Taliban storms police bases in western Afghanistan
At least 42 Afghan police and soldiers were killed during Taliban attacks in the troubled district of Bala Buluk in Farah province. Security in Farah remains tenuous.
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Northern offensives conducted by Afghan Army achieve impermanent gains
Sources claim the offensive killed between 60-80 Taliban fighters, but with other reports suggesting the Taliban quickly retook the targeted territory, it appears the offensive is in line with past short-term strategies that fail to fully deny the Taliban strategic footholds in the region.
Secrecy shrouds US development of Afghan security forces
For the first time in eight years, the DoD has classified assigned strength data used to measure Afghan casualties and attrition rates, as well as details on the operational readiness of US-supplied weapons, vehicles and supplies.
US kills influential al Qaeda-linked Pakistani Taliban leader in Afghanistan
Omar Khalid al Khurasani was closely allied with al Qaeda and its emir, Ayman al Zawahiri. In the past Khurasani has called for the imposition of sharia law, the establishment of a global caliphate, and the seizure of Pakistan’s nuclear weapons. He was killed in a drone strike in Paktia province.
NATO denies Taliban killed US general, 3 soldiers
After ignoring numerous false Taliban claims that it killing dozens of US soldiers, Resolute Support – NATO’s mission in Afghanistan – today denied the Taliban’s latest boast.
IRGC officers killed in Palmyra
As the Islamic State has taken the ancient city of Palmyra and battle rages on in the outskirts for T4 military air base, two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers have been announced killed in Palmyra. IRGC-backed Fatemiyoun Division have fought in the area, augmenting Syrian forces backed by Russian air power.
Islamic State claims full control of Palmyra, Syria
The Islamic State claims to have taken complete control over the city of Palmyra. Various reports indicated earlier in the day that the jihadists had been forced to withdraw from the city after heavy Russian airstrikes. Update: Amaq News Agency released a video of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi’s men inside Palmyra.
US adds Islamic State branches in Libya, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen to list of terrorist organizations
There are now eight Islamic State branches throughout the world designated by the US as terrorist entities – Khorasan, or Afghanistan and Pakistan; the Caucasus; the Egyptian Sinai; Algeria; and Nigeria.