Solar Energy News  
TERROR WARS
Australia ends air strike campaign in Iraq and Syria
 by Staff Writers
 Sydney (AFP) Dec 22, 2017


Pentagon chief Mattis visits Guantanamo Bay
Washington (AFP) Dec 21, 2017 - Defense Secretary Jim Mattis made an unannounced visit to the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay on Thursday, the Pentagon said, marking his first such visit there.

"Secretary Mattis is currently visiting with troops at Guantanamo Bay for the holidays to thank them for their service," Pentagon spokesman Major Ben Sakrisson said.

Officials said Mattis would not visit the base's notorious detention center, which still houses inmates captured after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions visited Guantanamo in July, and Mattis is the first Pentagon chief to visit Guantanamo since Donald Rumsfeld in the early 2000s.

While his trip was focused on holiday greetings to the more than 5,000 troops stationed on the base at the eastern tip of Cuba, Mattis's visit highlights the ongoing uncertainty around what will happen to the prison.

At the height of its operations after 9/11, the prison held 780 people detained mostly for their alleged ties to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

Since then, hundreds have been transferred back to their home countries or other places.

But some of the most notorious inmates, including several alleged 9/11 co-conspirators, including accused mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, are still awaiting trial.

And of the 41 inmates remaining at Guantanamo, about 26 are trapped in legal purgatory.

These so-called "forever prisoners" have never been charged -- yet they have been deemed too dangerous to release.

Barack Obama tried throughout his presidency to shutter the detention center but was rebuffed by Republican opponents.

As a candidate, Donald Trump said he wanted to fill it with "bad dudes."

Last month, Trump suggested that the man accused of carrying out a deadly truck attack in New York could be sent to Guantanamo, but he later backed off the idea.

Australian warplanes will cease their air strike campaign in Iraq and Syria, it was announced Friday, with the country's six hornet jets heading home after a three-year mission.

The decision follows the Islamic State jihadist group losing its two main hubs, Mosul in Iraq and Raqa in Syria.

It is now only clinging to the dregs of a "caliphate" that spanned territory the size of Britain three years ago, with Iraq declaring victory in the war this month.

Defence Minister Marise Payne said Canberra had decided to scale back its mission after consultations with coalition allies following more than 2,700 sorties.

"The battlefield success against Daesh means our own Operation OKRA has now reached a natural transition point and our strike aircraft will begin returning home early in the New Year," she said, referring to IS by its Arabic acronym.

"Since October 2014, our Hornet pilots and support personnel have made a significant contribution in support of the Iraqi Security Forces and I commend all the personnel who have contributed over this period for their dedication, skill and professionalism."

Based in the Middle East, Australia's Air Task Group consists of six F/A-18 Hornets, an E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft, and a KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker and Transport plane.

While the hornets are returning, the Wedgetail and the refuelling plane will continue to support coalition operations and around 380 personnel will stay to train Iraqi forces.

The United States first sent warplanes in August 2014 to carry out strikes against IS when it was massacring members of the Yazidi minority in the Sinjar region of northern Iraq.

A coalition was formed soon after with the support of around 60 nations, although only a handful such as Australia, Britain and France have played a significant military role.

TERROR WARS
Defeated militarily in 2017, IS remains a global threat
 Paris (AFP) Dec 19, 2017
 The year 2017 saw significant destruction to the Islamic State (IS), which lost almost all of its self-proclaimed "Caliphate" in Iraq and Syria, but experts warn the group is adapting and continues to be a threat. Within hours of the start of the year, an Uzbek who described himself as a "Caliphate Soldier" opened fire at a nightclub in Istanbul in Turkey, murdering 39 New Year's Eve revelle ... read more
Related Links
 The Long War - Doctrine and Application

Thanks for being here;
 We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once

credit card or paypal
 		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly

paypal only


Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.
Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

TERROR WARS
Microbes help turn Greek yogurt waste into fuel

 Algae could feed and fuel planet with aid of new high-tech tool

 NREL develops novel method to produce renewable acrylonitrile

 Bristol scientists turn beer into fuel
TERROR WARS
Lockheed Martin and NEC to Enhance Satellites, Space Travel with Artificial Intelligence

 Engineers program tiny robots to move, think like insects

 Not Your Grandpa's Robot: Russian Robot 'FEDOR' May Become Self-Learning

 Aerospace's SeedTECH AI advances to second round of $5M IBM Watson XPRIZE
TERROR WARS
Oil-rich Alberta sees momentum for wind energy

 Construction to start on $160 million Kennedy Energy Park in North Queensland

 U.S. wind turbines getting taller and more efficient

 New wind farm in service off the British coast
TERROR WARS
Chinese auto giant to end petrol vehicle sales by 2025

 UPS orders 125 all-electric trucks from Tesla

 German rail operator, army seek damages over truck cartel

 China's Didi raises $4 bn to fund global turf war with Uber
TERROR WARS
New test procedure for developing quick-charging lithium-ion batteries

 AI helps accelerate progress toward efficient fusion reactions

 Lasers could soon trigger fusion energy, researchers predict

 New power devices could drastically reduce energy waste
TERROR WARS
Defects found at China nuclear reactor project

 Australian waste treatment technology plays major role in management of radioactive waste

 Japan company says to close two large ageing nuclear reactors

 Bruce Power Contracts Major Industry Suppliers for Steam Generator Replacement Project
TERROR WARS
Top polluter China unveils nationwide carbon market

 China shivers as shift from coal to gas sputters

 US void hard to miss at Paris climate summit

 To save climate, stop investing in fossil fuels: economists
TERROR WARS
North Atlantic Oscillation dictates timing of tree reproduction in Europe

 African deforestation not as great as feared

 Cascading use is also beneficial for wood

 New maps show shrinking wilderness being ignored at our peril








The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.