- Top US officials send Obama a letter recommending he remove the head of the NSA, Adm. Michael S. Rogers, from his position. [Link]
- Turkey plans to purchase long-range missile defense systems from Russia. Turkey is planning to buy the S-400 system; Russia has deployed this system in Syria. [Link]
- Shia militias take the Tel Afar airport from ISIS. This cuts a key ISIS supply line between Iraq and Syria. The militias are now advancing on the city of Tel Afar, Iraq. [Link]
- The Iraqi army continues to make slow progress towards liberating Mosul. The Iraqi army recently took a neighborhood from ISIS that is about 5 miles from the center of the city. Iraqi forces’ progress is slowed by ISIS suicide bombers and snipers. [Link]
- The Iraqi Prime Minister announced that the Kurds would have to give back all territory they took from ISIS. This is setting up a conflict between the Kurds and the Iraqi government. The Kurds have taken several cities and villages from ISIS. The Kurds are currently working to build a border surrounding the territory they took from ISIS. [Link]
- Two hospitals have been bombed in the rebel-held areas of Aleppo since the government started its new push to retake it this week. One of those hospitals was a children’s hospital. Hospitals in rebel-held Aleppo are starting to move underground to avoid airstrikes. [Link]
- At least 289 people have been killed since Syria started its new push to retake East Aleppo from Syrian rebels. The offensive began Tuesday. [Link]
- IS fighters in Sirte, Libya are nearly defeated. Six months after the offensive began to retake the city from IS, IS now only hold about a half of a square mile of the city. The offensive has been backed by US air support. [Link]
- Pakistan shoots down an Indian drone that crossed over the Line of Control in Kashmir. Fighting between India and Pakistan has left four people dead in recent days on the Pakistani side of the Line of Control. [Link]
- The Yemen ceasefire is being strained by Saudi airstrikes and gun fighting in Taiz. [Link]
