FORWARD OPERATING BASE GAMBERI, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Intense fighting and unprecedented casualties suffered by Afghan forces in 2015 have put U.S. and NATO efforts to train a self-sufficient force behind schedule, the new commanding general in Afghanistan told Reuters on Monday.
The impact of the violence in 2015, and the changing nature of the enemy Afghan troops face, will form an important part of an initial assessment of conditions in Afghanistan being conducted by new commander General John Nicholson.
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including the IASF contingent, the total number of “Western” troops in Afghanistan number over 13,000 and after the February “surge” which increased the US troop numbers, and includes expanded combat roles, the US contingent numbers roughly 9,800,
and then there are over 30,000 PMC’s still in Afghanistan.
Syrian forces and their allies have retaken the central town of al-Qaryatain from so-called Islamic State (IS), dealing a further strategic blow to the militant group, state media say.
It comes days after IS was pushed out of the nearby ancient city of Palmyra.
IS captured al-Qaryatain in August, and abducted hundreds of residents, including dozens of Christians. Many were later freed.in
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In Syria, the SAA and it’s allies continue steady progress against ISIS, but,…….…
Elements of the US armed and trained FSA, allied with al Nusra forces, have broken the Ceasefire and launched an Offensive,
BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian rebels and the al Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front have mounted an offensive against Syrian government forces and on Saturday took a strategic hill south of Aleppo from government control, a monitoring group said.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the offensive began on Friday, and Syrian government and allied forces were fighting to take back control of the territory and repel further attacks.
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despite this, the US Military is tripling down on arming and training FSA forces,
The U.S. military said Friday is has started training dozens of Syrian opposition fighters to combat the Islamic State terrorist group, a revamped program that officials hope will not run into the same problems that doomed the first rebel training program in Turkey last year.
New recruits are being trained how to identify targets for U.S.-led coalition airstrikes to allow coalition aircraft to better strike Islamic State targets from the air, Reuters reported.
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In Turkey, it’s little reported war against the PKK and it’s own Kurdish population continues, and is becoming more brutal,
Government forces are using heavy weaponry, including armored vehicles, against PKK guerillas who, according to residents, have been preparing for war in civilians areas ever since Turkey’s June election, which saw the pro-Kurd HDP party gain ground.
In Sur, Diyarbakir, residents have returned home to find their businesses in the UNESCO-listed ares destroyed by government tanks and bombs. At least 487 civilians have died in the curfew zones since August 2015 and many families are still waiting to reclaim bodies of relatives scattered in morgues across the region.
Social media accounts linked to Turkish special forces have circulated photos depicting the naked dead bodies of female guerillas lying in public streets.
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After a brief flare up, in which it appears the Azeri’s attempted to launch a major offensive, but were quickly stopped,
YEREVAN, April 3. /ARKA/. Azerbaijani armed forces lost yesterday and today 14 battle tanks and more than 5 units of other armored vehicles, including an infantry-fighting vehicle, the press service of the NKR Ministry of Defense said.
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the Azeri’s have declared a unilateral ceasefire, and the conflict there has gone back to occasional shellings and snipings,
a day after Azerbaijan announced a unilateral truce that failed to stop the fighting.
Azerbaijan's Defence Minister Zakir Gasanov instead ordered the army Monday to be ready to strike Karabakh's capital Stepanakert "in case of continued Armenian bombardment of civilian targets in Azerbaijan."
An AFP photographer in Stepanakert said the situation remained calm on Monday in the rebel capital with a population of around 50,000 people.
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the South Sudan Civil War has flared up again,
Sudan government forces attacked at least six rebel-held locations across the Nuba Mountains this week, sparking the largest battles the region has seen in more than a year.
The Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) is attempting to reach the rebel-held capital Kauda with multiple units moving west and north through South Kordofan State. As of March 30, fighting continued in Karkaria, Um Dorain County, one of the main routes westwards to Kauda, according to Nuba Reportsjournalists. Fighting is also taking place in Haluf, Heiban County and Kega Hills, Talodi County, south of Kauda.
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