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BALKANS

¨         Reuters reports KFOR said in a statement Monday it had detained three suspected members of armed extremists groups in Kosovo.  "KFOR detained three suspected members of ethnic armed extremist groups in Pristina this morning. The operation was carried out as part of the global fight against terrorism and it is important to underline that perpetrators of extremism and illegal activities can find no place to hide in Kosovo," the dispatch quotes the statement saying.  It adds that a KFOR spokesman said the arrests were not linked to the arrest by UN police Sunday of a former Kosovo Liberation Army commander.  He also said they were not related to KFOR's arrests last week of 19 people in a crackdown on extremists along the border with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

¨         In an interview, COMSFOR Gen. Sylvester claimed that some Bosnia-Herzegovina authorities know where Radovan Karadzic is, reported Sarajevo's BH TV1, Aug. 9.  Gen. Sylvester was carried saying, with superimposed Serbo-Croat translation:  "There is some popular conspiracy theory in Bosnia-Herzegovina that for some reason we are not looking for Radovan Karadzic.  I think that every responsible citizen of Bosnia-Herzegovina is looking for those indicted by the (ICTY).  Certainly SFOR is doing this, and I would never characterize an SFOR operation as unsuccessful. You have no idea what information we have collected or not, nor will I tell you this..  But let us get back to the capture of war criminals.  Responsibilities are first of all with those who have been indicted. They should surrender, especially if they regard themselves as innocent.  Secondly, there is the responsibility of governments, the government of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the governments of its entities. They should search for them..  I am certain that there are people in these governments who know where Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic are. And if they wanted to, they could do this job, i.e. capture them."

BRITAIN-DEFENSE

¨         According to The Sunday Telegraph, Aug. 11, the SA-80, the British Army's assault rifle which failed repeatedly during operations in Afghanistan is to be scrapped.  Defense Secretary Hoon has reportedly decided that the weapon should be withdrawn from service in four years' time following complaints that it jammed and misfired in dusty desert conditions.  The newspaper claimed that a report due to be published this week will state that although improved, the new upgraded SA-80 A2 is still unreliable in dusty conditions and fails to fire properly at altitude.  The article observed that the decision is a highly embarrassing U-turn for the Ministry of Defense, which has previously insisted that there are no problems with the weapons.

IRAQ

¨         The Times, Aug. 10, reported that the United States has begun chartering ships to ferry tanks and other armored vehicles to the Gulf in a further sign of American military strike against Iraq.  The newspaper stressed, that the additional chartering of ships, which has been noted by shipping brokers, provides a clear signal that the Pentagon is making early preparations to ensure that it has sufficient equipment in the region for when President Bush makes his political decision about toppling Saddam Hussein's regime.  The newspaper further said that among other reported signs of American war preparations, it is claimed that U.S. engineers have been creating up to eight small airfields in the Kurdish regions of northern Iraq, which could be used for ferrying in troops by transport aircraft or helicopters. 

TERRORISM

¨         The Sunday Telegraph, Aug. 10, quoted Kabul's military intelligence officials warning that Al Qaeda has established two main bases inside Pakistan and is preparing for a big strike on Afghanistan. The terror network's bases are reportedly said to be hundreds of miles north of where U.S. and Pakistani troops are now operating.  "Al Qaeda has regrouped, together with the Taliban, Kashmiri militants, and other radical Islamic parties.  They are just waiting for the command to start operations. Right now, they are trying to find anti-aircraft missiles capable of hitting America's B-52 bombers," Brig. Rahmatullah Rawand, the military intelligence chief in eastern Afghanistan was quoted saying.  The newspaper added that a U.S. military official in Afghanistan confirmed parts of the Afghan intelligence and stressed that U.S. forces were ensuring they had enough troops in areas where Al Qaeda was believed to be grouping.  U.S. military officials were further quoted saying that Al Qaeda's ability to shoot down B-52 bombers would require a change of U.S. tactics.

¨         The Guardian quotes Stephen Cummings, director of the National Infrastructure Security Coordination Center, warning that Britain faces a growing threat of an electronic attack by terrorists linked to Al Qaeda that could paralyze key public services, including electricity and water supplies.  According to the newspaper, Cummings said the Center was actively working with the intelligences services to gather information about the electronic capabilities of terror groups.  The newspaper recalls that U.S. newspapers this summer reported that signs of Al Qaeda's skills in cyberspace prompted U.S. officials to conclude that terrorists were at the threshold of using the internet as a weapon to kill-for example, by taking control of floodgates in a dam, or of electricity stations. It adds, however, that Cummings stressed that terror groups did not yet have the capability to mount such attacks.  Much more likely and more common would be further attacks on individual websites using a virus or worm or through hacking, Cummings reportedly said.

GEORGIA

¨         According to AP, Georgia Monday accused Russian border guards and separatist forces of crossing illegally into Georgian-controlled territory and firing at a Georgian helicopter. The dispatch adds that during his weekly radio address Monday, President Shevardnadze said Abkhazian forces had entered Georgian-controlled territory and remained about 35 kilometers outside of Georgian villages in the Marukh mountain pass.  And, Emzar Kvitsiani, the Georgian presidential envoy to the region, said Russian border guards units illegally entered Georgia a week ago.  When the Georgian side protested, the Russians withdrew, he reportedly noted, adding, however that the incursion was followed three to four days ago by Abkhazian forces' infiltration.  When a Georgian helicopter flew over the region on Sunday, he added, it was fired on. The dispatch adds that both Russia and Abkhazia denied the accusations, with an Abkhazian official insisting it was Georgia that invaded its territory.

¨         Looking at the "war of words" between Russia and Georgia, The Times notes that in an interview with the daily Izvestia last week, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov accused Georgia of being two-faced over its attitude to Chechen rebels based on its territory and claimed the country was turning into a nest of world terrorism.  The newspaper also remarks that earlier in the week, the Speaker of the Upper House said Russia may ask the UN for permission to launch air strikes in Georgia's Pankisi Gorge.  Based on this, the newspaper assumes that the Russians are laying the ground for a full-scale assault.  It stresses, however, that one large complicating factor is the United States, which has sent military trainers to Georgia to help the country's armed forces to root out the Chechen rebels themselves.  The prospect of Russian troops coming into conflict with Americans or their allies has so far helped in keeping this particular cold war from going hot, stresses the daily.

 FINAL ITEM