The US is to blame for the rise of Al-Qaeda and its late mastermind Osama bin Laden, which it empowered to fight Soviet troops in Afghanistan, Vladimir Putin told Oliver Stone. Putin also said there is proof the CIA supported terrorists in Russia’s Chechnya.
Pentagon chief Jim Mattis told lawmakers Monday he was “shocked” by the state of the US military’s readiness, blaming legal budget caps and the grind of 16 years of constant war. Pointing to Obama-era budget caps known as sequestration, Mattis said limits on military spending have left troops at greater ...
