The insurgents are pushing Iraq towards the brink of a civil war but the Iraqi government and the military could still prevent it with strong international backing, the generals said.
"Musharraf has got a situation at home where there is a certain amount of sympathy in some places for, if not Al Qaeda, then certainly for the people who are more inclined to Islam."
The White House will soon be presented a number of options on Iraq and one of them from the Pentagon will suggest that the US adopt the 'go big' strategy.
The balloon, which was being used by the People's Republic of China in an attempt to surveil strategic sites in the continental United States, was brought down above US territorial waters.
There is growing acceptance of the idea in the international community that engaging the Taliban government is a far better approach than ostracising it, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Taliban failed to honour Doha accord, never renounced Al-Qaeda: US general Mark Milley
Mattis said the Trump administration is being very clear and firm in what it expects from Pakistan.
The US, in coordination with allies and partners, continued to forcefully respond to Russia's "unjustified, unprovoked and premeditated" invasion of Ukraine by imposing sanctions on Putin and Lavrov.
The deadly American air strike on a hospital in northern Afghan city of Kunduz that killed 22 people, including women and children, was a mistake, a top US commander in Afghanistan on Tuesday said as he conceded that they were taken by surprise by the recent Taliban upsurge.
India skipped the Belt and Road Forum in May this year due to its sovereignty concerns.
Congressional report estimated Pakistan's nuclear warheads to be between 110-130.
US Defence Secretary Llyod Austin described China as a pacing challenge for the United States.
The United States has made it clear to India that it is "discouraging" it from proceeding with its acquisition of S-400 missile defence systems from Russia but Washington will have to weigh "important geostrategic considerations" while taking a decision on growing calls for a presidential CAATSA waiver to New Delhi, President Joe Biden's nominee for Coordinator for Sanctions Policy has told lawmakers.
Pakistan has briefed the United States on the progress it made during military operations against terrorists in North Waziristan costing $1.3 billion (Rs 8080 crore) and sought America's help in defraying part of it.
A senate panel has approved a legislation which blocks $300 million United States military aid to Pakistan.
Bergdahl is charged with abandoning his post in Afghanistan in June 2009 before he was captured by Taliban insurgents, who held him for nearly five years.
"Militants operating out of Pakistan and Afghanistan continue to threaten Afghan stability as well as stoke tensions between Pakistan and India," Gen Votel said.
One Congressmen said the Uri terror attack along with the bombings in New York and New Jersey "demonstrate our need to continue to work together through our" counter-terrorism partnership to defeat terrorism.
Admiral Philips Davidson, Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, also told the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday that China's recent activities along the Line of Actual Control have opened India's eyes to what cooperative effort with others might mean for their own defensive needs as he observed that New Delhi, in the very near term, will deepen its engagement with the Quad.
Pentagon has sought direct dialogue between India and China 'free of any coercive aspects'.
The US said that it sees positive indicators in Pakistan, but...
'Pakistan's provision of safe haven to the LeT a will probably continue to be a key irritant in relations with India'
The United States has announced to reduce the number of American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq to 2,500 each by January 15 next year, which drew sharp reaction from influential lawmakers across the aisle.
Noting that the Indo-Pak ties "remain tense", the US intelligence chief said India's engagement with Pakistan hinges on Islamabad's willingness to act against those responsible for the Pathankot terror attack.
ISI chief Faiz Hameed coerced the Taliban to announce an interim government guaranteed to preserve Pakistan's control over the levers of power in Kabul, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Trump said that he "absolutely" believes waterboarding works, but would defer to his CIA and Pentagon chiefs advice on whether to reinstate them.
Mattis applauded India's efforts to promote stability in the South Asia region, said Pentagon Spokesperson
Reflecting a new sense of bonhomie between India and the United States, top American lawmakers on Wednesday praised the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and underscored that the bilateral relationship has entered a new phase.
The National Security Agency lost its authority to collect the phone records of millions of Americans, thanks to a new reform measure Congress passed on Tuesday
All efforts of Trump's party to repeal the healthcare of his predecessor has failed so far, mainly due to the opposition of some of his own Senators.
The statement came a day after Indian Army launched "punitive fire assaults" on Pakistani positions across LoC.
The legislation, the National Defense Authorisation Act-2019, gets rid of the certification requirements for Pakistan's action against the Haqqani Network and it also gets rid of the authority to reimburse Pakistan for counter-terrorism.
"I have decided to recuse myself from any existing or future investigations of any matters related in any way to the campaigns for President of the US," Sessions said in a statement.
The Iraqi forces defeated by IS fighters in their takeover of Ramadi were not outnumbered and in fact showed "no will to fight.
United States President Barack Obama has signed into law the $618 billion defence budget for 2017, which enhances security cooperation with India and conditions nearly half of the funding to Pakistan on a certification that it is taking demonstrable steps against the Haqqani Network.
Mattis attracted controversy in 2005 when he said 'it's fun to shoot some people'.
Reflecting concern about Internet security, the United States has said it won't tolerate government-sponsored cyber theft of trade secrets even as it brought cyber-espionage charges against China's five military officers for allegedly stealing classified corporate information.
It also said that the UK's decision to expel 23 Russian diplomats in retaliation for the alleged attack was a 'just response'.
'China is likely to help Pakistan in keeping the fire burning in J&K to bleed India for its own interests.' A fascinating excerpt from Lieutenant General K Himalay Singh's Making of a General: A Himalayan Echo.
The US military fired an intercontinental ballistic missile-type weapon on Tuesday from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. It then fired a missile to intercept it from Vandenberg air force base in California.
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