DefenceTalkThe CIA and US special operations forces are carrying out a secret campaign using armed drones to target and kill Islamic State leaders in Syria, the Washington Post reported Tuesday. The clandestine program is separate from America’s wider military operations against IS fighters, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed US officials. Among those so far killed […]https://www.defencetalk.com/cia-us-special-ops-launch-drone-campaign-in-syria-65243/

DefenceTalkAnkara: Turkish warplanes have for the first time joined raids by the US-led coalition against Islamic State positions in Syria, the foreign ministry said Saturday, after Washington urged Ankara to play a full role in the battle against the jihadists. “Our fighter planes … along with planes from the coalition yesterday (Friday) evening began joint […]https://www.defencetalk.com/turkish-planes-join-anti-is-coalition-in-syria-raid-for-first-time-65207/

DefenceTalkUS warplanes Wednesday carried out their first air strikes on Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria after taking off from a Turkish base, kicking off a key new phase in the campaign against the jihadists. A US drone had last week executed a single lethal air strike against an IS target in Syria but this […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-jets-launch-first-anti-is-syria-strikes-from-turkey-64992/

DefenceTalkThe United States launched its first airstrike from Turkey on an Islamic State target in Syria, as Ankara vowed it was ready to step up its own fight against militants. “A US drone today carried out one airstrike in Syria near Raqa,” a Turkish official told AFP, referring to the town in northern Syria that […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-bombs-is-syria-target-from-turkey-for-first-time-64955/

DefenceTalkWASHINGTON: Anti-Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant forces have made significant gains in northern Syria, which will have positive effects in Iraq as well, a senior U.S. Central Command official said today. During a telephone conference from Southwest Asia with Pentagon reporters, Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve Chief of Staff Marine Corps Brig. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/general-significant-gains-made-by-anti-isil-forces-in-northern-syria-64598/

DefenceTalkSoldiers, from the 76th Iraqi Infantry Brigade, received M16A2 rifles and infantry equipment sets, May 24-26, as part of the fielding of combat brigade equipment sets supplied to Iraqi Security Forces from the United States to support the fight against Daesh. Under the direction of the 3rd Sustainment Brigade Forward Support Element on Fort Stewart, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-supplies-critical-weapons-to-iraqi-forces-in-fight-against-isil-64533/

DefenceTalkTurkish fighter jets on Saturday shot down a Syrian helicopter that crossed into Turkey’s airspace in the south of the country, the government and army said. The incident marked a new spike in tensions between Turkey and the Damascus regime of President Bashar al-Assad, whose overthrow Turkey believes is essential to solve the Syrian crisis. […]https://www.defencetalk.com/turkey-says-it-shot-down-syrian-helicopter-64231/

DefenceTalkUS-led air strikes targeting the Islamic State group killed at least 52 civilians in a village in northern Syria, a monitoring group said on Saturday. “Air strikes by the coalition early on Friday on the village of Birmahle in Aleppo province killed 52 civilians,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human […]https://www.defencetalk.com/52-civilians-dead-in-coalition-strikes-in-syria-monitor-64088/

DefenceTalkCAIRO: For months, members of the Arab League have been calling for a joint military force to quell the violence engulfing the region. Now that member states have largely agreed, analysts say having the force materialize and preparing it to fight complex modern conflicts may be an insurmountable challenge. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi promised that […]https://www.defencetalk.com/analyst-joint-arab-military-force-poses-perilous-challenge-63703/

DefenceTalkSyria’s military has shot down a US drone over the coastal province of Latakia, a stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad, state media said on Tuesday. “Syrian air defences brought down a hostile US surveillance aircraft over north Latakia,” the official SANA news agency said in a breaking news alert. The agency gave no further details […]https://www.defencetalk.com/syria-air-defence-shoots-down-us-drone-state-media-63567/