We live in a busy world with a lot of information being thrown at you. Don’t feel overwhelmed. OpsLens will give you a weekly briefing on the major stories you need to know about and cut out all the extra information that isn’t important. Here’s your weekly briefing on what’s going on in national security and military news.
Taliban Confirms Meeting with U.S. Officials as Another District Falls in Afghanistan
Another district in Afghanistan has fallen into Taliban hands, even as the Taliban has confirmed that they will meet with U.S. officials in the United Arab Emirates for Pakistan-sponsored peace talks.
The Taliban released a statement on Sunday, saying in part that another meeting between political officials of the “Islamic Emirate” and the United States will be held on Monday in the United Arab Emirates. Representatives of Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates will also be present, according to the statement. There was no mention of the government of Afghanistan in the statement, but Afghanistan National Security Advisor Hamdullah Mohib was expected to be in attendance.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban took the district of Shib Koh in the western province of Farah after Afghan security forces fled earlier this week. Shib Koh has changed hands many times in recent years, with heavy fighting ongoing in Farah province between Taliban militants and U.S.-backed Afghanistan National Army troops and Afghan policemen. The government of Afghanistan has often downplayed Taliban battlefield successes and reported that the Taliban have not taken control of Shib Koh.
The Taliban currently control at least 50 districts in Afghanistan, with another 200 contested, according to the Long War Journal.
Another Round of Airstrikes Against al-Shabaab in Somalia Kills 60 Militants
The United States’ gradually intensifying air campaign against al-Shabaab has again targeted the terrorist group with another round of airstrikes in Somalia. Six airstrikes over the weekend killed at least 62 militants, U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) confirmed in a press release Monday.
On Saturday, U.S. forces conducted four precision airstrikes in the vicinity of Gandarshe, 15 miles south of Mogadishu, followed by two more on Sunday in the same area. AFRICOM assesses that the airstrikes on December 15 killed thirty-four militants and the airstrikes on December 16 killed twenty-eight militants. It is not believed that any civilians were killed or injured.
“All six airstrikes were conducted in close coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia and targeted a known al-Shabaab encampment. U.S. Africa Command and our Somali partners conducted these airstrikes to prevent terrorists from using remote areas as a safe haven to plot, direct, inspire, and recruit for future attacks,” according to an AFRICOM statement.
Three more airstrikes, conducted earlier in the week, killed eight militants near Gandarshe. This week’s airstrikes bring the total conducted by the U.S. in Somalia in 2018 to 45, by far the most since operations against al-Shabaab in Somalia began in 2007.
Heavy Fighting Rages in Hajin Between U.S.-led Coalition and ISIS
This week, heavy fighting continued in and around Hajin in eastern Syria, the largest urban area in the Islamic State’s last enclave of the wide area they once controlled in Iraq and Syria.
U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have reportedly seized control of Hajin, but the threat from sophisticated ISIS vehicle-borne suicide bombs has grown. The group has reported that they launched multiple attacks of this type this week in an attempt to slow the advance of the SDF. ISIS propaganda released earlier this week included photos of vehicles prepared for suicide bombings outfitted with armor plating on the front, an effective technique for preventing SDF fighters from killing the driver or disabling the vehicle before it makes its attack.
On Monday, United States Central Command released a statement announcing a precision airstrike against an ISIS command-and-control facility in Hajin.
“ISIS continues to use protected structures to launch attacks against our Coalition partners with complete disregard for the infrastructure and innocent human lives. At the time of the strike, this command and control node was occupied by over 16 heavily armed ISIS fighters who were using the structure to command attacks against Coalition partners. This strike killed these terrorists who presented an imminent threat, and eliminated another deadly ISIS operational capability from the battlefield,” said the statement released by Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR).
Japan Will Buy More U.S.-made F-35s Because of Threat Posed by Russia and China
According to a Reuters report released Sunday, the Japanese government is planning to accelerate its spending on U.S.-made weapons, including the stealth F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, partly due to the threat posed by Russia and China in the Pacific.
Japan plans to buy 45 F-35s, in addition to the 42 they have already ordered. Other U.S.-made weapons and aircraft being purchased by Japan include two Aegis Ashore air defense radars, four Boeing KC-46 Pegasus refueling planes, and nine Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye tactical airborne early-warning planes.
Ceasefire in Yemen Takes Effect
A fragile cease-fire agreement took effect Tuesday in the deadly civil war that has been raging for four years in Yemen. In Sweden, under the supervision of the United Nations, a truce was agreed to by all parties.
Fighting in Yemen between the government of Yemen, backed by a Saudi Arabia-led coalition, and Shiite rebels has dragged the country closer and closer to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. The United States has supported the Saudi-led coalition by providing money, weapons, and aerial refueling capabilities.
