MUST-READS

• Operation Inherent Resolve: A-10 Thunderbolts
  These Stunning Images of the U.S. A-10 Thunderbolts in Kuwait say a lot about their missions against ISIS

  Noteworthy, as noted with little differences on previous deployments in Afghanistan, along with their trademark cannon, the aircraft carry an interesting mix of rockets, missiles and bombs, that enable the pilot to select the proper weapon to attack any kind of target, from technicals, to tanks, to armored vehicles, to light and heavy fixed or moving targets: AGM-65 Maverick missiles (on station 3 and 9), LAU-131 rocket launcher (station 2), GBU-12 Paveway LGBs (Laser Guided Bombs – on station 5 and 7), GBU-38 JDAMs (Joint Direct Attack Munitions – station 4 and 8) and an AN/AAQ-28 Litening AT targeting pod (station 10).

• Qatar World Cup
  World Cup 2022: European clubs seek “fair solution” from FIFA

  The European Club Association includes Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Barcelona. Europe's biggest football clubs are set for talks with Fifa following proposals to switch the Qatar 2022 World Cup from summer to winter. Negotiations are expected to start with football's governing body in the coming weeks but any conclusion may take time.

• U.S. - Israel
  Bigger than Iran: stormy seas ahead for Netanyahu-Obama relationship

  Netanyahu worked to placate angry Congressional Democrats by bending over backwards to praise President Obama and to emphasize the value he attaches to bipartisan support for Israel. Talking to folks on the Hill after the speech, I’m not sure he succeeded – and that’s despite the fact that many Democrats share his concerns about the Iran nuclear issue.

  • The Atlantic - Netanyahu's Real Targets: President Obama, and the Israeli Swing Voter
  • Slate - Did Netanyahu’s Speech Help or Hurt Him in Israel?
• Egypt
  Egypt’s Low-Burn Insurgency

  Islamic State and its jihadist allies are targeting Western-allied governments in the Middle East, and lately they’ve turned their bombs on Egypt. The low-burn insurgency there isn’t an urgent threat to the Cairo government, but it needs watching and perhaps some American help to put down.

  • Washington Post - Mysterious Egyptian tomb reveals stunning 3,000-year-old art
• U.S. - Syria
  Dempsey does not rule out U.S. ground troops in Syria

  Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, testified on Capitol Hill that military commanders may consider the need for small teams of U.S. troops to help local Iraqi and Syrian forces if that is critical for defeating the Islamic State militants.

  • AP - Al-Qaida, others attack Syrian intelligence office in Aleppo
• Syria
  U.S. Syria strategy falters with collapse of rebel group

  A blow to U.S. moves to aid rebels, the dissolution of Hazzm also highlights the risks that a new Department of Defense program could face in training and equipping fighters in Jordan, Turkey and Qatar.

  • Al Jazeera - 'Barrel bombs kill 10' in Syria's Aleppo
  • BBC - Teacher Jamshed Javeed jailed for Syria 'jihad' plan
  • BBC - Blast hits Aleppo intelligence HQ
• Afghanistan
  Afghan Men Don Burqas, Take to Streets for Women’s Rights

  A group of Afghan men marched through the capital, Kabul, on Thursday to draw attention to women's rights by donning head-to-toe burqas that for many people worldwide have come to symbolize the suppression of women.

  • NYT Magazine - The Hardest (and Most Important) Job in Afghanistan
• U.S. Anti-ISIS Strategy
  Pentagon Hears a Message From Its New Chief: STFU

  The new Secretary of Defense blasted military officials for telling reporters that Iraqi and U.S.-led coalition forces could launch an offensive to reclaim a major Iraqi city as early as April. He called their statements inaccurate and a “mistake.”

  • RFE/RL - Explainer: Iran's Role In Iraq's Fight Against Islamic State
  • Stars and Stripes - CentCom Chief: Islamic State Can Be Defeated Without US Ground Troops
  • NYT (paywall) - U.S. Strategy in Iraq Increasingly Relies on Iran
• Libya
  Libya forces carry out second day of rival air strikes on airports

  Forces from Libya´s internationally recognized government carried out air strikes on a Tripoli airport after unidentified warplanes attacked one of its allied towns, in escalating violence a day before United Nations peace talks.

• Iran Negotiations
  Kerry Pushes Back on Israeli Criticism of Iran Nuke Talks

  U.S. officials sought Wednesday to tamp down expectations of a substantial preliminary nuclear deal with Iran by the March deadline while working to move past the political dust kicked up by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's criticism of an emerging agreement's contours.

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