Politics
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Jun- 2019 -23 June
New Syrian military councils are the SDF’s latest push for decentralization
Military councils in Tal Abyad, Kobane, Tabqa, Raqqa, Qamishli and al-Hol are part of the SDF’s transition to a “new organizational structure” in northeast Syria
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20 June
US Senate votes to block $8.1 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia
The US Senate voted to block $8.1 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies, as legislators outraged with the kingdom delivered a symbolic rebuke to President Donald Trump
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20 June
Germany and Qatar push for Afghanistan-Taliban peace talks
Germany and Qatar are working to organize an "inter-Afghan dialogue," in an effort to start formal talks between the government and Taliban
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18 June
Esper named new US acting defense secretary after Shanahan withdraws
US President Donald Trump said his pick for defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan, has withdrawn, leaving the Pentagon without a permanent boss for more than six months
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14 June
Raqqa security deteriorates as US drawdown threatens northern Syria stability
The drawdown of US troops from Syria has made Coalition allies’ sustained commitment to the counter-ISIS mission significantly more difficult
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12 June
Questions SecDef nominee Shanahan should – but won’t – be asked
Gregory D. Foster proposes questions that would shed much-needed light on the thinking of Patrick Shanahan who is about to officially occupy the Defense Secretary post
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10 June
France and Netherlands to repatriate 14 children of ISIS adherents from Syria
The French and Dutch governments will bring home 14 orphaned children of ISIS adherents from northeast Syria, autonomous administration official Abdulkarim Omar said
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7 June
US and Russia navies accuse each other of unsafe maneuvers in Indo-Pacific
Russia and the U.S. have accused each other of unsafe maneuvers in the Indo-Pacific, each saying vessels from the other’s navies put crews and ships at risk. Russia on Friday, June 7 accused a U.S. naval ship of carrying out a dangerous maneuver by sailing within 50 meters of a Russian naval vessel in the East China Sea. The USS Chancellorsville guided-missile cruiser suddenly turned early Friday while sailing alongside Russia’s Admiral Vinogradov anti-submarine ship, and cut across the course of the Russian vessel, Interfax news agency reported, citing the press service of Russia’s Pacific Fleet. The ships passed at a distance of just 50 m (164 feet), the fleet said. The Russian ship had to carry out an emergency maneuver to avoid collision, the navy said, adding that it had sent a message of protest to the U.S. cruiser’s commanders. Admiral Viktor Kravchenko, Russia’s former navy chief of staff, accused the U.S. of “hooliganism” in comments to Interfax news agency. The U.S. Navy’s Seventh Fleet hit back on Friday, saying: “At approximately 11:45 am on June 7, 2019 while operating in the Philippine Sea, a Russian destroyer (Udaloy I DD 572) made an unsafe maneuver against USS Chancellorsville (CG-62), …
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6 June
Taiwan confirms request to purchase US Abrams tanks, Javelin and TOW missiles
Taiwan confirmed it is hoping to buy Abrams tanks and Javelin and TOW missiles from the US in a proposed deal that drew a rebuke from China
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4 June
Sudan military cancels civilian transition deal after deadly crackdown on protesters
Sudan's military cancelled a power-transfer agreement with protesters and called for elections within nine months, a day after forcefully breaking up a weeks-long sit-in
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