Staff Writer With AFP

The Defense Post Digest #1

A collection of The Defense Post’s recent favorites from around the site and around the web. In the past week week we looked at Russian private military contractors and U.S. partners in Syria, Egypt’s new offensive in Sinai, civilian deaths in Afghanistan, and the latest S-400 deals. To get the Digest in your Inbox, subscribe to our mailing list at the bottom of this post. An experimental playground: The footprint of Russian private military companies in Syria The footprint of Russian private military contractors in Syria is significant and has demonstrated the capacity of the Kremlin to apply military pressure abroad without officially deploying regular troops. Ruslan Trad and Dr. Kiril Avramov investigate. The Manbij Conundrum Nicholas Heras argues the collapse, or eviction by military force, of the Syrian Democratic Forces from Manbij would have dire consequences for the stability of the SDF, and by extension, the entire US mission to build stability in the wake of the Islamic State in Syria. War & conflict No official reports of civilian casualties in Kandahar raid, NATO Afghanistan mission says Turkey says forces aiding YPG are ‘legitimate targets’ after pro-regime militias enter Efrin Lithuania to deploy special operations forces to Afghanistan in …