Afghanistan
The US is formally beginning the process of withdrawal from Afghanistan, according to US Army General Scott Miller, commander of foreign military forces in the country.
“All our forces are now preparing to retrograde. Officially the notification date will be the 1st of May, but at the same time as we start taking local actions, we have already begun that. As we retrograde to zero US forces, we will turn over the bases primarily to the (Afghan) Ministry of Defense and other Afghan forces.”
More from Al Jazeera here.
Somalia
Somalia can’t ever seem to catch a break for long. Fighting erupted in the capital Mogadishu today between rival military units, some supporting President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed and others opposed to him. Last week Mohamed extended his term by two years despite the fact it was supposed to end in February.
More from BBC here.
Iran
Fascinating piece in the New York Times about a leaked audio tape that casts significant light on power struggles within the Iranian leadership.
Read it here.