Today's Headlines and Commentary

One day following the official end of the International Security Assistance Force’s mission in Afghanistan, the Afghan Taliban declared the “defeat” of the United States and its allies. The statement issued by the militant group said that the US force had left the country without accomplishing “anything substantial.” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said that the group would now establish a “pure Islamic system by expelling the remaining invading forces.” Roughly 18,000 troops will remain in Afghanistan to train the Afghan army, with a section of US forces also conducting counterterrorism missions. While the conflict may now be formally over for the United States and its allies, the war is far from over for Afghans. Even as coalition forces drawdown, the Wall Street Journal reports that the war in Afghanistan remains fierce, and the battle against the Taliban has killed more Afghan forces this year than ever before. 5,400 Afghan soldiers and policemen have been killed in 2014. That number is twice as many as the overall number of US troops killed in Afghanistan since 2001. The Washington Post brings us news that the Islamic State has published a written interview with the recently captured pilot of a crashed Jordanian F-16. According to the Islamic State’s English publication, Dabiq, First Lieutenant Mu’ath al Kaseasbeh says that his fighter jet was shot down by a heat-seeking missile outside of Raqqa, the Islamic State’s headquarters in Syria. There is no way to verify the Islamic State's account of the interview. The magazine also praises the attack on a cafe in Sydney, Australia that occurred earlier this month. Today, ISIS claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack on a gas plant in Homs province. The attack killed eight people, including four Syrian soldiers, and wounded 15 others. Al Arabiya has more on the continuing battle. In Syria, will the South "rise again?" Over at Foreign Policy, Dafna H. Rand and Nicholas Heras argue that the moderate and secular Southern Front is gaining ground in the birthplace of Syria’s revolution. They describe a coalition of rebels made up of 50 armed groups.  The coalition has effectively created a system of civil-military governance, one that presents an alternative to extremists and pro-government forces. The Washington Post reports that in Berlin, concern over the threat from the Islamic State has superseded outrage over NSA spying. According to the piece, over the past year, the German government has continued to secretly provide detailed information--- cellphone numbers, email address, and other sensitive data---to US intelligence agencies on hundreds of Germans suspected of affiliating with militant groups in Iraq and Syria. These actions are not limited to Berlin, as capitals across Europe have turned to their US counterparts, whose resources they simply cannot match.   Brookings scholars Shadi Hamid and William McCants explain why calling the Islamic State “daesh” is not really such a good idea. Spoiler alert: it presents the group as such a powerful force that it carries a “He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named” quality. The Long War Journal brings us news that al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has released a new video detailing steps to avoid detection by US drones. The video suggests a do-it-yourself “insulation cover” to hide from “heat detection” as well as several ways to use various terrains as camouflage. In other drone news, the Associated Press confirms that Iran has tested a “suicide drone” as part of ongoing military drills near the Strait of Hormuz. Investigators are still sorting through the Sony attack, and Reuters brings us news that the FBI now believes that North Korea likely hired hackers from outside of the Hermit Kingdom to help execute the attack. However, Politico has another theory: Researchers from the cyber intelligence company Norse have said that their own investigation points to laid-off Sony staff, not the DPRK, as the perpetrators of the attack. After a briefing from Norse executives, the FBI said it was standing behind its assessment. Whoever is ultimately responsible, Japan and South Korea are wasting no time boosting cooperation in light of what many consider a heightened threat. On Monday, for the first time, the two countries agreed to share military intelligence about North Korean weapons programs as part of a three-way pact with the United States. Washington hopes that the agreement signals a warming of relations in the north-east Pacific that will improve cooperation among the estranged allies. The New York Times has more. In the wake of falling oil prices and biting sanctions imposed by the West, for the first time in five years, the Russian economy has contracted. The Russian government has released new numbers revealing that its GDP in November was 0.5 percent lower than in the same month last year. The Russian Central Bank fears that the economy could shrink by as much as 5 percent next year if oil prices do not recover. The Guardian has more. Reuters reports that Arab UN delegations on Monday endorsed a Palestinian proposal designed to establish a peace deal with Israel within one year and end Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories by late 2017. The resolution faces stiff opposition from the United States and Israel ensuring its almost certain defeat. Cameroon has launched its first airstrikes against the Nigerian-based militant group Boko Haram. The airstrikes come after the group overran a Cameroonian military base and then attack five nearby villages. The airstrikes reported killed 41 militants. According to Reuters, a US drone strike killed a senior leader of al Shabaab named Abdishakur on Monday. Parting Shot: The French drone company Parrot has released a new advertisement filmed featuring tightrope walkers playing with drones at scary heights.

ICYMI: Yesterday, on Lawfare

Ben issued a reminder to consider Lawfare in your year end charitable giving. Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Sign up to receive Lawfare in your inbox. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board.