Author: Lolita Baldor
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U.S. struggles to speed Kabul airlift despite Taliban, chaos
WASHINGTON • The United States struggled Thursday to pick up the pace of American and Afghan evacuations at Kabul airport, constrained by obstacles ranging from armed Taliban checkpoints to paperwork problems. With an Aug. 31 deadline looming, tens of thousands remained to be airlifted from the chaotic country. Taliban fighters and their checkpoints ringed the…
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U.S. braces for Iranian response: a ‘tit for tat’ assault?
WASHINGTON • U.S. officials on Monday braced for Iran to respond to the killing of its most powerful general, noting heightened military readiness in the country and preparing for a possible “tit-for-tat” attempt on the life of an American military commander. President Donald Trump ordered the Jan. 2 strike against Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head…
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Israel blamed for hit on Iran-backed militia depot in Iraq
JERUSALEM — Israel was responsible for the bombing of an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month, U.S. officials have confirmed, an attack that would mark a significant escalation in Israel’s long campaign against Iranian military entrenchment in the region. The confirmation comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hinting strongly that his country…
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Trump says US to send 1,500 more troops to Middle East
WASHINGTON — The U.S. will bolster its military presence in the Middle East with an additional 1,500 troops, President Donald Trump said Friday amid heightened tensions with Iran. Trump said the troops would have a “mostly protective” role. He spoke to reporters on the White House lawn as he headed out on a trip to…