In this week’s newsletter, Thomas Gibbons-Neff, a Times reporter and former Marine, shares his journal entries from February 2010 and the days leading up to Operation Moshtarak in Afghanistan.
Tag: United States Defense and Military Forces
Army Issues New Reprimand to Leader of Green Beret Team Ambushed in Niger
An earlier admonishment against Capt. Michael Perozeni was rescinded after former Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said junior officers were punished more harshly than commanders.
A Desperate Exodus From ISIS’ Final Village
A stream of families and fighters, many of them hungry or injured, are surrendering on a rocky patch of desert in southeastern Syria.
Taliban Peace Talks in Moscow End With Hope the U.S. Exits, if Not Too Quickly
The most significant contact between insurgents and Afghan politicians was informal at best as the government was absent, but the Taliban offered some clarity on their positions.
Trump Seeks to Reassure Allies on ISIS Fight as Syria Withdrawal Looms
“We will be working with you for many years to come,” the president told international diplomats, acknowledging that ISIS would be a threat even after the last slivers of its territory were reclaimed.
In Moscow, Afghan Peace Talks Without the Afghan Government
The Taliban broached their views on women’s rights at a meeting with Afghan officials. But President Ashraf Ghani remained sidelined from talks.
U.S. Military Commander Warns That Islamic State May Quickly Regroup
Gen. Joseph L. Votel was another voice in a national security establishment out of alignment with President Trump on a range of issues, including Afghanistan, Russia and Syria.
At Checkpoint Charlie, Cold War History Confronts Crass Commercialism
Checkpoint Charlie, ground zero in the Cold War split between East and West, is a top attraction for Berlin tourists. It is now threatened with development that could overshadow the site.
The North Magnetic Pole’s Mysterious Journey Across the Arctic
Scientists accelerated the update of a model of Earth’s fluctuating magnetic field, which is needed to keep navigational systems functioning. Many wondered what’s happening inside the planet’s core.
U.S. Suspends Nuclear Arms Control Treaty With Russia
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acknowledged a risk of a new arms race after the suspension of a 1987 treaty banning the deployment of intermediate-range missiles.