Operations
Other Conflicts
Defense Policy / Programs
News Reports

Current Operations

• First 101st On-base Library Opens in Mosul AFPS 09 Oct 2003 -- What was once nothing more than a boxed collection of books became Iraq's first 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) library here today.
• Iraqi Students See What More Than $2 Million Can Do AFPS 09 Oct 2003 -- Summer vacation was anything but a vacation for the coalition soldiers and nongovernmental organizations involved with rebuilding more than 800 schools in Iraq's Ninevah Province, current home of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assualt).
• New Furnishings, Computers Help Al Kifah Intermediate School AFPS 09 Oct 2003 -- Students of Al Kifah Intermediate School here were bright-eyed at the start of the new school year, arriving on their first day to find new furnishings and computers.
• U.S. Soldier Wounded In Iraq Convoy Attack Dies AFPS 09 Oct 2003 -- An American soldier died from wounds received today during an insurgent attack north of Baghdad, according to a U.S. Central Command news release.
• Iraq: U.S. Pressing Governing Council To Accept Turkish Troops RFE/RL 09 Oct 2003 -- The United States says it is seeking to persuade the Iraqi Governing Council to accept the deployment of Turkish troops in the country, despite strong opposition by members of the U.S.-appointed body. Some analysts say the case risks sparking a rupture between the U.S. and the council at a time when Washington hopes to show progress in rebuilding Iraqi political life.
• Iraq: At Least 10 Killed In Three Attacks RFE/RL 09 Oct 2003 -- The U.S. military says a suicide car bomb at a police station in Baghdad killed three policemen and five civilians, one of three fatal attacks in Iraq today.
• IRAQ/VIOLENCE VOA 09 Oct 2003 -- Eleven people have been reported killed in attacks on an Iraqi police station, a U-S military convoy, and a Spanish air force sergeant.
• Tanker units integrate for teamwork AFPN 09 Oct 2003-- In a deployed location, one thing is for certain: Teamwork makes a unit. For the 340th Expeditionary Air Refueling Squadron here, teamwork went beyond that of one unit, combining assets of five KC-135R Stratotanker units.
• Seabees Work With Iraqis to Provide Proper Burial for Mass Grave Victims Navy Newsstand 09 Oct 2003-- In the effort to reunite Iraqis with their loved ones executed by Saddam Hussein, the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force's (I MEF) Engineer Group (MEG) Seabees answered the call during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF).

• USAFE airmen attain mission success at JTF-Liberia USAFE News 10 Oct 2003-- More than 300 people from U.S. Air Forces in Europe returned from supporting a safe and effective operation for Joint Task Force Liberia recently.

• Warring Afghan factions agree to UN-monitored peace agreement UN News Centre 09 Oct 2003 -- Leaders of two factions in northern Afghanistan today signed an agreement designed to reduce tensions in the area where tank-led battles caused high casualties Wednesday and Thursday, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported today.
• Afghanistan: In Central Provinces, Residents Fear Hunger First, Taliban Second RFE/RL 09 Oct 2003 -- An RFE/RL correspondent recently traveled to Saigan, a remote district in Bamiyan Province in central Afghanistan. In the villages there, he listened to residents speak of hunger and thirst, as well as of concern over the regrouping remnants of the ousted Taliban regime, allegedly with arms and men coming from Pakistan.
• Afghanistan: Talks By Militia Bosses Reveal Pressures On Moderate President RFE/RL 09 Oct 2003 -- Commanders of Afghanistan's powerful private militias have met in Kabul for at least the second time within a week to see if they can unite behind a single candidate for next year's presidential elections. No official decision has been announced about who might run as an Islamist candidate against the more moderate Transitional Administration Chairman Hamid Karzai, but several names are being suggested behind the scenes.
• AFGHANISTAN / FACTIONAL FIGHTING VOA 09 Oct 2003 -- As many as 50 Afghan militia soldiers are reported dead in the worst factional fighting Afghanistan has seen in two years. Both of the militias involved are technically part of the Afghan armed forces.
• RFE/RL Afghanistan Report, Vol 2, Number 35 09 Oct 2003 -- ON THE ROAD TO WOMEN'S RIGHTS, ONE STEP AT A TIME / AFGHAN LEADER WILL SEEK REELECTION... / ...BUT HINTS THAT ELECTION MIGHT BE POSTPONED... / ...AS FORMER MUJAHEDIN POLITICAL COALITION TO CHALLENGE KARZAI IN NEXT AFGHAN ELECTION... / ...BUT WILL STAY LOYAL TO THE AFGHAN LEADER UNTIL THE ELECTION / SOURCE CLOSE TO JAMIA'T-E ISLAMI SAYS POLITICAL TIES WITH KARZAI HAVE BEEN SEVERED / FORMER AFGHAN PRESIDENT REPORTEDLY DECLARES HIS CANDIDACY... / ...THOUGH NORTHERN ALLIANCE LEADER DENIES THAT RABBANI WAS CHOSEN AS A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE... / ...AND SAYS THERE ARE NO PLANS TO POSTPONE ELECTIONS / AFGHAN LEADER ANGRY OVER FORMATION OF MUJAHEDIN POLITICAL COALITION... / ...AS JAMI'AT-E ISLAMI SPOKESMAN SAYS KARZAI SEEKS TO WEAKEN THE NORTHERN ALLIANCE / NEW POLITICAL MOVEMENT FAVORS DEMOCRATIC VALUES IN CONSTITUTION... / ...WHILE INTELLECTUALS REMAIN SKEPTICAL ABOUT PRACTICABILITY / BALANCE BETWEEN ISLAMIC, SECULAR LAW SEEN AS KEY TO CONSTITUTION... / PASHTUN TRIBES WANT REPRESENTATION IN LOYA JIRGA / AFGHAN CHAIRMAN SAYS NO PLANS TO ELIMINATE TALIBAN / AFGHAN ADMINISTRATION REPORTEDLY OPENS NEGOTIATIONS WITH TALIBAN / FORMER TALIBAN FOREIGN MINISTER REPORTEDLY RELEASED FROM U.S. CUSTODY... / ...PROMPTING DENIAL FROM AFGHAN FOREIGN MINISTRY / NEO-TALIBAN REPORTEDLY IN CONTROL OF EASTERN DISTRICT / CANADIAN PEACEKEEPERS KILLED IN KABUL... / ...THOUGH IT WILL NOT CHANGE CANADA'S MISSION / ISAF'S MANDATE COULD BE EXTENDED BEYOND KABUL... / ...EXPANDING THE ROLE OF NATO IN AFGHANISTAN / AFGHANISTAN TO DOWNSIZE NUMBER OF MINISTRIES... / ...WHILE DISMISSED OFFICERS ARE PROMISED JOBS IN OTHER MINISTRIES / AFGHANISTAN TO COMPETE IN 2004 ATHENS SUMMER GAMES / PUTIN SAYS SOVIET OCCUPATION OF AFGHANISTAN WAS FOR THE BEST / THIS WEEK IN AFGHANISTAN'S HISTORY

Other Conflicts

• U-N/Liberia VOA 09 Oct 2003 -- The U-N Security Council has accused exiled Liberian President Charles Taylor of continuing interference in the country's affairs. The Council issued a press statement warning Mr. Taylor that his actions could threaten existing peace agreements.
• PALESTINIANS / POLITICS VOA 09 Oct 2003 -- The government of new Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia is in crisis, after failing to win the support of the parliament.
• ISRAEL/PALESTINIANS VOA 09 Oct 2003 -- Israel is planning to renew its policy of deporting Palestinian militants who supported terror attacks and their families from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip. Israel is imposing a series of tough restrictions on the territories, amid warnings of more attacks.

• KENYA / SOMALIA TALKS VOA 09 Oct 2003 -- Mediators in peace talks aimed at restoring a government to war-shattered Somalia, say they are making every effort to end a boycott of the talks by powerful Somali warlords. The walkout has further jeopardized a conference that has suffered major setbacks in recent weeks.
• LIBERIA / PEACEKEEPERS VOA 09 Oct 2003 -- Peacekeeping forces in Liberia are concluding a program to clear the capital, Monrovia, of weapons as non-African forces arrive to bolster the U-N peacekeeping operation.
• Iraq: Car Bomb At Baghdad Police Station Kills Several RFE/RL 09 Oct 2003 -- Police in Iraq's capital Baghdad say a suicide car bomber has crashed into a police station today, killing several people.
• Bosnia-Herzegovina: Ashdown Cites Progress, Appeals For Help On War Crimes RFE/RL 09 Oct 2003 -- The international community's high representative for Bosnia, Paddy Ashdown, says there are signs that Bosnia-Herzegovina is moving from a period of what he called "lawless rule" to a society based on rule of law.
• Pakistani general new commander of UN forces in Sierra Leone UN News Centre 09 Oct 2003 -- Maj. Gen. Sajjad Akram of Pakistan has been appointed as the Force Commander of the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL).
• Syria's decision to use diplomacy instead of retaliation is wise - UN envoy UN News Centre 09 Oct 2003 -- The senior United Nations envoy for the Middle East, Terje Roed-Larsen, said today all parties to the Middle East conflict should allow the international community to work out a solution, instead of taking the kind of unilateral action that has brought a complete standstill to diplomacy in the Israeli-Palestinian confrontation.
• Security Council concerned exiled Taylor trying to influence events in Liberia UN News Centre 09 Oct 2003 -- Members of the United Nations Security Council today said that attempts by former President Charles Taylor to interfere with events in Liberia could threaten the peace agreements in that country.
• UN envoy says Vienna talks on Kosovo are door to success UN News Centre 09 Oct 2003 -- The head of the United Nations mission in Kosovo today urged representatives of the Pristina provisional institutions of self-government to attend planned talks with Belgrade officials next week in Vienna.
• Security Council welcomes Burundi agreement UN News Centre 09 Oct 2003 -- United Nations Security Council members today welcomed the signing of a power-sharing agreement designed to end a 10-year civil war in Burundi and urged the two signatories to negotiate an accord on the outstanding issues without delay.

• U.S. Cites Steps to Prevent Aggressive Nationalism, Ethnic Cleansing Washington File 09 Oct 2003 -- In remarks to the OSCE Human Dimension Implementation Meeting in Warsaw, U.S. delegate Ronald McNamara discussed ways to speed the Balkan region's recovery from the wars of the 1990s.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: Assistant Secretary of the Navy Briefs on Recommended Changes in Navy Maintenance Schedules 09 Oct 2003 -- "Secretary Young will first provide a brief statement regarding our recommended changes to the USS Carl Vinson's refueling and complex overhaul. It'll be followed by approximately 15 minutes of Q&A."
• Bush Praises Citizen Soldiers, Affirms Nation's Resolve AFPS 09 Oct 2003 -- Citizen soldiers are "serving on every front in the war on terror," and the nation's resolve in that war cannot be shaken by "murderers and gangsters," President Bush said today.
• Sci-fi weapons closer than most think Army News Service 09 Oct 2003-- The technology behind space ship lasers and force fields is a lot closer to reality than many think.
• Final tests begin on C-130J systems AFPN 09 Oct 2003-- An electronic warfare test team here began the final phase of testing Oct. 7 of an integrated defensive system installed on a C-130J Hercules. Testing should be complete by Thanksgiving, with publication of the final test report scheduled for February 2004.
• Navy Shifts Carrier Maintenance Schedule 09 Oct 2003 -- After careful assessments of USS Carl Vinson's operational readiness, including the remaining useful life of the nuclear fuel, the Navy is recommending to Department of Defense officials that the ship's refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) commence in the fall of 2005, one year later than originally planned.
• U.S.: Guantanamo Bay Spy Probe Highlights Cost Of Military's 'Anti-Intellectualism' RFE/RL 09 Oct 2003 -- The investigation into possible spying by interpreters and translators at the U.S. Naval Station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, raises the possibility that the suspects may have deliberately mistranslated statements by terrorism suspects being held at a special prison there. It is well known that the U.S. government employs few people fluent in Arabic, which may have led the military to bring in interpreters without proper background checks.

• Introductory Statement by NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson at the press conference following the working session for Allied and Invitee Defence MInisters NATO 09 Oct 2003 -- "I am delighted that the Defence Ministers gathered here have all agreed with me. Not just the 19 NATO Defence Ministers but the 7 Invitees and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov as well. 27 Defence Ministers singing the same song. This has been a meeting dedicated to transformation, usability and NATO operations."
• Security is Team Effort at NATO Ministerial Conference AFPS 09 Oct 2003 -- Tigi, a 5-year-old German shepherd, intently searched the bags on the ground, then looked to Air Force Staff Sgt. Bennie L. Hall for the next command.
• NATO Countries Have Same Goal, Says Secretary-General AFPS 09 Oct 2003 -- The message from the NATO defense ministerial conference is that "in a dangerous world, we need real, deployable forces and not paper armies," NATO Secretary-General George Robertson said here today.
• NATO Countries Need to 'Generate More Usable Soldiers' AFPS 09 Oct 2003 -- NATO countries need to "generate more usable soldiers and have the political will to deploy" them, the international body's secretary-general said Oct. 8.
• U-S / NATO VOA 09 Oct 2003 -- NATO Secretary General George Robertson says Russia regards the alliance, not as an offensive military organization, but as a partner. The remarks came during a meeting of NATO defense ministers in the U-S state of Colorado.
• NATO Defense Ministers Invigorated by Discussion in Colorado Washington File 09 Oct 2003 -- NATO defense ministers, chiefs of defense, ambassadors and special invited guests -- including representatives from the seven new "de facto" alliance members -- wrapped up two jam-packed days of group and bilateral meetings and briefings October 9, with the U.S. ambassador to NATO noting that it was the most successful collective meeting he had seen in two years.

• EU: Military Presence Evolving, Despite Difficulties RFE/RL 09 Oct 2003 -- The European Union is moving slowly toward defining a military role for itself in the world. Earlier this year, the bloc launched its first ever military operation, a peacekeeping mission in Macedonia. But the EU's plans are still unfocused. In particular, there are difficulties in finding agreement on how to mesh an EU defense posture with the NATO alliance, which has long been the guarantor of European security.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 09 Oct 2003 -- Allied leaders face mock crisis to spur 'creative thinking' about rapid-reaction force / Nine NATO nations commit to acquiring air-to-air refuelling fleet / Serbia-Montenegro leaders approve deployment of troops / Kosovo PM may stay away from key talks with Serbs
• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 09 Oct 2003 -- NATO leaders' participation in Dynamic Response '07 viewed / Daily assesses U.S. NATO officials' praise of French military capabilities / Military exercise blamed for whales stranded on beach

• US pressures Lufthansa over Iran Air`s engine service - report IRNA 09 Oct 2003 -- The United States has stepped up its pressure on Lufthansa over the German airliner`s maintenance and overhaul of Iran Air plane engines, the weekly Stern magazine said Thursday.
• U.S. Official Urges More Effective U.N. Role in Arms Control Washington File 09 Oct 2003 -- Asserting that the international community is at a crossroads regarding arms control, a senior U.S. arms control official said the "United States is committed to an effective multilateralism, properly targeted at today's security threats, contributing in real ways to enhancing international security, and free of political linkages or outmoded Cold War icons."
• U-S / UKRAINE VOA 09 Oct 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell thanked Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych Thursday for his government's support for U-S Iraq policy, while also stressing the importance of a free and fair presidential election in Ukraine next year.
• HONG KONG DEMOCRACY VOA 09 Oct 2003 -- Comments by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao that Hong Kong should move gradually toward democracy have sparked criticism from political parties in the territory. A number of groups say Hong Kong's political system needs immediate reform to better reflect the people.
• World: Humanitarian Groups Seek Arms Control Treaty For Light Weapons RFE/RL 09 Oct 2003 -- Three prominent international humanitarian groups made public today a draft Arms Trade Treaty and called for the nations of the world to adopt it by 2006.
• AMNESTY / ARMS VOA 09 Oct 2003 -- Two leading human rights group have launched a campaign for an international treaty on the trade in weapons. The groups say light weapons are killing hundreds of thousands of people around the world every year.