Author: Bartolo

‘Taliban cannot win on the battlefield, it’s time for them to join the peace process’: NATO and US-forces top commander Gen. Nicholson in Afghanistan – Afghanistan Times

VIDEO: Full statements and press conference of RS Commander Gen John Nicholson and US Envoy to Kabul Hugo Llorens – YouTube

TRANSCRIPT: Press conference statement by General John Nicholson on Afghanistan – Centcom

TRANSCRIPT: Remarks by U.S. Ambassador Hugo Llorens on the U.S. Afghanistan Policy – U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan

Tillerson says US may not win in Afghanistan but neither the Taliban, Trump will pressure the Taliban to negotiate peace and end war – New York Post

Tillerson pushes Pakistan to get Taliban to the negotiating table – Bloomberg

VIDEO: Sec’y of State Rex Tillerson takes questions after President Donald Trump’s Afghanistan announcement – YouTube

Secretary of State statement on the United States’ engagement in South Asia: ‘We stand ready to support peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban without preconditions’ – state.gov

Trump not making women’s rights a precondition of Afghan, Taliban talks: Tillerson – washingtonexaminer.com

Russia urges US to clarify its stance on contacts with Taliban without preconditions, Lavrov read more

Russia boosts air campaign to help recapture key Syrian city Deir el-Zour – ABC News

During the past five days Russian planes made 316 sorties and carried out 819 strikes, ISIS terrorists pulling strongest units to Deir ez-Zor for last stand: Russian MoD – RT News

Central Syria almost liberated from terrorists, while Aleppo Province is already free from them: Russian General Staff – Sputnik International

Syria war: Russian jets ‘destroy IS convoy near Deir al-Zour’, Russia’s defence ministry said at least 200 jihadists died – BBC News

VIDEO (English subtitles and transcript): Syria briefing by Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy – Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation

VIDEO: Russian air force destroys 200+ ISIS terrorists heading for Deir ez-Zor, Syria: Russia’s MoD – YouTube

Syrian Army secures strategic town Hamimah near Deir Ezzor from ISIS (VIDEO) – almasdarnews.com

Rebel spies exterminate ISIS gathering in Deir Ezzor, 8 jihadists killed – almasdarnews.com

ISIS’s Baghdadi is believed to have moved to eastern Deir Ezzor: source – almasdarnews.com

Syrian Army takes ISIS-held town Huwaysis near strategic gas field in central Syria – almasdarnews.com

Syrian read more

U.S. takes tough lines as NAFTA negotiations begin: ‘We feel that NAFTA has fundamentally failed many, many Americans and needs major improvement’ – Yahoo News

VIDEO: NAFTA 2.0 press conference with US, Canada and Mexico representatives – United States Trade Representative

TRANSCRIPT: Opening statement of USTR Robert Lighthizer at the first round of NAFTA renegotiations – United States Trade Representative

Full text of the Trump administration’s Summary of Objectives for NAFTA Renegotiation – ustr.gov

Canada and Mexico rebuke Trump at tense start of NAFTA talks – FT.com

What the U.S., Canada and Mexico want from a new NAFTA – US News

Address by Canada Foreign Affairs Minister Freeland on the modernization of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) – Canada.ca

U.S. trade vets say Canada’s NAFTA demands a ‘long shot’ – torontosun.com

Prioridades de México en las negociaciones para la modernización del Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte – Secretaría de Economía | Gobierno

The A team across the table: The top US, Canada and Mexico negotiators – Bloomberg

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In joint WSJ editorial Mattis, Tillerson say ‘U.S. has no interest in regime change or accelerated reunification of Korea’,  pressure China to step up and deal with North Korea – washingtonexaminer.com

Jim Mattis, Rex Tillerson editorial: We’re holding Pyongyang to account – WSJ

General Dunford: ‘It would be a horrible thing were a war to be conducted here on the (Korea) peninsula, and that’s why we’re so focused on coming up with a peaceful way ahead’ – Stripes

Resolve N. Korea nuclear issue peacefully: President Moon – The Straits Times

Trump signs trade actions against China as North Korea crisis looms over move – Washington Times

Trump’s trade war with China is war on North Korea by other means – IBD

US-North Korea standoff could spark economic war with China – CNBC

Chinese state newspaper says Trump trade probe will ‘poison’ relations, it is unfair for Trump to put the burden on China for dissuading Pyongyang from its actions – Reuters

China implements UN sanctions against North Korea, as Trump trade probe looms – Fox News

Experts: North Korea’s dependency on Chinese fuel is China’s choke hold on Pyongyang, China is leaving a life line for North Korea – Bloomberg

North read more

Bombshell report by The Nation magazine on the DNC hack: Forensic experts claim it was an inside job, not the Russians. A summary of its most compelling arguments – ijr.com

Big questions about last year’s DNC Hack, experts say it wasn’t a hack at all but a leak—an inside job by someone with access to the DNC’s system – The Nation

Walls closing in on Russiagate conspiracy theorists: Evidence mounts that DNC emails provided to WikiLeaks by inside source – Big League Politics

DNC accuses The Nation peddling “just another conspiracy theory” – Jackpine Radicals

The Nation article about the DNC hack is too incoherent to even debunk, wrote in techno-gibberish that falls apart under even the slightest scrutiny – nymag.com

Why is The Nation giving space to tinfoil haberdashers and pro-Putin propagandists? – Shakesville

The DNC hack: Discussion on the bandwidth speeds available today on the Internet – City-Data Forum

The need for speed: Some reviewers have questioned the conclusion in the Guccifer 2.0 NGP/VAN metadata analysis study– The Forensicator

In an audio, Hersh claims an FBI report described to him by an insider confirms that Seth Rich had taken some emails to WikiLeaks – WND

AUDIO: Seymour Hersh states Seth Rich was WikiLeaks source – Big League Politics

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ISIS vows grueling battle against U.S.-led coalition forces in Raqqa – freebeacon.com

ISIS warns of ‘a fire that burns the cross and its people’, In the new issue of its magazine Rumiyah interviews a Raqqa commander – pjmedia.com

The Islamic State’s latest issue of the magazine Rumiyah includes instructions to fighters on how to dodge white phosphorus reportedly used by U.S. and Russian forces – The Daily Caller

Full English text of the Islamic State’s latest issue of the magazine Rumiyah (slow to download) – rum12en.pdf

In Raqqa, a battle of attrition as civilians flee in shock – The Washington Post

Three suburbs captured in Raqqa city after Kurdish forces resume offensive – almasdarnews.com

In pictures: ISIS combatants lurk around every Raqqa corner with rocket launchers – almasdarnews.com

ISIS deployed snipers with night vision to defend raqqa from YPG ,,,,several YPG were killed last night due to ISIS snipers shots – Independent on Twitter

In pictures: ISIS suicide bomber takes out large Kurdish gathering in Raqqa city – almasdarnews.com

ISIS releases 30-min propaganda video on fighting Kurdish-led forces in Raqqa (VIDEO) – almasdarnews.com

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State TV interview: Putin defends massive cut of US diplomatic staff in Russia in response to sanctions – TASS

VIDEO: Putin: US diplomatic mission needs to cut 755 employees, time to show we won’t leave anything unanswered – YouTube

Washington can decide embassy staff cuts, Kremlin says – TheHill

Putin says the U.S. diplomatic mission in Russia needs to cut 755 employees. What do all these people do? – The Denver Post

U.S. embassy in Moscow says locked out of diplomatic property – reuters.com

US calls Vladimir Putin’s expulsion of diplomats from Russia ‘regrettable and uncalled for’ – The Independent

What’s in the Russia sanctions bill that Trump will sign – ABC News

Will Trump hold signing ceremony on Russian sanctions? – TheHill

ARCHIVE: Text of bill to provide congressional review and to counter aggression by the Governments of Iran, the Russian Federation, and North Korea – docs.house.gov

Pence read more

ISIS militants fight back in Raqqa, hit SDF-held areas – ARA News

Daesh claims deadly attack in Syria against US-backed force – AP

Savage gunfights between Kurdish forces and ISIS in the streets of Raqqa (VIDEO) – almasdarnews.com

PHOTO: Raqqa: ISIS SVBIED attack against YPG in Raqqa today – WorldOnAlert on Twitter

In pictures: ISIS overruns, destroys Kurdish base in Hasakah (PHOTOS) – almasdarnews.com

At least 11 Kurdish fighters killed in clashes with ISIS in Syria’s Raqqa – ARA News

PHOTO: Today in Hesekê 11 YPG & 2 Asayîş members were burried who fell fighting daesh in Raqqa. A very sad day. – Rojava on Twitter

Raqqa: YPG suffered heavy losses in Raqqa [list] – WorldOnAlert on Twitter

Kurds may leave coalition Raqqa op if Turkish attacks continue: YPG Commander – Sputnik International

British ex-soldier arrested in Turkey and accused of fighting alongside Kurdish rebels – telegraph.co.uk

Syrian read more

SDF And Syrian military make secret deal, divide spheres of influence in Deir Ezzor, Raqqah provinces: Media – southfront.org

Kurds ‘collaborating’ with Russia and Syrian regime over Raqqa, SDF reportedly ceded towns in northern Syria to regime forces as part of a Russian-brokered deal – alaraby.co.uk

More details: Raqqa July 20 SDF & SAA & tribal forces signed agreement to hand over some SDF areas to SAA within 3 days – Ivan Sidorenko on Twitter

Secret Russian-Kurdish-Syrian military cooperation is happening in Syria’s eastern desert – The Independent

Continued fighting in areas in the western part of Al-Raqqah city and ISIS continues its counter attacks – SOHR

Kurdish-led forces fling back huge ISIS counterattack in Raqqa – almasdarnews.com

In pictures: ISIS uses hordes of suicide bombers against Kurdish forces in Raqqa city (PHOTOS) – almasdarnews.com

SDF says 45% of Raqqa city liberated, operations ongoing – ARA News

Syrian Democratic Forces deny pause in anti-ISIS operations in Raqqa – ARA News

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US official: IS putting up stiff resistance in Syria’s Raqqa, advances have slowed down – Fox News

Raqqa: IS militants burst from tunnels, hit weak points in a bloody battle of attrition from street to street – ABC News

ISIS using motion detector IEDs in battle for Raqqa – DoD Buzz

In pictures: ISIS fires rockets on pinpoint Kurdish targets in Raqqa city – almasdarnews.com

At least 15 Kurdish YPG fighters killed by ISIS fire in Raqqa: official – ARA News

US sends in mine-proof trucks for battle in Raqqa – theaustralian.com

Armored US combat vehicles have been spotted pouring into Syria (PHOTOS, VIDEO) – taskandpurpose.com

US special operators are moving closer to the fighting in Raqqa – The Drive

VIDEO: US Marine Corps artillery destroys ISIS tunnel entrance in support of SDF in Raqqa on June 19 with little to no collateral damage – Mutlu Civiroglu on Twitter

VIDEO: read more