For today, in a short entry, links to reports from National Public Radio and the Cradle; others are accessible by clicking on their names or initials below. (Short GAZA and UKRAINE entries for this date are HERE and HERE.)

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U.S.-backed Kurdish coalition faces uncertainty in Syria. Reported by Fatma Tanis | NPR  The Kurdish coalition that controls a third of Syria and helped the US fight ISIS is facing a new reality after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad. NATO ally Turkey sees them as a threat and is demanding the dismantling of Kurdish militia. And . . . Click HERE to listen and, later, read.

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FROM DEC. 20  Pentagon confirms ‘around 2,000’ U.S. troops deployed in Syria. From The Cradle. Pentagon Press Secretary General Pat Ryder revealed on Thursday that the U.S. has “around 2,000” troops deployed inside Syria, more than double the figure Washington has previously claimed to have inside the war-torn country. READ MORE . . .