Latest Developments Al-Tanf Withdrawal: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) stated on February 12 that U.S. forces had completed the “orderly withdrawal” from the al-Tanf base in northeastern Syria....
Masoud Barzani’s February 6 meeting with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi spotlights a decade of U.S. partnering that helped defeat ISIS in eastern Syria, but never produced a political endgame. After holding territory east of the Euphrates, the SDF suffered setbacks in mid-January clashes and then reached a January 30 understanding that allows Damascus to expand security control in remaining SDF areas. Some fighters could be absorbed into Syria’s army, while U.S. forces weigh next steps for ISIS detainee operations and their remaining footprint.
US forces left Iraq’s Ain al Assad Airbase in Iraq’s Al Anbar Governorate, according to Iraq’s Defense Ministry, CNN reported on January 19. The redeployment of forces away from the large...
U.S. Force Supported Anti-ISIS Coalition: The Iowa National Guard released the names of the two soldiers on December 15 who were killed in a lone terrorist ambush in the area of...
On December 15, the Iowa National Guard released the names of two US soldiers who were killed in a terrorist attack in Syria on December 13. “Our entire National Guard family mourns...
Iraqis voted in a parliamentary election on November 11, the country’s sixth since the toppling of former President Saddam Hussein in 2003. The election, held as security forces were deployed...
The question for Damascus is what comes next, with Sharaa showing that he is ready for the global prime time. Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa visited the White House on Monday for a historic...
The US military killed an Islamic State (IS) commander in an airstrike in northwestern Syria on June 10. The commander, who was identified as Rakhim Boev, was involved in planning attacks against the US...
Cameron McMillan and Bradley Bowman of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies argue in this op ed that getting out of Syria too quickly could leave the US vulnerable.
US forces in Tanf continue to train with Syrian partner forces and support their work securing an area of southern Syria near the Iraqi and Jordanian borders. On April 11, Combined Joint Task Force...
On February 27, Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan called for the group to disarm and end its conflict with Turkey, according to a message he released from prison.
On February 9, the Syrian Free Army (SFA) said in a post on social media that it provided medical services to more than 60 Bedouin patients in southern Syria as part of a mobile clinic. The Syrian...
On December 16, the US military launched a second round of strikes against Islamic State personnel and infrastructure in Syria since the fall of the regime of Bashir al Assad on December 8. US operations...
Ankara is blowing past established norms and boundaries
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on February 1 that the Pentagon believes that Iranian-sponsored and -funded proxy groups conducted the recent attack in Jordan that took the lives...
None are preferable to robust deterrence
The U.S. Department of the Treasury reported last month that the Islamic State often relied on “logistical hubs in Turkey” to transfer funds internationally, especially between Iraq and Syria. Treasury...
Episode 58
Chairman Ros-Lehtinen, Ranking Member Deutch, and distinguished Members of the Subcommittee: thank you on behalf of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies for the opportunity to testify before...