Solar Energy News  
WAR REPORT
NATO to join anti-IS coalition: diplomatic sources
 by Staff Writers
 Brussels (AFP) May 24, 2017


No increase in civilian deaths under Trump: US general
Washington (AFP) May 24, 2017 - A top US Air Force official on Wednesday denied claims that civilian casualties in Iraq and Syria are soaring under President Donald Trump, who has given greater leeway to battlefield commanders.

Airwars, a London-based collective of journalists and researchers that tracks civilian deaths in Iraq and Syria, this week said it has seen numbers jump since Trump came into power.

The group estimates as many as 366 civilians were killed in Iraq and Syria in April alone.

Another Britain-based group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, on Tuesday said US-led air strikes killed 225 civilians in Syria over the past month.

"I am not going to agree to those numbers," said Lieutenant General Jeffrey Harrigian, who heads US Air Forces Central Command.

"We have different numbers that we have garnered through our assessments and our analysis of it."

As of the most recent Centcom count at the end of April, a total of 396 civilians had been killed since the beginning of the bombing campaign against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria nearly three years ago.

The US military insists that its precision targeting abilities are the best in the world and that it takes every measure to avoid hitting civilians, including by aborting missile strikes at the last moment if a civilian unexpectedly wanders into the target zone.

But Airwars Director Chris Wood said a rise in civilian deaths has been particularly noticeable around the IS stronghold of Raqa in Syria, where thousands of jihadists are dug in ahead of an upcoming offensive to recapture the city.

"With three full months of airstrike and civilian casualty data from Donald Trump's presidency, we are now seeing the emergence of clear trends," Woods said.

Raqa provides "the clearest evidence yet that protections for civilians on the battlefield appear to have been scaled back -- with the inevitable consequence of higher deaths and injuries," he added.

The coalition has sharply increased the number of bombs it is dropping, and Trump has allowed commanders to more quickly approve strikes and fulfil a plan to "annihilate" IS.

Harrigian insisted fatalities have not risen as a result.

"My direct answer to that is no," he said.

"With respect to the administration's guidance to us, the rules of engagement have not changed. So, we are executing those (strikes) in accordance with the training that we've had and the deliberate process that we use to target military-appropriate targets."

NATO is to join the US-led anti-Islamic State coalition, meeting a key demand of President Donald Trump that the alliance do more to fight Islamist terrorism, diplomatic sources said Wednesday.

Trump was due to meet NATO leaders in Brussels on Thursday to press his case, with the deadly IS-claimed bomb attack in Manchester high on the agenda.

Earlier Wednesday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said he expected NATO to join despite reservations by some members states which are fearful of getting dragged into another conflict.

"The NATO (member state) ambassadors decided this evening an action plan on terrorism for the summit. It includes the accession of NATO to the global coalition against IS," one diplomat said.

This specifically will involve an expansion of flights by NATO's AWACS surveillance aircraft currently supporting anti-IS operations in Syria and Iraq.

"This means that the AWACS will not just do airspace surveillance but airspace management," the diplomat said, asking not to be identified.

"They are going to coordinate the flights and direct airplanes over Syria and Iraq but only for flights which are not related to bombings."

NATO leaders will formally endorse the decision at Thursday's summit, the sources said.

All 28 allies have joined the anti-IS coalition of more than 60 countries, but NATO as an institution has not followed suit up to now despite intense pressure from Washington.

Tillerson said that NATO's joining "would be a really important step" but that "there are a couple of countries that are still thinking it over."

"I have had meetings actually with one of those. I think they're going to support NATO joining and becoming a member of the ISIS fight," he told reporters travelling with Trump.

NATO has baulked at taking on any combat role in the fight against IS and some allies such as France, Germany and Italy have been opposed for fear the alliance would be dragged into a ground war and risk its standing with Arab powers.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said earlier that "many allies would like to see NATO as a full member of the coalition... because it sends a strong message of unity."

"Especially in light of the attack in Manchester, I think it is important to send this message of unity against terrorism."

Trump will also urge the allies to increase defence spending to the target of two percent of a country's annual gross domestic product, as they agreed in 2014.

In return, the allies hope the president will unequivocally state his support for NATO's core Article 5 collective defence commitment.

Asked about this issue, Tillerson said: "Of course we support Article 5. The only time Article 5 has been invoked was in the 9/11" attacks on the United States.

But he refused to be drawn on what Trump might say.

"He is still working on final remarks so I don't want to tell you exactly what is going to be in the speech," he said.

WAR REPORT
U-2S Dragon Lady appears at Northern Edge exercise
 Washington (UPI) May 19, 2017
 The U-2S Dragon Lady made an appearance at the Northern Edge military exercises based out of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The exercise involves over 6000 personnel and 200 aircraft from every service branch. The U-2S is based out of the 9th Reconnaissance squadron from Beale Air Force Base, Calif., to test new technologies on this later version of the 5th generation upgraded version ... read more
Related Links
 Space War News

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

WAR REPORT
Discovery of an alga's 'dictionary of genes' could lead to advances in biofuels, medicine

 A full life cycle assessment of second-generation biofuels

 Triple play boosting value of renewable fuel could tip market in favor of biomass

 Insight into enzyme's 3-D structure could cut biofuel costs
WAR REPORT
Lockheed Martin exoskeleton helps soldiers carry heavy gear

 Building a better 'bot': Artificial intelligence helps human groups

 Google's AlphaGo retires on top after humbling world No. 1

 Chinese fans trash blackout as Google AI wins again
WAR REPORT
U.S. states taking up wind energy mantle

 GE Energy Financial Services Surpasses $15 Billion in Renewable Energy Investments

 Scientists track porpoises to assess impact of offshore wind farms

 Dutch open 'world's largest offshore' wind farm
WAR REPORT
China scrambles to tame bike chaos

 Hong Kong police arrest 21 Uber drivers in sting

 Researchers find computer code that Volkswagen used to cheat emissions tests

 China's Geely boosts expansion with Proton, Lotus stakes
WAR REPORT
Nanoalloys 10 times as effective as pure platinum in fuel cells

 Off-the-shelf, power-generating clothes are almost here

 How scientists turned a flag into a loudspeaker

 Graphene-nanotube hybrid boosts lithium metal batteries
WAR REPORT
Swiss vote for gradual nuclear phaseout, energy makeover

 Why nuclear could become the next 'fossil' fuel

 Hungary: AREVA NP awarded contract for safety IC modernization at Paks Nuclear Power Plant

 India to build 10 domestic nuclear power reactors
WAR REPORT
China further opens energy sector to private investment

 Australia power grid leased to local-foreign consortium

 Poland central to EU energy diversification strategy

 Myanmar recovery linked to development of electrical grid
WAR REPORT
Activists protest logging in Poland's ancient forest

 Planting trees cannot replace cutting CO2 emissions

 In Canada, parks thrive but conservationists cry foul

 Myanmar's extensive forests are declining rapidly due to political and economic change








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.