Although NATO is committed to the training mission in Iraq, the alliance has suspended training operations in the country, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels today. ”In everything that we do, the safety of our personnel is paramount,” Stoltenberg told the media after a meeting of the North Atlantic Council. ”As such, we […]

America’s military strategy in Iraq has been thrown into disarray after the Pentagon admitted a top US general mistakenly informed the Iraqi government his troops were preparing to leave. Here is AFP’s look at what shape a withdrawal could take. How could troops withdraw? A senior US military official had told AFP that a hypothetical […]

The United States continues to deploy and reposition troops throughout the region of Iraq and Iran to bolster U.S. security and force protection and to be prepared for any contingency, Defense Secretary Dr. Mark T. Esper said. “Over the last several days, I’ve had many conversations with our partners and allies about the situation in […]

US Defence Secretary Mark Esper denied Monday that US forces would pull out of Iraq, after a US general’s letter told the Iraqi government that troops were preparing to depart “in due deference to the sovereignty” of the country. “There is no decision whatsoever to leave Iraq… There has been no decision made to leave […]

The US drone strike that killed top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani has revived debate about whether American presidents have unilateral authority to launch attacks and send soldiers into battle, or must await congressional approval. War powers are divided in the US Constitution, and not in a definitive way, experts say, leading to a decades-long tug […]

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday that Iran will probably try to attack American troops after a US strike killed a top Iranian commander. “We think there is a real likelihood Iran will make a mistake and make a decision to go after some of our forces, military forces in Iraq or soldiers […]

President Donald Trump campaigns on a no more “stupid” wars mantra, but the US killing of Iran’s military mastermind will test his ability to stay out of Middle Eastern quagmires less than a year from election day. Since the day of his surprise election victory in 2016, Trump has signaled an end to what critics […]