US to reduce military footprint in Syria to fewer than 1,000 troops
The departure would return force levels to where they had been for years, after the U.S. and its allies waged a multiyear campaign to defeat ISIS.
By Tara Copp, AP and Beth Sullivan
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Islamic State leader for Iraq and Syria killed, Iraq says
Al-Rifai was killed in an operation by members of the Iraqi national intelligence service and U.S.-led coalition forces, Iraqi officials said.
Ike Carrier Strike Group launches flight operations against ISIS
Carrier Air Wing 3’s flight operations against the Islamic State commenced March 31 from the Mediterranean Sea.
By Diana Stancy
US-backed Syrian forces raid camp of ISIS families, arrest 9
A spokesman for the U.S.-backed coalition said coalition forces will provide support during the operation “for early warning and situational awareness.”
By Lolita C. Baldor, The Associated Press
Film on undercover journalist baiting and exposing ISIS recruiter gets US release
The journalist maintained an ongoing dialogue with a man who had direct ties to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
By J.D. Simkins
Biden signals support to replace war power authority
The Biden administration announced its position after a bipartisan bill was introduced that would repeal the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for the wars in Iraq.
Documents detail legal fight to make the Pentagon share Middle East troop numbers
A Freedom of Information Act lawsuit reveals Middle East troop numbers the Pentagon sought to obscure.
Lawmakers propose check on Biden’s war powers
A bipartisan group of lawmakers have introduced legislation to repeal the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for the use of military force in the Middle East amid escalating tension between the U.S. and Iran.
By Joe Gould
US airstrike, first under Biden, kills Iran-backed militiaman — militia reserves ‘right to retaliate’
Two Air Force F-15E aircraft launched seven precision guided munitions at facilities used by Iran-backed militias near Boukamal, on the Syrian side of the Iraq border, along the Euphrates River.
By Lolita C. Baldor, The Associated Press and Robert Burns, The Associated Press
Congress reacts to US airstrikes in Syria
The Pentagon’s announcement that that U.S. forces conducted deadly airstrikes in Syria sparked complaints from some of President Joe Biden’s Democratic allies that he overreached, while key Republicans applauded the move.
By Joe Gould
Book excerpt: ‘The West’s War Against Islamic State: Operation Inherent Resolve in Syria and Iraq’
“The West’s War Against Islamic State” offers the first history of Operation Inherent Resolve and the West’s war against ISIS, from its inception in 2014 to the fall of Raqqa in 2017.
By Andrew Mumford
Iraqis, Syrians still rely on coalition airpower as troop levels wane
Coalition aircraft conducted dozens of airstrikes and provided aerial intelligence gathering in both countries during the final months of 2020.
By Kyle Rempfer