Category: military

(Xinhua)09:11, September 10, 2020

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) — Commander of U.S. Central Command Kenneth McKenzie confirmed on Wednesday that the United States would withdraw thousands of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan by November, U.S. media reported on Wednesday.

The Politico reported that McKenzie, during a ceremony for Operation Inherent Resolve with the Iraqi minister of defense, said that U.S. troop presence in Iraq would be reduced to 3,000 by the end of September.

The force reduction is due to the great progress the Iraqi forces have made and in consultation and coordination with the Government of Iraq and our coalition partners, he said.

Currently, there are over 5,000 U.S. troops deployed in Iraq to support Iraqi forces in battles against remnants of the Islamic State (IS), mainly for training and advisory purposes.

McKenzie noted that the reduced size of U.S. military presence in Iraq would still be able to advise and assist Iraqi forces in rooting out the IS remnants in Iraq.

The top U.S. general in the Middle East told several media outlets later in the day that U.S. troops in Afghanistan would be decreased to about 4,500 level by early November.

The Pentagon said in mid-July that the United States maintained its force level in Afghanistan at mid-8,000s, meeting the conditions of the U.S.-Taliban agreement signed in late February.

The agreement also called for a full withdrawal of the U.S. military forces from Afghanistan by May 2021 if the Taliban meets the conditions of the deal, including severing ties with terrorist groups.

The numbers and time frame of the troop reduction plan that McKenzie disclosed on Wednesday were mainly in line with previous reports and discussions.

The Wall Street Journal wrote in a late August piece that the Pentagon would reduce military presence in Iraq by roughly one-third over the next two or three months, bringing U.S. troop numbers down to 3,500.

Pentagon chief Mark Esper also confirmed last month that U.S. troops in Afghanistan would be lowered to less than 5,000 by the end of November.

As the presidential election looms, President Donald Trump has doubled down efforts to seek to fulfill his campaign promise to bring troops home and to pull his country out of endless wars.

During his meeting with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi last month, Trump reiterated his intention to withdraw troops from Iraq.

Trump also has sought a full withdrawal from Afghanistan. The war in Afghanistan, which has caused about 2,400 U.S. military deaths, is the longest one in U.S. history.

The troop reduction announcement came amid the development of a delicate relationship between Trump and the military.

In Mondays White House briefing, Trump claimed senior leaders in the Pentagon probably didnt like him because they want to do nothing but fight wars so that all of those wonderful companies that make the bombs and make the planes and make everything else stay happy.

Army Chief of Staff James McConville on Tuesday defended military leaders to media outlet Defense One, saying the senior leaders would only recommend sending our troops to combat when it is required in national security and a last resort.

The news also came days after an article published in The Atlantic, quoting anonymous sources, saying that Trump disparaged slain U.S. service members by referring to them as losers and suckers. Trump and White House officials have vehemently denied the report.

(Xinhua)09:36, September 10, 2020

BAGHDAD, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) — Spokesman of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) said on Wednesday that the U.S. decision to cut its troops in Iraq came within an agreed timetable between the Iraqi government and the United States.

The latest step to cut the number of U.S. troops came as a result of coordination and joint work between us and the U.S.-led international coalition forces, Tahseen al-Khafaji, the JOC spokesman, told the official Iraqi News Agency.

Al-Khafajis comment came after Kenneth McKenzie, the head of the U.S. militarys Central Command, said that the Pentagon will draw down the level of U.S. troops in Iraq to 3,000 this month.

In consultation and coordination with the government of Iraq and our coalition partners, the United States has decided to reduce our troop presence in Iraq from about 5,200 to 3,000 troops during the month of September, McKenzie said in Iraq.

On Aug. 20, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed to Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who was on an official visit to the United States, that the U.S.-led coalition forces will rapidly withdraw from Iraq within three years.

The withdrawal came as unidentified militant groups have frequently targeted Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops across Iraq, as well as the U.S. embassy in the Green Zone, by mortar and rocket attacks.

The troops cut decision came as the Iraqi-U.S. relations have witnessed a tension since Jan. 3 when a U.S. drone struck a convoy at Baghdad airport, which killed Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Irans Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraqs paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces.

More than 5,000 U.S. troops have been deployed in Iraq to support the Iraqi forces in the battles against the Islamic State militants, mainly providing training and advising to the Iraqi forces.

(Xinhua)11:04, September 10, 2020

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9 (Xinhua) — Victimized by eight most violent wars the United States has launched or participated in, at least 37 million people have fled their homes since 2001, according to a new report by Brown Universitys Costs of War project.

The number, a very conservative estimate, surpasses those displaced by any war or disaster since the 20th century, except for World War II, and is almost as large as the population of Canada, said the report, which was published on Tuesday and titled Creating Refugees: Displacement Caused by the United States Post-9/11 Wars.

The estimate includes 8 million people displaced across international borders as refugees and asylum seekers, and 29 million people displaced internally to other parts of their countries.

Most of the refugees were displaced in and from Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia, the Philippines, Libya and Syria.

We focus on wars where the U.S. government bears a clear responsibility for initiating armed combat (the overlapping Afghanistan/Pakistan war and the post-2003 war in Iraq); for escalating armed conflict (U.S. and European intervention in the Libyan uprising against Muammar Gaddafi and Libyas ongoing civil war and U.S. involvement in Syria); or for being a significant participant in combat through drone strikes, battlefield advising, logistical support, arms sales, and other means (U.S. forces involvement in wars in Yemen, Somalia, and the Philippines), noted the report.

(Xinhua)16:16, September 10, 2020

LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) — Five militants were confirmed dead and nine others injured as clashes flared up in Gereshk district of the southern Helmand province on Thursday, a statement from the national army here said.

The clashes broke out after a group of Taliban militants attacked security checkpoints early Thursday and the troops retaliated, forcing the insurgents to flee after leaving five bodies behind and nine more injured, the statement said.

The Afghan forces also discovered 14 mines planted by the insurgents in the area and defused them on the spot.

Taliban militants who are active in parts of the troubled Helmand province with Lashkar Gah as its capital havent commented.

(Xinhua)17:12, September 10, 2020

NEW DELHI, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) — Indian Air Force (IAF) on Thursday formally inducted the first batch of five Rafale fighter jets in its arsenal, officials said.

The induction ceremony was held at Air Force Station in Ambala of Haryana state, adjacent to Indian capital Delhi.

Indias Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Florence Parly attended the event and watched the aircraft flying at low-speed during an air display.

IAF has formally inducted the Rafale aircraft in 17 Squadron Golden Arrows today, at Air Force Station, Ambala. The ceremony also marks Rafales full operational entry into IAF, said a brief statement issued by IAF.

The first five Indian Air Force Rafale aircraft had arrived at the Ambala airbase from France on July 27 this year.

Reports said the second batch of aircraft is expected to arrive in India by the end of November this year.

The IAF would be acquiring a total of 36 Rafale jets from France and all the aircraft are expected to be inducted into IAF by the end of 2021.

Officials said Rafale aircraft is Indias first major acquisition of fighter aircraft for IAF after Sukhoi.

India in 2016 signed a deal with France for purchase of 36 Rafale fighter jets in a bid to bolster the countrys military image.

(Xinhua)10:17, March 12, 2021

TEHRAN, March 11 (Xinhua) — Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Thursday for the end of the United States presence in Syria and Iraq.

The Americans must leave Iraq, which is the will of the Iraqis and their law, he said in an appearance on state TV at an Islamic religious occasion.

By the Iraqis law, Khamenei was referring to a resolution passed on Jan. 5, 2020, by the Iraqi parliament requiring the government to end the presence of foreign forces in Iraq.

On the other hand, Khamenei lambasted criticism of Iranian presence in Syria, Iraq and other countries in West Asia, arguing that, contrary to the U.S. presence, the Iranian presence is not military but political, and wherever it is indeed military, it has an advisory role.

Irans top leader went on to say that either in Syria and Iraq, Irans presence seeks to defend the legitimate governments in place, at the request of those governments.

U.S. critics, he further noted, magnify Irans regional presence, and at the same time Washington attack a country without permission and establish a military base.

(Xinhua)14:25, March 08, 2021

MOSCOW, March 8 (Xinhua) — Huge U.S. military spending is not only an important indication of Washingtons pursuit of an aggressive foreign policy, but a cause of instability and chaos across the world, a Russian military expert has said.

The United States maintains a large number of military bases around the world and deploys many aircraft carrier strike forces, both of which require corresponding expenses, said Igor Korotchenko, member of the Public Council under the Russian Defense Ministry, in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Korotchenko added that the United States is also trying to expand its military influence on certain continents and conducting extremely expensive programs designed for a new round of the arms race, in particular in outer space, which is costly, too.

Therefore, U.S. military spending reflects the structure of the U.S. armed forces and the tasks that are entrusted to them, said the Russian expert. The U.S. military budget is fuel for instability and chaos on our planet.

In response to the Western accusation that Chinas military spending has grown too fast, Korotchenko noted that, unlike that of the United States, growth of Chinas military spending is not related to military expansion.

China is not pursuing military expansion. Its military programs are generally defensive in nature, Korotchenko said. Therefore, Chinese military spending reflects the structure of the Chinese army and the tasks in the field of ensuring external security.

In addition, Korotchenko underlined that the increase of Chinas military expenditure is in line with Chinas economic development, and that the steady development of Chinas economy provides financial guarantees for improving the conditions of the Chinese army.

(Chinadaily.com.cn)13:38, February 05, 2021

China conducted a land-based, mid-course missile interception test on Thursday, the Defense Ministry said, noting the test had achieved its goals.

The ministry said in a brief statement that the operation was defensive in its nature and wasn’t targeted at any other country.

This was the fifth land-based, mid-course missile interception test China has publicly announced. Before it, the nation successfully completed four such tests in 2010, 2013, 2014 and 2018.

An advanced anti-missile interceptor requires cutting-edge technologies, best manufacturing techniques and top materials and will only be successful after a great number of tests, experts said.