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News

Operations
Other Conflicts
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 20 Apr 2005 [PDF]
• TWO TASK FORCE BAGHDAD SOLDIERS KILLED IN VBIED ATTACK
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty

• Multi-National Forces capture suspects MNF-I/MNC-I 20 Apr 2005 -- Multi-National Forces from 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team) detained two terror suspects during operations in northern Iraq April 20.
• 2 Iraqis Killed in 3 Separate Suicide Car Bombings in Baghdad VOA News 20 Apr 2005 -- Insurgents in Iraq carried out several attacks in Baghdad Wednesday as a week-long surge of violence in the capital continues.
• Bodies of 50 Former Hostages Discovered in Iraq's Tigris River VOA News 20 Apr 2005 -- Iraq's president says the bodies of 50 people who were held hostage in recent days have been recovered from the Tigris River, and he has vowed action against the killers.

• Afghan Army Sends Liaison Officer to Coalition Organization AFPS 20 Apr 2005 -- For the first time since the Office of Military Cooperation Afghanistan assumed its mission to reconstruct Afghanistan's security and defense sectors, an officer from the Afghan National Army has been assigned liaison duties to work with his U.S. and coalition counterparts at OMCA headquarters.
• Finance Minister Says Afghanistan Wants Aid, Not Loans RFE/RL 20 Apr 2005 -- Afghanistan's finance minister says his country would quickly run into debt trouble if it had to borrow money to rebuild its infrastructure. He said that instead, it needs more international grants.

Other Conflicts

• Bomb Blast in Nepal Kills Four VOA News 20 Apr 2005 -- Nepali police say one civilian and three policemen were killed in a bomb blast in an eastern part of the country tWednesday.
• CHAD-SUDAN: New spat over Chadian rebels in Darfur highlights difficult relations IRIN 20 Apr 2005 -- A new spat between Chad and Sudan over Khartoum's alleged support for Chadian rebels has highlighted dangerous tensions in relations between the two countries.
• DRC: Who's who in Ituri - militia organisations, leaders IRIN 20 Apr 2005 -- Conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) continues despite a peace agreement signed by Congolese parties in April 2003.
• DRC: Army, UN troops kill scores of militiamen in Ituri IRIN 20 Apr 2005 -- Congolese army and UN peacekeeping troops carried out a "cordon and search" operation on Monday in the militia strongholds of the embattled northeastern district of Ituri, killing scores of militiamen.
• Security in Haiti Gradually Improving, U.N. Official Says Washington File 20 Apr 2005 -- Security in Haiti is gradually improving, says an official with the United Nations.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Guard Leaders Discuss Budget Requests AFPS 20 Apr 2005 -- Funding for recruiting, retention and equipment were among the items National Guard leaders today brought before a Senate subcommittee examining budget requests today.
• IG to assess OIF equipment and readiness USMC News 20 Apr 2005 -- The Inspector General of the Marine Corps, Maj. Gen. David F. Bice arrived here this week accompanied by a team of 10 mission specific military occupational specialty Marines, in preparation to visiting Marine Corps units in Iraq, and provide an assessment of OIF equipment and readiness.
• Fleet Hospital 8 Earns MUC for 2003 Deployment Navy NewsStand 20 Apr 2005 -- Fleet Hospital (FH) 8, primarily consisting of Fleet Hospital Bremerton officers and Sailors, received the Meritorious Unit Commendation award March 8 for its 2003 deployment to Rota, Spain.
• Marines keep jets corrosion-free USMC News 20 Apr 2005 -- The F/A-18C Hornet is little different from Earnhardt's ride. It also holds the title of one the hottest aircraft to ever take to the skies and requires an army of mechanics with varied specialties to keep it knifing through the air without falling apart.
• Reserve, active-duty pilots battle for air superiority AFPN 20 Apr 2005 -- For two weeks, F-15 “Gorillas” from Eglin Air Force Base’s 58th Fighter Squadron engaged their adversary, F-16 “Makos” from Homestead’s 93rd FS in a head-to-head competition for air superiority known as dissimilar aircraft combat training or “dog fighting.”
• HCS-28 Providing Support to Kearsarge ESG with New Name Navy NewsStand 20 Apr 2005 -- An important part of the USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) Expeditionary Strike Group team, currently deployed in support of the global war on terrorism, received a new name April 1.
• USS O’Bannon Conducts Rescue at Sea Navy NewsStand 20 Apr 2005 -- Sailors from the destroyer USS O’Bannon (DD 987) assisted two crew members aboard a 45-foot fishing vessel in the Mediterranean April 20 at approximately 1 p.m. GMT.
• MAG-29 participates in Operation Carolina Thunder USMC News 20 Apr 2005 -- A small and determined band of insurgent forces attempted to occupy a strategic airfield in fictional Northern Curbia on April 12, trying to use it as a transshipment point for a smuggling operation involving small arms and foreign mercenaries.

• NATO Opens Historic Meeting in Lithuania VOA News 20 Apr 2005 -- NATO foreign ministers have gathered in Lithuania for their first-ever meeting on territory once occupied by the Soviet Union. The meeting will focus on issues of East-West concern.

• UN: U.S. Senate Panel Calls For Further Scrutiny Of UN Ambassador Nominee RFE/RL 20 Apr 2005 -- A U.S. Senate committee has postponed a vote to advance the nomination of John Bolton as UN ambassador in order to study new allegations against him. The decision comes amid intensifying debate over a candidate who supporters believe would lead a vigorous UN reform effort -- and opponents say would harm U.S. credibility at the world body. The latest developments indicate that doubts are growing among some Republicans, who hold the majority in the U.S. Senate.

• State Department Briefing, April 20 Washington File 20 Apr 2005 -- Rewards for Justice Program, Bolton/nomination, Secretary Rice's upcoming trip to Latin America/Community of Democracies meeting, Tunisia, Lebanon, Ecuador, Iran, China/Taiwan, North Korea, Burma/ASEAN, Russia
• White House Daily Briefing, April 20 Washington File 20 Apr 2005 -- National energy plan, John Bolton/nomination, Karen Hughes/nomination, Pope Benedict/abortion, Iraq/escalating violence, CAFTA/free trade agreements, immigration proposal, North Korea/Six-Party Talks

Defense Industry

News Reports

• Thousands March in Ecuador Calling for President's Resignation VOA News 20 Apr 2005 -- Thousands of protesters marched in Ecuador's capital, Quito, Tuesday calling for the resignation of President Lucio Gutierrez, hours after he told reporters he would not step down.
• Ecuador's Parliament Votes to Dismiss President VOA News 20 Apr 2005 -- Ecuador's parliament has voted to remove the country's president from office, as massive demonstrations continue in the capital.

• Italian Prime Minister Resigns VOA News 20 Apr 2005 -- Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi resigned Wednesday, pledging to form a new government immediately.