Operations
Other Conflicts
Defense Policy / Programs
News Reports

Current Operations

• Iraq Coalition Forces Find Arms Caches, Continue Offense AFPS 06 Aug 2003 -- Coalition forces uncovered arms caches and more Iraqi civilians are beginning to work with forces to create stability in the country, said a Combined Joint Task Force 7 spokesman in Baghdad Aug 6.
• American Forces Pull Hidden MiG fighters out of Iraqi Desert AFPS 06 Aug 2003 -- American forces have found Russian fighter jets buried in the Iraqi desert, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in an Aug. 5 press briefing.
• COALITION AND IRAQI PEOPLE WORK TO MAKE IRAQ SECURE CENTCOM Release 06 Aug 2003-- Support and cooperation from Iraqi citizens is enabling Coalition forces to seize weapons and detain former regime loyalists.
• SOLDIER KILLED IN ACCIDENTAL FALL CENTCOM Release 06 Aug 2003-- A soldier from the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) was killed when he fell from the roof of a fixed site at approximately 7:30 p.m. Aug. 5 in Mosul.
• SOLDIER DIES FROM APPARENT HEART ATTACK CENTCOM Release 06 Aug 2003-- A US soldier assigned to Coalition Forces Land Component Command died earlier today from an apparent heart attack.
• Command post exercise precursor to turnover Marine Corps News 06 Aug 2003-- U.S. Marine and international forces participated in five-day command post exercise dubbed Common Thrust, which many consider a trial run for the upcoming military turnover of southern Iraq.
• Ground forces commander: 'You cannot fail' Marine Corps News 06 Aug 2003-- Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, Combined Joint Task Force 7 commanding general, took time Aug. 4 to talk to Marines of the 4th Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion, commending their work and answering their questions.
• Predawn raid captures Iraqi terrorists Marine Corps News 06 Aug 2003-- Before the sun rose on the first day of August, a Marine and an interpreter knocked on the door of a square, cement house overlooking the Tigris River in Rashid, on the outskirts of Baghdad. The message was simple: open the door; the Marines are here.
• Airmen keep planes, spirits flying high Air Combat Command News 07 Aug 2003-- Eglin airmen are working at Baghdad International Airport, wearing various hats to keep the airplanes in the air and airmen on the ground safe.

• U.N. Requests More Money for Humanitarian Assistance to Liberia Washington File 06 Aug 2003 -- Responding to the realization of "worst case scenarios" in Liberia, representatives of more than 75 nations and humanitarian organizations agreed August 6 to increase an earlier U.N. appeal for assistance to that troubled country, boosting the amount from $42 million to $69 million.
• LIBERIA / REBEL VOA 07 Aug 2003 -- The head of Liberia's main rebel movement says he would support dropping war crime charges against President Charles Taylor, if that would convince him to leave the country as promised. But rebel leader Sekou Damate Conneh has told French media he doubts Mr. Taylor will leave voluntarily.
• LIBERIA / CONFLICT VOA 06 Aug 2003 -- The commanding officer of the Nigerian led peacekeeping force in Liberia says his troops will deploy to various government held parts of the capital, Monrovia, early Thursday. Meanwhile, a small group of U-S military personnel has landed in Monrovia to provide logistical and humanitarian support for the peacekeepers.
• U-N / LIBERIA / APPEAL VOA 06 Aug 2003 -- The United Nations launched an emergency appeal today (Wednesday) for 69 million dollars to provide crucial humanitarian aid for one million Liberians.
• UN appeals for $69 million in emergency aid for Liberia UN News Centre 06 Aug 2003 -- The United Nations today launched an appeal for some $69 million in emergency aid for war-torn Liberia, with Secretary-General Kofi Annan and other UN officials urging world governments to seize the opportunity to help end the unnecessary suffering of nearly 1 million Liberians and to let them know they are not alone in the quest for development and peace.
• BUSH / LIBERIA VOA 06 Aug 2003 -- President Bush says he has sent a small number of U-S troops to Liberia to help prepare for the distribution of relief aid.
• PENTAGON / LIBERIA VOA 06 Aug 2003 -- The Pentagon has confirmed a small contingent of (six to 10) U-S military personnel has arrived in Liberia to coordinate support for West African peacekeepers now taking up positions in the war-torn country.
• LIBERIA / CONFLICT VOA 06 Aug 2003 -- Residents of the Liberian capital Monrovia continued to wait Wednesday for Nigerian peacekeeping troops. They took advantage of a lull in the fighting to look for food and other supplies.
• LIBERIA/CONFLICT VOA 06 Aug 2003 -- There are new doubts about whether Liberian President Charles Taylor will go into exile next week as expected, which could extend the civil war. Meanwhile, residents of Monrovia continued to look for food and other supplies as they await the deployment of the Nigerian peacekeepers who arrived on Monday.
• U-N/LIBERIA AID VOA 06 Aug 2003 -- The United Nations is urgently appealing for 69-million dollars to assist one million people in war-torn Liberia until the end of the year.
• U.S. Sends Small Group of Marines Into Liberia Washington File 06 Aug 2003 -- BUSH CITES PROGRESS IN U.S.-ISRAEL TALKS ON SECURITY FENCE / REPORT OF DEPARTURE IS SPECULATION, POWELL SAYS

Other Conflicts

• ISRAEL-PALESTINIANS VOA 06 Aug 2003 -- Israel frees more than 300 Palestinian prisoners in what it calls an effort to advance the internationally backed 'Road Map' peace plan. But the move did not appease Palestinian leaders, who characterized it as an empty gesture.
• UN agency launches $18 million appeal for Palestinians affected by Israeli wall UN News Centre 06 Aug 2003 -- The United Nations development agency has called for immediate action to address the needs of Palestinian communities affected by Israel's Separation Wall, launching an appeal for $18 million in emergency assistance to address job needs and improve vital social, municipal and agricultural infrastructure requirements.
• ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS UPDATE VOA 06 Aug 2003 -- Israel released more than 300 Palestinian prisoners Wednesday to the joy of family members who greeted them at five locations in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The move is considered a goodwill measure by Israel to promote peace with the Palestinians.
• ISRAEL PALESTINIANS VOA 06 Aug 2003 -- Three hundred-39 Palestinian prisoners are to be released later today, in a long-awaited move aimed at advancing the Middle East peace plan know as the "road map."

• Russia: Three Suspects Detained Over Mozdok Suicide Bomb Attack RFE/RL 06 Aug 2003 -- Russia's judiciary today said they had detained three suspects in the suicide car bombing that killed 50 people in the North Ossetian city of Mozdok last week.
• Russia: String Of Bombings Belie Kremlin Hopes Of Chechnya's 'Normalization' RFE/RL 06 Aug 2003 -- The suicide bombing that killed 50 people at a military hospital in the North Ossetian city of Mozdok last week appears to be another major setback in Moscow's increasingly bloody and unsuccessful effort to tame rebel forces in Chechnya. The recent adoption of a constitution and preparations for local elections have not "normalized" the situation in the breakaway republic, as the Kremlin had hoped.

• DR of Congo: UN mission investigates reports of fresh violence in northeast UN News Centre 07 Aug 2003 -- The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a contingent of the UN-authorized peacekeeping force in the country have dispatched a joint assessment team to Nyanda to investigate reports that fresh ethnic violence in the tiny northeastern village claimed the lives of at least nine people.
• U.S. Looks Forward to Resumption of Sri Lankan Peace Talks Washington File 06 Aug 2003 -- The United States welcomes the timely resumption of peace talks between the Sri Lankan government and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, but is concerned that rebel activity is undermining confidence in the peace process at this critical juncture, State Department Deputy Spokesman Philip Reeker said in a statement issued in Washington August 6.
• D-R-C / VIOLENCE VOA 06 Aug 2003 -- As a stronger U-N force prepares to deploy in the northeastern Congo town of Bunia, killings continue outside the town where militiamen continue to operate without any force to contain them.
• Second phase of weapons disposal in Bougainville completed - UN envoy UN News Centre 06 Aug 2003 -- The second stage of weapons disposal in Bougainville is now complete, bringing the island closer to the hope of holding elections to establish an autonomous government, the head of the United Nations mission there told the Security Council today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Corporation Fined $650,000 for Night Vision Equipment Exports Washington File 06 Aug 2003 -- The Department of Justice issued a press release August 5 announcing that the agency has fined a company, Bushnell Corporation, $650,000 for selling 500 night vision devices to Japan and 14 other countries between 1995 and 1997 without the required Department of Commerce export licenses. The company has also been put on probation for five years.
• Wald Says Changed World Drives EUCOM Transformation AFPS 06 Aug 2003 -- In 1987 more than 300,000 U.S. troops were stationed throughout Europe primarily to prevent a Soviet invasion, U.S. European Command's deputy commander noted here Aug. 5.
• Carl Vinson Strike Group visits Hong Kong 7th Fleet Release 06 Aug 2003-- The Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group made a call to the Far East port of Hong Kong on Aug. 6, seizing the opportunity for some long-anticipated rest and recreation in this "Gateway to China."
• EUCOM Transformation may send soldiers back to States Army News Service 06 Aug 2003-- Moving troops out of Germany and positioning them closer to terror threats is part of the transformational plan for U.S. Europe Command.
• Strykers conduct first overseas live-fire Army News Service 05 Aug 2003-- A platoon from the Army's first Stryker Brigade traveled to Korea this week for training and to demonstrate its capabilities to the international community.

• On Hiroshima Day, Annan urges world to do more for nuclear disarmament UN News Centre 06 Aug 2003 -- Commemorating the 58th anniversary of the world's first atomic bomb attack, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on the international community to accelerate nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, especially with the new "major concern" that such weapons could fall into the hands of terrorists.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 06 Aug 2003 -- United States to reconsider strategies in relation with new allies / Defense Secretary Rumsfeld cautious on increasing size of military / U.S. Army packaging new task force for Iraq / Arab nations refuse to recognize Iraq's Governing Council, will wait for elected government / Iraqi TV head quits, says U.S. losing propaganda war / North Korea plans to export missiles to Iran / Israel says al Qaeda active in Palestinian areas
• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 06 Aug 2003 -- Gen. Jones' trip to Romania viewed / Daily: Germany initially planning only small contribution to NRF / Outgoing ISAF commander calls for "export" of security to Afghan provinces / Portugal calls on NATO to help combat fires

• JAPAN / HIROSHIMA ANNIVERSARY VOA 06 Aug 2003 -- Japan is marking the 58th anniversary of the U-S atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War Two. At a ceremony in the city, attended by thousands, Hiroshima's mayor accused the United States of what he called "nuclear worship."
• FAST EBOLA VACCINE VOA 06 Aug 2003 -- U-S government scientists have developed a speedy vaccine against the deadly Ebola virus, which continues to emerge in central Africa. It protected test monkeys six times faster than an earlier version. The researchers hope it might someday be useful against a quickly spreading infection.
• RUSSIA / UZBEKISTAN VOA 06 Aug 2003 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin and Uzbek President Islam Karimov have announced they will increase cooperation in the oil and gas industries. The pledge came during the Russian leader's first visit to the region since Russian-Uzbek relations became strained over Uzbekistan's support for some U-S policies that Russia opposes.
• INDIA TEMPLE DISPUTE VOA 06 Aug 2003 -- A major political dispute has again erupted in India over an ancient mosque and a Hindu temple. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee rejects accusations that he has given in to political pressure and repeatedly changed his position on whether a Hindu temple should be built on the site where Hindu fundamentalists destroyed an ancient mosque in 1992.
• Azerbaijan: Ilham Aliyev Steps Down As PM To Run For President RFE/RL 06 Aug 2003 -- Newly confirmed Azerbaijani Prime Minister Ilham Aliyev is taking a leave of absence from his post so that he can legally run for president.
• AZERBAIJAN / ALIYEV VOA 06 Aug 2003 -- Azerbaijan's ailing President has left a Turkish hospital for emergency medical treatment in the United States, rather than return home to the former Soviet Republic as planned.
• Azerbaijan: Conflicting Reports On Aliyev's Health RFE/RL 06 Aug 2003 -- There were conflicting reports today about the state of health of Azerbaijani President Heidar Aliyev, who has been hospitalized in a Turkish military clinic since early July.