Operations
Other Conflicts
Defense Policy / Programs
News Reports

Current Operations

• Iraq Mission Represents High Stakes in Anti-Terror War AFPS 25 Aug 2003 -- The outcome of U.S-coalition efforts to resuscitate Iraq's economy and help its citizens establish a representative government may mark a turning point in the war against global terrorism, senior U.S. officials said Aug. 24 on Sunday talk shows.
• Two Soldiers Die in Iraq; 101st Confiscates Equipment AFPS 25 Aug 2003 -- Two 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment soldiers died Aug. 23 in separate incidents according to U.S. Central Command news releases.
• U.S. Army Division Funds Iraqi Pre-Season Soccer Tournament Washington File 25 Aug 2003 -- The U.S. Army's 101st Air Assault Division donated more than $50,000 to fund a pre-season soccer (football) tournament for six Iraqi professional teams representing provinces throughout Iraq.
• Coalition Shifting Resources to Fight Terrorism Threat in Iraq Washington File 25 Aug 2003 -- The United States and its coalition partners are shifting tactics and resources to meet the emerging and complicated threat of terrorism in Iraq, senior U.S. officials said in a series of television news appearances on August 24.
• Security Forces switch out, Airmen stand airfield guard Marine Corps News 25 Aug 2003-- Airmen of the 60th and 375th Security Forces Squadrons recently became the 87th Expeditionary SFS by relieving the 822nd SFS, who was tasked with providing security for Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa's air assets.

• AFGHAN ATTACK VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- U-S forces say they engaged insurgents in southeastern Afghanistan Monday afternoon, killing at least 14 militants. The battle caps a day of coalition victories, after a period of setbacks.
• AFGHAN ATTACK VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- Provincial officials say Afghan and U-S forces have scored a major victory against a large force of suspected Taleban guerrillas.
• U-N/DRUGS/AFGHANISTAN VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- The U-N Office on Drugs and Crime has signed an agreement with the Afghanistan government aimed at combating the illegal drug trade in the region.
• Afghanistan: Supreme Court Rules Against Communists RFE/RL 25 Aug 2003 -- Afghanistan's Supreme Court has ruled that Communist loyalists will not be allowed to form a political party or play any active role in the country's politics.
• AFGHAN ARRESTS VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- Afghanistan is reporting the arrest of scores of suspected Taleban fighters and other insurgents in the country's violence-racked southeast. The move follows a series of unusually bold attacks in the region.
• PAKISTAN / AFGHANISTAN PRISONERS VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- Pakistan says it is working with Afghan and U-S officials to transfer hundreds of Pakistanis being held in Afghan jails. The deal hinges on whether ex-Pakistani militants in custody are ready to renounce their armed struggle.

• UN envoy begins regional swing to rally support for Liberia peace process UN News Centre 25 Aug 2003 -- Kicking off a round of regional visits, the United Nations envoy for Liberia has stressed the international community's responsibility to help the promising political changes take hold.
• LIBERIA / NEW FIGHTING VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- In Liberia, reports of renewed and intense fighting away from the capital, Monrovia, have cast a shadow over efforts to restore peace. Meanwhile, the withdrawal of U-S Marines has caused some disappointment in the country.

Other Conflicts

• UN envoy condemns Israel's extra-judicial assassinations UN News Centre 25 Aug 2003 -- The senior United Nations envoy for the Middle East, Terje Roed- Larsen, today condemned Israel's extra-judicial assassination on Sunday of four Palestinians, when helicopter gun-ships fired missiles into a car in Gaza City, reportedly killing a Hamas militant and three Islamic University students.
• ISRAEL/PALESTINIANS VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- Palestinian President Yasser Arafat appointed a new security adviser in what observers say is a move to prevent his U-S-backed prime minister from gaining control over the Palestinian police forces.
• HAMAS / ROAD MAP VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- Hamas official says it will take more than the road map peace plan to bring an end to fighting between Israelis and Palestinians.
• Middle East: Bush Hopes To Save 'Road Map' Peace Plan As Fresh Violence Erupts RFE/RL 25 Aug 2003 -- A period of relative calm in Israel and the Palestinian territories was shattered this week after a suicide bomber killed 20 people in Jerusalem and Israel retaliated by striking Palestinian militants. Analysts say the new wave of violence is a major blow to the U.S.-backed "road map" for peace.
• ISRAEL PALESTINIANS VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- The Palestinian militant group Hamas has vowed revenge for the latest killing of its members by Israel. Palestinian officials say such targeted attacks will only undermine their efforts to clamp down on militants.

• Kashmiri leader wants Pakistan to join talks IRNA 25 Aug 2003 -- Kashmir`s All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) Chairman Maulana Abbas Ansari said he never gave any statement to keep Pakistan out of first phase of dialogue between India and APHC.

• Powell Condemns Mumbai Bombing Washington File 25 Aug 2003 -- Following is the text of a State Department statement condemning the August 25 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, and relating Secretary of State Colin Powell's expression of outrage and condolences
• U-S / INDIA BLASTS VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- The United States is condemning the twin car bomb explosions in Bombay that killed at least 46 people and wounded more than 100.
• INDIA/ TEMPLE DISPUTE VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- In India, a report by government archeologists says there is evidence of a medieval Hindu temple at a disputed religious site in northern India claimed by both Hindus and Muslims. Muslim groups are likely to contest the findings.
• INDIA / BOMBAY BOMBINGS VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- Two powerful car bombs have killed at least 40 people and injured more than 100 others in Bombay. The Indian city has been the scene of several bombings in recent months, which police have blamed on Islamic militants.

• Yugoslavia: Prosecution In Milosevic Trial Upbeat As Proceedings Resume RFE/RL 25 Aug 2003 -- Slobodan Milosevic's war crimes trial is due to resume today after a four-week break. The prosecution says the effort is going well in spite of concern the proceedings are dragging on after more than a year in session. This week, the prosecution continues its examination of events in Srebrenica to prove Milosevic bears responsibility for the 1995 massacre there.

• Moldova: Dispute With Transdniestr Offers Many Plans But Few Solutions RFE/RL 25 Aug 2003 -- A number of proposals have been made to resolve the dispute between Moldova and its breakaway Transdniester region, including an OSCE-backed proposal to turn Moldova into a federation. But so far, such plans have only stirred the simmering debate, which involves not only Moldovan political and civil groups, but also a number of international organizations.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Military Sealift Command hauls hospital home Military Sealift Command 25 Aug 2003-- While in port in Rota, Spain, Aug. 14-19, USNS 1st Lt. Harry L. Martin loaded almost all of the necessary components to establish and operate a 250-bed military hospital.
• Arms control conference looks at 2003 as 'A Time of Endurance' AMC News 25 Aug 2003-- More than 120 military, defense civilians and subject matter experts from around the country attended the 2003 Air Mobility Command Arms Control and Counterproliferation Conference held Aug. 11 through 15 at AMC's Global Reach Planning Center.
• Aeromedical evacuation changes to focus on requirements AMC News 25 Aug 2003-- When the Air Force officially announced the retirement of the C-9A Nightingale on July 23, to some the announcement simply meant the end of an era in Air Force aeromedical evacuation
• History of the C-9A Nightingale AMC News 19 Aug 2003-- April 1963: OSD requested a modernization study of the aeromedical evacuation fleet with an eye toward modernization
• Attacks Reveal the Nature of Terrorism, Bush says AFPS 25 Aug 2003 -- The terrorist attacks in Baghdad and Jerusalem will serve as an added spur in the war on terror, President Bush said during his radio address Saturday.
• Harrier squadrons finish war safely Marine Corps News 25 Aug 2003-- During Operation Iraqi Freedom the Marine Attack Squadrons 223, 231, and 542 provided close air support for coalition ground forces throughout the region with their AV-8B Harriers.
• CFC commander lauds CMFC's performance during UFL-03 Marine Corps News 25 Aug 2003-- Army Gen. Leon J. LaPorte, commanding general, Combined Forces Command, visited the Marines and Sailors of Combined Marine Forces Command here Aug. 24.
• Life at Camp Palan: UFL-03 participants make themselves at home Marine Corps News 25 Aug 2003-- The old cliché, "Home is what you make it," seems apropos for the personnel living aboard Camp Palan.
• Rumsfeld Says Country Faces Two Options in War on Terror AFPS 25 Aug 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told service members at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, today that only two options faced the United States in its war on terror: Fight the terrorists where they live today, or fight them in America tomorrow.

• RUSSIA/U-S/NUKES VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- The senior U-S diplomat for arms control, John Bolton, is expected to reaffirm U-S concerns about the nuclear intentions of North Korea and Iran, during two days of talks in Moscow.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 25 Aug 2003 -- Political impact of German contribution to NRF viewed / Daily: Britain proposing dedicated EU military planning cell at SHAPE / Turkish decision on troop request likely to be delayed till next month

• RWANDA / ELECTION UPDATE VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- In Rwanda, preliminary results of the country's first multi-party presidential election indicate the incumbent president, Paul Kagame, has defeated his main challenger, Faustin Twagiramungu, with more than 94 percent of the votes counted.
• SOUTHERN AFRICA/SUMMIT VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- The annual summit of the leaders of the 14-member Southern Africa Development Community is under way in Dar es Salaam. Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe received a resounding welcome from some delegates.
• MAURITANIA/POLITICS VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- A key opposition leader in Mauritania has been released by presidential decree after spending more than two years in prison.
• RWANDA / ELECTION VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- Voters in Rwanda have held their first multi-party presidential election, since the African country gained independence from Belgium more than four-decades ago. The incumbent president, Paul Kagame, is expected to win, amid widespread accusations that the government intimidated opposition supporters ahead of the vote.
• RWANDA/CANDIDATES VOA 25 Aug 2003 -- Rwanda's only female presidential candidate has withdrawn from the race and has asked her supporters to back Paul Kagame as president.