Jason Ditz

9 Women, 14 Children Killed In US Airstrike On Raqqa, Syria

The US coalition said in July that its attacks had killed at least 600 civilians in both Iraq and Syria since it began operations in 2014, a figure that is far lower than those given by independent monitors.

Jason Ditz
By Jason Ditz
Black smoke rises from Raqqa where U.S.-forces are battling ISIS militants, in, northeast Syria, Thursday, July 27, 2017. (AP/Hussein Malla)

24 hours of US airstrikes against the ISIS capital city of Raqqa, in northern Syria, have killed at least 29 civilians and wounded a large number of others, many of them seriously. The slain include nine women and 14 children. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the incident, saying that among the slain were 14 members of the

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US To Expand Global Drone War To Philippines

The Pentagon is considering a plan that allows the U.S. military to conduct airstrikes on ISIS in the Philippines.

Jason Ditz
By Jason Ditz
MQ 9 Reaper drone

Pentagon officials say a discussion is ongoing about the possibility of granting US forces in the Philippine authority to conduct airstrikes against the nation’s ISIS affiliate, and that the announcement and naming of the new operation could happen within the next 24 hours. ISIS affiliates have been active in the southern Philippines in recent

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US Troops Join Gulf Allies In Major Yemen Offensive, More Deployments Expected

The Pentagon confirmed US forces are on the ground in Yemen, and suggested it was likely that more US troops would be deployed in the weeks to come.

Jason Ditz
By Jason Ditz
A convoy of UAE military vehicles and personnel travels from Al Hamra Military Base to Zayed Military City, marking the return of the first batch of UAE Armed Forces military personnel from Yemen, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (WAM via AP)

Last week’s US-backed raid against what was described as an al-Qaeda position within Yemen’s Shabwa Province, in which officials claimed to have inflicted “heavy casualties,” appears to have actually marked the beginning of a much larger military campaign in the province. With US troops now confirmed to be on the ground, working with UAE forces

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US Airstrikes Kill At Least 43 Civilians In Syria’s Raqqa

The victims were killed by U.S.-led warplanes carried out several air raids at noon Saturday, targeting residential areas in Raqqa, Syria.

Jason Ditz
By Jason Ditz
A US Air Force plane takes off as a Turkish Air Force fighter jet taxis at the Incirlik airbase, southern Turkey, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2013. (Photo: AP/Vadim Ghirda)

New reports out of the ISIS capital city of Raqqa say US airstrikes hit a number of residential districts in the city over the course of Saturday, killing at least 43 civilians and wounding an unknown, but a substantial number of others. There was no obvious specific target for the strikes, though the US has been generally targeting ISIS forces

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Senate Panel Approves Bill To Cut All Aid To Palestine

Palestinians have argued that ending Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem — lands Palestinians seek for their state — is key to defeating terrorism.

Jason Ditz
By Jason Ditz
Benjamin Netanyahu US Congress

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has voted today 17-4 to pass a bill that would suspend all US financial aid to the Palestinian Authority until they agree to end social programs which Congressmen described as providing a “financial incentive” for terrorism. The Palestinian General Delegation to the US says the bill is “misinformed,” and

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Rand Paul Blocks Defense Bill Over Indefinite Detention

Sen. Paul is seeking two amendments, one which ends NDAA authorization for the indefinite detention of suspects, and another related to the Authorization for the Use of Military Force.

Jason Ditz
By Jason Ditz
Guantanamo

Sen. Rand Paul (R – KY) has blocked a motion by majority leader Mitch McConnell (R – KY) to advance the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the massive military spending bill, saying that the bill should instead face debate and possible amendments. This sets the This sets the bill back for 6 weeks, at least. In particular, Sen. Paul

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Taliban Said To Be Awash In American Weapons, Vehicles

Weapons provided to the Afghan military has slowly found its way down to the Taliban through corruption and battlefield losses.

Jason Ditz
By Jason Ditz
Members of the Afghan Taliban atop a captured Humvee with what appears to be an anti-aircraft weapon.

16 years into the US occupation of Afghanistan, the Taliban insurgency is better armed than ever, fielding an ever-growing array of US-made weapons and vehicles that they’ve procured, either looting them from Afghan forces or stealing them outright through the legendary levels of corruption in Afghanistan. This is, after all, the same country

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