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Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 19 Aug 2005 [PDF]

• Transcript: Defense Department Briefing 19 Aug 2005 -- Presenter: Maj. Gen. David M. Rodriguez, commander, Multinational Force Northwest and Task Force Freedom
• US General Cites Decrease in Bomb Attacks in Northwest Iraq VOA 19 Aug 2005 -- The U.S. military says hidden explosive devices are the most common weapon used by insurgents in Iraq.
• Security Forces Making Strides in Northwest Iraq, Commander Says AFPN 19 Aug 2005 -- With elections on the horizon, Iraqi security forces in Iraq's northwest provinces are continuing to grow in ability and confidence, a senior commander in Iraq said today.
• Normandy Completes Mission in Persian Gulf Navy NewsStand 19 Aug 2005 -- The guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy (CG 60) began its journey home to Naval Station Norfolk Aug. 12 as it concludes a six-month deployment to the Persian Gulf in support of maritime security operations (MSO).
• NMCB 3 Relieves NMCB 1 in Iraq Navy NewsStand 19 Aug 2005 -- Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 3 relieved NMCB 1 at a brief ceremony here Aug. 17.
• Coalition Turns Over More Security Mission to Iraqis AFPS 19 Aug 2005 -- The coalition turnover of the security mission to Iraqi forces is proceeding apace in the area around Saddam's hometown, said the coalition commander in the area.
• Detainee dies following raid MNF-I 21 Aug 2005 -- A 65-year-old Iraqi detainee died Aug. 18 of an apparent heart attack following a house raid south of Iskandariyah.

• U.S. General Details Afghan Election Effort AFPS 19 Aug 2005 -- The Afghan and coalition effort to hold elections Sept. 18 is ongoing, and the process will extend until the National Assembly is seated in December or January, the head of Combined Forces Command Afghanistan said today.
• Operation Neptune strikes Taliban in Afghan desert Army News 19 Aug 2005 -- After several weeks of sizing each other up, paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division’s Task Force Red Falcon met enemy forces in Eastern Ghazni province head on for the first time during Operation Neptune Aug. 8 through 12, resulting in the death of one militia member.

• Rocket Attack on US Ships Kills Jordanian Soldier VOA 19 Aug 2005 -- Unknown attackers have fired three rockets from a port city in Jordan, killing at least one Jordanian soldier and wounding another.
• Rocket Attacks Miss U.S. Navy Ships AFPS 19 Aug 2005 -- No U.S. sailors or Marines were injured in an apparent rocket attack today that missed two U.S. Navy ships in the Red Sea port of Aqaba, Jordan, officials reported.
• NO U.S. SAILORS OR MARINES INJURED IN AQABA, JORDAN ROCKET ATTACK CENTCOM 19 Aug 2005 -- No US Sailors and Marines of USS ASHLAND and USS KEARSARGE were injured in an apparent rocket attack that occurred while the ships were in the port of Aqaba, Jordan.

Other Conflicts

• Gaza Evacuation Continues with Completion Seen Ahead of Schedule VOA 19 Aug 2005 -- Some two thousand Israeli troops moved into the small settlement of Gadid Friday morning as the Gaza evacuation entered its third day
• Israel Evacuates Most Gaza Settlers, Many Kicking and Screaming VOA 19 Aug 2005 -- Israeli police and soldiers evacuated thousands of Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip this week as part of Israel's disengagement from the Palestinian area
• Abbas Hails Gaza Withdrawal VOA 19 Aug 2005 -- Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has hailed the Israeli evacuation of settlements in the Gaza Strip in an upbeat speech before hundreds of cheering supporters at the Gaza International Airport

• Norwegian Mediators say Sri Lanka's Rebels Agree to Talks VOA News 19 Aug 2005 -- Norwegian mediators say Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels have agreed to meet government officials for talks on preserving a truce threatened by the killing of the country's foreign minister.
• Senator Urges Algeria, Morocco To Resolve Western Sahara Dispute Washington File 19 Aug 2005 -- Senator Richard Lugar, who played a key role in securing the release of 404 Moroccan prisoners from the Algerian-backed Polisario insurgents, has urged Algeria and Morocco to take advantage of the goodwill from the prisoner release to try to resolve their dispute over the Western Sahara.
• SUDAN: Conditions in Darfur deteriorating - Annan IRIN 19 Aug 2005 -- Despite a decline in casualties from fighting in Sudan's war-torn western region of Darfur, the long-term consequences of the war are destroying the social and economic fabric of the region, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said.
• Thai Prime Minister Seeks to Reassure Businessmen in Restive South VOA 19 Aug 2005 -- Thailand's prime minster, Thaksin Shinawatra, has paid his second visit in a week to the Muslim-dominated south in an effort to ease fears and bolster business activity there.
• BURUNDI: FNL shells capital on eve of presidential poll IRIN 19 Aug 2005 -- Burundi's only remaining rebel group, the Front national de libération (FNL), shelled the capital with mortars on Thursday, in what the army says is an effort to stamp its presence on the minds of the country's new political leaders.
• Former Vice President Testifies At Milosevic Trial RFE/RL 19 Aug 2005 -- Vojislav Seselj, the ultra-nationalist former vice president of Serbia, testified today at the trial of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic in The Hague.
• Armenia/Azerbaijan: Expectations Muted On Eve Of Karabakh Talks RFE/RL 19 Aug 2005 -- The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan are scheduled to meet in Moscow on 23 August to resume their talks on approaches to resolving the Karabakh conflict

Defense Policy / Programs

• Air Force B-1B Lancer Takes to Russian Skies AFPS 19 Aug 2005 -- The B-1B Lancer may have once been feared by the former Soviet Union during the Cold War because it could rapidly deliver massive quantities of weapons against any adversary in the world.
• Training keeping Spangdahlem ‘Warthogs’ ready to deploy AFPN 19 Aug 2005 -- A-10 Thunderbolt II pilots at this hilltop base are busy flying and training for their next deployment, which could be to Afghanistan -- again.
• Dyess AFB demonstrates B-1B's upgrades, combat capabilities AFPN 19 Aug 2005 -- The 337th Test and Evaluation Squadron here set a number of “firsts” recently for the B-1B Lancer.
• U.S., South American Nations Coordinate Air Ops In Panamax 2005 Navy NewsStand 19 Aug 2005 -- In August, staff from Commander, Strike Group (CSG) 6, working with South and Central American counterparts, were responsible for directing the operations of seven maritime patrol aircraft participating in PANAMAX 2005, a multinational exercise designed for the defense of the most important waterway in the region.

Defense Industry

• Alenia Aeronautica to acquire 25% of Sukhoi Civil Aircraft RIA Novosti 19 Aug 2005 -- Alenia Aeronautica, Italy's leading aeronautics producer and a major player on the European aerospace market, signed a preliminary agreement Thursday to buy at least 25% block in Sukhoi Civil Aircraft (SCA), daughter of the Sukhoi aircraft holding, a respected business daily reported Friday.

News Reports

• Unemployed Crimean resident attempts to steal air defense system RIA Novosti 19 Aug 2005 -- Ukrainian police detained an unemployed man in the Crimea for stealing an air defense system.
• Ex-Hutu Rebel Elected President in Burundi VOA 19 Aug 2005 -- Burundi's parliament voted overwhelmingly (Friday) in favor of Pierre Nkurunziza as the country's new president
• Kazakhstan's Presidential Election Set for December VOA 19 Aug 2005 -- Kazakhstan's Constitutional Court has set the first Sunday of December as the date for presidential elections, ending a lengthy debate between the government and the opposition over the timing of the vote