Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• More Coalition Strikes Target ISIL Terrorists in Syria, Iraq AFPS 27 Dec 2015 -- U.S. and coalition military forces have continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• Militiamen behead 4 Daesh militants in eastern Afghanistan Press TV 27 Dec 2015 -- Local militiamen have decapitated four members of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in the restive province of Nangarhar in eastern Afghanistan.
• Taliban Denies Talks With Russia On Fighting Islamic State RFE/RL 27 Dec 2015 -- The Taliban has denied that it held talks with Russian officials about efforts to combat Islamic State (IS) militants in Afghanistan as a British newspaper reported that President Vladimir Putin had met the group's leader earlier this year.
• Pakistan army chief in Afghanistan to revive talks with Taliban Press TV 27 Dec 2015 -- Chief of Pakistan's Army Staff General Raheel Sharif has set off for a visit to neighboring Afghanistan to rekindle stalled peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban militant group.
• Pakistan's Army Chief Holds Talks In Kabul RFE/RL 27 Dec 2015 -- Pakistan's army chief has held talks in Kabul with top Afghan officials as part of new efforts to revive talks between the Afghan government and the extremist Taliban militant group.
• Pakistan Army Chief in Kabul for Crucial Talks VOA 27 Dec 2015 -- Afghanistan and Pakistan have pledged to jointly work for an early resumption of peace talks between Kabul and the Taliban and "sternly" deal with insurgent groups who refuse to quit violence and join the process.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Germany to send troops to Turkey under NATO flag Press TV 27 Dec 2015 -- Germany says it is set to deploy troops to Turkey aboard aircraft operated by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in support of Ankara, a member state, amid the crisis in Syria.
• NATO to Deploy Airborne Warning Aircraft in Turkey - Reports Sputnik 27 Dec 2015 -- NATO will place the Boeing E-3 Sentry airborne early warning and control aircraft in Turkey as part of its air defense package to the country amid the Syrian crisis, media reported.
• India, France May Sign Deal on 36 French Rafale Fighters Sale in January Sputnik 27 Dec 2015 -- India and France are likely to sign a deal for the sale of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft to New Delhi on January 25 during French President Francois Hollande's visit to India, media reported.
• Israeli Missile Defense Program Chief Sacked Over Info Security Breach Sputnik 27 Dec 2015 -- The head of the Israeli missile defense program, Yair Ramati, has been fired on Sunday for committing "severe information security violations," the country's Defense Ministry said.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Yemeni forces' missile attack hits Saudi base in Najran Press TV 27 Dec 2015 -- The Yemeni army, backed by Popular Committees loyal to the Houthi Ansarullah movement, has hit a military base in Saudi Arabia's southwestern border city of Najran with a ballistic missile.
• Saudi Army Intercepts Missile Launched From Yemen Sputnik 27 Dec 2015 -- Scud ballistic missile launched from the Yemeni territory in the direction of the southern Saudi city of Najran was intercepted by the Saudi Air Defense at 11:30 p.m. local time (20:30 GMT) on Saturday, according to local media.
• Syrian forces kill senior Takfiri militant commander near Damascus Press TV 27 Dec 2015 -- A high-ranking militant commander has been killed during fierce clashes with Syrian army troops and allied forces on the outskirts of the country's capital city of Damascus.
• Number of militants fleeing Syria for Turkey has doubled: Army Press TV 27 Dec 2015 -- The number of foreign-backed terrorists withdrawing from Syria toward the Turkish border has doubled in the wake of the recent achievements made by Syrian forces.
• Straight Shooters: Russian Planes Never Miss Their Targets in Syria Sputnik 27 Dec 2015 -- Russian military aircraft have only targeted militants in Syria, according to a top military official.
• Intra-Syrian Talks Date Not Established Yet - Syrian Opposition Coalition Sputnik 27 Dec 2015 -- The date of UN-sponsored intra-Syrian talks has not been established yet, deputy leader of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces told Sputnik on Sunday.
• More Gains, No Pain: Syrian Army Takes on Daesh Near Key Airbase in Aleppo Sputnik 27 Dec 2015 -- The Syrian Army and the National Defense Forces have reportedly regained control of a spate of strategic areas from Daesh militants near the recently-captured Kuweires Military Airbase in northern Syria's Aleppo province.
• Evacuation Plan Stalled After Syrian Rebel Leader Killed VOA 27 Dec 2015 -- Monitors and security sources say a U.N.-brokered plan to evacuate thousands of jihadist fighters under siege near the Syrian capital has been delayed following Friday's killing of an anti-government rebel leader who was to guarantee safe passage to the militants.
• Iraqi Forces in Final Push to Regain Ramadi from IS VOA 27 Dec 2015 -- Iraqi military commanders say they have gained control of the main government compound in the contested city of Ramadi, and that engineers were still clearing the site of explosive devices left behind by fleeing Islamic State fighters.
• Iraqi forces retake terrorists' last stronghold in Ramadi IRNA 27 Dec 2015 -- Iraqi forces recaptured the last stronghold of Daesh terrorist group which was a former government compound in central Ramadi, in western Anbar province.
• Iraqi airstrikes kill 25 daesh commanders in Anbar IRNA 27 Dec 2015 -- Iraq's air force eliminated 25 Daesh field commanders in the Anbar province on Sunday.
• Iraqi forces retake Ramadi government complex: Military spokesman Press TV 27 Dec 2015 -- Iraqi forces have recaptured the former government compound in central Ramadi, the last stronghold of Daesh Takfiri militants in the western city, the spokesman for the country's counter-terrorism units says.
• Iraqi forces make new gains against Daesh terrorists in Anbar Press TV 27 Dec 2015 -- Iraqi forces have managed to make fresh gains against Daesh terrorists in the country's embattled western province of Anbar as they continue clean-up operations against the extremist group across the country.
• Iraqi Forces Drive Islamic State Fighters From Ramadi Stronghold RFE/RL 27 Dec 2015 -- Iraqi officials say security forces have taken control of a government complex in Ramadi that has been a stronghold for Islamic State (IS) militants in the government's push to retake the devastated city.
• Will Saddam Hussein's Ghost Join the Fight Against Daesh? Sputnik 27 Dec 2015 -- Daesh/ISIL terrorists in Iraq and Syria are believed to depend heavily on the experience of former officers of the armies of late Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. However, according to counterterrorism expert Alain Rodier, these people's lack of ideological commitment to Daesh's ideology makes it theoretically possible to get them to switch sides.
• There and Back Again: Turkish Forces Pulling Out of Iraq Sputnik 27 Dec 2015 -- However, about 100 Turkish servicemen still remain in the Ninevah province of Iraq, according to a local government official.
• Iraqi Army Regains Control Over Ramadi's Gov't Compound Sputnik 27 Dec 2015 -- The Iraqi armed forces managed to retake control over the government compound in Ramadi, previously used by the ISIL, also known as Daesh, as a headquarters, according to local media.
• Iraqi Airstrikes Kill 25 Daesh Commanders in Anbar Sputnik 27 Dec 2015 -- Iraq's air force eliminated 25 Daesh field commanders in the Anbar province, local media reported Sunday, citing an army statement.
• Iraq Army Will Liberate Mosul From Daesh Without 'Help' From Turkey Sputnik 27 Dec 2015 -- Iraq would not allow any state to send troops to liberate Mosul from the Daesh militants, according to spokesman of Iraq's joint military alignment Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasul.
• Daesh Loses Major Supply Route Amid Strategic Defeat on Euphrates Sputnik 27 Dec 2015 -- The fate of Raqqa, the de-facto capital of Daesh, has come under serious threat as one of the chief supply roads across the Euphrates has now been cut off by Kurdish-led forces Saturday.
• Daesh Strength in Libya Grows to Nearly 5,000 Fighters Sputnik 27 Dec 2015 -- Libya, which is undergoing its second civil war in less than half a decade, has become the next country after Iraq and Syria to be targeted by Daesh terrorists for expansion.
• Deadly Clashes In Ukraine Despite Holiday Truce RFE/RL 27 Dec 2015 -- Ukraine's military said on December 27 that one of its soldiers and an elderly woman were killed in fighting between government forces and Russian-backed separatists despite a holiday truce between the warring sides.
• Shelling of OSCE Mission Shows Kiev's Reluctance to Stick to Minsk Deal Sputnik 27 Dec 2015 -- The shelling of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) observers in eastern Ukraine highlighted Kiev's reluctance to implement Minsk agreements, Russia's permanent OSCE envoy Alexander Lukashevich said Sunday.
• CSTO Chief Calls to Evade Escalation of Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Sputnik 27 Dec 2015 -- The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh region causes serious concern, the sides should evade further escalation of the conflict, Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha said Sunday.
• Nigerian Army Recovers All Communities Captured by Boko Haram - Official Sputnik 27 Dec 2015 -- The Nigerian army has managed to regain control over all the communities previously captured by Boko Haram militant group in the northeastern part of the country, the head of the local National Emergency Management Agency said as quoted by local media on Saturday.
• CAR Election Campaign Reaches Rebel-Held North VOA 27 Dec 2015 -- In the Central African Republic, the presidential campaign has reached the far north of the country. This past week presidential candidate Karim Meckassoua visited Ndele and Birao in a part of the country that is still under rebel control. Earlier this month a rebel group lead by ex-Seleka leader Noureddine Adam declared an autonomous region, saying elections would not take place in areas under their control. In Birao, however, the population insists they are ready to vote in the December 30 elections.

News Reports

• China approves first anti-terror law amid controversies People's Daily 27 Dec 2015 -- China has adopted its first counter-terrorism legislation despite criticism that it could tighten media controls and threaten privacy as well as intellectual property rights in the East Asian state.
• China Passes Controversial Counterterrorism Law RFE/RL 27 Dec 2015 -- China's parliament has passed a new antiterrorism law that requires technology firms to hand over sensitive information to the government and allows the Chinese military to venture overseas on counterterror operations.
• China Passes Controversial Anti-terror Law VOA 27 Dec 2015 -- China's parliament has passed a controversial anti-terror law requiring foreign technology firms to comply with government requests for information, including encryption keys that turn digital data into unreadable code.
• Araqchi: US visa waiver program clear violation of nuclear deal IRNA 27 Dec 2015 -- Head of the Foreign Ministry Headquarters to Monitor Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Abbass Araqchi underlined that the possible changes in the US Visa Waiver Program proposed by the Congress blatantly violate the nuclear agreement.
• Boroujerdi: US visa waiver program runs counter to context of JCPOA IRNA 27 Dec 2015 -- Head of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said on Sunday that including Iran in the US visa waiver program runs counter to the context of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
• Iran following US plan to seize frozen assets Press TV 27 Dec 2015 -- Iran is following US plans to appropriate some $2 billion of its assets frozen in Citibank accounts in New York, Central Bank Governor Valiollah Seif says.
• Iran sets oil at $35 in next year budget Press TV 27 Dec 2015 -- Iran's media reported on Sunday that the government of President Hassan Rouhani has devised the annual budget for the next calendar year (21 March 2016-2017) by anticipating sales of oil at an average price of $35 per barrel.
• Iran rules out steep oil price discount ISNA 27 Dec 2015 -- Minister of Petroleum Bijan Zangeneh dismissed reports of steep oil price discounts which Iran might be ready to give when the country ramps up production with the lifting of sanctions in 2016.
• Four-fold rise seen in Saudi debts Press TV 27 Dec 2015 -- Saudi media say the latest official figures show that the kingdom's total debts will increase four folds in the near future – what is expected to further add to the economic woes of Riyadh.
• Museveni Hosts Burundi Peace Talks Monday VOA 27 Dec 2015 -- Uganda's President Yoweri Museveni aims to jumpstart fresh peace negotiations between the government of Burundi and opposition groups in Kampala on Monday.