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The founder of the Blackwater private security firm and brother of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is pitching a risky plan to “privatize” the war in Afghanistan, and officials are increasingly worried that POTUS Donald Trump will embrace the plan. After 17-odd years, and following surges and withdrawals — and surges and withdrawals — of U.S. troops through the years, Blackwater founder Erik Prince says the president is “frustrated” by the lack of progress to date, even as he’s given the Pentagon what it has requested to ‘win’ the war there. As such, he has been shopping a new operation to...

A Taliban spokesman said the group targeted a military base and two check posts in Baghlan and seized armoured vehicles and ammunition Kabul: A Taliban attack on a military outpost in Afghanistan’s northern province of Baghlan on Wednesday killed up to 44 Afghan police and soldiers, provincial officials said, as the insurgents kept up pressure on government forces. The attack, which came as the central city of Ghazni struggles to recover from five days of intense fighting, underlined how hard the insurgents have been pressuring badly stretched local security forces. The defence ministry confirmed the incident early on Wednesday, but...

The fall of the base in Ghormach district of volatile Faryab province came with security forces already stretched by the days of fighting in Ghazni Mazar-I-Sharif, Afghanistan: Taliban fighters overran a northern Afghan army base, officials said on Tuesday, killing at least 14 soldiers with dozens feared captured in a stinging blow to security forces already struggling to push insurgents from eastern Ghazni. The fall of the base in Ghormach district of volatile Faryab province came with security forces - who have struggled to hold back the Taliban since NATO combat troops pulled out in 2014 - already stretched by...

Taliban chief wants direct talks with US Group committed to regional security and would not pose a danger to other countries KABUL: The leader of the Taliban said Saturday there will be no peace in Afghanistan as long as the foreign “occupation” continues, reiterating the group’s position that the 17-year war can only be brought to an end through direct talks with the United States. In a message released on occasion of the Eid Al Adha holiday, Maulvi Haibatullah Akhunzadah said the group remains committed to “Islamic goals,” the sovereignty of Afghanistan and ending the war. The Taliban have had...

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is increasingly venting frustration to his national security team about the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan and showing renewed interest in a proposal by Blackwater founder Erik Prince to privatize the war, current and former senior administration officials said. Prince's idea, which first surfaced last year during the president's Afghanistan strategy review, envisions replacing troops with private military contractors who would work for a special U.S. envoy for the war who would report directly to the president. It has raised ethical and security concerns among senior military officials, key lawmakers and members of Trump's national security...

n Afghan teenager who said he feared being persecuted in his home country for being gay has had his asylum application rejected by Austria after an official said he did not “walk, act or dress” like a gay man, according to reports. An official in Lower Austria found no grounds for fear of persecution based on the sexual orientation of the 18-year-old, the Falter newspaper reported. “The way you walk, act or dress does not show even in the slightest that you could be homosexual,” the official reportedly wrote in his assessment rejecting the claim. The official also found “potential...

Paradoxically, reinstatement of US sanctions benefits IRGC and associated conglomerates like Khatam Al Anbiya Dubai: Tensions between Washington and Tehran have escalated dramatically since President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran in May and imposed stringent sanctions on its economy. Iran has also suffered a major decline in its currency this year — in part due to the US moves — with the rial losing more than half its value against the dollar since April. This has brought the focus back on the dire state of Iran’s economy. But who really controls it? To answer this question,...

A British soldier from the elite Special Air Service has shot and killed an ISIS commander from more than a mile away, in what is thought to be the best long-range shot in the regiment’s 77-year history. Using a a huge .50 Calibre Browning machine gun, which is nearly 40 years old, the unnamed sergeant, who is a veteran of Iraq and Syria, managed to hit the fighter directly in the chest with a shot that blew off the commander’s arm and shoulder. “The Islamic State commander was briefing his men and clearly liked the sound of his own voice...

ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s administration has quietly started cutting scores of Pakistani officers from coveted training and educational programs that have been a hallmark of bilateral military relations for more than a decade, U.S. officials say.

The Real Deal: While idiot NFL players were busy kneeling and protesting America during Thursday night’s official preseason launch, the family of an Air Force hero was grieving his loss. The Air Force released stunning video of Tech Sgt. John Chapman’s final stand in Afghanistan, where he died recently in the heat of battle. [Air Force-released video accompanies story]

Iran's President Rouhani, Turkey's President Erdogan, and Russia's President Putin shake hands as they meet in Ankara on Wednesday and pledge to create a 'lasting ceasefire' in Syria. Russia and Iran are strategic partners, with Russia providing military and financial support in return for influence over the Middle East. Putin supplies both countries with sophisticated military equipment. President Erdogan recently signed a $2.5 billion arms deal with Russia for S-400 sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles, which has caused consternation among Turkey's fellow Nato members. And Russia helps both countries on energy. It is also building Turkey a $20 billion nuclear power station,...

In the newly released 1.5-minute Air Force video, a figure identified as Chapman can be seen charging up a steep slope toward enemy positions atop the 10,000-foot peak... Chapman and SEAL team leader Britt Slabinski teamed up to attack enemy positions. After assaulting the first of two positions, identified as bunkers in the footage, Chapman abandons cover to attack a second position where an enemy machine gun was firing on his team, when he is wounded.

SHEPHERDSTOWN, W.Va. - The phones rang early in the morning and late in the evening. They rang, always, in the middle of the night. They were ringing now, as Mary Hendricks sank into a swivel chair and settled in beside her co-workers for another day of answering them. The calls came from veterans who were about to be evicted. Veterans who couldn't get hold of their doctors. Veterans who needed to talk about what they saw in Afghanistan or Iraq or Vietnam. Mary pressed a button. Her headset clicked on. "This is the White House VA hotline," she said, introducing...

Around the world — from Chicago to Munich to Roskilde, Denmark — airports have become centers of political protest over deportations. Activists have blocked airport entrances, demonstrated outside terminal fences and even stormed a runway in attempts to stop flights carrying deportees.

On July 16, the Russian President’s special envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, announced that the Russian government would invite Taliban representatives to a Moscow-format meeting before the end of the summer. The upcoming talks advance Russia’s interests in Afghanistan in three critical ways. First, Russia will use the talks to demonstrate its potential to act as a mediator between the Taliban and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s government. Showcasing the constructive nature of Russia’s involvement in Afghanistan is of vital importance as Russia has been accused of arming the Taliban by the United States and Afghan officials. On June 20, U.S....

Thousands of troops from Russia and the former Soviet republic of Tajikistan recently participated in joint military exercises along the Afghanistan border to prepare against possible spillover violence from the northern Afghan provinces where the Taliban and the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) are fueling deteriorating security conditions, Khaama Press (KP) reported Thursday. U.S. and Afghan defense officials have accused Russia of lending support to the Afghan Taliban, which has been fighting a war against U.S.-NATO-led forces since 2001. Now, it appears the terrorist group is threatening Central Asian countries like Tajikistan with close ties to Russia that border Afghanistan. KP reveals,...

The Department of Defense on Friday identified the American service member killed in Afghanistan on July 12 as Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Andrew Celiz from Summerville, South Carolina. Currently, Army officials are trying to determine what the circumstances are surrounding Celiz’ death, Vice Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville said on Friday. “I can tell you that sergeant first class was a hero,” he said. Celiz, assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield, Georgia, died from wounds sustained from enemy small arms fire while conducting combat operations at a medevac landing zone in the eastern...

American Special Forces Kill 170, Capture ISIS Capital in Afghanistan During an operation in Deh Bala, an area in Afghanistan near the Pakistan border, American Green Berets worked with three Afghan commando companies to combat ISIS in the region. The US military has confirmed that, during the operation, approximately 170 terrorists were killed in the ISIS capital, and the area is no longer in the hands of terrorists. The joint US-Afghan assault took place between April and was largely completed by early June. Around 600 Green Berets took part in the operation along with their Afghan counterparts. In the end,...

The two wounded service members were being treated for injuries and said to be in stable condition, NATO said in a statement. 

...deployments to places around the world under his dive belt, he also served as the chief instructor at CDQC prior to assuming his role as the team’s senior non-commissioned officer (NCO). A sergeant’s sergeant, he’s of the opinion that if you go SF, you need to “earn all three lightning bolts” — which represent air, land, and sea on their unit patches. “Damn near every other special operations unit requires their guys to both jump and dive, why shouldn’t we?” Other members of the team include Jeremy, the team’s senior medic, who knows firsthand what it’s like to receive one...