December 19, 2015 (Saturday)
Armed conflicts and attacks
- American-led intervention in Iraq (2014–2021)
- Iraqi Defense Minister Khaled al-Obaidi updates the death toll from Friday's friendly fire airstrike near Fallujah to 10, one officer and nine soldiers. U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter says it appears an American jet conducted the strike. Carter called Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to express condolences. (The Washington Post)
- Iraqi Civil War (2014–2017)
- Turkey’s foreign ministry says it will continue to move some of its troops out of a military base at Bashiqa in Nineveh province in northern Iraq. (Reuters via The Washington Post)
- Turkey–PKK conflict
- The Turkish army says 69 Kurdish insurgents and two Turkish soldiers were killed in four days of fighting in Cizre and Silopi, near the Syrian and Iraqi borders, in southeast Turkey. (Reuters)
- Somali Civil War
- A car bomb outside a shopping mall in the Somali capital Mogadishu kills at least three and injures at least eight. The al Qaeda-linked Al Shabaab claim responsibility. (Reuters) (CNN)
International relations
- Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action
- Iran nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi says nine tons of Iran's enriched uranium will be exported to Russia in the next few days, as the country moves to implement the nuclear deal and secure relief from international sanctions. (Reuters) (Ya Libnan)
- European migrant crisis
- Germany's refugee crisis coordinator Peter Altmaier says, in an interview with German magazine Focus, that he and Austrian special minister Josef Ostermayer are working on a proposal for a common European asylum law. He added other countries such as France and The Netherlands would be approached soon. (Reuters) (Sputnik News)
Law and crime
- Swiss Attorney General Michael Lauber announces criminal proceedings are underway against an unnamed Islamic Central Council of Switzerland (ICCS) board member for spreading jihadist propaganda. ICCS reports the individual is their head of multimedia, Naim Cherni, who released a videotape of his trip to Syria which included interviews with Islamist leaders. (Reuters) (Deutsche Welle) (Blick) (de)
Politics and elections
- Rwandan constitutional referendum, 2015
- Rwandans vote overwhelmingly to lift constitutional restrictions that will allow President Paul Kagame to run for more terms in office. The National Electoral Commission reports more than 98 percent of voters approved the referendum. Final official results will be released Monday. (BBC) (AP via Huffington Post)