In a move likely to concern Japan and other Asian allies, Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan stepped down Tuesday before his formal nomination ever went to the Senate, citing a "painful" family situation that would hurt his children and reopen "wounds we have ...
Acting Pentagon chief makes surprise Iraq visit to reassure Baghdad after latest Trump remarks
Acting U.S. defense chief Patrick Shanahan told Iraqi leaders that Washington understood its forces were in Iraq at Baghdad's invitation, aiming to steady relations after President Donald Trump said U.S. troops were needed to keep an eye on Iran. Shanahan met Prime Minister Adel Abdul ...
Trump denies media report he is considering ex-Sen. Jim Webb for Pentagon chief
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday a New York Times report that he was considering former Democratic Se. Jim Webb to be his next defense secretary was "fake news." The Times, citing an unnamed official, said on Thursday that Vice President Mike Pence and ...
Departing U.S. seeks to ensure 'Turks don't slaughter the Kurds' in Syria
The United States is speaking to Turkey to ensure it does not "slaughter" Kurds in Syria as U.S. troops leave, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday. Pompeo referenced the growing fears for U.S.-allied Kurdish fighters in northern Syria as he defended President Donald Trump's ...
Trump softens Syria pullout schedule but claims 'hero' status for extracting U.S. from wars
President Donald Trump appeared to backtrack Monday on shock plans for an immediate pullout of US troops from Syria, but said his drive to end American involvement in wars made him a "hero." The shift came a day after a senior Republican senator said Trump ...
U.S. Democratic leaders charged Monday that President Donald Trump was "plunging the country into chaos" with multiple crises and said he was offering no way to end a government shutdown. Nancy Pelosi, who takes over next month as House speaker, and Chuck Schumer, the top ...
Trump vows allies won't 'take advantage' of U.S. after Jim Mattis exit
President Donald Trump vowed Monday that allies would no longer "take advantage" of the United States, taking a shot at Defense Secretary Jim Mattis who resigned over Syria. Trump, turning to Twitter after days of criticism over his decision to pull U.S. troops out of ...
Donald Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed Sunday to prevent a power vacuum in Syria after U.S. ground forces withdraw, in a phone conversation days after the U.S. president shocked global partners by announcing Americans would leave the war-scarred country. Turkey was a ...
Turkey masses forces near Syrian town held by U.S.-backed Kurds despite vow to delay offensive
Turkey is massing troops near a town in northern Syria held by a U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led force, a war monitor said as Turkish media reported Sunday new reinforcement crossing the borders. The Turkish buildup comes even though Turkey said it would delay a promised offensive ...
Macron says 'an ally must be reliable' after Trump suddenly decides U.S. exit from Syria
French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday criticised U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw American forces from Syria, saying "an ally must be reliable. Speaking in the Chad capital N'Djamena, Macron said "I deeply regret the decision" by Trump to pull out U.S. troops. Trump last ...
Departure of Jim Mattis stirs world of worries from Brussels to Beijing
The abrupt resignation of U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has governments from Seoul to Brussels on edge, as the reliability of American alliances and the direction of policy under an erratic leader comes increasingly under question. The former marine general was widely seen a moderating ...
