Leaflets dropped over western Mosul to warn of Iraqi military offensive

The Iraqi Air Force dropped millions of leaflets over western Mosul late Saturday warning residents of an offensive by ground forces on the ISIS-held part of the city, which has so far been targeted only by airstrikes. Iraqi forces have had control of the eastern part of the city, which is divided by the Tigris River, since January.

Ap Fact Check: Trumpa s messy case that he inherited a mess

President Donald Trump on Thursday made a messy case that he "inherited a mess" from his predecessor. Economic stats and territorial losses of Islamic State insurgents don't support his assertions about the problems handed to him on those fronts.

Obstruction?

Mike Flynn's resigned from Donald Trump's administration. Michael Tracey thinks the reason for it is nonsense: Bill Van Auken offers : In response to the latest revelations about Flynn's meetings with the Russian ambassador and denials of what the CIA has now leaked to the media, leading Democrats mounted a campaign demanding that Flynn be stripped of his security clearance, suspended as national security advisor or fired.

Sources: Pentagon report finds U.S. did not distort progress against ISIS

A Defense Department review delivered to Congress on Tuesday concludes that senior leaders at the U.S. Central Command did not exaggerate the progress the U.S. was making in fighting Islamic State militants , two U.S. officials said. The long-awaited report from the Pentagon's inspector general is not expected to satisfy intelligence analysts who complained that officials were improperly reworking intelligence assessments being prepared for President Barack Obama and other top policymakers to offer a rosier view of U.S. operations against ISIS .

Tears, detentions greet U.S. travelers

Family reunions were blocked, refugees from war-torn countries were turned away and border agents detained scores of unsuspecting travelers at airports as the U.S. began a chaotic implementation of President Donald Trump's plan to fight terrorism by temporarily stopping citizens of seven nations from entering the country. By Saturday night, a federal judge in New York had issued an order temporarily blocking the government from deporting people with valid visas who arrived after Trump's travel ban took effect.

Nation-Now 22 mins ago 9:48 p.m.ACLU blocks Trump’s unconstitutional Muslim ban

Protesters gather at JFK International Airport's Terminal 4 on Jan. 28, 2017, to demonstrate against President Trump's executive order to suspend refugee arrivals. President Trump's ban on immigration by citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries ran into at least a temporary roadblock Saturday night, after a U.S. District judge in Brooklyn granted an emergency stay sought by immigrants' rights lawyers.

The Peace Prize Winner Who Waged War

When he was first elected president, many observers, up to and including the Norwegian Nobel Committee, believed Barack Obama would represent a substantive departure from the foreign policy of his predecessor, George W. Bush. On the campaign trail, the then-senator from Illinois promised to bring the Iraq War to an end within 16 months.

The Top Eight Mideast Stories of 2016 That Shaped Our World

In 2016, the Middle East continued to be a major focus of the US public, and it often came up in the primary and presidential debates. Alas, the Middle East referenced by US politicians and many pundits does not actually exist, and the American fixation on this region has a creepy stalker-like quality to it.

Logic

Let's follow these Tweets by Michael Tracey: I love that. But I do realize that logic and supporting proof presented in an solid argument will not convince the delusional and so many are.

Carter leads his final anti-IS conference amid uncertainty

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter is convening his final war-planning conference with core members of the anti-Islamic State coalition, dogged by questions about what Donald Trump 's arrival in the White House next month will mean for the future of the coalition. Closing out a nearly two-week overseas trip that included a stop in Iraq , Carter was meeting Thursday with his counterparts from 14 nations.

ISIS militants return to Syria city

Islamic State militants re-entered the historic city of Palmyra in central Syria on Saturday for the first time since they were expelled by Syrian and Russian forces nine months ago. The activist-run Palmyra Coordination network said the militants had nearly encircled the city and entered its northern and northwestern neighborhoods.

Is Bruited Sec. of State Tillerson allied with Iran & at war with Iraq?

The problem? Iraqi Kurdistan is a province of Iraq, and the central government in Baghdad claims that petroleum discovered in Iraqi Kurdistan is under the control of the Baghdad Ministry of Petroleum. The attempt of Iraqi Kurdistan to export petroleum to the US without going through Baghdad created an immediate court case.

Raqqa, Mosul Liberations Progress as ISIL Loses Resources to Fight

A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle approaches a KC-135 Stratotanker in support of a Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve mission over Iraq, Dec. 7, 2016. The KC-135 provides aerial refueling capabilities as the task force supports the Iraqi security forces and the partnered forces in Syria as they work to liberate territory and people under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.