U.S. military

"They saved lives," Travis Horr of Washington, D.C. said.

Two sources familiar with the process confirmed to Newsweek that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has signed off on Army Sergeant 1st Class Alwyn C. Cashe receiving the Medal of Honor, and a third source aware of the proceedings said the White House was working to set a ceremony date.

The Iraqi Prime Minister's Office told Newsweek that President Joe Biden's Middle East coordinator discussed "mechanisms for withdrawing combat forces from Iraq," but a senior administration official denied the claim.

"We're glad that they're doing what they're doing," a Defense Department official said of the Taliban fight against ISIS, "because it mirrors and parallels what we're trying to do for our counterterrorism mission."

From the outside, intervening in a dicey situation can seem like the easy solution to a devil of a problem. Too frequently, though, it turns out to be the wrong one.

"Afghanistan and the wider Central Asian region constitute part of Russia's 'southern underbelly,' a term that underscores the sense of vulnerability it feels along its southern border," Tracey German of the Defence Studies Department at King's College London told Newsweek.

"Imagine a situation where Russia conducts drills in the Gulf of Mexico. This would have sparked a storm of indignation in the US," Moscow's embassy in Washington told Newsweek.

"We expect that this scenario will become a turning point that will not only benefit Syria and the Middle Eastern region, but the world in general," Russia's U.N. envoy Vasily Nebenzya said.

"It was surprising for me that in 24 hours, 19 districts of Badakhshan were surrendered without a fight," said Ata Mohammad Noor.

"Targeting diplomatic missions is rejected by the Iraqi resistance, and its decision is to not even strike the evil American embassy military camp," Kataib Hezbollah spokesperson Abu Ali al-Askary, said in a statement.

The U.S.-led coalition told Newsweek it was "aware" of the reports of rocket attacks in Baghdad later confirmed by Iraq's Security Media Cell.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Ayman Sousan "stressed the need to raise a loud voice over the violations of the Turkish and American occupation forces against the Syrian people."

"U.S. Sixth Fleet along with Allies and partners will continue to conduct routine operations in international waters and airspace, ensuring freedom of navigation and uninhibited maritime trade across the global commons," a U.S. 6th Fleet spokesperson told Newsweek.

"If the enemy does not admit its losses, we will tell him the number of Zionists who were killed in the Erbil operation tonight," Iraq's Saraya Awliya al-Dam militia said.

Hundreds of Afghan security personnel were reportedly forced to retreat into Tajikistan over the weekend after Taliban fighters advanced in Northern Afghanistan.

Russia, Iran and China have all been critical of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan, but are now looking to secure a stake in a stable future for the country as a rise in violence coincides with President Joe Biden's withdrawal orders.

President Joe Biden had previously set a September 11 deadline for troops to be withdrawn from Afghanistan.

In the absence of the ability to remove them, airstrikes against Iranian weapons trafficking and its drone bases amount to the only way to keep Tehran in check.

"U.S. Forces in Syria, while under multiple rocket attack, acted in self-defense and conducted counter-battery artillery fire at rocket launching positions," U.S.-led coalition spokesperson Army Colonel Wayne Marotto said.

"It's almost like 'Minority Report,'" a U.S.military intelligence official told Newsweek, "where you can find a path of likely outcomes to build a reasonable conclusion, but unless a crime has been committed, it isn't a crime."

The U.S, Russia and China are scrambling to tackle what they see as increasing threats to stability in Central Asia, a sprawling region that hosts an international bout for influence among state and non-state forces as well as deep-seated environmental concerns that could prove a flashpoint for conflict.

"We think he is lying," said Omid Mahmoodi, who worked as a translator in 2018. "Time is running out."

China also announced this week it was deploying additional troops to the Line of Actual Control dividing its border with India.

Planning by the Biden administration to evacuate tens of thousands of Afghans who assisted U.S. troops during the war, such as interpreters, has accelerated in the past few days while their applications to enter the U.S. await approval.

General Milley said he wanted to understand "white rage," as well as what led to the riot at the Capitol on January 6.

"We do not teach critical race theory," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said when asked about the U.S. military's position on the theory by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) on Wednesday. "We don't embrace critical race theory and I think that's a spurious conversation."

"Should any vessels or aircraft not participating in SEA BREEZE enter the exercise operating area, we would expect those units to conduct themselves in a safe and professional manner," U.S. Navy spokesperson Lieutenant Bobby Dixon told Newsweek.

Until lawmakers stop providing the executive branch the benefit of the doubt about when and where to take the nation to war, inter-branch disputes on this issue will continue for a long time to come.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has postponed his decision to withdraw from the defense agreement it has with the U.S. Duterte wants payment and vaccines in order to keep the agreement that lets U.S. troops train in the Philippines.

"When we declared our intention to enter the Atlantic Ocean, some countries, including the global arrogance, stated that the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy was not capable of doing that," Iran's deputy army coordinator said, "but in practice they saw that we did it with strength."