Article 24

Pro-Government Forces Deal Syrian Rebels Big Setback
Now that Syrian government troops and Hezbollah guerrillas have captured the strategic border town of Qusair from anti-government rebels, military experts and diplomats say there will almost certainly be a renewed government-led offensive on the northern city of Aleppo. ...

Syria peace conference may now take place in July - joint UN-Arab League envoy
Further steps have been taken towards the convening of an international conference on Syria but it will not be possible to hold it this month as planned, the Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the Arab League for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, said. ...

Patriots, F-16s May Remain in Jordan After Eager Lion Exercise
The United States could leave Patriot anti-missile batteries and F-16 fighter jets in Jordan following the end of Exercise Eager Lion, a Pentagon spokesman said. ...

NATO Defence Ministers endorse concept for new post-2014 mission in Afghanistan
NATO Defence Ministers on Wednesday (5 June 2013) endorsed the detailed concept for the new NATO-led mission to train, advise and assist the Afghan security forces after 2014. "That concept will guide our military experts as they finalise the plan in the course of the coming months," said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen. ...

Hagel Describes Post-ISAF Afghanistan Mission
The United States will be the largest single contributor to the follow-on NATO operation that will replace the International Security Assistance Force mission in Afghanistan in 2015 and beyond, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said at NATO headquarters. ...

Turkish Deputy Leader Meets Some Protest Organizers
A Turkish protest group has urged the government to dismiss the governors and police chiefs of Istanbul, Ankara, and other cities where police have been violently cracking down on antigovernment demonstrations. ...