Maggie Ybarra

3 Afghani soldiers missing from Cape Cod base

Three soldiers from the Afghanistan National Army have disappeared during a training exercise at a military base in Massachusetts.

September 22, 2014

Ukraine president repeats plea for U.S. military aid

Ukraine's president made a last-ditch plea for lethal weaponry during an award ceremony in Washington on Thursday evening. Petro Poroshenko, the country's newly elected leader, said that he has been pressuring the U.S. to provide Ukraine with weaponry because he is concerned that Kiev may not have the means to defend itself against Moscow in future wars.

September 18, 2014

Obama pledges U.S. support to Ukraine’s Poroshenko

President Obama told Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko Thursday that the U.S. supports Ukraine "in words and deeds," as the two leaders dodged reporters' questions about the administration's refusal to send heavy weapons to Kiev for its war with Russia.

September 18, 2014

White House pledges additional aid to Ukraine in fight against Russian-backed separatists

The Obama administration moved Thursday to provide more money and nonlethal military aid to Ukraine to battle back separatists bolstered by Russian forces and supplies, but stopped short of sending the heavy weaponry that Kiev’s security forces say they need urgently.

September 18, 2014

U.S. military planners arrive in Africa as part of Ebola response

A two-star general tapped by the Obama administration to coordinate a military response to the Ebola crisis in Africa has arrived in Liberia to survey the area for a new Joint Force Command headquarters.

September 17, 2014

Pentagon: U.S.-trained Syrian rebels unlikely to reach battlefield before mid-2015

Senior Pentagon officials say that even if Congress approves a measure authorizing the U.S. military to train Syrian rebels battling the Islamic State it could be well into next year before those fighters reach the battlefield.

September 16, 2014

Breedlove: NATO needs framework for aiding non-alliance nations

The four-star general in charge of NATO operations in Europe wants the alliance to come up with an international norm for helping nations that are not a part of the 28-member coalition.

September 15, 2014

U.S. to train 5,000 Syrian rebels to fight militants

The Pentagon has announced that it expects to train 5,000 Syrian rebels per year as part of President Obama's new campaign to battle Islamic State militants.

September 13, 2014

First of additional 475 U.S. troops to depart for Iraq on Saturday

The first of 475 additional military personnel headed to Iraq as part of U.S. efforts against the Islamic State group will depart beginning Saturday, Pentagon officials said.

September 11, 2014

Islamic State militants organized, trained, financed, growing in numbers: U.S. intelligence

Intelligence officials say the Islamic State group that marched relentlessly across swaths of Iraq this year has grown from a ragtag band of fighters into a formidable battlefield-tested military force with significant access to cash, high-tech hardware seized from its enemies and a stronghold in a volatile and sensitive part of the world.

September 10, 2014

Child sex assault inquiries botched by military investigators: watchdog

The Pentagon's chief watchdog warned Tuesday that the military's criminal investigative agencies have mishandled about a dozen child sexual assault cases and made recommendations ranging from enhancing guidelines for collecting evidence to ensuring that victims receive the proper paperwork.

September 9, 2014

U.S. military to build, equip Liberia hospital for Ebola health care workers

The Pentagon will set up a makeshift hospital in Liberia so that healthcare workers working in the region will have a place to go if they become ill while providing aid to victims of the deadly Ebola virus in Africa.

September 8, 2014

Hagel to press Turkey to join fight against Islamic State

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is meeting Monday with Turkey's top politicians and its senior military leader to discuss forming a regional coalition to battle the Islamic State group.

September 8, 2014

U.S. officials confirm al-Shabab leader was killed in Somalia airstrike

U.S. officials confirmed Friday that the leader of the al-Shabab terrorist group was killed Monday in a rare U.S. drone strike in Somalia.

September 5, 2014

Additional U.S. troops begin arriving in Iraq

The first wave of an additional 350 U.S. troops supplementing security personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad have arrived in Iraq, Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Steve Warren said Thursday.

September 4, 2014

Official: Iraqi troop deployment spurred in part by drone intel of forces around Baghdad

A decision to send hundreds of additional troops to the U.S. Embassy in Iraq's capital came after Pentagon drones provided military planners with a clearer picture of the Islamic State's "posture around Baghdad."

September 3, 2014

Ex-officials urge aid for Iranian dissidents at Camp Liberty

A bipartisan group of former officials and retired military officers is urging President Obama to provide humanitarian aid to hundreds of Iranian dissidents living at a former U.S. military compound near Baghdad's international airport.

September 2, 2014

Pentagon working to confirm intended target among 6 militants killed in Somalia

The Pentagon conducted a rare drone strike in Somalia against a terrorist leader with a $7 million bounty on his head — a bold operation that left military officials searching on Tuesday for intelligence to verify whether the strike was a success.

September 2, 2014

Russian tanks enter Ukraine; ‘encroachment’ condemned by world leaders

Two columns of Russian tanks and armored vehicles rolled into Ukraine after firing upon a border crossing Thursday, causing overmatched Ukrainian guardsmen to flee and sparking international fears about Russian intentions.

August 28, 2014

Islamic State terrorist group expanded power gradually: report

The Islamic State group has a long history of expanding its power and preying on the weaknesses of its regional rivals, according to a new report that challenges the notion that the militant organization has only recently emerged as a threat.

August 27, 2014