U.S. military closes outpost in southeastern Syria, ceding territory to Iranian proxies - The Washington Post

The U.S. military acknowledged Tuesday it has closed an outpost in southern Syria in recent days amid <a href="https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/key-american-base-southern-syria-destroyed-retreating-us-militant-forces/">reports</a> that American forces and their contingent of Syrian proxies had pulled out from an important base in the area — effectively ceding the ground to Iranian-backed militias.

The decision to vacate the Zakaf outpost, a small, barrier-walled compound just miles from the Syria-Iraq border, appeared to represent a tacit acknowledgment that U.S.-backed forces will now be in an increasingly difficult position to recapture strategic border towns where the Islamic State’s most senior leaders have been sighted in recent months.

Although the U.S.-allied forces and the Iranian-aided militias are both fighting the Islamic State, they also are in competition for sway over parts of Syria if the Islamic State loses more ground. Most important of all is Deir al-Zour, the largest swath of Syria to remain under the extremist group’s control.

The closure also could put more territory under control of Iranian-sponsored Shiite militias that have pushed through the province in recent months. The pro-Syrian government forces, equipped with armored vehicles and pickup trucks, came dangerously close to U.S.-backed Syrian fighters over the summer. Their proximity sparked <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/06/20/in-third-shoot-down-in-a-month-u-s-jet-destroys-another-iranian-drone-over-syria/?utm_term=.3d75c26a85cf">multiple incidents</a> that included strafing runs on the militias by American aircraft and the shooting down of two Iranian-built drones, one of which occurred near the base at Zakaf.

[<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-backed-forces-come-under-attack-from-pro-assad-forces-in-syria/2017/09/16/eaa69cd2-9ac1-11e7-a527-3573bd073e02_story.html?utm_term=.a63c2604799d">U.S.-backed forces in Syria accuse Russia of airstrike</a>]

Col. Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition in the region, said over email that the “decision to establish and close temporary bases is determined by operational requirements and the progress of the campaign.”

“Throughout Syria and Iraq, the Coalition has established and closed numerous bases, as warranted by the operational situation, in order to ensure we provide effective support to our partner forces,” he wrote.

A local resident, Mahmoud Abu Salah, confirmed that the outpost had been evacuated in recent days.

Dillon added that coalition troops and their Syrian partner forces — known as the Maghawir al-Thawra, or Commandos of the Revolution — are still located at Tanf, a larger outpost roughly 45 miles away from Zakaf that acts as a gateway to the Syria-Iraq-Jordan tri-border crossing to the south.

The group’s fortunes, like those of most other Washington-backed rebels, have waned following defections and the ebbing of international support.

Recent advances by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have effectively ended hopes of any meaningful anti-Islamic State offensive out of Tanf. But the withdrawal of coalition forces could now have unintended consequences elsewhere in the desert province, including the removal of the protection it offered tens of thousands of civilians through proximity to their nearby displacement camp.

It is unclear if the closure of the Zakaf outpost is the result of a cease-fire deal for parts of Syria reached in July by Jordan, Russia and the United States or from further unreported discussions between the countries.

Zakaf was constructed this summer and the Maghawir al-Thawra posted multiple pictures of the outpost to its media arm <a href="https://www.facebook.com/HammurabisJustice/photos/a.1177179335682099.1073741828.1174563329277033/1441561032577260/?type=3&amp;theater">showing U.S.-led coalition forces mingling among their fighters</a>, and <a href="http://syriadirect.org/news/us-backed-rebel-spokesman-%E2%80%98time-has-come%E2%80%99-to-advance-on-deir-e-zor/">boasted</a> to news outlets about its key location. The small fortification appeared to be an effort by the U.S.-led coalition and the Maghawir al-Thawra forces to extend their presence closer to Bukamal, an Islamic State-controlled key border town that U.S.-backed forces, then called the New Syrian Army, tried to liberate in June 2016.

The offensive stalled and ultimately failed, forcing the Syrian fighters to retreat across the desert to Tanf. Since their defeat, the New Syrian Army changed its name, was re-equipped and retrained by British and U.S. Special Operations Forces and quietly began pushing back toward Bukamal.

Over the summer, however, the Syrian Army and its Iranian-backed proxies effectively cut off the U.S.-backed forces from any overland approach to Bukamal, bypassing the coalition’s outposts at Tanf and Zakaf and linking up with their Iraqi counterparts at the Iraqi border. Since then, U.S. officials have said that the Maghawir al-Thawra fighters will likely have to be airlifted into the Euphrates River Valley if they’re going to fight the Islamic State.

[In wake of airstrike, U.S. military moves to establish closer communication with Russian forces in Syria]

The shuttering of Zakaf comes as another U.S. proxy group, known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, continues to make gains in the northern Euphrates River Valley and in the Islamic State’s de facto capital of Raqqa. Roughly 70 percent of the city has been retaken from the militant group as the urban battle stretches into its third month. The SDF has also recently pushed south of Raqqa toward the Islamic State-held city of Deir al-Zour. With Maghawir al-Thawra sidelined, Dillon said that the SDF will effectively take the lead to seize Bukamal, approaching the town from the north instead of the west.

“With the SDF, we are talking about supporting them all the way down in what remains of ISIS territory in Syria to defeat ISIS, and that includes Bukamal,” Dillon said.

Last week, the Pentagon accused Russia of bombing the SDF. While Russia did not take responsibility for the attack, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. spoke with his Russian counterpart on Saturday and agreed to closer military discussions to ensure U.S.-backed fighters and Syrian and Russian forces avoid each other in the increasingly congested area.

Louisa Loveluck and Liz Sly in Beirut and Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul contributed to this report.

U.S.-backed forces announce anti-ISIS push in Syria’s oil-rich east

Boost for Assad as the Syrian army makes gains against ISIS in eastern Syria

ISIS is near defeat in Iraq. Now comes the hard part.

Thomas Gibbons-Neff was a Washington Post staff writer. He left The Post in September 2017. 

Thomas Gibbons-Neff

The Washington Post

Military

The Washington Post's coverage of national security issues, including the military, intelligence, justice, and foreign policy.

National Security

In wake of airstrike, U.S. military moves to establish closer communication with Russian forces in Syria - The Washington Post

OSLO — The Pentagon is taking additional steps to ensure that U.S. and Russian battlefield commanders are able to directly communicate with one another after an airstrike on U.S. proxy forces near Deir al-Zour, Syria, that wounded several fighters Saturday, the United States’ highest-ranking military officer said.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., told a small group of reporters Sunday that deconfliction between the United States and Russia “didn’t work” when Syrian and Russian aircraft bombed U.S.-backed Syrian fighters battling the Islamic State east of the Euphrates River.

[U.S.-backed forces in Syria accuse Russia of airstrike]

Russia has denied participating in the strike, despite a U.S. statement Saturday that specifically indicated that Russian aircraft took part in the bombing.

During a Saturday night phone call with his Russian counterpart, Chief of the General Staff of Russia’s armed forces, Gen. Valery Geramisov, Dunford proposed that the countries’ respective battlefield commanders in charge of forces in Syria could use the deconfliction line established in 2015 to “address the fact that the enemy moves freely back and forth across the Euphrates River,” he said.

In the past, the deconfliction line was primarily staffed by a Russian and an American colonel responsible for alerting each other about their respective country’s air operations, but now with the commander of the U.S.-led coalition, Lt. Gen. Paul Funk, and Col. Gen. Sergei Surovikin in communication, the two countries are likely to have a better understanding of where their forces are arrayed.

“It couldn’t be more complex and crowded in that area,” Dunford said of the Euphrates River Valley. “Deconfliction is more difficult in that area than it was a few months ago.”

Traditionally the two countries have used the Euphrates as a dividing line, with Russian and Syrian government forces focused on attacking targets to the west while U.S.-backed forces and aircraft attacked to the east. In recent weeks, however, multiple offensive operations — launched by the United States and Russia — have nearly converged.

“We haven’t resolved all the issues,” Dunford cautioned, adding that conversations between the two countries are ongoing. After the errant strike, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, Dunford said.

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news

U.S., NATO still trying to map out Afghanistan strategy - The Washington Post

TIRANA, Albania — Even though President Trump announced his strategy for the war in Afghanistan in August, the Pentagon and NATO are still trying to map their way forward in the nearly 16-year-old conflict, according to U.S. officials.

The delay is the byproduct of the U.S. commander’s vision for the war and the alliance’s ability to provide the troops required to make it a reality, according to a U.S. official who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing deliberations.

[<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/08/30/afghan-troop-surge-likely-to-include-thousands-of-paratroopers-marines-and-heavy-bombers/?tid=a_inl&amp;utm_term=.0821744a5f12">Afghan troop surge likely to include thousands of paratroopers, Marines and heavy bombers</a>]

In recent weeks, the United States deployed additional forces into Afghanistan — a move that coincided with the announcement of Trump’s strategy — to help bolster Afghan forces during the final months of this year’s fighting season. The immediate surge was a short-term solution, requested by battlefield commanders, but the Pentagon is still assessing how U.S. troops will be deployed in the country in 2018, according to a U.S. official in Afghanistan.

Speaking to a small group of reporters, Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, the head of the U.S. European Command and Supreme Allied Commander of Europe, said that he expects to have a “full picture” on NATO commitments by October.

“There is still a lack of clarity which positions, which functions, to focus their contributions,” said Czech Gen. Petr Pavel, chairman of the NATO Military Committee. Speaking at a news conference here, Pavel added that the recently announced U.S. strategy provides a clearer picture of the way forward, but the alliance won’t make final troop decisions until another conference in October.

With the military mission in Afghanistan primarily focused on training the Afghan military, the United States wants its NATO allies to take up the bulk of that role, freeing up U.S. forces to push closer to the front. The U.S. military in Afghanistan has the infrastructure, including fire support and medical evacuation capabilities, to move its troops forward, to not only train and advise but also assist — through airstrikes and artillery — their struggling Afghan counterparts, the official said.

[<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/08/24/thousands-of-more-troops-are-probably-headed-to-afghanistan-heres-what-theyll-do/?utm_term=.1d8072476c47">Thousands more troops are probably headed to Afghanistan. Here’s what they’ll do.</a>]

The Pentagon’s recent reluctance to discuss additional troop numbers is likely linked with the fact that NATO has yet to say if it will completely agree to Gen. John Nicholson’s requests. U.S. officials, however, have repeatedly said that enough troops will deploy to Afghanistan in the coming months to bring the total number of U.S. troops in the country to around 14,000. Aside from the additional troops, the increase will likely bring more air support and artillery units to help push back the Taliban and protect U.S. forces on the ground.

In addition to advising the Afghan military, U.S. forces also conduct counterterrorism operations against groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. Ten U.S. troops have been killed by hostile fire in Afghanistan in 2017, the majority of whom were fighting Islamic State militants in the country’s east. On Friday, a Romanian soldier was killed in a suicide bombing in Kandahar. More than 2,000 Americans have died since the United States invaded in 2001, though Afghan civilians have borne the brunt of the violence, with more than 1,500 killed this year alone, according to the United Nations.

While the U.S. wasn’t looking, Russia and Iran began carving out a bigger role in Afghanistan

The long-anticipated return of Afghan warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar is here

Some in Afghanistan question U.S. choice to use 22,000-pound bomb against ISIS

U.S. official: Exposed gas line appears to have caused fire that engulfed Marine armored vehicle - The Washington Post

The fire that engulfed a Marine armored vehicle Wednesday, injuring 14 Marines and one sailor during a training exercise in California, appears to have been caused by an exposed gas line, a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the investigation said Friday.

The Marine Amphibious Assault Vehicle, or AAV, was carrying a squad of infantrymen and had pulled off the road in what is known as a “herringbone” formation during a combat qualification exercise at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, according to the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. During the maneuver, the roughly 30-ton vehicle appeared to have run over a gas line, severing it with its treads, and the line then somehow ignited. Fox News first <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/09/15/marine-corps-investigators-probing-if-underground-gas-line-caused-fire-injuring-15-marines.html">reported</a> that a ruptured gas line may have triggered the fire.

The ensuing explosion rapidly engulfed the vehicle in flames, and while no one was killed, some of the Marines, from both 1st Battalion, 1st Marines and the 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, were severely burned, including a staff sergeant who had previously been shot in the leg in Afghanistan but stayed in the service. The Marines have since been rushed to burn centers and medical facilities in the surrounding areas, the Marine Corps said in a statement Thursday.

[Horrific training fire leaves 15 Marines hospitalized, some with serious burns]

It is unclear whether the vehicle’s fire suppression system went off or was overwhelmed. In service since the early 1970s, Marine AAVs have been continuously updated and upgraded. In 2014, the branch solicited a contract to outfit new fire suppression on the vehicles, according to online documents. In the past, the system was known to be temperamental, occasionally going off in Iraq just because of the ambient heat. In 2015, 22 Marines were hospitalized when the system accidentally went off, filling the cabin with halon and causing respiratory injuries.

The last major incident involving an AAV was in 2013, when a Marine was killed by the accidental detonation of a mine clearance charge stored aboard his vehicle. In 2011, a Marine also drowned when his vehicle sank off the California coast during a training exercise. Known by Marines as “tracs” or “yat-yas,” the vehicles are primarily used to transport troops from ship to shore and are lightly armored. They were, however, used during the invasion of Iraq and saw extensive combat near the city of Nasiriyah in 2003, and in the battle for Haditha in 2005. During the fighting, an AAV packed with Marines hit a massive roadside bomb, killing 15 of the 16 occupants.

One Special Forces soldier killed, seven injured during demolition training - The Washington Post

One U.S. soldier died and seven others were injured from an explosion during training at Fort Bragg, N.C., on Thursday, the U.S. Army said.

Staff Sgt. Alexander P. Dalida, 32, of Dunstable, Mass., was killed during Special Forces engineer training, said Lt. Col. Robert Bockholt, a spokesman for the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, in a statement. The cause of his death is under investigation.

It is unclear what exploded. Special Forces students train with numerous munitions and explosives.

Those caught in the blast were a combination of Special Forces students and instructors training at a demolition range used by the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School. The injured soldiers were evacuated by air and ground to hospitals in the area. In a phone call, Bockholt said he did not know the status of the seven injured but denied reports that four soldiers had died.

Dalida, he said, was the only soldier killed from the explosion.

The incident comes just a day after 14 Marines and one Navy sailor were injured, some severely, when their armored vehicle caught fire in California and two days after a soldier fell to his death from a helicopter in Fort Hood, Tex.

Dalida was enrolled in the the Special Forces “Q,” or qualification, course, and was in the engineer phase of his training. The months-long course involves extensive language instruction and specialty training for certain jobs, such as medical sergeant, weapons sergeant and engineer sergeant.

“Our primary focus right now is to care for his loved ones. We will honor Staff Sgt. Dalida and help his family in their time of need,” said Col. Michael Kornburger, Commander, 1st Special Warfare Training Group, in the statement.

Dalida joined the Army in 2006 and spent around a decade in aviation units before trying out for Special Forces, according to the statement.

Why did one of the U.S. Navy’s most advanced subs return to port with a pirate flag? - The Washington Post

An image posted to a Pentagon media site and tweeted by Scottish journalist Ian Keddie shows the USS Jimmy Carter, a Seawolf-class nuclear-powered submarine, returning to her home port in Washington Tuesday flying the American flag alongside the unmistakable pirate skull and crossed bones, known as the Jolly Roger.

The 450-foot-long vessel is one of three in its class and is specially modified to conduct some of America’s most covert underwater operations. That fact alone — as Keddie points out — makes the appearance of the black and white flag significant. The Carter, according to photos posted in April, also flew the Jolly Roger returning from its last patrol.

The Jolly Roger’s presence on the conning tower of submarines goes back to 1914, at the beginning of World War I, when a British submarine, HMS E-9, commanded by Lt. Cmdr. Max Horton, sank the German battle cruiser Hela, according to Richard Compton-Hall in his book “<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Submarines-War-1939-45-Richard-Compton-Hall/dp/1904381227">Submarines at War 1939-45</a>.” Upon his return to port, Horton raised the iconic pirate flag, signaling he had sunk an enemy warship. As Horton’s kills accumulated, he began denoting them by affixing bars to the flag.

Ali Kefford, in an <a href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/pirates-royal-navy-underwater-heroes-4283123">article</a> for the Mirror, said that Horton’s decision to fly the black flag stemmed from insults made roughly 14 years before by British Adm. Arthur Wilson, then Controller of the Navy. Wilson said submarines were an “underhand form of attack” and that their crews would be “treated as pirates in wartime.” Wilson went on to say that the undersea boats were “weapons of a weaker power and can be no possible use to the Mistress of the Seas.”

Taylor

Reuters

Business

At least one other submarine took up Horton’s tradition during the Great War, according to Compton-Hall, but it didn’t catch on in the Royal Navy until World War II.

In 1940, the submarine HMS Osiris infiltrated the Adriatic Sea, a body of water that then-Italian Prime Minister Benito Mussolini said could not be penetrated. Once inside, the Osiris sank the Italian destroyer Palestro. Upon its return to one of the British flotillas in the Mediterranean, the flotilla’s commander signaled to the Osiris that the submarine would fly a special recognition following its successful mission and that the Osiris was “not to come alongside until the identity signal is showing,” Compton-Hall wrote. A launch from the flotilla then delivered a package marked “JR” to the Osiris. Inside, was the iconic black and white pirate flag, which the Osiris then proudly ran up its tower before reuniting with the flotilla. From then on, flotilla commanders awarded the Jolly Roger to submarines after their first successes. It was up to the signalmen aboard the underwater boats to ensure their flags were updated with the symbols that denoted their sinkings and patrols, according to Compton-Hall.

For British subs operating out of Malta, flags were supplied by Carmela Cassar, a business executive who maintained a lace shop supplied by the city’s surrounding convents, according to Compton-Hall. Her flags were 12 by 18 inches and “beautifully embroidered.” When the submarines failed to return, her flags were sometimes all that remained.

While the tradition stayed mostly with the British submarine fleets, Compton-Hall writes that Allied submarines also occasionally flew the Jolly Roger. U.S. submarines, operating mainly in the Pacific, also flew their own battle flags upon returning from patrols. These pennants were unique to the boats but served the same purpose as the British Jolly Roger.

After World War II, the black flag popped up sporadically, appearing on the Churchill-class HMS Conqueror upon its return from the Falkland Islands in 1982. During its deployment, the Conqueror sank an Argentine cruiser with two torpedoes.

So why did a U.S. submarine return home observing an undoubtedly British tradition? Much is unclear. U.S. submarine activity is rarely discussed by the Pentagon, and the vessels operate in almost complete secrecy. While it’s unlikely that the Carter torpedoed an enemy ship or fired one of its cruise missiles, the flag could represent the success of a more covert mission. The Carter can insert commandos, deploy unmanned submersible vehicles, and probably splice undersea cables all while using specially outfitted thrusters to almost hover off the seafloor. One of the Seawolf class’s namesake subs participated in the Cold War-era operation Ivy Bells, in which U.S. submarines tapped Soviet underwater communication lines.

As Hurricane Irma heads toward Florida, U.S. military launches amphibious relief efforts in the Caribbean - The Washington Post

As Florida prepares for a direct hit from Hurricane Irma, a deadly Category 4 storm with 150 mph sustained winds, the U.S. military has launched an amphibious relief operation into the Caribbean to aid the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

Irma’s first contact with land occurred earlier this week after approaching perpendicular to the Lesser Antilles before colliding with them, causing widespread damage — and several deaths — on a cluster of the Leeward Islands including Barbuda, Antigua, Anguilla, St. Martin and St. Barthelemy. The death toll is expected to rise. The Dutch, British and French governments have all pledged resources to help with relief efforts, and in recent days, two Dutch ships have arrived at the island of St. Martin, and a British warship is headed toward Anguilla.

[U.S. military preparations for Hurricane Irma now include four Navy ships and thousands of troops]

The U.S. response has included five warships, helicopters, cargo aircraft, National Guard troops and thousands of pounds of supplies. The U.S. Coast Guard maintains a modest base in Puerto Rico and has auxiliary contingents in St. Thomas and St. Croix. It is unclear how many resources the Coast Guard can commit to the Caribbean as their helicopters and boats will probably be urgently needed in Florida next week.

The amphibious assault ship USS Wasp arrived in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Thursday and had committed its contingent of helicopters to help move patients from St. Thomas to St. Croix and survey damage in the islands, the Pentagon said in a statement Thursday night. A C-17 cargo jet is also evacuating patients from St. Thomas.

The Pentagon also said parts of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, the USS Kearsarge and the USS Oak Hill, were headed to the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico and would arrive sometime Friday. Both ships were previously helping with Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.  The Marine unit’s landing craft, helicopters and personnel will be primarily dedicated to helping those ashore.

The USS Iwo Jima and USS New York will also be in the area, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is on standby to ensure that shipping lanes running into major ports remain open.

The Pentagon also said that Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Florida had activated their National Guard detachments to help with search-and-rescue and evacuation operations. There are 5,242 National Guard troops in Puerto Rico, 596 in the U.S. Virgin Islands, and 8,052 in Florida, according to the Pentagon.

To support the recovery efforts, the U.S. Northern Command, the military command responsible for coordinating efforts in North America, has established a constellation of logistics bases in Alabama, New Jersey, Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina. The command has also sent “urban search-and-rescue capabilities” to the Caribbean, the Pentagon said, including food, generators and tens of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel and gasoline that will be staged at Warner Robbins Air Force base in Georgia.

Related on Checkpoint: <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/09/05/as-hurricane-irma-bears-down-the-coast-guard-makes-sense-of-its-grueling-response-to-harvey/?utm_term=.bfaa56dd9d5b">As Hurricane Irma bears down, the Coast Guard makes sense of its grueling response to Harvey</a>

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/09/01/a-national-guard-vehicle-vanished-near-houston-soldiers-found-it-with-snapchat/?utm_term=.f7d094686d2f">A National Guard vehicle vanished in Houston. Soldiers used Snapchat to find it</a>.

An old American rifle gains prominence in Islamic State propaganda footage - The Washington Post

As the Islamic State battles to hold what remains of its capital in Syria, the terror group — as it did during the fight for Mosul — has released propaganda footage highlighting their defense. The 38-minute video, filmed in Raqqa and released Tuesday, cycles through the Islamic State’s standard fare of suicide bombings, sniper attacks and street fighting.

In a segment showcasing the militants’ sniper detachment, one U.S.-made rifle is featured prominently. The type of weapon, a modified 7.62mm M14 called an Enhanced Battle Rifle, has appeared with the Islamic State before, along with a <a href="http://armamentresearch.com/united-states-mk14-ebr-in-syria/">Syrian rebel group</a> that once had backing from the Pentagon and <a href="http://armamentresearch.com/isof-arms-equipment-part-2-precision-rifles/">Iraqi Special Operation forces</a>.

[Trump ends covert CIA program to arm anti-Assad rebels in Syria, a move sought by Moscow]

Militants on battlefields from Afghanistan to Syria have long-displayed Western-made arms in their propaganda. The weapons are usually given to commanders and elite fighters to distinguish them from regular foot soldiers. The most prevalent American weapon found on foreign battlefields is arguably the gas-operated M-16 rifle, a mainstay in U.S. armories since the Vietnam War and sold and lost by the United States and its proxy forces ever since. The black rifle, with its hallmark triangular front sight, has been a staple with the Islamic State since it overran large swaths of Iraq in 2014, routing Iraqi security forces and taking large stores of U.S.-supplied weapons and ammunition.

What makes the appearance of the M14 somewhat unique is its age and relative rarity in the U.S. military compared to the widely issued M-16. Though the M14 appears in the Islamic State video with a scope and a modern furnishing, allowing the shooter to attach accessories, the core, or action, of the weapon derives from the World War II-era M1 Garand rifle.

The M14 was designed to replace the M1 Garand in the years following the Korean War. Unlike the M-16 and its carbine variants, the M14 was only issued for less than a decade. Weighing more than 10 pounds loaded and roughly three-feet long, the M14 was introduced when rifle designs were rapidly evolving. In the late 1950s the Soviets were busy adopting and fielding the Kalashnikov series of rifles.

Kalashnikovs fire a smaller round than the M14’s 7.62x51mm, are around 10 inches shorter and significantly lighter. The Americans, believing that their troops needed a weapon that packed more of a punch and could shoot farther, quickly found in the jungles of Vietnam that the M14s size and weight were no match for the portability and lethality of a weapon like the Vietnamese’s AKs.

[Use of weaponized drones by ISIS spurs terrorism fears]

In the mid-1960s the M-16 entered the U.S. arsenal and the M14 was quickly sidelined, becoming a boutique weapon with few units until the Sept. 11, 2001,  attacks, after which the weapon regained prominence as a marksman’s rifle. To help retain their accuracy in combat environs the M14s were eventually fitted with special chassis — much like the one seen in the Islamic State’s video. In the past several years, however, the specialized M14s in use by the U.S. military have been replaced by heavier caliber M-16-style rifles.

With the rise of the Islamic State in 2014 and a renewed flow of American weapons into the region, M14 variants have repeatedly appeared with armed groups in Iraq and Syria. In 2015, Armament Research Services documented a modified M14, much like the one in the ISIS Raqqa video, in use by U.S.-supplied Syrian rebels called Division 30.

Based off markings on the weapon, Division 30’s M14 was one of 6,200 M14 Enhanced Battle Rifles built by Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois and supplied to the U.S. Army, <a href="http://armamentresearch.com/united-states-mk14-ebr-in-syria/">according</a> to the research group. It is unclear if the rifle in the Islamic State video is from the same cache, as no markings are distinguishable and the scene is poorly lit.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/05/24/u-s-failed-to-keep-proper-track-of-more-than-1-billion-in-weapons-and-equipment-in-iraq/?utm_term=.1d96841f850a">U.S. failed to keep proper track of more than $1 billion in weapons and equipment in Iraq</a>

3,500 more U.S. troops headed to Afghanistan, officials say - The Washington Post

The United States will send an additional 3,500 troops to Afghanistan, U.S. officials said Wednesday. The long-expected deployment would bring the total number of American troops in the country to more than 14,000.

Last week, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis told reporters that he had signed deployment orders for some of the troops but would not make an announcement on the specific numbers until after he briefed Congress. On Wednesday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr. met on Capitol Hill with lawmakers during a closed-door session. The officials who said that Mattis had approved the roughly 3,500 additional forces spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss troop numbers that had not been released by the Pentagon. Reuters was first to report on the development.

[Afghan troop surge likely to include thousands of paratroopers, Marines and heavy bombers]

It is unclear what the additional U.S. forces plan to accomplish in the nearly 16-year-old war and how long that might take. Last month President Trump outlined a broad strategy for Afghanistan and the surrounding region, saying that “conditions on the ground — not arbitrary timetables” would guide his administration’s approach. He also said that he would take a stronger stance against Pakistan — a country long accused of harboring militants within its borders — and that American forces would “have the necessary tools and rules of engagement to make this strategy work.”

While President Barack Obama approved more aggressive airstrikes against the Taliban in 2016, Trump’s new rules of engagement could allow U.S. forces to target Taliban forces faster than they have in the past and attack them even if they are not directly threatening Afghan forces, according to U.S. officials familiar with the possible changes who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the changes had not yet been authorized.

The Obama-era change, dubbed “strategic effects,” allowed U.S. forces to strike Taliban fighters if the airstrike would change the outcome of a ground battle. Trump’s adjustments to the rules of engagement would — in short — allow American aircraft to strike the Taliban wherever they might appear.

[<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/07/17/u-s-airstrikes-in-afghanistan-are-at-levels-not-seen-since-obama-troop-surge/?utm_term=.2497014676a6">U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan are at levels not seen since Obama troop surge</a>]

At the war’s height in 2011, more than 100,000 U.S. troops were based in Afghanistan, along with thousands of NATO allies. Now there are roughly the same number of American forces in the country as there were in 2004, three years after the United States invaded. The current military forces, along with the tens of thousands of civilian contractors, are mostly there to help train the struggling Afghan military and help them defend their territory. Several thousand of U.S. troops are also involved in a counterterrorism mission that targets groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State.

More than 2,000 Americans have died in Afghanistan since 2001, and 10 U.S. troops have been killed by hostile fire this year. More than 1,600 Afghan civilians had been killed from Jan. 1 to June 30, according to a July report from the United Nations.

On Wednesday, a suicide bomber detonated in front of the largest U.S. base in the country — Bagram Airfield — after American and NATO forces dropped religiously offensive leaflets in surrounding countryside. A statement by the U.S.-led mission did not detail the extent of the damage, only that there was a “small number” of casualties.

Dan Lamothe joined The Washington Post in 2014 to cover the U.S. military and the Pentagon. He has written about the Armed Forces for more than 13 years, traveling extensively, embedding with each service and covering combat in Afghanistan numerous times.

Dan Lamothe

An old Marine firebase gets new use in once-again expanding Afghan war - The Washington Post

The small detachment of Marines deployed to Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province have pushed outside their original constellation of outposts and reopened an old firebase bordering several violent districts, Marines familiar with operations said. The move marks one of the furthest points south the Marine unit has gone in the province since they arrived earlier this spring.

The base, called Fiddler’s Green, was first built in 2009 to house artillery for a Marine-led summer offensive that thrust deep into Helmand’s Garmsir District. Now the Marines there — part of a roughly 300 strong unit called Task Force Southwest — have used the facility as a rotating command post to help Afghan forces fight off the Taliban in a neighboring town.

[t ‘It’s like everyone forgot’: On a familiar battlefield, Marines prepare for their next chapter in the Forever War]

While not directly related to President Trump’s decision to send more troops into Afghanistan, the new Marine outpost is indicative of the U.S. military’s increased effort to support the struggling Afghan military by getting closer to the fighting. U.S. commanders in Afghanistan often complained in recent years that the Obama administration’s drawdown in 2014 prohibited remaining American forces from helping everywhere they were needed.

The Marines have used Fiddler’s Green over the course of the summer, flying from Camp Shorab to the north and staging there intermittently to help the Afghans with multiple weeks-long operations, mainly in the Nawa district. The Americans are not stationed there permanently but have moved some equipment — such as generators — to the base. The outpost, which also serves as headquarters for an Afghan unit, sits near a key juncture in Helmand close to the city of Marjah to the northwest, the unfederated land of Trek Nawa to the north and the Nawa district directly east.

While the focus of Taskforce Southwest has been to help the Afghan security forces hold the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, the Marines have been pushing their Afghan counterparts to go on the offensive around the capital to relieve some of the pressure on the local troops stationed there. That has meant that much of the Afghan Army’s efforts have focused on Nawa, the district that borders Lashkar Gah to the south.

[<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/10/16/band-aid-on-a-bullet-wound-what-americas-new-war-looks-like-in-afghanistans-most-violent-province/?utm_term=.bf432a000a9e">‘Band-Aid on a bullet wound’: What America’s new war looks like in Afghanistan’s most violent province</a>]

During an interview in August, the commander of the Marine detachment, Brig. Gen. Roger B. Turner Jr. said that Fiddler’s Green is in a key position to help the Afghan army open roads running from the capital into the surrounding districts. Yet for every gain the Afghan security forces have made in Helmand during the summer, the Taliban have adapted. After Afghan forces pushed into Nawa, Turner said, the militants quickly counterattacked, attempting to mine roads leading into the district and attacking the district center.

There are 11,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, split primarily between supporting Afghan security forces and counterterrorism missions. On Aug. 31, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis signed orders to send what is likely to be around 4,000 additional troops into the almost 16-year-old war. Those forces are likely to include Army paratroopers, more air support and Marine artillery units. More than 2,000 Americans have died in Afghanistan since 2001. While 10 U.S. troops were killed by hostile fire in 2017, more than 1,600 Afghan civilians have been killed from Jan. 1 to June 30, according to a July report from the United Nations.

<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/08/30/afghan-troop-surge-likely-to-include-thousands-of-paratroopers-marines-and-heavy-bombers/?utm_term=.a5bea165070c">Afghan troop surge likely to include thousands of paratroopers, Marines and heavy bombers</a>

Thomas Gibbons-Neff

Washington, D.C.

U.S. military closes outpost in southeastern Syria, ceding territory to Iranian proxies

In wake of airstrike, U.S. military moves to establish closer communication with Russian forces in Syria

U.S., NATO still trying to map out Afghanistan strategy

U.S. official: Exposed gas line appears to have caused fire that engulfed Marine armored vehicle

One Special Forces soldier killed, seven injured during demolition training

Why did one of the U.S. Navy’s most advanced subs return to port with a pirate flag?

As Hurricane Irma heads toward Florida, U.S. military launches amphibious relief efforts in the Caribbean

An old American rifle gains prominence in Islamic State propaganda footage

3,500 more U.S. troops headed to Afghanistan, officials say

An old Marine firebase gets new use in once-again expanding Afghan war