The Pentagon is “on track” to deliver the new plan to defeat ISIS to President Donald Trump next week as required by a Jan. 28 memorandum, spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said on Tuesday. Defense Secretary James Mattis recently completed his first trip to the Middle East since his confirmation, making stops in Iraq and the United Arab Emirates to get a better understanding of the current fight against ISIS. Poor weather prevented Mattis from stopping in Afghanistan, but he said he had a “very in-depth discussion about the way ahead in Afghanistan” with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the Munich Security Conference last week. Mattis also spoke with Army Gen. John Nicholson, commander of US forces in Afghanistan, via video conference for several hours, according to a Feb. 20 Pentagon release. The Defense Department is “charged with leading the development of the plan, but it absolutely calls upon the capabilities of other departments,” said Davis. “We chair it. We’re developing the strategy, but we’re doing it together with other departments.” Davis said the new plan will look to defeat ISIS globally, meaning Afghanistan, Yemen, Libya, and other countries where the terrorist organization has a presence will be included in the review, according to a Pentagon release.
The U.S. thwarted a drone attack on U.S. forces at Al Asad air base in western Iraq on April 22, marking the first time that American troops have been targeted since February, U.S. officials said. “We can confirm it was an attack on Al Asad,” a defense official told Air & Space…