Global defense news, analysis and opinion

French soldier killed in Mali roadside bomb blast claimed by ISIS

A French soldier deployed to Operation Barkhane was killed between Gao and Menaka in Mali in an IED attack later claimed by Islamic State

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Mali: More than 50 killed in ‘terrorist attack’ in Indelilmane in Menaka region

At least 53 Mali soldiers were killed in a "terrorist attack" on a military post outpost in Indelimane in the locality of Ansongo in the Ménaka region

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US begins ISR flight operations from Air Base 201 in northern Niger

Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance flight operations from Nigerien Air Base 201 have begun, United States Africa Command said

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Saab and Raytheon successfully flight test Guided Carl-Gustaf Munition

Saab and Raytheon successfully completed a series of flight tests of the shoulder-launched Guided Carl-Gustaf Munition

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French Rafale jets strike ISIS tunnels in northeastern Iraq

French Rafale fighter aircraft conducted airstrikes on a number of Islamic State munitions caches in northeastern Iraq

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It took almost a year, but a simple shift in US stance led to Turkey’s assault against Syria’s Kurds

US diplomats' short-sighted Syria strategy may have led to Turkey's incrusion and unravelled the partnership with the SDF

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Turkey and Russia begin joint patrols on northern Syria border

Turkish and Russian forces on Friday, November 1 began joint patrols near the Syria-Turkey border under a deal agreed in Sochi for the border area. The first joint patrol with ground units and drones began on Friday in the Darbasiyah district of Hasakah governorate, the Turkish Ministry of National Defence tweeted along with photos of the patrol. Rusya Federasyonu ile 22 Ekim 2019 tarihinde Soçi’de varılan mutabakat çerçevesinde; Türk ve Rus askeri unsurlarının ve İHA’ların iştirakiyle ilk ortak devriye, Fırat’ın doğusundaki Derbesiye bölgesinde başladı.#MSB #TSK pic.twitter.com/tseFhBlERy — T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı (@tcsavunma) November 1, 2019 The patrols were set to begin earlier this week but were delayed. After marathon talks between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sochi on October 22, Russia and Turkey signed a deal that would see Russian military police and Syrian border guards “facilitate the removal” of Syrian Democratic Forces from border areas. On October 9, NATO-member Turkey and its Syrian proxy forces launched the Operation Peace Spring incursion into Syria to push the SDF and its predominantly-Kurdish YPG component south after U.S. President Donald Trump said American troops would withdraw from the immediate area. Ankara wants to clear a 30-km buffer zone to …

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UN extends Darfur peacekeeping mission UNAMID for one year

The UN Security Council extended the UNAMID peacekeeping mission in Sudan's Darfur region after a recommendation from the Khartoum government

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Turkey releases 18 Syrian soldiers after talks with Russia

Turkey freed 18 Syrian soldiers that its forces captured in northeastern Syria, the defense ministry said

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DR Congo army launches ‘large-scale operations’ against militias in Beni territory

Democratic Republic of Congo's army said it had launched "large-scale operations" against armed militias in the troubled Beni region

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