Stars and Stripes Daily Headlines

June 18, 2017     Mother: Son tried to save Navy shipmates after collision The mother of a U.S. Navy sailor who survived a direct hit to his sleeping berth during a collision at sea said her son kept diving to try to save his shipmates until the flooded berth began running out of air pockets, while others — believing the ship was under attack — hurried to man the guns.   Afghan war faces flurry of setbacks as new US military policy nears As American military officials complete plans that will likely send several thousand additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan, a flurry of setbacks in the war has underscored both the imperative of action and the pitfalls of various approaches.   North Korean man swims south to defect, South Korean military says A North Korean man defected to South Korea on Sunday after swimming south with plastic foam pieces on his shoulders to help keep him afloat, the military was quoted as saying.   Muslims in Kaiserslautern reflect on their role in the military during Ramadan Muslims in Kaiserslautern say they find the military to be a protective enclave of tolerance, a “melting pot” where people generally are less insulated and more exposed to other cultures and beliefs.   US shoots down Syrian Air Force fighter jet The U.S. military on Sunday shot down a Syrian Air Force fighter jet that bombed local forces aligned with the Americans in the fight against Islamic State militants, an action that appeared to mark a new escalation of the conflict.   ISIS threat in Southeast Asia raises alarm in Washington Southeast Asia's jihadis who fought by the hundreds for the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria now have a different battle closer to home in the southern Philippines. It's a scenario raising significant alarm in Washington.   Iraqi troops move into Mosul's Old City, last ISIS stronghold U.S.-backed Iraqi troops pushed into the last Islamic State stronghold in Mosul on Sunday, an Iraqi commander said, formally launching the final major battle of an eight-month campaign to drive the militants from Iraq's second largest city.   After scandals, Air Force Academy made big PR investment The Air Force Academy plowed $2.6 million into an unprecedented public relations effort to polish its image after a series of scandals involving athletes at the school.   Tillerson takes over as mediator of Persian Gulf dispute Efforts to end a two-week-old crisis in the Persian Gulf shifted to the U.S., as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson canceled a trip to Mexico to try to end a Saudi-led coalition’s isolation of Qatar.   ISIS says it carried out an attack in Jerusalem, but Hamas claims it did; here's why that matters The facts aren't in dispute. On Friday, a small group of assailants launched an attack near Jerusalem's Old City. Wielding guns and knives, they killed a female police officer and wounded three other people. What happened next, though, is a source of controversy.   Ships ahoy! Majestic sailing vessels converge on Boston Dozens of majestic vessels from around the globe dazzled crowdsSaturday as the ships sailed through Boston's inner harbor for the first time in 17 years.