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Afghan towns brace for economic and security upheaval as US bases prepare to close

Over the last 20 years, Bagram and other towns in Afghanistan became dependent on the sprawling U.S. military bases nearby for their economy and their security. In a few months, they may not have much of either. The flow of discarded goods from Bagram Airfield slowed to a trickle last …

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No Guarantees on Afghanistan After Troop Pullout, Says Top Biden Aide

No one can say with any certainty what will happen in Afghanistan once U.S. President Joe Biden withdraws the remaining 2,500 to 3,500 U.S. troops by September 11 to end the country’s longest war, a top White House official said Sunday. “I can’t make any guarantees about what will happen …

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US can build military facilities in Norway under new defense cooperation pact

The U.S. and Norway signed a revised defense cooperation agreement Friday that will allow the Americans to build facilities at three airfields and one naval base in the country. The agreement comes amid continuing concerns of Russian military activities along NATO’s borders, including in the Arctic region. Facilities will be …

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Afghanistan withdrawal plan could involve small troop surge

The Pentagon is pulling out its old Afghanistan drawdown plans and reworking them for a Sept. 11 deadline, per President Joe Biden’s announcement of the end of Operation Resolute Support on Wednesday. The 2,500 troops deployed to that country may see some back-up arriving to help with removing equipment, shutting …

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Turkey ‘neutralizes’ 9 PKK terrorists in northern Iraq

Air operation carried out in Metina region, says National Defense Ministry Turkish security forces “neutralized” nine PKK terrorists in northern Iraq, Turkey’s National Defense Ministry said on Monday. The terrorists were neutralized in an air operation in the Metina region, the ministry said on Twitter, also sharing footage of the …

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Europe Is Losing Patience With Erdogan’s Islamist Rhetoric

As a terrorist attack was unfolding late Monday night in Vienna, where four people were killed and 22 others injured in a shooting rampage on crowded bars, speculation about the culprit, unsurprisingly, was rife on social media. Many of those offering theories were quick to accuse Turkish President Recep Tayyip …

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Turkey’s Former Economy Czar Looks to Unseat Erdogan and the AKP

In a major political shake-up in Turkey, Ali Babacan, a former economy minister and once-close confidante of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, recently ended months of speculation and formally launched a new political party to challenge his old boss. Babacan, who resigned last July from Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party, or …

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Libya’s Expanding Proxy War May Be the Ultimate Test of NATO’s Resilience

With Egypt reportedly on the brink of invading neighboring Libya, and troops from Chad said to be on their way north to join Gen. Khalifa Haftar in his fight to topple the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, what was already a complicated proxy war could soon become Africa’s first full-on …

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After the U.S., Turkey Should Be Next to Leave Syria

With the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic crash dominating the headlines, the civil war in Syria has faded into media obscurity. But there is more bad news there that warrants the world’s attention. Turkey is engaged in a military campaign in Syria’s northwestern ldlib province that risks a conflict …

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Escalating to Deescalate? Why Turkey Is Targeting Syria’s Army

For the first time in Syria’s nine-year war, the Turkish military this week launched direct attacks on the Syrian army. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday that he ordered howitzers and F-16 fighter jets to hit President Bashar al-Assad’s forces near the Turkish border in response to the killing of …

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