South Korea military drills will proceed
WASHINGTON— The U.S. doesn’t plan to suspend more joint military drills with South Korean forces, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said, as diplomatic progress on North Korea’s denuclearization appears to have stalled.
“We have no plans at this time to suspend any more exercises,” Mr. Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon on Tuesday, adding that the Defense Department hasn’t made decisions about major annual drills expected next year.
Mr. Mattis said he’s working in coordination with Secretary of State Michael Pompeo’s diplomatic efforts — “it’s all riding on Secretary Pompeo’s shoulders,” he said — but he also signaled that smaller-scale exercises are going ahead. In an apparent response to more routine training efforts, North Korea has stepped up criticism recently, saying American forces are conducting covert military rehearsals for an invasion.
President Donald Trump in June suspended what he called “war games” with Seoul, saying he believed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “wants to get it done” on denuclearization.
On other fronts ...
In his first news conference at the Pentagon since April, Mr. Mattis also took questions on U.S. military policy toward Syria, Yemen, Turkey and Iran.
Asked about reports that Syria’s government is moving chemical weapons into place to stage an assault on the last rebel stronghold around the northwestern province of Idlib, Mr. Mattis signaled the U.S. is ready to respond again after twice launching attacks on Bashar Assad’s regime, which has retaken most of the country with Russian and Iranian support.
Continued military support to nations engaged in the war in Yemen will depend on the extent of their efforts to avoid civilian casualties, Mr. Mattis said, as pressure builds on Saudi Arabia and its allies to protect noncombatants.
U.S. assistance, which includes aerial refueling, weapons sales and intelligence sharing, “is not unconditional,” he said.
Mr. Mattis also said he spoke with Turkey’s defense minister this week and that the two had a “very candid” discussion. With the NATO allies in a standoff over tariffs, sanctions and a detained American pastor, Congress has suspended planned deliveries of next-generation F35 jets until the Pentagon produces a report within 90 days on U.S.-Turkey relations.
But Mr. Mattis signaled that ties are stronger at the military level, saying the countries are working toward undertaking combined patrols in northern Syria and have already made progress in improving coordination and communication between their forces in the contested region. The U.S. relies on the Turkish military base at Incirlik to launch strikes against the Islamic State in Syria.
Arrests in India
NEW DELHI — Police in India arrested prominent activists and writers and searched their homes, alleging they had incited a riot. Critics called the actions another blow to the right to dissent in the world’s most populous democracy.
The latest raids came months after clashes at Bhima-Koregaon in western India,- where high-caste Hindus attacked an annual celebration by people of a lower caste.
Police told local media that those arrested had spoken at or participated in an event that fomented clashes between the two groups.