US military

Rockets reportedly fired at US army base in Camp Taji

An Iraqi military statement said the camp had been targeted by Katyusha rockets.

Sky News reported a missile landed near the camp's gates, wounding a member of the security forces.

Taji is the base where the remaining 45 New Zealand defence force personnel are stationed in Iraq.

The New Zealand Defence Force (NDF) said all New Zealand soldiers at the camp are safe and accounted for.

A spokesperson said the rocket attacks where New Zealand soldiers are training Iraqi security forces are a regular occurrence.

US military aircraft visit Fiji

The visit by the multi-rotor Ospreys is a first for Fiji.

The Fiji Times reported the unusual aircraft touched down at Nadi International Airport on Tuesday.

A US Embassy official in Suva said the aircraft are destined for Australia and are not part of any operation in the Pacific.

     

Tongan Marines excel in “Best Warrior” contest, Nevada

US Army Nevada National Guard reports the Tongan Marines competed alongside eight Nevada Army National Guard Soldiers for the title of "Best Warrior" in a variety of events at the Hawthorne Army Depot, which is also the world’s largest ammunition depot.

The other Tongans who competed were Pvt. Saevii Tonga, Pvt. Sione Atoa and Pvt. Dimitirous Polisima.

This is the first time Tonga’s armed forces have participated in the Nevada Guard annual Best Warrior contest although both established a partnership in 2014.

Somalia conflict: US suffers rare combat loss in al-Shabab clash

This happened on Thursday during operations against al-Shabab militants about 64km (40 miles) west of the capital Mogadishu, near the town of Barii, the US military says.

Two other US service members were hurt.

US forces were on an "advise and assist" mission with the Somali National Army, the US military says.

US military drops 'mother of all bombs on IS' in Afghanistan

The GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast Bomb (MOAB), known as "the mother of all bombs", was first tested in 2003, but had not been used before.

The Pentagon said it was dropped from a US aircraft in Nangarhar province.

The news came hours after the Pentagon admitted an air strike in Syria mistakenly killed 18 rebels.

It said a partnered force had mistakenly identified the target location as an IS position, but the strike on 11 April had killed rebels from the Syrian Democratic Forces, which is backed by Washington.

1st US combat death under Trump

Six other servicemembers also were wounded, all non-life threatening.

"In a successful raid against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) headquarters, brave US forces were instrumental in killing an estimated 14 AQAP members and capturing important intelligence that will assist the US in preventing terrorism against its citizens and people around the world," Trump said in a statement.

Russian, US military planes in near miss over Syria

US Air Force Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Harrigian, who commands US air operations across the Middle East, characterized the incident as a "near miss."

Both planes were flying at hundreds of miles an hour with their lights off on the night of October 17. The US military plane came within less than half a mile of the Russian jet, close enough to be in the jet wash of the Russian plane, according to US military officials.

The Russian fighter jet was escorting a Russian spy plane, according to Harrigian.

US intercepts multiple shipments of Iranian weapons

The first intercepted shipment was in April 2015 and since then, American ships have intercepted an additional four shipments, Donegan said.

The shipments included thousands of AK-47 automatic rifles, as well as anti-tank missiles and sniper rifles.

The US Navy determined that the ships carrying the weapons came from Iran based on an examination of the GPS data on board the five vessels as well as from interrogations of their crews.

Can the US military build Star Wars-style laser cannons for its troops?

American companies are developing laser systems for the aircraft, drones, vehicles and even boats for U.S. troops. And while they may not match the cool beams of light seen from those “Star Wars” laser cannons, they can do plenty of damage.

Here is a look at a few of the systems under development:

The Drone Slaying Laser