US begins large military drill with South Korea while waging war in the Middle East

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The United States began a large military exercise with South Korea involving thousands of troops Monday while also waging an escalating war in the Middle East.

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff has said about 18,000 Korean troops will take part in Freedom Shield, which runs through March 19. U.S. Forces Korea hasn’t confirmed the number of American troops participating in the training in South Korea.

The allies’ combined exercise comes amid South Korean media speculation that Washington is relocating some assets from South Korea to support fighting against Iran.

U.S. Forces Korea said last week it would not comment on specific movements of military assets for security reasons. South Korean officials also declined to comment on the reports that some U.S. Patriot anti-missile systems and other equipment were being moved to the Middle East, but they said there would be no meaningful impact on the allies’ combined defense posture.

Freedom Shield may trigger an irritated response from North Korea, which has long described the allies ’ joint exercises as invasion rehearsals and used them as a pretext to ramp up its own military demonstrations and weapons tests. The allies say the drills are defensive in nature.

North Korea has suspended all meaningful dialogue with Washington and Seoul following the 2019 collapse of a summit between leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump during his first term. Tensions rose in recent years as Kim used Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a window to accelerate the development of his nuclear arsenal and increase his leverage by aligning militarily with Moscow, which has received thousands of North Korean troops and large weapons shipments to help fuel its warfighting.

The allies’ drills follow a major political conference in Pyongyang last month, where Kim confirmed his hard-line view of “enemy” Seoul but left the door open to talks with Washington, calling on the United States to drop its demand for North Korea’s denuclearization as a precondition for dialogue.

Freedom Shield is one of two annual “command post” exercises conducted by the allies; the other is Ulchi Freedom Shield, held in August. The drills are largely computer-simulated and designed to test the allies’ joint operational capabilities while incorporating evolving war scenarios and security challenges. As usual, the March drill will be accompanied by a field training program, called Warrior Shield, but the number of field exercises during the Freedom Shield period has declined to 22 compared to last year’s 51.

While U.S. and South Korean militaries say field exercises are often spread out throughout the year, there's speculation that the allies are seeking to tone down the spring drills to create conditions for dialogue with North Korea. Liberal South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has expressed a desire for diplomacy, and some of his top officials have voiced hope that Trump’s expected visit to China in late March or April could possibly create an opening with Pyongyang.

Protesters hold signs to oppose the joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea, near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Protesters hold signs to oppose the joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea, near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A soldier stands at a North Korean military guard post flying a national flag, seen from Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A South Korean college student attaches a sticker on an image of the U.S. President Donald Trump to protest against the U.S. and Israel's attacks on Iran and upcoming U.S. and South Korea military exercise near the U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 6, 2026. The banners read "We criticize the U.S. and Israel. Stop war exercise between the U.S. and South Korea." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A North Korean military guard post, top, and a South Korean post, bottom, are seen from Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s police commissioner said Monday that authorities are investigating whether men who brought improvised explosive devices to a protest outside New York City’s mayoral residence were inspired by ISIS.

The devices, which did not explode, were hurled during raucous counterprotests Saturday near Gracie Mansion during a “Stop the Islamic Takeover of New York City” event led by the far right activist Jake Lang. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the explosives could have caused serious injury or death.

Two people are in custody for their alleged roles in the confrontation but they have not been charged, Tisch said during a news conference. Police are working with federal prosecutors and the FBI, which has assigned agents with the bureau’s Joint Terrorism Task Force to the investigation.

“I can confirm this morning that this is being investigated as an act of ISIS-inspired terrorism," Tisch said.

The two have not been charged. Tisch said police were working with federal prosecutors and the FBI on the case. The FBI said agents with the bureau’s Joint Terrorism Task Force were participating in the investigation. She said investigators have found no apparent link to Iran or the war.

“At this time, we do not have any information that connects this investigation to what’s going on overseas in Iran,” Tisch said.

The sparsely attended protest Saturday drew a far larger group of counterdemonstrators, including one person who police say tossed a smoking object containing nuts, bolts, screws and a “hobby fuse” into the crowd.

The device extinguished itself steps from police officers, Tisch noted. The same person who threw it then dropped a second device that did not appear to ignite, the commissioner said.

On Saturday, authorities said they “identified a suspicious device in a vehicle on East End Avenue between 81st Street and 82nd Street.” Several streets were closed and nearby buildings were evacuated. Around 7 p.m., police used a flatbed truck to remove a Honda Civic and the streets were reopened.

Lang was charged with assaulting an officer with a baseball bat, civil disorder and other crimes for his part in the Jan. 6 insurrection but was freed from prison as part of President Donald Trump’s sweeping act of clemency. Lang recently announced that he is running for U.S. Senate in Florida.

Earlier this year, he organized a rally in Minneapolis in support of Trump’s immigration crackdown, drawing an angry crowd of counterprotesters that quickly chased him away.

Associated Press reporters Jennifer Peltz and David Collins in New York contributed.

Jake Lang demonstrates outside Gracie Mansion after a news conference by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani , Monday, March 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

In this image taken from video, law enforcement officers respond to Manhattan's Upper East Side as New York City's police said they had identified a "suspicious device in a vehicle,” Sunday, March 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Joseph B. Frederick)

Jake Lang shouts from a sidewalk as New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a news conference at Gracie Mansion, Monday, March 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)

New York Police commissioner Jessica Tisch speaks during a news conference with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani at Gracie Mansion, Monday, March 9, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Angelina Katsanis)