Operations
Other Conflicts
Defense Policy / Programs
News Reports

Current Operations

• V CORPS BATTALION AID STATION TREATS THOUSANDS IN BAGHDAD V Corps Release 19 Aug 2003-- From minor injuries and illnesses to gunshot and shrapnel wounds, the aid station for V Corps's Task Force 1st Battalion, 35th Armored Regiment is the medical "first line of defense" for thousands of soldiers and civilians - and even some Iraqi citizens - here.
• IRAQ / BOMB VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- The top U-N representative in Iraq and at least 14 other people have been killed in a bomb attack on U-N headquarters in Baghdad.
• PENTAGON/U-N BOMBING VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- Pentagon officials say a terrorist group suspected of involvement in a previous Baghdad bombing may have been behind the explosion at the U-N headquarters in the Iraqi capital.
• Iraq: At Least 17 Dead In UN Baghdad Bombing RFE/RL 19 Aug 2003 -- The United Nations says a truck bomb at the UN's Iraq headquarters killed more than a dozen staff members, including Sergio Vieira de Mello, the UN's top official in Iraq. At least 40 people were injured.
• Explosion at the U.N. Headquarters, Canal Hotel, Baghdad Coalition Provisional Authority - Iraq 19 Aug 2003 -- The Civilian Administrator, Ambassador Bremer, issued the following statement in Baghdad at 18.00:
• Top UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello killed in terrorist blast in Baghdad UN News Centre 19 Aug 2003 -- top United Nations envoy in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello, was killed today when terrorists blew up the UN headquarters in Baghdad, killing at least 14 others and injuring dozens more in what Secretary-General Kofi Annan denounced as an inexcusable "act of unprovoked and murderous violence."
• Iraq: Annan, Bush Condemn Attack On UN In Baghdad RFE/RL 19 Aug 2003 -- UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan (pictured) has condemned the bombing of the UN headquarters in Baghdad as "an act of unprovoked and murderous violence."
• Iraq: Scores Injured In Explosion At UN Headquarters In Baghdad RFE/RL 19 Aug 2003 -- A car bomb has brought down the front of Baghdad's Canal Hotel, headquarters for the United Nations in Iraq.
• Car Bomb Severely Damages UN Headquarters in Baghdad VOA News 19 Aug 2003 -- A car bomb has exploded outside the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad.
• IRAQ/U-S DEATH VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- The U-S military says a soldier has been killed in Baghdad in a roadside explosion. A sabotaged pipeline is still causing problems for authorities trying to resume oil exports.
• IRAQ/RAMADAN VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- A U-S military spokesman confirms that deposed Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's vice president has been arrested in northern Iraq.

• Germany`s Fischer supports ISAF expansion in Afghanistan IRNA 19 Aug 2003 -- German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer supports the expansion of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, press reports said Tuesday.
• Army's New Top Soldier Visits Bagram AFPS 19 Aug 2003 -- Soldiers got a first look at their newest boss, Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the 35th Army chief of staff, Aug. 18 when he visited troops here. His visit was part of his tour of Afghanistan.
• NATO TAKES ON AFGHANISTAN VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- In a historic move, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization last week took over control of peacekeeping duties in Afghanistan. It is the first time in the organization's 54-year history that it has taken on a role outside Europe. The U-S press is applauding the move
• Afghanistan: U.S. Expected To Announce New Plan For Reconstruction RFE/RL 19 Aug 2003 -- The White House is expected to announce soon a major overhaul of U.S. operations in Afghanistan. The plan, which would boost U.S. spending and involvement, would reportedly launch a U.S. military-led reconstruction effort similar to that in Iraq.
• Afghanistan: Germany May Join Reconstruction Teams RFE/RL 19 Aug 2003 -- Germany is considering joining the U.S. and other European governments in a program intended to develop stability in Afghanistan outside Kabul. Diplomats say the move reflects concern at the continuing lawlessness in post-Taliban Afghanistan.
• AFGHAN / VIOLENCE VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- At least nine Afghan policemen are dead after being attacked while driving near the town of Kharwar, south of the capital Kabul. The recent upsurge in violence is likely to get even worse.

• LIBERIA/PEACE VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- Liberians appear cautiously optimistic of a peaceful future following the signing of a peace deal between rebel and government representatives Monday in Ghana.
• U-N/LIBERIA VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- The Liberian capital, Monrovia, appears to be calming down in the wake of a new peace agreement, but U-N aid agencies are expressing growing concern about the fate of hundreds-of-thousands of people in the rest of the country who have been without humanitarian assistance for months.

Other Conflicts

• White House Condemns Bus Bombing in Jerusalem Washington File 19 Aug 2003 -- The White House has condemned a suicide bombing August 19 in Jerusalem and urged the Palestinian Authority to dismantle terror networks.
• Annan condemns Palestinian suicide bombing as 'reprehensible' terrorist attack UN News Centre 19 Aug 2003 -- United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today condemned in the strongest possible terms the Palestinian suicide bombing in Jerusalem, which killed 20 Israelis and injured dozens more, calling it a totally reprehensible terrorist attack, urging Palestinian leaders to arrest the instigators and exhorting Israel to show restraint.
• ISRAEL / BOMBING VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- A suspected Palestinian suicide bomber has blown himself up on a packed bus in Jerusalem, killing at least 20 people and wounding dozens more. The bomber also died in the blast.
• ISRAEL / BOMBING VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- The Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, has condemned a suicide bombing in Jerusalem on Tuesday that has killed at least 20 people on a bus and wounded more than 100 people. The militant Palestinian Islamic group Hamas has claimed responsibility for the explosion, but Mr. Abbas urged Israel not to launch any military retaliation, saying this could further harm peace efforts.
• Israelis, Palestinians need courage to stick to Road Map peace plan - UN official UN News Centre 19 Aug 2003 -- Describing the situation in the Middle East as "fragile," a senior United Nations official told the Security Council today that both Israelis and Palestinians needed "courage and determination to stay the course" and must not allow themselves to fall back into the senseless cycle of violence and revenge.
• BUSH / MIDEAST UPDATE VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- The White House has condemned the latest suicide bus bombing in Jerusalem. The Palestinian Authority needs to do more to dismantle violent militant groups.
• BUSH / MIDEAST VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- President Bush is once again urging the Palestinian Authority to dismantle terrorist organizations. Mr. Bush says that is the key to moving the Mideast peace process forward.
• EDITORIAL: P-A MUST ROOT OUT TERRORISTS VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- On August 12th, four people were killed and eleven were wounded in terrorist attacks in Israel and the West Bank. The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing of a grocery store in Rosh Haayin, Israel. Hamas claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing of a bus stop at the West Bank Israeli settlement of Ariel. White House deputy press secretary Clair Buchan expressed President George W. Bush's reaction to news of the attacks
• ISRAEL/PALESTINIANS VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met with senior members of his government in preparation for Israeli-Palestinian talks later in the day on the transfer of security control to the Palestinians of more West Bank towns.

• UN envoy heads talks on assistance for electoral process in DR of Congo UN News Centre 19 Aug 2003 -- The head of the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has just chaired the first-ever consultative meeting with major donors and UN agencies on efforts to coordinate international assistance for the country's electoral process.
• NIGERIA/FIGHTING VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- Fighting between two ethnic groups in the oil- rich Niger Delta region of Nigeria has raged for four days, leading to at least 30 reported deaths and many more displaced.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Aloha Tavern offers fine dining during UFL-03 Marine Corps News 19 Aug 2003-- Just in time for Ulchi Focus Lens 2003, the Aloha Tavern has opened its doors to the Marines and Sailors here
• UFL 2003 strengthens ROK/U.S. alliance Army News Service 19 Aug 2003-- Across the country, military and civilian personnel from the Republic of Korea and the United States are joining together in Ulchi Focus Lens 2003, a large-scale training exercise for defending the peninsula.
• U.S., R.O.K. forces combine for UFL 2003 Marine Corps News 19 Aug 2003-- Ulchi Focus Lens, the world's largest computerized command and control exercise combining Republic of Korea and U.S. forces, began here August 18.

• Stump Assists Stranded Vessels at Sea Navy Newsstand 19 Aug 2003-- Acting on an international distress call relayed by U.S. Coast Guard District 11, USS Stump (DD 978) recently conducted an 11-hour, high-speed transit to render assistance to a distressed fishing vessel and its six crew members, while conducting counter-drug operations in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
• USS Ronald Reagan Flies to Certification Navy Newsstand 19 Aug 2003-- From Vulture's Row, perched high above the flight deck of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), all heads turned in the direction of the roar of the oncoming jet. Together, the faces rotated in the opposite direction, as the F/A-18 Hornet zoomed past. On the third pass, the aircraft caught the wire. When it slowed to a stop and the noise of the engine faded away, cheering could be heard from Vulture's Row down to the flight deck. This was the first step for the recently commissioned ship in earning its Flight Deck Certification (FDC).
• Hayler Set to Decommission Navy Newsstand 19 Aug 2003-- The Norfolk-based Spruance-class destroyer USS Hayler (DD 997) will be decommissioned during a ceremony, 10 a.m., Aug. 25, at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Portsmouth, Va.
• B-2 drops enhanced bombs during test AFPN 19 Aug 2003-- A B-2 Spirit released two newly-upgraded 5,000-pound live weapons Aug. 14 in a test by the B-2 Global Power Bomber Combined Test Force here.
• C-9 completes last U.S. mission AFPN 19 Aug 2003-- Airmen prepared for Air Evac 696's Aug. 18 mission as they would for any other. But this was not like any other mission.
• F-15 canopies buffed to visual perfection AFPN 19 Aug 2003-- Even the slightest scratch in an F-15 Eagle windscreen can keep a pilot from seeing the enemy, according to F-15 test pilot Maj. Fritz Heck.
• U.S. aircraft return to Incirlik AFPN 19 Aug 2003-- U.S. officials are sending four KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft and six aircrews here to provide air-refueling support for operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom. Aircraft and people began arriving Aug. 19 and should be in place by Aug. 23.
• 'Airport in a suitcase' thwarts poor visibility AFPN 19 Aug 2003-- Airmen from Robins Air Force Base, Ga., are providing essential airfield systems here for forces fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
• Rumsfeld: Colombia Is Doing 'An Excellent Job' Fighting Narcoterrorists AFPS 19 Aug 2003 -- The Colombian government and its military have made great progress in fighting narcoterrorists in the past year, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told reporters here today.

• Pakistan wants to buy F-16s from Belgium IRNA 19 Aug 2003 -- Pakistan wants to buy as yet an unknown number of F-16 jet fighter planes from Belgium, the Flemish-langage daily ``De Morgen`` reported Tuesday.

• DYNAMIC RESPONSE 2003: NATO RESERVE FORCES REHEARSE IN BOSNIA, KOSOVO NATO AFSOUTH Press Release 19 Aug 2003 -- From 26 August to 24 September 2003, NATO and Partner nations will deploy Reserve Forces headquarters and troops to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo to take part in an operational rehearsal, nick-named DYNAMIC RESPONSE 2003 (DR03).

News Reports

• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 19 Aug 2003 -- Germany confirms it will provide more than 5,000 troops to NRF / ISAF mission viewed against background of Gen. Jones' statements on NATO transformation / Spain to increase defense spending in 2004 / U.S. congressman discusses troop request with Turkish officials / Belgian daily: U.S. to resume Army transports via Port of Antwerp

• S-A-D-C / SUMMIT VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- The annual conference of the Southern Africa Development Community is under way in the Tanzania's capital, Dar es Salaam. The conference is focusing on the region's draft development strategy.
• MALAYSIA REFUGEE ARRESTS VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- The U-N High Commissioner for Refugees has expressed alarm over the arrest of hundreds of refugees from Indonesia as they tried to apply for political asylum in Malaysia.