SOUTH OF MOSUL, Iraq (AP) — Iraqi forces advanced Monday into the southern outskirts of Mosul on the second day of a push to drive Islamic State militants from the city’s western half, as the visiting U.S. defense secretary met with officials to discuss the fight against the extremists. With aerial support from the U.S.-led … Continue reading
FORT BELVOIR, Va. (AP) — More than 450 Army National Guard soldiers from Virginia and Maryland are getting ready to deploy to the Middle East. The 29th Infantry Division, based at Fort Belvoir, is holding a departure ceremony Sunday morning. The soldiers have been training at Fort Pickett in Virginia, and will do another 30 … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is preparing to send more troops to Iraq to help reclaim the city of Mosul from the Islamic State group, U.S. officials said Wednesday. The troops will train and advise Iraqi forces as planning for the Mosul operation ramps up, officials said. Though the precise number of troops was … Continue reading
GENEVA (AP) — The U.N. human rights office says it has turned up six more cases of alleged sexual abuse against children by European troops in Central African Republic, including a 7-year-old girl who said she had to perform sexual acts on soldiers in exchange for water and cookies. A U.N. team recently interviewed five … Continue reading
MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Kenyan forces pulled out of two towns in southern Somalia on Tuesday Jan. 26, and Islamic extremists quickly moved into one of them, residents said. The Kenyans’ withdrawal came after an attack by Islamic extremists who claimed to have killed scores of Kenyan peacekeepers recently, residents said Tuesday. The town of … Continue reading
BAGHDAD (AP) — After months of sluggish progress, stalled advances and outright failures, Iraqi troops and militias backed by U.S.-led airstrikes have surrounded the key city of Ramadi and appear poised to launch a new attempt to wrest it from the Islamic State group. The battle that is shaping up threatens to turn into a … Continue reading
BEIRUT (AP) — Iran has sent hundreds of troops into northern and central Syria, its first such deployment in the country’s civil war, joining fighters from its Lebanese ally Hezbollah in an offensive against rebels and taking advantage of cover from Russia’s air campaign, a regional official and Syrian activists said Wednesday Their arrival is … Continue reading
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syrian President Bashar Assad welcomed Wednesday’s decision by Russia to send troops to his war-torn country, saying the military support from Moscow is the result of a Damascus request. The development came as Russian military jets carried out airstrikes in Syria on Wednesday for the first time. A U.S. defense official … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 