US to extend troop presence in Afghanistan
The Obama administration will keep about 5,000 troops in Afghanistan beyond next year. In the wake of recent Taliban offensives in the north and east, which have generally failed but inflicted high casualties on the ANA, the US will keep trainers and air power for the foreseeable future. Look for the US to keep a few thousand troops near or inside A-stan to act as a mobile reaction force to repel sudden Taliban offensives.
Taliban on the move in the east
Sizable offensive are underway in an area southwest of Kabul. This is an effort to cut off lines of communication between Kabul and Kandahar. This could be preparation for an offensive on Kandahar, which is where the Taliban began and where it had its government in the nineties. However, the war is seasonal and cold weather is coming soon.
Chinese and Iranian navies to parley
China is continuing its drive to become a world power. The obvious question is, will China seek a naval base in Iran. Probably not yet. Iran, too, is becoming more assertive. It has sent ground troops into Syria and increased its hardline positions in public. Iranian media are of course presenting strongly nationalist and even militaristic positions, but they have become more so in recent weeks.
Iraqi troops strengthen positions at Baiji
The fight for the northern oil refinery has been back and forth. It seems to belittling back toward the Iraqi army now. Meanwhile, to the south in Ramadi, the army is making slow progress in surrounding the city which ISIL took last spring.