Army Gen. Leon LaPorte, commander of US Forces Korea, told reporters that there has been a “noticeable reduction” in DMZ incidents, but he stopped short of saying that the North Koreans have reduced their forces along the highly fortified zone. Under the Pentagon’s restructuring plans for South Korea, LaPorte noted that US troop strength will drop below 30,000 by the end of the year.
The U.S. began extensive air and artillery strikes against Islamic State group targets in Syria on Dec. 19 in retaliation for the killing of three Americans on Dec. 13 by a gunman affiliated with ISIS, U.S. officials said.
