Carlo Muñoz

Joseph Votel: Rigorous rules of engagement remain unchanged for U.S. forces in Iraq, Syria

The rigorous rules of engagement under which U.S. forces battling Islamic State in Iraq and Syria operate remain unchanged, despite claims that subtle changes to those rules have opened the door to increased risk of civilian casualties.

March 29, 2017

Afghanistan redeployment leaves Marines wary of past mistakes

It was just five years ago, at the massive base in the southern Afghanistan province of Helmand, that the Marine Corps suffered the largest loss of American combat aircraft since the Vietnam War.

March 28, 2017

U.S. commanders: New rules not to blame for civilian deaths in Iraq

New rules of engagement governing U.S. airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq and Syria played no role in the surge of civilian casualties during recent offensives in both countries, the coalition's top U.S. general said Tuesday.

March 28, 2017

U.S. bombing in Syria seen as a ‘clean strike’ says coalition commander

An American airstrike against a suspected Islamic State target in northern Syria, which local reports later claimed was a safe house for refugees fleeing an ongoing coalition offensive, was likely a legitimate target, the U.S. general leading the coalition fight said Tuesday.

March 28, 2017

‘Fair chance’ American airstrikes caused mass civilian casualties in Mosul, top U.S. general says

The top U.S. commander in Iraq and Syria said Tuesday there was "a fair chance" a U.S. airstrike against a suspected Islamic State stronghold in western Mosul over the weekend resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Iraqi civilians.

March 28, 2017

Marines struggle with more tours to Afghanistan, discussions with families

With multiple deployments abroad and new orders for another tour in the Afghanistan hot spot of Helmand, Marine Col. Matthew Grosz has become an old hand at telling his family when duty calls him away. This time, though, his wife balked.

March 27, 2017

Pentagon defends targeting as reports of civilian death tolls rise

The Pentagon on Monday pushed back against reports that an aggressive string of recent U.S. military sorties have killed hundreds of civilians in Iraq and Syria, even as a former senior-level Defense Department policy adviser said the Trump White House has unofficially "opened the aperture" for riskier strikes as part of a more aggressive campaign against the terror group.

March 27, 2017

U.S.-backed forces take key airfield in northern Syria

U.S.-backed indigenous forces have secured a key airfield in northern Syria, which American officials say could be a key staging area for the upcoming assault on Islamic State's capital of Raqqa.

March 27, 2017

U.S. military opens full investigation into Syrian mosque strike

U.S. Central Command has opened a full investigation into a U.S. airstrike in northern Syria the Pentagon says killed a number of top al Qaeda leaders, but which civilians claim willfully targeted a local mosque.

March 27, 2017

Hassan Rouhani, Iranian president, to meet with Putin in Moscow next week

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani will lead an Iranian delegation to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a two-day summit in Moscow starting Monday.

March 24, 2017

Pakistani ties with China, Russia not ‘zero sum game’ for United States: Ambassador

Recent efforts by Pakistan to forge closer diplomatic ties with China and Russia does not represent the opening salvos of "a zero sum game" with Washington, according to the country's new ambassador to the United States.

March 24, 2017

Al Qaeda quietly gaining territory in Syria amid ISIS fight

Al Qaeda's affiliates in Syria have begun gaining ground in the central part of the country, taking advantage of the regime's increased focus on the ongoing fight against Islamic State in northern Syria.

March 23, 2017

Assad flexes military muscle against ISIS ahead of new round of Syria peace talks

Government forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad have again pushed heavily into Islamic State-controlled areas in the northern part of the country, a strong show of military force ahead of the latest round of peace talks to end the country's civil war.

March 23, 2017

U.S. commanders investigating claims of civilian casualties in Syrian airstrike

American commanders in Syria said Wednesday they are investigating claims that over 33 Syrian civilians were killed in a coalition airstrike near the Islamic State-held city of Raqqa.

March 22, 2017

Rex Tillerson skipping NATO meeting has White House scrambling for explanation

The Trump administration struggled to contain an embarrassing diplomatic flap after first saying Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson would skip a key gathering of NATO foreign ministers next month in Brussels to attend meetings with the Chinese president and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

March 21, 2017

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO chief, ducks queries over Rex Tillerson’s decision to skip alliance meeting

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg refused to address questions concerning Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's decision to forgo a key alliance meeting next month, in favor of talks with Chinese and Russian counterparts.

March 21, 2017

Marines nude photo scandal shifts to other military branches

The Marines aren't the only military service feeling the heat after revelations that photos of nude female Marines were shared on social media. A day after the Marines introduced tougher mandatory guidelines on social media use, congressional lawmakers are poised to give representatives of the Army, Navy and Air Force a grilling Tuesday over efforts to curb such harassment in the ranks.

March 20, 2017

Pentagon denies civilian casualty claims tied to U.S. airstrike in Syria

The Pentagon is denying reports that a number of civilians were injured and killed as a result of an U.S. airstrike against senior-level al Qaeda leaders in northwest Syria on Thursday night.

March 17, 2017

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, ISIS leader, still alive, Pentagon says

The Islamic State group's elusive leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is reportedly alive but flushed from his stronghold in the Iraqi city of Mosul, largely sidelined in the fight against the U.S.-backed forces battling to oust the terrorist organization from its Iraqi and Syrian strongholds.

March 8, 2017

Syria policy debated by Gen. Joseph Dunford and Russian, Turkish counterparts

Top American Gen. Joseph Dunford met Tuesday with his Turkish and Russian military counterparts in a surprise summit in Turkey in an attempt to head off growing regional tensions and focus the fight on Islamic State's stronghold in Syria.

March 7, 2017