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September 27, 2013  

Troops cut in Afghanistan | Al-Qaeda is back | Gov shutdown approaches

Roughly 12,000 troops have been pulled out of Afghanistan in the last several months, part of a shift in strategy away from regular combat and toward a support role.  The reduction in troop totals corresponds with a drop in the number of air-support missions flown where weapons were used.  (Andrew Tilghman, Military Times)

Al-Qaeda is back, as shown by the shooting at a Kenyan mall, but the face of the organization has changed, The Economist reports.

Congress continues to hurtle toward a government shutdown early next week, but there doesn’t appear to be a course to avert the crisis in sight.  Both Democrats and Republicans appear to have dug in their heels over implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and without a deal thousands of government employees, including numerous civilians at the Defense Department, will be sent home.  (John Bennett, Defense News)

Warlord’s Quote of the Day

“It is the foreign element that commits our crimes. There is no native criminal class except Congress.” — More Maxims of Mark Twain

Contributed by Joe Galloway, formerly Knight Ridder’s senior military correspondent. From a list compiled by the Warlord Loop, a private email forum for national security experts.

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