The US military says it has killed seven al-Shabaab fighters in a series of airstrikes in Somalia as the Trump administration steps up efforts against the deadliest Islamic extremist group in Africa.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Saturday will begin a five-day trip to Jordan, Turkey and the Ukraine, Pentagon officials announced Friday. The trip is intended “to reaffirm the enduring US commitment to strategic partnerships,” the officials said. Mattis will begin his engagements Monday in Jordan by meeting with King …

Iraq: The pro-government Popular Mobilization Forces will field 20.000 fighters for the anticipated offensive to retake the town of Tal Afar, Islamic State’s last bastion i Nineveh province, a spokesperson said. PMF spokesman Ahmed al-Assadi said Friday that 20.000 fighters will take part in the imminent battle, saying that the …

The wires protruding from the small, misshapen stuffed animal revealed the deadly booby-trap tucked inside. For the people of Mosul, the sophisticated bomb was a reminder of how difficult it will be to return to homes littered with hidden explosives by Daesh militants and dotted with the remnants of undetonated …

United States President Donald Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence on Friday will discuss South-Asia strategy with their national security team. The meeting will be held to develop a new strategy to deal with Afghanistan, which is logger-heads with the United States from past 16 years. Currently, around 8400 U.S. soldiers …

U.S.-led coalition warplanes and Iraqi forces pounded Daesh positions in the northwestern city of Tal Afar on Tuesday, killing at least 17 terrorists, according to an Iraqi military officer. Lieutenant Colonel Shams al-Din al-Anbari said the attacks targeted Daesh arms depots and training sites in the city.

Saudi Arabia and Iraq plan to open the Arar border crossing for trade for the first time since 1990, when it was closed after the countries cut ties following Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, Saudi local media reported on Tuesday. Saudi and Iraqi officials toured the site on Monday and …

Some 40,000 Iraqi troops are preparing for military operations to retake the Iraqi town of Tal Afar from Daesh. Iraqi authorities have announced that the town, located 80 kilometres west of Mosul, will be the next target in the war against Daesh following the recapture of Mosul. Tal Afar, which …

The United States military will take part in a biennial joint military exercise with Egypt called Bright Star 2017 — marking the first time the U.S. has participated in the joint exercise since the toppling of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, CNN reported on Aug. 15. The joint exercise …

Tunisian armed forces killed two Islamist militants including a senior commander in a mountain raid near the western border with Algeria late on Tuesday, security sources said. “Two terrorists were killed and weapons were seized during an ambush that National Guard units set up against a terrorist group,” in Kasserine …