of the landmark agreement with the Islamist insurgency on February 29, when the number of total American troops in the country stood at around 13,000. The agreement also calls for the withdrawal of all American personnel from Afghanistan, along with coalition partners, by July 2021. | Link |
| 4/29/2020 | AfghanistanTimes | Suicide bombing kills 3, wounds 15 in Kabul | At least three civilians have been killed and 15 others received injuries after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives among civilians in Kabul on Wednesday morning. “A suicide bomber detonated his explosives among civilians in Reshkor area of Chahar Asiab district of Kabul at around 08:00am local time,” said Interior Ministry Spokesman Tariq Arian. “Three civilians embraced martyrdom and 15 others were wounded,” Arian lamented. | Link |
| 4/29/2020 | PrensaLatina | Suicide bombing in Afghanistan kills 15 | A man with an explosive vest blew himself up next to the Afghan Defense Ministry, causing 19 victims, 15 of them fatal, said Tariq Arian, spokesman for the Ministry, in a statement. According to the source, the suicide bomber blew himself up next to the area called Reshkhor, occupied by the Special Operations Corps after failing to pass through the security ring closest to the institution. | Link |
| 4/29/2020 | MiddleEastMonitor | Iraq arrests Daesh militant responsible for executions in Samarra city | Iraqi security forces yesterday arrested a Daesh militant who used to head the so-called “Execution Committee” in the city of Samarra in the Salahuddin Governorate in the north of the country. The Iraqi Security Media Cell said in a statement that a force from the Samarra Operations Command captured a Daesh member who had been the group’s head of executions. | Link |
| 4/29/2020 | Kurdistan24 | ISIS claims suicide attack targeting Kirkuk’s intelligence headquarters | An Islamic State suicide attacker with explosive belts detonated himself on Tuesday while attempting to penetrate Kirkuk’s intelligence headquarters, resulting in four injuries to intelligence members. The suicide attack comes as the province of Kirkuk eased its COVID-19 lockdown measures last week when the infections rate declined significantly. “Overall, four members of the intelligence community got injured in the attack,” a source at the site of the incident told Kurdistan 24. | Link |
| 4/29/2020 | BasNews | Turkish Airstrikes Kill Two Civilians on Kurdistan Borders | Turkish airstrikes in the Kurdistan Region border areas resulted in the killing of two civilians on Tuesday, a monitor revealed. Hengaw Organization for Human Rights said in a report that the two civilians were from the Iranian Kurdistan who had visited the mountains for agricultural work. The Turkish warplanes reportedly bombarded the borders between the Kurdistan Region, Iran, and Turkey on Tuesday morning. | Link |
| 4/29/2020 | BasNews | Death Toll from Afrin Explosion Rises to 46 | The death from an explosion that occurred in the Syrian Kurdish city of Afrin on Tuesday has risen to 46, a war monitor said. The incident took place in a market in Afrin where a fuel truck exploded, among whom were at least six Ankara-backed rebels, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. | Link |
| 4/29/2020 | BasNews | Kurdistan COVID-19 Infections Spike to 366 | Kurdistan Region's Health Ministry said on Tuesday that the total number of coronavirus cases had risen to 366 in the region, reporting one more death. The ministry said in a statement that at least 11 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in the capital Erbil over the past 24 hours. | Link |
| 4/29/2020 | rferl | Troops Suffering Brain Injuries In Iran Missile Attack May Receive Purple Hearts | The U.S. Department of Defense is considering awarding Purple Hearts to U.S. troops who suffered traumatic brain injuries (TBI) during the Iranian missile attack of January 8 on bases in Iraq hosting American troops. CNN's Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr on Tuesday reported that the awards were in the final stages of review. The number of service members considered for the award out of the 110 has not been disclosed. | Link |
| 4/25/2020 | Stripes | Army announces summer troop moves to Europe, Iraq and Afghanistan | The Army is moving forward with plans for summer troop rotations to Europe, Iraq and Afghanistan even as the military grapples with the disruptive effects of the global coronavirus pandemic, the service announced Thursday. The announcement came days after the Pentagon issued the latest version of a sweeping stop-movement order, aimed at stemming the spread of the coronavirus among troops. The latest order, which is scheduled to last through June 30, allows senior service officials to grant exemptions for service members whose new assignments are deemed essential to the Defense Department’s overall mission. | Link |
| 4/25/2020 | BasNews | IS Kills Two Iraqi Militiamen in Hit-and-Run Attack | Islamic State (IS) militants carried out an attack in Iraq’s Diyala province overnight on Friday and killed at least two members of the Sunni militia forces of Al-Hashd Al- Shayari. According to the information obtained by BasNews, the IS jihadists managed to escape the scene after the surprise attack. | Link |
| 4/25/2020 | BasNews | Iraq COVID-19 Infections Rise to 1,763 | The total number of coronavirus cases in Iraq rose to 1,763 on Saturday with tens of new cases registered in the country, the health ministry said in a statement. At least 55 new infections were confirmed in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region on Saturday, the statement explained, noting that no new deaths were recorded. Out of the total number of people so far found infected with COVID-19 across Iraq, 1,224 patients have recovered from the novel virus and returned home while 86 others lost their lives, according to the latest updates by the ministry. | Link |
| 4/25/2020 | BasNews | Coronavirus - Entire Village Quarantined in Sulaimaniya Province | The entire village of Williawa in Kurdistan Region's Sulaimaniya province was put in quarantine on Saturday after a man was found infected with new coronavirus in the area. This came as part of other protective measures to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the region after two new cases were confirmed in Sulaimaniya province earlier on Friday. | Link |
| 4/25/2020 | AfghanistanTimes | 34 civilians killed in one week of bloodshed | A disturbing and bloody escalation of violence has taken the live of 34 civilians in the past one week across Afghanistan after the increase of full-fledged attacks by the Taliban group. In addition to that 62 more civilians received injuries, said National Security Council Spokesman Javid Faisal in a press conference on Saturday. | Link |
| 4/25/2020 | AfghanistanTimes | Covid-19 cases surge to 1,463 | Giving a new update of coronavirus, the Afghan health officials announced 133 new cases registered within past 24 hours in 18 provinces of the country, bringing the total number to 1,463. Speaking to a news conference on Saturday in Kabul, spokesman for the ministry of public health, Wahidullah Mayar said that four of covid-19 patients were died within two rounds of clock, putting the death toll to 47. | Link |
| 4/25/2020 | AfghanistanTimes | 14 civilians killed, injured in Taliban rocket attack in Faryab | At least 14 civilians have been killed and injured when Taliban fighters launched rocket and mortar attacks in Faryab province in the northwest.The interior ministry said Saturday in a statement that 11 civilians including women and children were killed and wounded by rockets and mortars fired by Taliban in the Qaisar district. | Link |
| 4/25/2020 | 1tvnews | Dozens of civilians killed and injured in Afghanistan attacks | At least 28 civilians have been killed and injured in separate attacks by the Taliban over the past 24 hours in Afghanistan's two provinces, officials said Saturday. In northern Faryab province, 14 civilians were killed and injured in three separate attacks, said Karim Yorish, a spokesman for provincial police. | Link |
| 4/25/2020 | AfghanistanTimes | 45 rockets confiscated in Kabul | Afghan forces have discovered and seized 45 rockets in Kabul. Afghan National Army (ANA) forces succeeded to discover and confiscate 45 rockets belonged to Taliban in Paghman district of Kabul, said Ministry of Defense (MoD) Deputy Spokesman Fawad Aman in a statement on Saturday. | Link |
| 4/22/2020 | taskandpurpose | US troops in Iraq had several hours of warning before Iran’s ballistic missile attack in January | U.S. troops at Al-Asad Air Base had much more warning about the Iranian ballistic missile attack in January than defense officials have previously revealed, according to testimonials of troops who lived through the attack. In the early morning of Jan. 8, a total of 11 Iranian ballistic missiles struck the Iraqi base, which hosts U.S. troops. More than 100 U.S. service members were diagnosed with mild traumatic brain injury as a result of the attack, which was in retaliation for the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, former head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. | Link |
| 4/22/2020 | al-monitor | Islamic State steps up attacks in Iraq during coronavirus lockdown | Iraq has been hit by a wave of Islamic State (IS) attacks during the country’s coronavirus lockdown. Numerous operations by IS and unknown groups have occurred in Iraq’s disputed territories in April. Iraqi security forces and the US-led anti-IS coalition have also attacked the group several times this month. One journalist in the disputed city of Kirkuk said the uptick began after the government imposed a curfew March 17 to fight the spread of the virus. | Link |
| 4/22/2020 | BasNews | Five Iraqi Troops Injured in Clash with IS Militants | At least five Iraqi troops were injured on Wednesday during a fierce confrontation with the militants of the Islamic State (IS) in Diyala province. Local sources told BasNews that the troops suffered injuries while engaging a group of jihadists in Sheikh Khalid village, near Hamrin Lake. The Iraqi forces were conducting an anti-IS operation to clear the area from the IS presence, a source said. | Link |
| 4/22/2020 | BasNews | Total Coronavirus Infections Rise to 1,631 | The Iraqi health ministry said on Wednesday that the total number of coronavirus infections in the country had reached 1,631. It further explained that at least 29 people over the past day had tested positive for COVID-19 in Iraq, including 12 in the capital Baghdad, three in Najaf, six in Basra, two in Babil, and six others in Dhi Qar provinces. | Link |
| 4/22/2020 | KP | Key ISIS leader having links with Haqqani Network, Lashkar-e Taiba arrested in Afghanistan | A key ISIS leader who had close links with the Taliban’s Peshawar Council, Haqqani Network and Lashkar-e Taiba, was arrested during an operation in Afghanistan. The National Directorate of Security in a statement said the NDS forces arrested the ISIS leader, Muneeb, during a raid in Afghanistan. | Link |
| 4/22/2020 | KP | 51 new positive cases of coronavirus recorded across Afghanistan in past 24 hours | Blood sample with respiratory coronavirus positive...The health authorities recorded 51 new positive cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) across Afghanistan in the past 24 hours. The Ministry of Public Health confirmed confirmed that the new cases were recorded in 11 provinces of the country. | Link |
| 4/22/2020 | KP | 11 security personnel lost their lives, 19 wounded in Taliban attacks in Sar-e Pul | The Taliban militants launched attacks in two districts of northern Sar-e Pul province which claimed the lives of at least 11 security personnel. Provincial governor’s spokesperson Zabiullah Amani confirmed the incident and said the Taliban militants attacked the security posts in Sancharak and Suzma Qala districts on Tuesday night. | Link |
| 4/22/2020 | france24 | Dozens die in clashes across Afghanistan as US struggles to broker Taliban cease-fire | Clashes between Afghan forces and Taliban militants killed dozens nationwide over the past 24 hours, authorities said on Wednesday, even as the United States tries to broker peace talks between the warring sides. Eight security force members were killed in a Taliban attack on a checkpoint at the Mes Aynak Copper Mine in eastern Logar province on Tuesday evening, Abdul Qadeer Mutfi, a spokesman for Afghanistan's Mine and Petroleum Ministry, said in a tweet. | Link |
| 4/17/2020 | KP | Afghanistan records 66 new positive cases of coronavirus in past 24 hours | Afghanistan recorded 66 new positive cases of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in the past 24 hours, raising the total number of positive cases to 906. The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) confirmed that the health officials recorded 66 new positive cases of the disease across the country in the past 24 hours. | Link |
| 4/17/2020 | KP | Mortar attack by Taliban kills 2 women, 1 child in Paktiya | A mortar attack by Taliban militants killed three civilians in South-eastern Paktiya province of Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) said. According to a statement released by MoD, the Taliban militants carried out mortar attack on Gardez city, the provincial capital of Paktiya province. The statement further added that the mortar rounds landed on civilian houses in Gardez city which killed two women and child. | Link |
| 4/17/2020 | KP | Gunmen kill 6 workers of the U.S.-run Bagram airfield in North of Afghanistan | Armed men killed six workers of the U.S.-run Bagram airfield in northern Parwan province of Afghanistan late on Thursday night, the local officials said. Waheeda Shahkar, a spokesperson for the provincial government, said a group of armed men, believed to be affiliated with the Taliban group, opened fire on a group of civilian workers of the U.S.-run Bagram airfield. | Link |
| 4/17/2020 | BasNews | COVID-19 Cases in Iraq Reach 1,482 | The total number of coronavirus infections in Iraq reached 1,482 after tens of new cases were confirmed in the country on Friday. The health ministry said that at least 48 new infections were detected in separate provinces of Iraq and Kurdistan Region, with the highest number registered in Basra province. According to the ministry, one more patient died from the novel virus as well, taking the total number to 81 across the country. | Link |
| 4/17/2020 | Reuters | The growing threat of ISIS in Syria’s Badia | When the American-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured the village of al-Baghouz in late March 2019, ISIS’s self-proclaimed “caliphate” came to an end. The largest multinational military coalition in modern history spent four-and-a-half years methodically rolling back ISIS’s control of an expanse of territory the size of Britain, stretching across Syria and Iraq. Taken together, the dozens and dozens of victories that got the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS to the final battle in al-Baghouz represented a tremendous military achievement. However, terrorist groups do not need territory to survive. In fact, ISIS and its predecessor movements in the Levant have thrived for far longer without territory than they have with it. | Link |
| 4/17/2020 | inherentresolve | ISF, Coalition blast ISIS hideout | Iraqi Security Forces, assisted by Coalition airpower conducted ground and air strikes against Daesh fighters in south of Kirkuk, April 13, killing more than 20 enemy fighters. Through close collaboration with the Joint Operations Command – Iraq, the Coalition provided ISF-requested close air support, including surveillance aircraft to aid ISF troops battling ISIS holdouts in the austere terrain of Wadi Ashai near Kirkuk. | Link |
| 4/16/2020 | Tolonews | Facing Giant Backlog, Hospital Stops Testing New COVID-19 Cases | Officials at the Afghan-Japan hospital said on Thursday they have stopped testing for COVID-19 because they are overwhelmed by requests. This announcement comes as the number of confirmed cases in the country has reached 840. According to officials, the hospital will accept new cases when they finish the current backlog. | Link |
| 4/16/2020 | al-monitor | Cloud of doubt surrounds coronavirus figures reported by Iraqi government | Iraqis are highly skeptical of the statistics announced by the Iraqi government regarding the country's number of coronavirus cases. This doubt is evident in media reports and blogs of journalists and activists on social media. Health Minister Jaafar Allawi said April 12 in a television interview, “The number of coronavirus cases is subject to international monitoring. Death certificates and forensic medicine are monitored and coronavirus statistics cannot be manipulated in any way.” As of April 14, the country had registered 1,400 cases and 78 deaths, according to a statement by the Health Ministry. | Link |
| 4/16/2020 | Jpost | Turkey bombs refugees in Iraq amid coronavirus pandemic | Turkish drones and warplanes flew into Iraq airspace and bombed near a refugee camp near Makhmour on Wednesday, killing and wounding several people. Iraq’s top security cell for media reporting that its air defense monitored a Turkish violation of Iraqi airspace and that at least two women “residents of the camp were victims of the bombardment.” Iraqi media reported in the evening of April 15 that the death toll at the refugee camp had risen to three. | Link |
| 4/16/2020 | BasNews | Iraqi Army Condemns Turkish Airstrike on Camp Makhmour | The Iraqi army has condemned the recent Turkish airstrikes on Camp Makhmour near Erbil and other areas of Kurdistan Region. The Joint Operations Command of Iraq released a statement on the airstrikes which killed at least two civilians at Camp Makhmour, calling it a blatant violation of Iraq’s sovereignty. It also reminded that any military actions on Iraqi soil violates the principles of neighborhood and the international agreements. | Link |
| 4/16/2020 | BasNews | Car bomb Hits Turkish Checkpoint in Kurdish Town North of Syria | A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) targeted a checkpoint of Turkish forces and Ankara-backed militias on Thursday in the Kurdish town of Sare Kanie (Raas al-Ain), in northern Syria. According to the information obtained by BasNews, the car bomb hit the checkpoint near Ahras village of Sare Kanie. | Link |
| 4/16/2020 | hurriyetdailynews | Turkish soldier killed in terrorist attack in Iraq | A Turkish soldier was killed in a terrorist attack in northern Iraq, the National Defense Ministry said on April 15. “On April 15, 2020, in the Hakurk region of northern Iraq, a hero fellow soldier was martyred by the explosion of a mine/handmade explosive previously placed by terrorists from the separatist terrorist organization PKK,” the ministry said in a statement. | Link |
| 4/16/2020 | Aninews | 5 killed, 4 injured in attack on US airbase in Afghanistan's Bagram | At least five people were killed and 4 other suffered injuries in an attack on US airbase here by unidentified gunmen, a civilian source told Sputnik on Thursday. "Five employees of the Bagram Airfield were killed and four others were injured in an attack near to Bagram Airfield at about 10 p.m. tonight [17.30 GMT]," the source said. | Link |
| 4/16/2020 | KP | COVID-19 cases rise to 840 in Afghanistan with 56 new positive cases | The total number of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) positive cases climbed to 840 in Afghanistan with the new 56 positive cases. The Ministry of Public Health announced Thursday that the 54 new positive cases of the novel coronavirus were recorded across the country in the past 24 hours. According to Public Health Ministry officials, 37 of the new positive cases were recorded in capital Kabul. | Link |
| 4/16/2020 | KP | Clash between police forces, armed robbers leave 3 dead, wounded | A clash broke out between police forces and armed robbers in western Herat province which left at least three armed robbers dead or wounded, the Ministry of Interior (MoI) said. According to a statement released by MoI, the clash broke out in Herat city on Wednesday afternoon after the armed robbers snatched the vehicle of one of the residents of the city in the 6th district. | Link |
| 4/16/2020 | KP | Wounded Pakistani militant arrested, Taliban IED planter killed in Nangarhar | The Afghan forces arrested a wounded Pakistani militant during an operation in eastern Nangarhar province of Afghanistan, the local authorities said. According to a statement released by the provincial government, the Afghan forces arrested Zrar Hafeez, a Pakistani national who had sustained injuries in Momand Dara district. The statement further added that the security forces arrested the suspect in Ghorakai area of the district. | Link |
| 4/5/2020 | VOA | Iraq Protesters Confront Security Forces as PM-designate Presents Agenda to Parliament | Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Adnan Zurfi presented his agenda Saturday to Parliament as government security forces clashed with protesters defying a government-imposed curfew. More than a dozen Iraqi police reportedly were wounded when protesters in Nasiriya threw gasoline bombs at police, who were firing tear gas at them. A long cortege of vehicles Saturday drove through the streets of the southern city, honking car horns to defy the curfew. Iraqi state TV had earlier showed security forces stopping vehicles and taking the temperatures of drivers to detect coronavirus cases. | Link |
| 4/5/2020 | BasNews | Coronavirus Death Toll Reaches 3,603 in Iran | At least 151 more patients of COVID-19 have died in Iran in the past 24 hours, taking the total death toll to 3,603, the health ministry said in a statement on Sunday. Speaking to reporters, Kianoush Janahpour, a spokesperson for the ministry, pointed out that 2,483 people had also tested positive for the coronavirus in the same period of time. | Link |
| 4/5/2020 | BasNews | Iraq Announces Another 83 Coronavirus Cases, 5 more Deaths | Iraq’s health ministry said Sunday that 83 more people across the country had tested positive for the new coronavirus within the past 24 hours. It also said five patients had died from the pandemic virus since Saturday. With the new records, the total number of coronavirus cases in Iraq reaches 961, with the death toll rising to 56. | Link |
| 4/5/2020 | BasNews | Iraqi Forces Launch Operation against IS in North of Baghdad | Iraqi armed forces on Sunday launched a military operation against the remnants of the Islamic State (IS). The operation was planned to mop up three districts of Khazra, Khaznah, and Salman in north of Baghdad. Earlier the day, the Iraqi armed forces also discovered IS hideouts in the western province of Anbar. | Link |
| 4/5/2020 | AA | Daesh/ISIS terrorists kill 4 Iraqi soldiers in Anbar | Four Iraqi soldiers were killed by Daesh/ISIS terrorist group in Iraq's western province of Anbar, a military source said. "Daesh [/ISIS] terrorists targeted a military point of the Iraqi army west of Rutba town in the western part of Anbar province by light and medium weapons," an army source told Anadolu Agency on condition of anonymity as he is not authorized to speak to media outlets. | Link |
| 4/5/2020 | AA | Taliban threaten more attacks if peace deal not honored | The Afghan Taliban warned Sunday that it will resume full-scale attacks if a peace agreement signed with the U.S. in February is not followed in letter and spirit. In a statement, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid accused the Afghan government of delaying the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners which was promised under the agreement. "The Islamic Emirate has so far remained committed to the agreement and its contents. U.S. officials have also acknowledged that the Islamic Emirate's mujahideen have acted on compromises," Mujahid said in a statement, referring to the Taliban’s shadow government. | Link |
| 4/5/2020 | KP | Public Uprising forces kill, wound 11 Taliban militants in Kapisa province | The Public Uprising forces killed or wounded at least 11 Taliban militants during a clash in North-eastern Kapisa province of Afghanistan. The 201st Silab Corps in a statement said a group of Taliban militants attacked the security posts of the Public Uprising forces in Nawa Jangal area of Tagab district on Friday. | Link |
| 4/5/2020 | KP | Prominent Taliban leader killed in Wardak province | The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces ANDSF) killed a prominent Taliban during a clash in central Wardak province, the Afghan military said. According to a statement released by 203rd Thunder Corps, the security forces repulsed a Taliban attack on Sayedabad district late on Saturday night. The statement further added that the security forces killed Qari Jawid alias Masroor, one of the prominent leaders of Taliban during the clash. | Link |
| 4/5/2020 | KP | 9 Taliban militants killed, wounded after attacking ANDSF convoy in Laghman | The Afghan forces killed or wounded nine Taliban militants after responding to a Taliban attack on a convoy of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in Laghman province. The 201st Silab Corps in a statement said the Taliban militants attacked the convey of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces in Alisheng district on Saturday. The statement further added that the Afghan forces responded to the attack with the support of the Air Forces who were providing close air support to the convoy. | Link |
| 4/5/2020 | Reuters | Planned $1 billion U.S. aid cut would hit Afghan security force funds - sources | A planned $1 billion cut in U.S. aid to Afghanistan would come from funds for Afghan security forces, according to three U.S. sources, a step experts said would undercut both Kabul’s ability to fight the Taliban and its leverage to negotiate a peace deal with them. | Link |
| 4/5/2020 | AfghanistanTimes | Afghan forces repel ‘Zabul attack’, kill 16 rebels | The Afghan security forces have pushed back a complex Taliban attack and killed at least 16 rebels in southern Zabul province, ministry of defense said on Monday. The Taliban militants attacked the Afghan security forces outposts in Arghandab district, in which Afghan forces killed 16 rebels in retaliation, defense ministry spokesman, Fawad Aman said. | Link |
| 4/1/2020 | KP | 10 members of a family killed, wounded in an explosion in South of Afghanistan | A roadside bomb explosion killed or wounded at least ten members of a single family in southern Helmand province of Afghanistan. The Helmand Police Headquarters in a statement said a roadside bomb exploded in Nahr-e Saraj district of Helmand, killing at least 8 civilians and wounding 2 others. The statement further added that the bomb ripped through a vehicle which was carrying members of a single family. | Link |
| 4/1/2020 | AfghanistanTimes | NATO chief hints on reducing military presence in Afghanistan | The NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has talked about reducing military presence in Afghanistan as part of peace efforts in the country. “The situation in Afghanistan remained difficult. So now is the time for the Taliban and all political actors to play their part. All parties need to engage constructively, honour their commitments and ensure intra-Afghan negotiations can start,” Stoltenberg said in pre-ministerial press conference in Belgium. | Link |
| 4/1/2020 | AP | Taliban ready to begin cease-fires in virus-hit Afghan areas | The Taliban said Wednesday the group was ready to declare a cease-fire in areas of Afghanistan under its control if they are hit by a coronavirus outbreak. The announcement follows a U.N. Security Council statement Tuesday urging Afghanistan’s warring parties to heed the U.N. secretary-general’s call for an immediate cease-fire to respond to the pandemic and ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid throughout the country. | Link |
| 4/1/2020 | DoD | Army Casualty Identified | Sgt. 1st Class John David Randolph Hilty, 44, from Bowie, Maryland, died March 30, 2020 in Erbil, Iraq, of a non-combat related incident. The incident is under investigation. Hilty was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. | Link |
| 3/30/2020 | BasNews | Kurdistan Announces 22 New Cases of Coronavirus, Totaling 150 | Kurdistan Region’s health ministry confirmed the infection of another 22 people with the new coronavirus. The ministry said in a statement that 14 people in Sulaymaniyah and eight others in Erbil had tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. | Link |
| 3/30/2020 | BasNews | COVID-19 in Iraq: 83 Infections, Four Deaths Registered in 24 Hours | A total of 83 infections of the new coronavirus have been registered in Iraq in the past 24 hours while four patients lost their lives during the same period of time, the health ministry said on Monday. At least 14 cases were recorded in the capital Baghdad while ten others were in Mosul province, the statement said, adding that 18 other people were found infected with the coronavirus in Najaf. | Link |
| 3/30/2020 | MiddleEastEye | US deploys extra Patriot missiles to Iraq amid troop drawdown | The United States has deployed Patriot air defence systems to an Iraqi military base as a precaution against Iranian-backed militia attacks, US and Iraqi military sources have said. One of the Patriot batteries was deployed to the Ain al-Asad base last week and was being assembled, according to a US defence official and an Iraqi military source, AFP reported. The base was targeted by Iran in January, following a US strike that killed top Iranian General Qassem Soleimani. | Link |
| 3/30/2020 | KP | 6 Afghan soldiers ‘Martyred’ in Taliban attack in Zabul | The Ministry of Defense (MoD) confirmed that six Afghan soldiers lost their lives in a Taliban attack in southern Zabul province of Afghanistan. According to a statement released by MoD, the Taliban militants attacked the security posts in Arghandab district of Zabul province on Sunday night. The statement further added that the security forces responded to the attack, inflicting heavy casualties on Taliban militants. | Link |
| 3/30/2020 | Rferl | Taliban Takes District Headquarters, Says It Will Not Negotiate With Afghan Government Team | Taliban forces have taken control of a district headquarters in Afghanistan's northeastern province of Badakhshan, an overnight development that was followed on March 28 by an announcement that the militant group will not negotiate with a team recently unveiled by the Afghan government. | Link |
| 3/30/2020 | Rferl | At Least 28 Afghan Soldiers Killed In Taliban Attacks, Prisoner Release Postponed | Militants have killed 28 members of the Afghan security forces, police officials and authorities said on March 30, as the government postponed a release of Taliban prisoners. Militants stormed the compound of a top police official in the northeastern province of Takhar on March 29, killing 13 police officers and wounding the senior official, a spokesman for the force said. In the southern province of Zabul, Taliban fighters attacked government security outposts, killing at least 11 soldiers, also on March 29, police said. | Link |
| 3/29/2020 | AP | U.S.-led coalition in Iraq withdraws from 3rd base this month | The U.S.-led coalition in Iraq withdrew Sunday from a military base in the country’s north that nearly launched Washington into an open war with neighboring Iran. The K1 Air Base is the third site coalition forces have left this month, in line with U.S. plans to consolidate its troops in two locations in Iraq. A rocket attack on the base in late December killed one American contractor and lead to a series of tit-for-tat attacks between the U.S. and Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups. The attacks culminated in the U.S.-directed killing of top Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and a senior Iraqi militia leader, Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis. | Link |
| 3/29/2020 | Reuters | Iraq Shi'ite pilgrims returning from Syria test positive for coronavirus | Some Shi’ite pilgrims returning to Iraq from Syria have tested positive for coronavirus, raising concern that such pilgrim travel could be a source for a larger spread of the disease around the country, a senior Iraqi official and health officials said on Sunday. So far, Iraq has recorded 547 coronavirus cases and 42 deaths, most of them in the past week. | Link |
| 3/29/2020 | BasNews | First Coronavirus Death Case Confirmed in War-torn Syria | The first death case from the new coronavirus was confirmed on Sunday in the war-torn country of Syria. Syria's Ministry of Health said in a statement that a woman lost her life in the hospital soon after it the results indicated she had been infected with the coronavirus. Her age or place of residence were not mentioned in the statement. The total number of COVID-19 infections in Syria has reached nine after four people tested positive for the novel virus on Sunday, according to the ministry. | Link |
| 3/29/2020 | BasNews | Another 15 Kurds Die from Coronavirus in Iran | A human rights group revealed on Sunday that another 15 people in the Iranian Kurdistan had lost their lives from the new coronavirus in the past 24 hours. Among the victims were four women, Hengaw Organization for Human Rights said in a report, pointing out that the majority of the cases were recorded in Kermanshah, Ilam, and Sanandaj provinces. The new reports brought the total number of people that died from COVID-19 in the Kurdish provinces to 315, including 213 men and 103 women, since the outbreak of the virus in the country. | Link |
| 3/29/2020 | Iraq-businessnews | The Implications of the Coronavirus on the Overall Situation in Iraq | With the spread of the coronavirus globally, many countries around the world face several challenges in the absence of any looming solutions so far. Economies are the most affected by this virus that led to restrict the movement and the freedom of travel between countries, limit the transport of goods by sea and land, and raise spending on precautionary measures to limit the virus spread. | Link |
| 3/29/2020 | TheNational | Afghan army kills 13 Taliban fighters after peace team rejection | The Afghan military killed at least 13 Taliban fighters on Sunday, a day after the insurgent group rejected an Afghan government team created for talks aimed at ending the country's 18-year conflict. The army attacked Taliban hideouts in Ghor Province, located in the west of the country, according to a military statement. It said the air and ground operation was launched in a bid to interrupt plots to attack Afghan forces and their security checkpoints. The militant plan was to capture Shahrak district in Ghor. | Link |
| 3/29/2020 | AfghanistanTimes | People breaking public health order | Although strict precautionary measures have been introduced with Kabul city under quarantine, bevies of people thronged the city and intercity commute seemed unhalted on Sunday. Many shops are open and cars still commute. Nobody seems to comply by public health orders to self-isolate amid a citywide lockdown. | Link |
| 3/29/2020 | Eurasiareview | ISIS Attack On Kabul Gurdwara | The attack at a gurdwara in Kabul, targeting Afghanistan’s minority Sikh community that left at least 25 people dead, was not the first time the community was targeted in the country. The terror strike was later claimed by ISIS’s Afghan affiliate, the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K). | Link |
| 3/29/2020 | BNA | Taliban Attack Repulsed in Faryab | Taliban attack repealed in Faryab yesterday and suffered casualties to them. Mohammad Hanef Rezayee spokesman of Shaheen 209 army corps told BNA, a group of Taliban stormed on parts of Ghormach district, Faryab, which was faced with sever resistance of security forces. Four Taliban have been killed and eight others were injured in the incident, he added. | Link |
| 3/29/2020 | AfghanistanTimes | Govt. releases 500 inmates to prevent virus pandemic | Officials in the western province of Herat say that 500 prisoners would be released based on President Ahsraf Ghani’s decree aimed to prevent further outbreak of Coronavirus and to save their lives. Herat was the first place where the virus infected people with the refugees transferring it from neighboring Iran. | Link |
| 3/23/2020 | BasNews | Iraqi Warplanes Pound IS Hideouts in Mount Hamrin | The Iraqi warplanes bombarded a number of hideouts of the Islamic State (IS) on Mount Hamrin, the province of Diyala, a statement said on Monday. Iraq's Joint Operations Command said in a statement that a great number of jihadists were killed in the airstrikes, without elaborating on the specific number. Speaking to BasNews concerning the resurgence of the Islamic State and its movements in the region, Nassir Ahmed, a lawmaker at the Kurdistan Region parliament, argued that the extremists have taken advantage of the absence of Peshmerga forces. | Link |
| 3/23/2020 | Military | Troops at Camp Taji Now Have to Cope with Toxic Waste on Top of Rocket Attacks | In addition to frequent and sometimes deadly rocket attacks, U.S. troops at Camp Taji, Iraq, have had to cope with potential burn pit exposure to toxic waste dumped by a contractor, according to the Defense Department's Inspector General. To make matters worse, the contractor was overpaid by $116 million. The IG's audit, released Friday, said that Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, the command for U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria, "paid $116 million more than necessary" for services from SoS International LLC (SOSi), headquartered in Reston, Virginia. | Link |
| 3/23/2020 | ekurd | 23 new cases of coronavirus confirmed in Iraqi Kurdistan | Twenty-three new coronavirus (COVID-19) cases were confirmed Monday by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) health ministry, bringing the Iraqi Kurdistan Region case total to 77. 12 cases were confirmed in Erbil – nine of which were relatives of the Sebiran case confirmed on Sunday. The three other cases in Erbil were also linked to a previous infection, a student. | Link |
| 3/23/2020 | 1tvnews | Bombs kill six Afghan police in Ghazni and Paktia | At least six Afghan police were killed in two separate bomb blasts in Ghazni and Paktia provinces on Monday, officials said. Five of the police were killed when a roadside bomb hit their vehicle in Deh Yak district of Ghazni province, said Naseer Ahmad Faqiri, the provincial council chief. | Link |
| 3/23/2020 | AFP | Pompeo in Kabul as Peace Process Teeters | Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in the Afghan capital Monday amid a lengthy political crisis, a raging Taliban insurgency and rising coronavirus cases — all of which threaten an already-floundering peace process. Pompeo was to meet with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his archrival Abdullah Abdullah, who also claims the presidency after a contested election last year. | Link |
| 3/23/2020 | Janes | ADF to temporarily relocate non-essential personnel from Iraq, Afghanistan | The Department of Defence (DoD) in Canberra announced on 23 March that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) will temporarily relocate non-essential personnel from Iraq and Afghanistan over concerns about the Covid-19 coronavirus pandemic. In a statement issued that same day Minister for Defence Linda Reynolds said "non-essential personnel will be relocated to Australia's main logistics base in the Middle East [Al Mindad Air Base in the United Arab Emirates], and those who are close to concluding their operational duties will be able to return home". | Link |
| 3/23/2020 | Reuters | A Skype call may have saved the Taliban-Afghan government peace process | The Taliban and the Afghan government held a "virtual" meeting on prisoner releases on Sunday, officials said, offering some hope of a breakthrough on a matter that has deadlocked the two sides and threatened a nascent peace process. The two sides have differed on the release of prisoners - the Afghan government wanting a phased and conditional release and the Taliban wanting all prisoners released in one go as envisaged in an agreement signed with the United States in Doha last month. | Link |
| 3/23/2020 | AfghanistanTimes | 16 Taliban rebels killed in Kandahar | The Afghan security forces have killed 16 Taliban fighters in southern Kandahar province, local official said on Monday. In addition to that 17 other Taliban rebels received injuries in the attack. The attack came after Taliban fighters attacked security forces checkpoints in Maiwand district of the province. The Provincial Governor’s Spokesman, Ahmad Baheer Ahmadi told Afghanistan Times that the clash took place on Sunday night in Khak-e-Chopan village. “Security forces have not suffered any casualty,” he added. | Link |
| 3/21/2020 | AA | Bomb attack kills 2 soldiers in Iraq's Anbar | Two Iraqi soldiers were killed in a double bomb attack in the western Anbar province on Saturday, according to a military officer. The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said four other soldiers were injured in the attack, which took place in the town of Rutba, west of Anbar. Although no group has yet claimed responsibility, Iraqi officials often blame such attacks on the Daesh/ISIS terrorist group. | Link |
| 3/21/2020 | AP | At least 17 Afghan forces killed in insider attack | At least 17 police and army personnel were killed in an apparent insider attack at a joint military and police base early Friday, Afghanistan's Ministry of Defense said. The attack took place in southern Zabul province, a Taliban stronghold. The Defense Ministry statement said the Taliban carried out the attack, but with the assistance of Afghan police and army personnel inside the base. It said 11 soldiers and six police were killed. | Link |
| 3/21/2020 | KP | Sadis and Qari Ghani among 12 killed in Balkh clash | The Afghan security forces killed 12 Taliban militants including two key commandes of the group by retaliating to an attack in northern Balkh province, the Afghan military said. The 209th Shaheen Corps in a statement said the Afghan forces responded to a coordinated Taliban attack on security posts in Dawlatabad district of Balkh. The statement further added that the security forces killed 12 Taliban militants including Hamidullah alias Sadid, the shadow deputy district chief of Taliban for Dawlatabad. | Link |
| 3/21/2020 | KP | Afghan forces kill, wound 19 Taliban militants in Faryab and Badakhshan provinces | The Afghan forces retaliated against Taliban attacks in northern Faryab and Badakhshan province, killing or wounding at least 19 militants. The Special Operations Corps in a statement said the Taliban militants launched a coordinated attack on security posts in Dawlatbad district of Faryab province on Friday. The statement further added that the security forces retaliated against the attack and killed 7 Taliban militants. | Link |
| 3/19/2020 | Reuters | NATO scales down exercises due to coronavirus | NATO is scaling down military exercises in Europe to curb the spread of the coronavirus, but alliance missions are continuing, including the drawdown of the U.S.-led force in Afghanistan following a peace agreement last month. “Some of our exercises have been modified or canceled ... but our forces remain ready,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told a video news conference. | Link |
| 3/19/2020 | taskandpurpose | Some troops will be stuck in Afghanistan beyond their departure dates due to coronavirus screening | Just when you thought the Afghanistan experience could not possibly suck any more, coronavirus has found a way to do precisely that. The top U.S. military commander in in Afghanistan has announced a “temporary pause” in moving troops into theater while Operation Resolute Support and contributing nations establish pre-deployment screening protocols for COVID-19. | Link |
| 3/19/2020 | 1tvnews | Afghan government orders forces to resume operations against Taliban | Afghan government on Thursday ordered its troops to resume operations against the Taliban, citing the group's continued high level of violence despite its deal with the United States. The government had stopped offensive against the Taliban with the start of a trial period of reduction in violence that led to the signing of the peace deal on February 29. | Link |
| 3/19/2020 | forces.net | US Suspends Afghanistan Deployments | The United States military has said it is pausing the deployment of new troops to Afghanistan amid the global coronavirus outbreak. The US has also begun quarantining 1,500 troops and civilians who recently arrived in the country in a bid to protect them from COVID-19. Troops who are already in Afghanistan may have their deployments extended so missions can continue. | Link |
| 3/19/2020 | metro.co.uk | British soldiers pulled from Iraq over coronavirus crisis | Troops are being sent home from Iraq after the army paused training missions in the Gulf state for 60 days due to the global coronavirus pandemic. The Covid-19 outbreak has led to a ‘reduced requirement’ for training from the Iraqi Security Forces and other missions in the region, the Ministry of Defence said today. According to the statement the UK will be retaining ‘key military personnel’ throughout the country to ensure the Iraqi Government, global coalition partners, and British interests are ‘appropriately supported’. | Link |
| 3/19/2020 | Newsweek | New Iraq Group Claiming Attacks on U.S. Troops Says It Can Strike Israel | An Iraqi militia that has claimed a series of rocket attacks targeting U.S. and partnered troops has claimed its fighters were capable of striking Israel. In one of two videos posted Tuesday and Wednesday by what appeared to be a new Shiite Muslim militia calling itself Usbat al-Thayireen, or League of Revolutionaries, a masked man wielding a Kalashnikov-style assault rifle warned recent rocket strikes against Al-Taji and Basmaya military camps "and whatever will happen far beyond that" was just the beginning. | Link |
| 3/19/2020 | thenational.ae/ | Heavy flooding in Mosul hampers rebuilding efforts | Northern Iraq was hit by heavy rains this week, causing flash floods that triggered a new wave of displacement in major cities such as Mosul. Neighbourhoods along the Tigris River were most affected by unexpected levels of rain over the past few days and the flooding began on Tuesday evening. Floodwaters damaged homes being rebuilt after the war against ISIS and overwhelmed the city’s sewerage system. Residents say floods occur often in Mosul and charities across the city have been fund-raising to support displaced families. | Link |
| 3/19/2020 | AP | Rocket attack in northwest Syria kills 2 Turkish soldiers | Two Turkish soldiers were killed Thursday in a rocket attack in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, Turkey's Defense Ministry said. A ministry statement said a third soldier was wounded in the attack, which it said was carried out by "radical groups." | Link |
| 3/19/2020 | al-monitor | Doctors in northwest Syria brace for ‘devastating’ coronavirus | In rebel-held northwest Syria, where a year of sustained attacks on hospitals has crippled the health care infrastructure, doctors warn that a looming coronavirus outbreak would be devastating to the large numbers of Syrians living in makeshift homes and squalid, overcrowded camps along the Turkish border. Although no cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the country, health care workers reached by Al-Monitor on WhatsApp are gearing up for what they say is a likely catastrophe in war-torn Idlib province, the last swath of the country still in the hands of the opposition after nine years of war. | Link |
| 3/19/2020 | syriahr | IEDs go off in Turkish military column on M4 leaving many casualties | SOHR activists say that two IEDs exploded in a Turkish military column on Aleppo-Latakia international highway (M4), near Muhambal village in Sahl Al-Rouj in western Idlib. According to SOHR sources, the explosions left many Turkish soldiers injured and unconfirmed reports suggested that at least one soldier has been killed. | Link |
| 3/18/2020 | LbcNews | Rockets land near US Embassy in Baghdad | At least three rockets struck Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone near the American Embassy late on Tuesday, Iraqi security officials said. The strike came a day after an attack on a nearby training base housing US-led coalition troops and NATO trainers. It was the fourth such attack in a week. At least three rockets struck the Green Zone, the seat of Iraq’s government and home to several foreign embassies, two Iraqi security officials said. | Link |
| 3/18/2020 | Reuters | Coronavirus makes Taliban realise they need health workers alive not dead | Scared by the prospect a coronavirus epidemic in parts of Afghanistan under their control, the Taliban have pledged their readiness to work with healthcare workers instead of killing them, as they have been accused of in the past. Back in September, the Taliban lifted a ban on the World Health Organisation and Red Cross from operating in militant-held territory, having warned them off in April because of suspicions over polio vaccination campaigns. | Link |
| 3/18/2020 | KabulTimes | Taliban yet to show will for peace | Three weeks after the United States signed a landmark agreement with Taliban militants in Doha, the peace process stipulated by the agreement is already under severe strain because of disagreements over multiple issues mentioned in the agreement and outside its scope. The Taliban militants and the Afghan government and factions supporting the current political system, have already missed the March 10 deadline for beginning direct talks aimed at concluding a lasting cease-fire and working out a power-sharing agreement in a future political system during the next four months. The immediate sticking issue is the release of some 5,000 predominantly Taliban prisoners. | Link |
| 3/18/2020 | KP | American pilot reveals how he defeated the Pakistani F-16 during bin Laden mission | The pilot, Douglas Englen was on his way back after completing the mission when his Chinook helicopter was engaged three times by a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet...“It was as an electronic fight. A missile never left the rail. So I was able to evade him electronically. That’s all I’ll say. But, he was searching and hunting for me, and three times came very close to actually launching a missile,” Englen told The Military Times. | Link |
| 3/18/2020 | DPA | At least 37 suspected Covid-19 patients flee Afghan hospital | At least 37 patients thought to be suffering from Covid-19, the illness brought on by the novel coronavirus, have fled from a hospital in Afghanistan's western Herat province, a Health Ministry spokesperson said Monday evening. The people in question were in isolation due to the virus. They escaped the hospital with the help of their relatives after beating up staff members at the medical centre, ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar said. Mayar also criticized the police for not doing anything to control the situation. Meanwhile a spokesman for Herat governor Farhad Jellani told dpa that a total of 38 people - the 37 mentioned earlier and one virus-infected person - escaped the hospital. Authorities managed to return seven of them back to the hospital. Efforts continued on Tuesday to bring all of them back. According to the Afghan Health Ministry, all those involved in the hospital break-out had recently returned from Iran. | Link |
| 3/18/2020 | ToloNews | 14 Cases of Violence against Journalists Recorded This Year | Tuesday, March 17, was the national day for journalists in Afghanistan, and it comes as violence against media workers still remains high. 14 cases of violence against journalists have been reported so far this year. The number was provided by Sediqullah Tawhidi, head of the Journalists' Safety Committee. “Fourteen cases is a high number,” Tawhidi said. “We will witness more cases of violence against journalists by the end of the year if the situation continues.” | Link |
| 3/16/2020 | BasNews | ‘Motorcycle Bomb’ Blast Hits Kurdish Disputed Town of Tuz Khurmatu | A bomb blast on Monday hit the Kurdish town of Tuz Khurmatu in the areas disputed between the Kurdistan Region and Iraqi government, police said. The bombing was carried out via a motorcycle rigged with explosives. Tuz Khurmatu police chief, Hussein Ali, told BasNews that at least seven people were wounded in the bombing. | Link |
| 3/16/2020 | BasNews | Six Other Coronavirus Infections Diagnosed in Iraq, One Died | The Iraqi ministry of health reported on Monday that six new coronavirus infections were confirmed in the country, adding that one patient died. The ministry said in a statement that among 154 people who took the test for the coronavirus, six individuals were found infected with the novel virus According to the statement, three cases were recorded in capital Baghdad, one in Diwannia, and two in Najaf, while one of the patients died. | Link |
| 3/16/2020 | BBC | US pulling out of three key sites | The US army is pulling out of al-Qaim and two other key military bases in Iraq in the coming weeks. The decision to leave three of its eight bases in Iraq is a sign the US is looking to dramatically reduce its footprint in the country. It comes amid heightened tensions with the Iraqi government and Iran. A ceremony will take place this week at al-Qaim, where the US will formally hand over equipment to the Iraqi army to help it ensure security in the area. It will end any US presence along the Iraqi side of the border with Syria. | Link |
| 3/16/2020 | Janes | US strikes five KH weapons facilities inside Iraq, says there are many more to target | The United States once again did not consult Baghdad before striking five Kataib Hizbullah (KH) facilities inside Iraq on 12 March, according to Commander of US Central Command (USCENTCOM) General Kenneth McKenzie. A similar move in January prompted the Iraqi government to vote to expel US troops. The four-star general briefed Pentagon reporters just hours after the US launched retaliatory attacks on KH after blaming the group, a militia backed by Iran, for killing two US troops and one British soldier. | Link |
| 3/16/2020 | BNA | Five Soldiers Die in an Insider Attack in Kandahar | Five soldiers were lost their lives in an attack by one of their comrades in Kandahar last night. The event happened at a security post when a police solider opened fire on his fellows. Security official of Kandahar in a contact with BNA said, the attacker linked to Taliban group and escapes after shooting at five policemen. | Link |
| 3/16/2020 | Ariananews | Taliban attack security outpost in Ghor, killing 11 | The Taliban militants attacked a security outpost in Ghor province, killing at least 11 Afghan forces, a local official confirmed. Mohammad Kabiri, district governor of Shahrak told Ariana News that clashes broke out after the Taliban fighters attacked the outpost in the Kamnj area in Shahrak district of the province at around 11 p.m. Sunday. Kabiri said that at least 11 Afghan forces – including six army commandos, four public security, and a policeman – were killed and six others wounded in the incident. | Link |
| 3/16/2020 | Canberratimes | ABC airs video showing Australian SAS soldier shooting and killing allegedly unarmed Afghan man | Shocking helmet-camera footage has emerged of an Australian special forces soldier shooting an allegedly unarmed Afghan man at close range in 2012. The video screened on Four Corners on Monday night could result in charges of war crimes, the ABC program reported. The footage of a Special Air Services Regiment raid on a village in Oruzgan province in May 2012 shows a man cowering in a wheat field as an SAS soldier stands over him and shoots. The disturbing combat vision has emerged as the Inspector-General of the Australian Defence Force examines 55 separate incidents involving Australian special forces deployed to Afghanistan, including allegations of unlawful killings of non-combatants. | Link |
| 3/16/2020 | Tolonews | Eight-Year-Old Boy Abducted, Killed in Kabul | An eight-year-old boy abducted in eastern Kabul was abducted in Kart-e-Naw, in eastern Kabul, and stabbed to death, according to his relatives, who buried him in Bagrami district on Monday. “We don’t have any hope in the government,” said Abdul Saboor, Yusuf’s brother. “Our heart will be calm when the perpetrator is killed in front of us.” | Link |
| 3/16/2020 | AirForceMag | Airstrikes in Afghanistan Continue at Steady Rate Despite Peace Deal Progress | U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan continued at a steady rate in February, despite reaching a tentative peace deal with the Taliban, as counter terror operations targeted the Islamic State group’s Khorasan offshoot and al-Qaeda. In February, U.S. manned and unmanned aircraft dropped 360 weapons—the lowest monthly total since the same month of 2019, but the second highest February on record since 2009. The total, down from January’s 415 tally, brings 2020’s total to 775 so far, according to Air Forces Central Command statistics released March 12. | Link |
| 3/16/2020 | thekabultimes | US add new terms to Taliban peace deal | In the recent peace deal with the Taliban the US has committed to withdrawing from Afghanistan but in stages with continued withdrawal depending upon the Taliban meeting their responsibilities under the agreement. US wants to carry out withdrawal but keep US actions ongoing meanwhile The US has to look after logistics for withdrawing but at the same time keep its operations carrying on successfully. US Centcom commander, General Frank McKenzie says that the plan is to shift combat operation to US special forces. Their ability to do this alone depends upon best-case scenarios. | Link |
| 3/14/2020 | BNA | ISIS Fighters Killed in Kunar Air Strike | Five ISIS fighters were killed in an air strike of Afghan Security Forces in Kunar last night. The fighters were suppress on their hideouts in suburb of Dangam district bazaar while wanted to attack on a police checkpoint. | Link |
| 3/14/2020 | BNA | Bloody Missile Strike of Taliban on a Village in Helmand | Four civilians including a child have been injured in missile attack of Taliban on a village in Helmand this morning. The event occurred in suburb of Marja district bazaar while Taliban targeted the village with missile attack. Police Media office in Helmand with releasing a statement said, four civilians including a child have been wounded. Police of Helmand blamed Taliban for the event. Meanwhile, doctors in a medical center of Helmand reported the health condition of an injured critical. | Link |
| 3/14/2020 | Newsweek | Five Wounded in Rocket Attack on Base Housing U.S. Troops in Iraq as Fears of Broader Conflict Loom | A rocket attack on a military base north of Baghdad injured three coalition service members and at least two Iraqi soldiers on Saturday, it has been reported. The Associated Press reported that the strike on Camp Taji, a base housing U.S. troops and coalition forces, saw more than a dozen rockets land inside the facility. Official sources also told the AP that at least two Iraqi troops were injured in the attack, which came just days after a similar strike killed three coalition personnel — including one U.K. soldier and two American servicemen. The AP reported that some of the rockets struck the base housing coalition personnel as others hit a runway used by Iraqi servicemen. | Link |
| 3/14/2020 | Reuters | Iraqi military says 33 rockets used in Taji base attack | Iraq’s military said on Saturday that 33 Katyusha rockets had been launched on Taji base north of Baghdad which houses U.S.-led coalition troops and said the attack critically injured several Iraqi air defense servicemen. The military found seven rocket launchers and 24 unused rockets in the nearby Abu Izam area, it said in a statement, and promised to arrest those responsible. | Link |
| 3/13/2020 | MOD | Announcement of fatality | It is with great sadness that the British Army must confirm the tragic death of Lance Corporal Brodie Gillon whilst on duty in the Middle East on 11 March 2020. LCpl Gillon, 26, served as a Reserve with the Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry. She joined the regiment in September 2015 as a Combat Medical Technician (CMT), where she quickly progressed through her trade and military training to qualify as a Class 1 Combat Medical Technician in 2018. | Link |
| 3/13/2020 | MiddleEastMonitor | 25 Iran-backed fighters killed in eastern Syria | As many as 25 members of Iran-backed militias were killed on Wednesday night after an “unidentified airplane” targeted their positions in the city of Albu Kamal, in the Syrian province of Deir Ez-Zor close to the Syria-Iraq border. Local sources told Anadolu that two militia leaders were among those killed in the attack while other dozens others were wounded. On Wednesday, “unidentified airplanes” targeted the Imam Ali base and positions in the Al-Hizam, Al-Sinaa and Al-Huri villages believed to be built by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the city of Albu Kamal in the Deir Ez-Zor province, eastern Syria. | Link |
| 3/13/2020 | Reuters | Iraqi president condemns U.S. air strikes - statement | Iraqi President Barham Salih condemned on Friday a series of overnight U.S. air strikes as a violation of national sovereignty and warned that the country could slip into chaos and become a failed state. “The repeated violations the state is being subjected to are a dangerous and deliberate weakening of its abilities and reputation, especially at a time when Iraq faces unprecedented challenges on political, economic, financial, security, and health fronts,” Salih said in a statement. | Link |
| 3/13/2020 | usip | U.S. Hits Iran-backed Militia for Third Time | Early on March 13, the United States struck five weapon storage facilities belonging to Kataib Hezbollah, the pro-Iranian militia in Iraq linked to the attack on the Camp Taji base that killed two U.S. and one British service members and injured 14 others. “The United States will not tolerate attacks against our people, our interests, or our allies,” Secretary of Defense Dr. Mark T. Esper said. “You don’t get to shoot at our bases and kill and wound Americans and get away with it,” he told reporters | Link |
| 3/13/2020 | AAP | Iraqi army says 6 killed in US air strikes | Six people were killed in air strikes launched the day before by the United States in Iraq, the Iraqi military says, calling the attacks an "aggression on the country's sovereignty". The Pentagon said on Thursday that the US has conducted "defensive precision strikes" against facilities linked to the Kataib Hezbollah militia in Iraq. The strikes came after two US and one British member of the military were killed on Wednesday in a rocket attack on a military base that houses US coalition troops in Taji, just outside the Iraqi capital Baghdad. | Link |
| 3/13/2020 | DoD | Air Force Casualty Confirmed | Air Force Staff Sgt. Marshal D. Roberts, 28, of Owasso, Oklahoma...assigned to the 219th Engineering Installation Squadron, Oklahoma Air National Guard...died March 11, 2020, when their units were engaged by enemy indirect fire at Camp Taji, Iraq. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 3/13/2020 | DoD | Army Casualty Identified | Army Spc. [posthumous promotion] Juan Miguel Mendez Covarrubias, 27, of Hanford, California... assigned to 1st Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas...died March 11, 2020, when their units were engaged by enemy indirect fire at Camp Taji, Iraq. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 3/12/2020 | Politico | U.S. strikes back at militia group after 2 American troops killed in Iraq | U.S. and coalition aircraft conducted retaliatory airstrikes on Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia group locations in Iraq on Thursday after two U.S. troops were killed in a rocket attack a day earlier, the Defense Department announced. The strikes come just hours after Pentagon leaders blamed Iranian-backed Shia militia groups and warned that the United States would respond to the deadly attack, which also killed a British service member and wounded 14 others. The airstrikes targeted five Kataib Hezbollah weapons facilities and were aimed at hurting their ability to conduct future attacks against U.S. and coalition forces, according to a Defense Department statement. | Link |
| 3/11/2020 | AFP | Taliban reject Afghan offer to free 1,500 prisoners before talks | The Taliban rejected the Afghan government's attempt to resolve a spiralling crisis over the release of insurgent prisoners Wednesday, as Kabul warned it was ready to resume offensive battlefield operations. The decree issued earlier by President Ashraf Ghani had raised hopes that Kabul's offer to free 1,500 insurgents as a "gesture of goodwill" before talks begin, would prompt the Taliban to come to the negotiating table. | Link |
| 3/11/2020 | VOA | 3 Troops Killed in Rocket Attack on Coalition Base in Iraq | Two Americans and a coalition servicemember are dead, and a dozen more wounded, after a barrage of rockets slammed into a military base north of Baghdad. According to U.S. and Iraqi officials, the attack was carried out by militants operating a modified truck to launch rockets at Camp Taji. A U.S. official told VOA the truck managed to fire about 30 rockets, 18 of which hit the base. U.S. Central Command spokesman, Capt. Bill Urban confirmed to VOA that two U.S. servicemembers, along with another member of the U.S.-led coalition, were killed. Media reports said the third servicemember was from Britain. Twelve more people, including both U.S. and coalition troops and a contractor were injured. | Link |
| 3/10/2020 | KP | Afghan forces kill suicide bomber, foil deadly attack in Kandahar | The Afghan forces foiled a deadly attack in southern Kandahar province by killing a suicide bomber who was looking to carry out an attack in Zherai district. The Ministry of Interior in a statement said the explosives of the suicide bomber went off after the Afghan forces opened fire on him. The statement further added that the suicide bomber was looking to carry out an attack in Hawz Madad area of Zherai district. | Link |
| 3/10/2020 | KP | 9 children killed, wounded in roadside bomb explosion in Logar province of Afghanistan | A roadside bomb explosion killed or wounded at least 9 children in central Logaar province of Afghanistan, the security officials said Monday. Nasrat Rahimi, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior said an improvised explosive device planted on a roadside went off at around 3 pm on Monday. Rahimi further added that the explosion took place in Sheikhan Village of Azra district which killed a child and wounded eight others. | Link |
| 3/10/2020 | AP | US starts pulling troops from Afghanistan as part of peace deal with Taliban | The United States began withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, the U.S. military said Tuesday, taking a step forward on its peace deal with the Taliban while also praising Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s promise to start releasing Taliban prisoners after he had delayed for over a week. The U.S.-Taliban deal signed on Feb. 29 was touted as Washington’s effort to end 18 years of war in Afghanistan. The next crucial step was to be intra-Afghan talks in which all factions including the Taliban would negotiate a road map for their country’s future. | Link |
| 3/10/2020 | WaPo | Two Americans killed in Iraq in operation targeting ISIS mountain hideout | Two members of a Marine Special Operations team were killed in Iraq during an operation targeting a mountain cave complex that Islamic State militants were using as a hideout, marking the first U.S. combat deaths in the country since last summer, U.S. and Iraqi military officials said Monday. | Link |
| 3/10/2020 | DoD | Marine Casualty Identified | Capt. Moises A. Navas, 34, of Germantown, Maryland...assigned to 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, Marine Forces Special Operations Command, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina....died March 8, 2020 while supporting Iraqi Security Forces in north central Iraq. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 3/10/2020 | DoD | Marine Casualty Identified | Gunnery Sgt. Diego D. Pongo, 34, of Simi Valley, California...assigned to 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, Marine Forces Special Operations Command, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina....died March 8, 2020 while supporting Iraqi Security Forces in north central Iraq. The incident is under investigation. | Link |
| 3/9/2020 | AP | Two US service members killed by 'enemy forces' during mission in Iraq, military says | Two U.S. service members were killed by “enemy forces” while advising and accompanying Iraqi security forces, the U.S. military said in a statement Monday. The military said the two were killed during a mission to eliminate a stronghold for the Islamic State group in a mountainous area of north-central Iraq on Sunday. The names of the service members were withheld, pending next-of-kin notification, in accordance with U.S. Department of Defense policy, the statement said. No further details were immediately available. The United States maintains about 5,200 troops in Iraq on a mission to assist and provide training to Iraqi security forces in the fight against the Islamic State. | Link |
| 3/9/2020 | VOA | US Strikes in Somalia Nearly on Par with Strikes in Iraq, Syria | The pace of U.S. military strikes against al-Qaida affiliate al-Shabab in Somalia this year is nearly on par with the number of strikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The U.S. has carried out 25 strikes against al-Shabab to date in 2020, including one Monday in the vicinity of Janaale, Somalia, that U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) said killed four terrorists. | Link |
| 3/6/2020 | CPJ | AFP photographer Ahmad al-Rubaye shot with pellets while covering protests in Baghdad | On February 21, 2020, Iraqi riot police in Baghdad’s Al-Kilani Square shot Ahmad al-Rubaye, an Iraqi photographer for the French news agency Agence France-Presse, with rubber pellets that hit his back, legs, and right shoulder, according to news reports, a statement by the local press freedom group Journalistic Freedoms Observatory, and the journalist, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app. | Link |
| 3/6/2020 | Reuters | Katyusha rockets fired towards Green Zone in Iraqi capital | Three Katyusha rockets were fired late on Thursday towards the heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the U.S. embassy and other missions, in the Iraqi capital, police sources said. One rocket landed near the entrance of the Green Zone, the other near the Turkish embassy, the sources said, adding that the damage was unclear. A third rocket landed outside the zone. | Link |
| 3/6/2020 | Reuters | Islamic State claims responsibility for Kabul attack that killed 27 | Islamic state claimed responsibility for an attack in the Afghan capital Kabul that killed at least 27 people, the group’s Amaq news agency reported on Friday on its telegram channel. The group claimed they killed and injured 150 people, without providing evidence. The Afghan health ministry said at least 27 were killed and 55 injured. | Link |
| 3/6/2020 | ToloNews | 29 Killed, 61 Wounded in Kabul Attack | At least 29 people were killed and 61 others were wounded in the attack on a ceremony marking the anniversary of the death of Abdul Ali Mazari, leader of the Hezb-e Wahdat party, the Afghan Ministry of Interior (MoI) said on Friday. Doctors report that some of the wounded are in critical condition and the death toll may rise. A man named Mohammad Sarwar was one those who lost his life in today’s attack. | Link |
| 3/4/2020 | Rferl | U.S. Conducts 'Defensive' Strike On Taliban After Afghan Security Personnel Killed In Attacks | The United States has conducted a “defensive” air strike against Taliban fighters in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand Province after a checkpoint manned by Afghan forces was attacked. "The US conducted an airstrike on March 4 against Taliban fighters in Nahr-e Saraj, Helmand, who were actively attacking an #ANDSF checkpoint. This was a defensive strike to disrupt the attack," U.S. Forces-Afghanistan spokesman Sonny Leggett said in a tweet. | Link |
| 3/4/2020 | Slate | Taliban Launches Dozens of Attacks in Afghanistan After Striking Deal with U.S. to Withdraw Troops | The U.S. carried out an airstrike in Afghanistan Wednesday in response to a surge in Taliban violence just days after the two sides struck a deal Saturday on American troop withdrawal. After a period of calm leading up to the deal, the Afghan government said the Taliban subsequently launched 76 attacks across 24 provinces (of 34) prompting the U.S. to bomb Taliban fighters in Helmand, the first American airstrike in 11 days. “Taliban leadership promised the (international) community they would reduce violence and not increase attacks,” Col. Sonny Leggett, a spokesman for the U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, said in a tweet. “We call on the Taliban to stop needless attacks and uphold their commitments.” | Link |
| 3/4/2020 | Ariananews | Taliban capture police outpost | The Taliban militants stormed a security outpost in Trinkot city, the capital of Oruzgan province on Wednesday night. Zurgai Abadi, a provincial spokesman told Ariana News that the insurgents attacked and captured the outpost, killing five policemen and wounding seven others. Meanwhile, he stressed that Afghan forces have also inflicted heavy casualties on the Taliban, but did not provide further details. | Link |
| 3/4/2020 | BNA | Deadly Raids of Foreign and Afghan Troops on Taliban in Helmand | Thirteen armed Taliban were killed and number of others have been injured in latest air and ground raids of foreign and Afghan troops in Helmand. The Taliban were targeted last night and this morning in suburb of Lashkargah and Nahersaraj districts. The Taliban were suppressed after attack on them on several security posts. | Link |
| 3/3/2020 | BasNews | Iraq Announces Five New Cases of Coronavirus | At least five new cases of coronavirus were recorded in three Iraqi cities on Tuesday, the country's Ministry of Health said. The ministry explained that one person was found infected with coronavirus in Karbala, and that the other two were in Najaf and Wasit. | Link |
| 3/3/2020 | BasNews | Iraqi Warplanes Pound IS Hideouts in Qara Tapa | The Iraqi warplanes on Tuesday pounded a number of hideouts belonging to the Islamic State (IS) in Qara Tapa, Diyala province. Kurdistan 24 cited its corespondent in the area as saying that the airstrikes killed two people who were believed to be members of the Islamic State, adding that their bodies were taken to the forensic department in order to be identified. | Link |
| 3/3/2020 | BasNews | Germany Suspends Military Training Mission in Central Iraq | Germany announced the suspension of its military trainings for the Iraqi armed forces as coronavirus further spreads in the country, a Bundeswehr spokesperson said. The suspension is initially for 14 days and it covers central provinces of Iraq. The military trainings for Peshmerga forces in Kurdistan Region are not affected, the spokesperson added. There is no suspicion of possible infections of German soldiers or their contact people in central Iraq. | Link |
| 3/3/2020 | AP | UN envoy warns Iraq is being `pushed into the unknown’ | The U.N. envoy for Iraq warned Tuesday that the country and its people are being “pushed into the unknown” by political indecisiveness and dissent that is continuing to paralyze government decision-making. Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert told the Security Council she wanted to be hopeful, but unfortunately sees no cause “for immediate optimism.” She spoke two days after Iraq’s prime minister-designate announced his withdrawal from the post after failing to get parliamentary support for his Cabinet selection, prolonging the political deadlock in the country. | Link |
| 3/3/2020 | Reuters | Taliban resumes attacks on Afghan forces, 5 policemen die | Five Afghan policemen died in a Taliban attack on a security checkpoint near a copper mine on Tuesday, officials in the region said, a day after the insurgents decided to resume operations against local forces. A Taliban spokesman did not confirm or deny responsibility for the attack in eastern Afghanistan when contacted by Reuters, saying he was collecting information. The militants had a reduction of violence arrangement in place before the signing of a troop withdrawal agreement with the United States in Doha on Saturday. | Link |
| 3/3/2020 | ToloNews | US Gen. Miller Speaks on Taliban’s Resumed Attacks | Gen. Scott Miller, commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, in a visit to Afghan forces in Kabul on Tuesday said the US-Taliban agreement is a potentially historic agreement for the Afghan people and that “it is fragile if the Taliban are not going to lower violence” and “that causes a risk to the agreement.” He said there is a need for the Taliban to lower violence in Afghanistan “otherwise, it’s hard to have an agreement.” The Taliban in a letter on Monday asked their fighters to resume their attacks on the Afghan government forces, but not to attack international troops as part of a deal they signed with the United States. | Link |
| 3/2/2020 | AFP | Taliban end partial truce as Afghan violence resumes | The Taliban called an abrupt end to a partial truce on Monday, just two days after signing a deal with the United States that was meant to bring peace at last to Afghanistan. In the southern province of Kandahar, considered the Taliban's heartland, fighting broke out in at least in two districts. "They started attacking five of our posts in Panjwahi and Maiwand," local police chief Sultan Mohammad Hakimi told AFP. "Fighting is ongoing." The Taliban ordered its fighters to recommence attacks against Afghan army and police forces, apparently ending an official "reduction in violence" that had seen a dramatic drop in bloodshed and given Afghans a welcome taste of relative calm. | Link |
| 3/2/2020 | BBC | Taliban to resume attacking local forces after deal with US | The Taliban are to resume attacks against government forces, just days after signing a deal with the US aimed at bringing peace to Afghanistan. The hard-line Islamist group had observed a "reduction in violence" in the week leading up to the agreement. The deal included a commitment to hold peace talks with the Afghan government. But the group's spokesman said on Monday the talks would not go ahead if 5,000 Taliban prisoners held by the government were not released. | Link |
| 3/2/2020 | KP | Taliban killed or injured 15, kidnapped 50 civilians as RIV period ended | The Taliban group restarted its insurgency operations on Monday as the ‘Reduction in Violence’ period ended following the signing of a peace deal with the United States in Qatar on Saturday. Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesperson to the Taliban told BBC that they will not target the U.S forces in Afghanistan, but their operations against Afghan forces will resume as the RIV week has ended. This comes as a Taliban bombing explosion near a football ground in the eastern Khost province killed 3 and wounded 11 on Monday afternoon. | Link |
| 3/2/2020 | Guardian | Bomb attack kills three as Taliban ends partial truce | Three people have been killed and 11 injured in a motorcycle bomb attack at a football match in eastern Afghanistan, as the Taliban announced an end to a partial truce two days after signing a deal with the US. The Taliban had agreed to a week-long “reduction of violence” as a confidence-building measure ahead of the agreement signed on Saturday, in which the US pledged that all foreign forces would leave Afghanistan within 14 months, if the Taliban sat down for talks on Afghanistan’s future with government representatives. | Link |
| 3/1/2020 | BasNews | Iraqi Senior Commander Assassinated in Diyala | A senior army commander was shot dead near Miqdadiyah district of Diyala province, media reports said on Sunday. The commander, whose identity remains unknown up to this moment, was killed by a group of unknown armed men on his way to work. The perpetrators reportedly escaped the scene. Police and security forces have now launched an investigation while the manhunt for the perpetrators is underway. | Link |
| 3/1/2020 | BasNews | Iraqi Army Comes Under IS Attack in Kirkuk | The Islamic State (IS) insurgents on Friday night carried out an attack on the Iraqi army in south of disputed Kurdish province of Kirkuk, killing and wounding three soldiers, an official confirmed. The incident occurred near the district of Daquq, southern Kirkuk province, where clashes also erupted between the Iraqi forces and the jihadists, Hiwa Rashid, a Kurdistan Democratic Party's (KDP) representative in the area, told BasNews. "As a result of the clash, one Iraqi soldier was killed and two others were injured who were taken to the hospital in Daquq," he said. | Link |
| 3/1/2020 | AFP | Iraqi parliament postpones session to approve new cabinet due to lack of quorum | Iraq’s parliament adjourned again on Sunday a session to approve the cabinet proposed by Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi because of a lack of quorum, state TV said. Lawmakers failed to agree on a new government on Thursday, and again on Saturday, prolonging deadlock and delaying attempts to resolve unprecedented mass unrest and has stalled the country’s recovery from years of war. | Link |
| 3/1/2020 | MiddleEastMonitor | Iraq confirms 5 new coronavirus cases | Iraq has detected five new cases of coronavirus, four in Baghdad and one in Babel province, the Health Ministry said on Saturday, taking the total number of cases in the country to 13, reported Reuters. All five had recently returned from visits to neighbouring Iran and had been placed in quarantine, the ministry said. On Wednesday Iraq banned public gatherings and barred entry by travellers from Kuwait and Bahrain, prohibiting travel to or from a total of nine countries. | Link |
| 3/1/2020 | AP | Afghan Peace Deal Hits First Snag Over Prisoner Releases | Afghanistan's president said Sunday that he will not free thousands of Taliban prisoners ahead of all-Afghan power-sharing talks set for next week, publicly disagreeing with a timetable for a speedy prisoner release laid out just a day earlier in a U.S.-Taliban peace agreement. President Ashraf Ghani's comments pointed to the first hitch in implementing the fragile deal, which is aimed at ending America's longest war after more than 18 years and getting rival Afghan factions to agree on their country's future. | Link |
| 3/1/2020 | NYTimes | After Taliban Deal, Afghans Worry About the Details | The agreement reached by the United States and the Taliban on Saturday is clear in at least one way. The United States and the Taliban got something they both dearly wanted: a timeline for an American troop withdrawal and a countdown to whatever happens next. But caught in the middle is an Afghan population that is on edge about what that last part might look like, after a deal that excluded their government and left many critical points ambiguous. | Link |
| 3/1/2020 | WaPo | Afghan government questions aspects of U.S.-Taliban peace deal | The Afghan government is already objecting to elements of the peace deal signed by the United States and the Taliban. At a press conference Sunday, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani contradicted several aspects of the deal including the timeline for a controversial prisoner exchange. Ghani’s comments, less than 24 hours after the signing of the deal, highlight the difficulties that lie ahead for Afghanistan as the conflict enters a new phase. Specifically, the conditions surrounding the start of talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government and future levels of violence nationwide. | Link |
| 3/1/2020 | BBC | US and Taliban sign deal to end 18-year war | The US and the Taliban have signed an "agreement for bringing peace" to Afghanistan after more than 18 years of conflict. The US and Nato allies have agreed to withdraw all troops within 14 months if the militants uphold the deal. President Trump said it had been a "long and hard journey" in Afghanistan. "It's time after all these years to bring our people back home," he said. | Link |
| 2/28/2020 | ToloNews | 21 Soldiers, 9 Civilians Killed Since Start of RIV | At least 21 security force members and nine civilians were killed in twelve provinces--and 49 others were wounded--since the start of the reduction in violence plan that began on February 22, according to Afghan government numbers. According to the Ministry of Interior, on Friday, the seventh and last day of the reduction in violence period, Taliban insurgents launched attacks on three Afghan forces checkpoints in Kapisa, Laghman and Badakhshan provinces, which resulted in the killing of at least one member of the Afghan Local Police (ALP) and the wounding of three others. | Link |
| 2/28/2020 | NPR | Afghan University Student Reflects On Week Of Reduced Violence | NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Afghan college student Hakim Ahmadzai about differences he's experienced in Kabul since a seven-day reduction in violence agreement has been in effect. | Link |
| 2/28/2020 | Militarytimes | Trump says U.S. will sign Afghanistan peace deal with Taliban, first step in bringing troops 'home’ | 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. In a statement, the president announced that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will “witness the signing of an agreement with representatives of the Taliban, while Secretary of Defense Mark Esper will issue a joint declaration with the government of Afghanistan” regarding the agreement. Those actions are expected to take place on Saturday. | Link |
| 2/28/2020 | BasNews | Bomb Blast Kills, Wounds Five in Baghdad | A bomb explosion on Thursday evening left five people either killed or wounded in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. Iraqi reports said that the incident took place in a market place in Mahmoudiya district, southern Baghdad, where two people were killed and three others were injured. | Link |
| 2/28/2020 | aawsat | Fears over Constitutional Vacuum after Iraq Parliament Postpones Confidence Vote | The Iraqi parliament’s failure to approve the government of Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Allawi has threatened to prolong the country’s months-long crisis and create a constitutional vacuum. Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi adjourned on Thursday a session to approve the cabinet proposed by Allawi because of a lack of quorum, after lawmakers who opposed his nominees boycotted the session. | Link |
| 2/28/2020 | BasNews | Second Case of Coronavirus Confirmed in Baghdad | The second case of coronavirus has been confirmed in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, the country's Ministry of Health said on Friday. According to the ministry, a woman, who recently returned from Iran, tested positive for the novel virus on Friday evening. The 35-year-old is a resident in Baghdad's Karkh area, the ministry added. | Link |
| 2/24/2020 | Reuters | To preserve Shi'ite power in Iraq, Iran-backed groups turn to renegade cleric | When the grip of Iraq’s Tehran-backed Shi’ite Muslim parties and militias threatened to slip following the killing of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, they turned to an unpredictable rival. At meetings in the Iranian holy city of Qom, they struck a deal with populist Shi’ite cleric Sayyed Moqtada al-Sadr, who commands a following of millions of Iraqis. According to senior Iraqi officials and militia insiders, they promised Sadr a greater say forming a new Iraqi government and an augmented spiritual leadership role among Shi’ite paramilitary groups. | Link |
| 2/24/2020 | Rferl | At Least Six Killed In Afghanistan Despite 'Reduction Of Violence' Deal | Afghan officials say at least six people have been killed in a Taliban attack in the northern Balkh Province, amid a weeklong "reduction of violence" agreed between the United States and the Taliban. Five people were also wounded in the attack on February 24 that targeted a checkpoint of pro-government forces in Balkh's Chahar Kint district, local governor Salima Mazari said. | Link |
| 2/24/2020 | Ariananews | 13 incidents in first 3 days of RIV | The Interior Ministry said that at least three Afghan forces were killed and eight others wounded on the third day of the week-long term “reduction in violence” (RiV) in Helmand, Balkh and Samangan provinces. The seven-day reduction in violence between the Afghan and foreign forces and the Taliban militants began on Friday midnight. | Link |
| 2/24/2020 | Reuters | U.S. wants Afghan president to postpone planned inauguration - sources | The United States wants Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to defer his second-term inauguration over concerns it could inflame an election feud with his political rival and jeopardize U.S.-led peacemaking efforts, two sources familiar with the matter said on Monday. | Link |
| 2/22/2020 | AFP | Afghans mark start of week-long partial truce amid isolated attacks | A week-long, partial truce came into effect across Afghanistan on Saturday, with jubilant civilians celebrating in the streets to mark a potentially historic turning point in the war, even as isolated attacks threatened to undermine the process. The Taliban, US and Afghan forces have all agreed to a so-called "reduction in violence" which, if it holds, will be only the second lull in fighting since 2001. | Link |
| 2/22/2020 | VOA | Afghan War Killed, Wounded More Than 10,000 Civilians in 2019 | The United Nations reported Saturday the conflict in Afghanistan killed more than 3,400 civilians and injured nearly 7,000 others in 2019. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) blamed the Taliban, Islamic State and other militant groups for causing 49% of the deaths, saying pro-government forces, including the U.S.-led coalition, were responsible for 43% deaths. The rest were caught in crossfire and other conflict-related incidents. | Link |
| 2/22/2020 | Reuters | Taliban, Afghan forces clash on first day of violence reduction period | Taliban fighters and Afghan security forces clashed in parts of Afghanistan on Saturday, a day after a week-long “reduction in violence” was announced, but the incidents did not spark immediate alarm on either side. If the violence reduction period is observed successfully, the United States and the Taliban will sign an agreement on Feb. 29 that could lead to a pullout of thousands of U.S. troops after nearly two decades in the country. | Link |
| 2/22/2020 | WaPo | U.S. halts offensive military operations in Afghanistan as part of Taliban deal | The United States has ceased offensive military operations in Afghanistan against the Taliban in accordance with an agreement to reduce violence ahead of a possible peace deal, the top U.S. military commander here announced Saturday. Gen. Austin “Scott” Miller told reporters in Kabul “our operations are defensive at this point. We stopped our offensive operations as part of our obligations, but we remain committed to defend our forces.” | Link |
| 2/22/2020 | BasNews | IS Kills, Wounds Three Iraqi Policemen | At least three Iraqi policemen were either killed or wounded as a result of an attack by the Islamic State (IS) in Diyala province overnight on Friday. Nihad Mohammed, a spokesperson for Diyala Police, confirmed the report to BasNews and said that the incident occurred in Baqubah city, central Diyala province, where the insurgents raided a checkpoint of the federal police. According to the spokesperson, the jihadists opened fire at the checkpoint and killed one policeman, while two others were injured. | Link |
| 2/22/2020 | Middleeasteye | The human cost of Iraq war revealed in superior thriller | Baghdad, early March 2003: a father drives his two daughters through the streets of the Iraqi capital. They talk about the prospect of invasion. “It will mean change,” says one of the daughters. “Iraq needs change.” The father responds: “It will solve nothing.” The daughter talks about democracy and freedom. The father isn’t convinced. They drive past a partially defaced mural of Saddam Hussein. A couple of scenes later, the sky lights up and bombs rain down. The invasion has begun. Baghdad Central, a six-part television series adapted from the novel by Elliott Colla and produced by Channel 4 and Hulu, hits the ground running. | Link |
| 2/22/2020 | NPR | Iraq's Protests Shook The Government. Now The Movement Is Nearly Crushed | On the ground floor of the concrete high-rise that became the headquarters of the protest movement in Baghdad's Tahrir Square, slogans scrawled in black and a mural of a fish dressed in a suit disappear under coats of white paint. The young Iraqis erasing the murals are followers of Muqtada al-Sadr, an influential Shiite Muslim cleric whose support fueled the largely secular protests against government corruption that broke out last October. | Link |
| 2/18/2020 | ToloNews | Human Rights Commission - 136 Civilians Killed in One Month | The Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) on Tuesday said that at least 136 civilians were killed in the country as a result of war or other kinds of violence in the past one month. The human rights commission blamed the Taliban for 50 percent of the fatalities and said that the Afghan government forces also caused 25 percent of the casualties. | Link |
| 2/18/2020 | VOA | At Least 5 Dead in Suicide Attack on Afghan Military Academy | A suicide attack targeting a military academy in the Afghan capital killed at least five people early Tuesday, the first major assault in the city in months. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the dawn attack, which came after nearly three months of relative calm in Kabul. | Link |
| 2/18/2020 | NPR | Behind The U.S.-Taliban Ceasefire Agreement In Afghanistan | NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Vikram Singh, former deputy special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and a former defense negotiator. They discuss the U.S. and Taliban's ceasefire deal. | Link |
| 2/16/2020 | BasNews | Kurdish Shepherds Rescued from IS | Two Kurdish shepherds whom the Islamic State (IS) militants had abducted near Kifri on 1st February, have now been rescued. The abductees, who are brothers, were attending their herd outside their village between Kfri and Tuz Khurmatu when a group of IS militants kidnapped them. A local security source told BasNews that the jihadists had released the men after their families paid $7,000 in ransom. | Link |
| 2/16/2020 | Reuters | Rockets hit U.S. coalition base in Baghdad, no casualties | Rockets hit a U.S.-led military coalition’s Baghdad headquarters early on Sunday but caused no casualties, a coalition spokesman said, in the latest attack to target U.S. facilities in Iraq. Washington has blamed Iran-backed paramilitary groups for increasingly regular rocketing and shelling of bases hosting U.S. forces in Iraq and of the area around the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. | Link |
| 2/16/2020 | KP | Precision airstrike kills deputy commander of the Red Unit of Taliban in Takhar | An airstrike killed seven Taliban militants including the deputy commander of the Red Unit of the group in North-eastern Takhar province. The Ministry of Defense (MoD) in a statement said the security forces conducted a precision airstrike in Baharak district of Takhar on Friday night. The statement further added that the airstrike killed 7 Taliban militants including Jalal Sirat alias Nasrat, the deputy commander of the Red Unit of Taliban in Takhar. | Link |
| 2/16/2020 | KP | 5 Taliban militants killed, 25 IEDs defused in Kandahar | The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces killed 5 Taliban militants during an operation in southern Kandahar province, the Afghan Military said. The Special Operations Corps said in a statement said the security forces killed 5 Taliban militants during a joint raid in Khakriz district of Kandahar. The statement further added that the security forces killed the militants during a joint military operation. | Link |
| 2/16/2020 | NPR | After U.S. And Taliban Agree To Reduce Violence, Afghan Americans Wonder What's Next | A large group of Afghans lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. And the announcement of U.S. deal with the Taliban to reduce violence and enter peace talks has the expats wondering what's next. | Link |
| 2/16/2020 | VOA | 9 Homeless Drug Users Shot Dead in Afghan Capital | Gunmen shot dead nine homeless drug users in the Afghan capital, officials said on Sunday, shining a light on chronic drug abuse in the world's biggest producer of opium but a rare incident of apparently coordinated violence against addicts. The motive for the Saturday night attack by the unidentified gunmen in Kabul was not known and police said they were investigating. The men had been sleeping in an open area and a forensic examination had shown they were drug users. | Link |
| 2/16/2020 | DoD | Army Casualty Identified | Pfc. Walter Lewark, 26, from Mountainair, New Mexico, died Feb. 13, 2020, at Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, from a non-combat related incident. The incident is under investigation. Lewark was assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 200th Infantry Regiment, 93d Troop Command, New Mexico Army National Guard, Rio Rancho, New Mexico. | Link |
| 2/15/2020 | MiddleEastMonitor | Rocket hits Iraqi base hosting US forces | A rocket hit a base in northern Iraq that hosts US forces on Thursday but caused no casualties, Iraqi security sources said to Reuters. The base, known as K1 near the city of Kirkuk, is where a US civilian contractor was killed in December in a similar attack, blamed by Washington on Iran-backed militias. A Reuters witness said US warplanes had scrambled and were soaring overhead shortly after the attack on Thursday. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the rocket. | Link |
| 2/15/2020 | AA | Four killed in attacks in Iraq | Four people were killed in two separate attacks in eastern Iraq on Saturday, according to a local police officer. Daesh/ISIS militants attacked a police checkpoint in Buhriz, south of Diyala province, killing two policemen, captain Habib al-Shimari told Anadolu Agency. He said a husband and his wife were also found dead inside their home in the same area. | Link |
| 2/15/2020 | AFP | Iraqi protester killed in Baghdad demonstrations | A demonstrator was shot dead near the Iraqi capital’s main protest camp by unidentified attackers using a gun silencer, medics said Saturday, as police reported a spate of activist abductions. Around 550 people have been killed since the anti-government movement erupted in October and around 30,000 more have been wounded, a vast majority of them young demonstrators. | Link |
| 2/15/2020 | ToloNews | Eight ‘Civilians’ Killed in Nangarhar Airstrike | At least eight civilians were killed in an airstrike in Surkh Rod district in the eastern province of Nangarhar on Friday evening, a spokesman for Nangarhar governor, Attaullah Khogyani, said. Khogyani said that one child was also among those killed in the airstrike that was carried out in Karak village in Surkh Rod district in the north of Nangarhar. | Link |
| 2/15/2020 | KP | Airstrike kills 5 Taliban militants in Takhar province | An airstrike killed 5 Taliban militants in North-eastern Takhar province of Afghanistan, the military officials said Saturday. The officials further added that the security forces conducted the airstrike in Baharak district of Takhar. Meanwhile, the Afghan Special Forces arrested 6 Taliban militants during the operations in Giro district of Ghazni, Muhammad Aghah district of Logar and Farah district of Farah province. | Link |
| 2/15/2020 | AP | U.S. has reached a truce with Taliban in Afghanistan, official says | A senior U.S. official said Friday the United States and the Taliban have reached a truce agreement that will take effect “very soon” and could lead to withdrawals of American troops from Afghanistan. The official said the agreement for a seven-day “reduction in violence” to be followed by the start of all-Afghan peace talks within 10 days is “very specific” and covers the entire country, including Afghan government forces. There were indications a formal announcement could come as early as the weekend. | Link |
| 2/15/2020 | KP | U.S.-Taliban peace deal singing tentatively set for 29th of February | Washington is expected to sign a peace deal with the Taliban group on 29th of February, provided that the group uphold their commitments regarding a seven-day reduction in violence. An American official, privy of the development has told The Associated Press that the U.S. and Taliban have agreed to a temporary truce which would likely open the way for a deal for the withdrawal of the American forces. | Link |
| 2/13/2020 | ToloNews | US Seeks to Finalize Peace Deal Quickly | The United States is seeking to seal a peace deal with the Taliban as soon as this week, two top US defense officials familiar with the US-Taliban talks have told CNN. The signing of a potential peace agreement will pave the way for the withdrawal of US forces from the country, CNN quoted the US defense officials as saying. | Link |
| 2/13/2020 | DoD | Army Casualty Identified | Spc. Branden Tyme Kimball, 21, from Central Point, Oregon, died Feb. 12, 2020, at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, from a non-combat related incident. The incident is under investigation. Kimball was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Aviation Regiment, 10th Combat Aviation Brigade, Fort Drum, New York. | Link |
| 2/11/2020 | NPR | Watchdog Agency Tabulates Human Toll In Afghanistan Of Reconstruction Effort | The price the U.S. has paid trying to build up infrastructure and a working system of governance in Afghanistan, while at the same time waging Washington's longest war there, has typically been measured in dollars. The more than $137 billion the U.S. has spent implementing that 18-year nation-building effort in Afghanistan well exceeds, in today's dollars, what the U.S. spent on the Marshall Plan to help rebuild 16 Western European nations after World War II. | Link |
| 2/11/2020 | RNZ | Five dead after suicide bomber targets military in Kabul | A suicide bomber has killed five people near a military academy in the Afghan capital, Kabul, the interior ministry has confirmed. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack near the entrance to the government-run defence university, the Marshal Fahim Military Academy, at the beginning of the morning rush hour. "Five, including three military personnel and two civilians were killed," interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told Reuters, adding that 12 people were wounded, five of them civilians. | Link |
| 2/11/2020 | VOA | Afghan Leaders: US-Taliban Peace Talks Making 'Notable Progress' | Leaders in Afghanistan say the United States has made “notable progress” in ongoing peace talks with representatives of the Taliban that are taking pace in the Gulf state of Qatar. President Ashraf Ghani tweeted late Tuesday he had received a call from U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, sharing with him the latest developments in the turbulent U.S.-Taliban peace process aimed at ending the 18-year-old Afghan war. | Link |
| 2/9/2020 | Shafaq | 4 casualties in an ISIS attack on Salahuddin commandos | 4 casualties fall in an attack by ISIS militants on Saturday on Iraqi security forces in Salahuddin Governorate northern the country, according to the security media cell. The cell said in a statement to Shafaq News, that "two terrorists were killed while trying to attack the headquarters of the Fourth Company, the first regiment of the Salahuddin Commandos Brigade in Mataybijah area eastern Salahuddin. | Link |
| 2/9/2020 | AFP | Nearly 550 killed in Iraq protest violence — commission | Nearly 550 Iraqis have been killed in protest-related violence since unprecedented anti-government demonstrations erupted in the capital and southern cities in October, the Iraqi Human Rights Commission said on Friday. Iraq's health ministry confirmed the first protester shot dead on October 1 but clammed up thereafter. The commission has since repeatedly complained that authorities declined its requests for information on deaths, injuries and arrests. | Link |
| 2/9/2020 | DoD | Army Casualty Identified (2 of 2) | Sgt. 1st Class* Antonio Rey Rodriguez, 28, of Las Cruces, New Mexico...assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Eglin Air Force Base, Florida...assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. | Link |