U.S., Taliban Sign Deal Aimed at Ending 18-Year Afghanistan War

MATTHEW LEE and KATHY GANNON / The Associated Press Feb 29, 2020 The agreement could see the withdrawal of all American and allied forces in the next 14 months — but it could also easily unravel. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

U.S., Taliban Agree to Terms for Peace Deal, Troop Withdrawal

KATHY GANNON and MATTHEW LEE / The Associated Press Feb 21, 2020 The planned Feb. 29 signing depends on the success of a week-long nationwide "reduction in violence" agreement. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Esper Says Taliban Deal Is Promising but Not Without Risk

ROBERT BURNS and MATTHEW LEE / The Associated Press Feb 15, 2020 The U.S. defense secretary says a "political agreement' may be the only way forward as details of 7-day "reduction in violence" deal emerge. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Payback: Trump Ousts Officials Who Testified in Impeachment Inquiry

DEB RIECHMANN and COLLEEN LONG / The Associated Press Feb 7, 2020 Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman's lawyer says he was asked to leave in retaliation for “telling the truth.” Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

U.S. General Says Troop Surge in Middle East May Not End Soon

LOLITA C. BALDOR / The Associated Press Jan 23, 2020 America has sent more than 20,000 additional troops into the region over the past eight months to counter the escalating threat from Iran. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Three Reasons Trump Ordered Soleimani’s Killing

Sonali Kolhatkar / Truthdig Jan 16, 2020 The president may not want war with Iran, but he does want to push the regime into submission and tout U.S. military dominance to his base. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Trump’s Unprecedented Attack on Iran and the Rule of Law

Bill Blum / Truthdig Jan 15, 2020 There exists no legal framework for the assassination of Qassem Soleimani. Congress must reassert its war powers or risk further attempts. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Canadian, U.S. Officials Agree That Iran Likely Shot Down Jet

LOLITA C. BALDOR and ZEKE MILLER / The Associated Press Jan 9, 2020 The strike, which killed all 176 people on board, may have been a mistake amid intentional airstrikes and high tensions in the region. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Iran Should Be Applauded for Its Restraint

Maj. Danny Sjursen / Truthdig Jan 9, 2020 There's no justification for Qassem Soleimani's assassination, and if we avoid another war in the Middle East, we'll have Tehran to thank. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

U.S. Sending 3,000 More Troops to Mideast as Reinforcements

ZEKE MILLER, ROBERT BURNS and LOLITA C. BALDOR / The Associated Press Jan 3, 2020 They are in addition to about 700 soldiers who deployed to Kuwait this week after the storming of the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Pentagon: U.S. Airstrike Kills Powerful Iranian General

QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and ZEINA KARAM / The Associated Press Jan 2, 2020 The Defense Department says Qassem Soleimani was developing plans to attack U.S. diplomats and service members in Iraq and the region. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

Putin: Russia Leads the World in Hypersonic Weapons

VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV /The Associated Press Dec 24, 2019 The Kremlin has made military modernization a top priority amid tensions with the West after annexing Crimea in 2014. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )