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David KilcullenContributing Editor for Military Affairs

David Kilcullen served in the Australian Army from 1985 to 2007. He was a senior counter-insurgency adviser to General David Petraeus in Iraq in 2007-08, followed by special adviser for counter-insurgency to secretary of state Condoleezza Rice. He is the author of six books, including most recently The Dragons and the Snakes: How the Rest Learned to Fight the West.

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US servicemen inside of a plane before their departure to Afghanistan from the US transit center Manas, 30 km outside the Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, on March 27, 2012. A planned withdrawal of US and coalition forces by the end of 2014 hinges on building up Afghan army and police, but the surge in

Afghanistan back in spotlight

The attention of the President is crucial to success.

David Kilcullen

epaselect epa06148638 Injured people react after a van crashed into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, downtown Barcelona, Spain, 17 August 2017. According to initial reports a van crashed into a crowd in Barcelona's famous Placa Catalunya square at Las Ramblas area injuring several. Local media report the van driver ran away, metro and train stations were closed. The number of people injured and the reasons behind the incident are not yet known. Official sources have not confirmed that the incident is a terrorist attack. EPA/David Armengou

Portent of a menacing future

What we’re seeing is sustained guerilla warfare, not low-level random attacks.

David Kilcullen

INQUIRERInquirer

Sturt Krygsman Inquirer art for 05-08-17COPYRIGHT: The Australian's artists each have different copyright agreements in place regarding re-use of their work in other publications.Please seek advice from the artists themselves or the Managing Editor of The Australian regarding re-use.

Sky-high risks tempt endgame

US troops are ready for a North Korean strike. With the continental US itself under direct threat, there may be no other option.

David Kilcullen

INQUIRERInquirer

Kurdish fighters from the People's Protection Units (YPG) run across a street in Raqqa, Syria July 3, 2017. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTS19M60

Peace elusive even as end nears

Mosul and Raqqa are crumbling as insurgents retreat into hiding.

David Kilcullen

Photo by Corporal Neil RuskinCaption: Queen of the Kids. Captain Alli Gillam, a mother of a seven year old boy herself, enjoys a friendly chat and play with Afghan children in Southern Afghanistan's Oruzgan Province.Mid Caption: Captain Alli Gillam knew the Australian Reconstruction Task Force had made a breakthrough in winning the confidence of the Afghan people when the mothers of Oruzgan Province began allowing her to play with their children.Captain Gillam, a mother of a seven year old boy, is a Liaison Officer to the multi-national Task Force Oruzgan, and has become a big hit with the local kids.Not so long ago it was not uncommon for soldiers to have rocks thrown at them by the local population, but the people of Oruzgan Province now know that the Australian Reconstruction Task Force is committed to helping create an environment that is safe, secure and free of the oppressive Taliban extremists who once stood over the people.

Soldiers can’t rebuild nations

Let’s not repeat our mistakes in Afghanistan.

David Kilcullen

Armed British Transport Police Specialist Operations officers on board a train to Birmingham New Street at Euston station in London as armed police officers are patrolling on board trains nationwide for the first time Thursday May 25, 2017. British Transport Police announced the measure in a bid to

Prepare for more Manchesters

As Islamic State’s “caliphate” collapses, the sight of troops patrolling streets may be in store for many European cities.

David Kilcullen

David Kilcullen

TOPSHOT - Medical staff at Damascus Countryside Specialised Hospital hold placards condemning a suspected chemical weapons attack on the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhun, during a gathering to show solidarity with the victims in the rebel-held Douma on the outskirts of Damascus on April 6, 2017. US forces fired a barrage of cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase on April 7 in response to what President Donald Trump called a

Gas attack shows Assad desperate

Rebel jihadist forces are making huge gains on the road to Damascus.

David Kilcullen

David Kilcullen

TOPSHOT - An Iraqi girl cries over her father's body, who was killed by a mortar shell fired by Islamic State (IS) group jihadists on civilians who were gathered to receive aid, in Al-Risala neighbourhood on March 22, 2017, as an ongoing offensive by Iraqi forces to retake the city from the group continues. Iraqi forces launched a major operation to recapture west Mosul -- the most-populated urban area still held by IS -- on February 19, and have retaken a series of neighbourhoods from the jihadists. / AFP PHOTO / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE

Worse in store after caliphate

A possibly deadlier al-Qa’ida ally is set to seize the lead from Islamic State.

David Kilcullen

David Kilcullen

US Defense Secretary James Mattis speaks before meeting with South Korean Defense Minister Han Min-Koo (not pictured) at the headquarters of the defense ministry in Seoul on February 3, 2017. Any nuclear attack by North Korea would trigger an

A show more extreme than reality

The US ban on Muslim travel caused vast disruption for little or no gain.

David Kilcullen

View of the truck that crashed into a christmas market at Gedächniskirche church in Berlin, on December 19, 2016 killing at least nine people and injuring at least 50 people. / AFP PHOTO / Odd ANDERSEN

Urban warfare on three fronts

Berlin to Ankara: jihadis wage war without borders.

David Kilcullen

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