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Military


21 August 2003 Military News

Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

  • Transcript: DoD News Briefing - Secretary Rumsfeld and Gen. Abizaid 21 Aug 2003 -- Participating were Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld and Gen. John Abizaid, commander, U.S. Central Command
  • General Abizaid Says Terrorism Becoming Major Security Threat in Iraq Washington File 21 Aug 2003 -- Terrorism is becoming the principal threat facing coalition forces in Iraq and the Iraqi people, the commander of the U.S. Central Command said August 21.
  • Iraqis, International Community Working to Secure Iraq AFPS 21 Aug 2003 -- Securing and rebuilding Iraq "is not an American-only mission by any stretch of the imagination," the American general in charge of coalition forces in the region said in the Pentagon today.
  • PENTAGON/CHEMICAL ALI VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- Top Pentagon officials are refusing to give many details of the capture of one of Iraq's most-wanted former regime officials, the man known as "Chemical Ali." But they are hinting he may have been involved in post-war attacks on coalition forces.
  • PENTAGON / IRAQ VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- The general in charge of U-S forces in Iraq says terrorism is now the top threat there with an al-Qaida linked group established in Baghdad and foreign fighters crossing over the border from Syria.
  • IRAQ / WEAPONS VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- With deadly attacks on coalition forces in Iraq occurring almost daily, the U-S military is eager to get weapons off the streets, and even pays rewards for heavy weapons and useful information about hidden weapon caches.
  • CENTCOM Officials Announce Capture of 'Chemical Ali' AFPS 21 Aug 2003 -- Iraq's Gen. Ali Hassan al- Majid, the infamous "Chemical Ali," has been captured and is in the custody of coalition forces, according to a U.S. Central Command news release.
  • Rumsfeld: No U.S. Troop Increase Foreseen for Iraq AFPS 21 Aug 2003 -- American military planners believe the current level of U.S. forces in Iraq is sufficient to accomplish the mission, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said here Aug. 20.
  • Iraq: Speculation Mounts Over UN Blast, But Hard Evidence Is Scarce RFE/RL 21 Aug 2003 -- No one has claimed responsibility for bombing the UN's Baghdad headquarters, and so far no evidence has emerged as to the culprits' identity. But that has not stopped a firestorm of media speculation, with some commentators pinning the blame squarely on Islamic militants but others seeing the hand of Saddam Hussein.
  • Iraq: Locals Working With U.S. Forces Being Targeted RFE/RL 21 Aug 2003 -- The U.S. military says Iraqi guerrillas are targeting locals who are working with U.S. troops.
  • Iraq: 'Chemical Ali' Captured By U.S. Forces RFE/RL 21 Aug 2003 -- U.S. Central Command today said it has in custody Ali Hassan al-Majid, also known as "Chemical Ali," a cousin of Saddam Hussein and former Iraqi commander.
  • WEAPONS, IED CONFISCATED, DESTROYED CENTCOM 21 Aug 2003-- Iraq-Coalition forces continued to confiscate and destroy weapons and improvised explosive devices throughout Iraq on Aug. 20.
  • ANOTHER "IRAQI TOP 55" IN COALITION CUSTODY CENTCOM 21 Aug 2003-- GEN Ali Hasan al-Majid "Chemical Ali" has been captured and is in custody of Coalition Forces.
  • ONE SOLDIER KILLED, TWO WOUNDED IN AN IED ATTACK CENTCOM 21 Aug 2003-- A 1st Armored Division solider was killed and two were wounded by an improvised explosive device in the Karkah district of Baghdad at 11 p.m. on Aug. 20.
  • MEF Cell Sends Everyone's Gear Home Marine Corps News 21 Aug 2003-- The Marines are happy. They are happy because in a few short weeks, their stay in Iraq will be over. They are happy because get to return to their families and relax They are happy because they don?t have to worry about how their combat equipment gets back to Camp Pendleton. The last job belongs to the small detachment of Marines of I Marine Expeditionary Force Surface Cell.

  • Transition Progressing Well in Liberia, Say Powell and Annan Washington File 21 Aug 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan August 21 expressed satisfaction with the efforts to advance the peace process in Liberia.
  • LIBERIA / GOVERNMENT VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- Rebel and government negotiators Thursday picked Monrovian businessman Gyude Bryant to head Liberia's new transitional government. The selection of Mr. Bryant follows the signing of a peace accord Monday.
  • Brothers deploy to Africa together USAFE News 21 Aug 2003-- Two brothers, one a communications officer and one a C-130 navigator, are deployed together in Dakar, Senegal assisting with the peacekeeping efforts in Liberia.
  • LIBERIA: Continuing fighting threatens 60,000 in Bong County, MSF says IRIN 21 Aug 2003 -- Clashes between Liberian government troops and rebels in central Bong County have continued despite a peace agreement signed in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, on Monday, threatening 60,000 displaced people, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said.
  • LIBERIA: Monrovia businessman to head transitional government IRIN 21 Aug 2003 -- Delegates at the Liberian peace talks in Ghana have chosen Gyude Bryant, a 54-year old businessman, to head a two-year National Transitional Government that will take over from Interim President Moses Blah on 14 October.
  • LIBERIA-NIGERIA: Questions raised over Taylor's exile in Nigeria IRIN 21 Aug 2003 -- While former Liberian President Charles Taylor has taken up life in exile in a serene, luxurious home overlooking a river in Nigeria's southeastern city of Calabar, the dust raised by the asylum granted the suspected war criminal is yet to settle.

  • UN-assisted commission collects 120 weapons in northern Afghanistan UN News Centre 21 Aug 2003 -- In a voluntary disarmament exercise by key Afghan factions, a United Nations-assisted security commission has collected 120 light and heavy weapons in the northern region of the country, a flashpoint for tensions between rival militias.
  • U.S. Gives Additional $9.5 Million to Help Afghan Refugees Washington File 21 Aug 2003 -- To further assist Afghan refugees and returnees, the United States announced it is providing an additional $9.5 million to eight non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
  • SERVICE MEMBER DIES AS A RESULT OF AFGHAN HOSTILE FIRE INCIDENT CENTCOM 21 Aug 2003-- A special operations service member died as a result of injuries received during operations in the vicinity of Orgun, in Paktika Province, Afghanistan yesterday.
  • Afghanistan: Pakistan's Foreign Minister Visits Kabul Amid Violence, Tension RFE/RL 21 Aug 2003 -- In the past week, about 100 people have been killed in Afghanistan in a series of ambushes, attacks, and factional clashes. Much of the violence has been blamed on the remnants of the Taliban and the Al-Qaeda terrorist network. The violence near the Afghan-Pakistani border is expected to dominate a two-day visit to Kabul by Pakistan's Foreign Minister Mian Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.
  • RFE/RL Afghanistan Report, Vol 2, Number 30 21 Aug 2003 -- THE AFGHAN ECONOMY: WHERE FROM HERE? / BUS BOMB KILLS 15 IN AFGHANISTAN'S HELMAND PROVINCE... / ...ON THE SAME DAY AS 25 KILLED IN FACTIONAL FIGHTING IN ORUZGAN PROVINCE / ...AS TWO AFGHAN AID WORKERS KILLED IN GHAZNI PROVINCE / MORE THAN 20 KILLED DURING ATTACK ON DISTRICT POLICE HEADQUARTERS IN AFGHANISTAN... / ...AND THREE OTHERS KILLED IN SIMILAR ATTACK IN PROVINCE / AFGHAN GOVERNMENT SAYS PERPETRATORS OF PAKTIKA PROVINCE ATTACK WERE NOT AFGHANS... / ...AS PAKISTAN HINTS THAT NEO-TALIBAN FORCES MIGHT BE ON ITS TERRITORY / NEO-TALIBAN BLAMED FOR THE ATTACKS IN LOGAR PROVINCE / AID WORKERS INJURED IN ATTACK IN BALKH PROVINCE... / ...AS ROBBERS RAID OFFICE OF GERMAN DEVELOPMENT AGENCY IN KABUL / TWO STUDENTS KILLED IN KABUL BOMB-MAKING ACCIDENT / BLAST ROCKS HOME OF AFGHAN LEADER'S BROTHER / HERAT, KANDAHAR GOVERNORS LOSE TITLES IN RESHUFFLE... / ...WHICH IS SUPPORTED IN KANDAHAR PROVINCE... / ...AS HERAT GOVERNOR SEEMS RELUCTANT TO LIMIT HIS POWER INITIALLY... / ...BUT WELCOMES NEW MILITARY COMMANDER OF HERAT PROVINCE / UN ENVOY PRESSES SECURITY COUNCIL TO EXPAND FORCE... / U.S.-LED COALITION EXPANDS PROVINCIAL RECONSTRUCTION TEAMS / AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN RAILWAY UNDER CONSIDERATION / UN AGENCIES SAY AFGHAN CEREAL CROP LARGEST ON RECORD / RADIO STATION BEGINS BROADCASTING IN KABUL / PASHA'I-LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER LAUNCHED / KHALILZAD TO BECOME U.S. AMBASSADOR IN KABUL / AFGHANS CELEBRATE INDEPENDENCE DAY / THIS WEEK IN AFGHANISTAN'S HISTORY

Defense Policy / Programs

  • Navy Christens PCU Virginia Navy Newsstand 21 Aug 2003-- "In the name of the United States, I christen thee, Virginia. May God bless her and all who sail in her."
  • Stronger, Faster, Bigger; MTACS-28, 2nd MAW try out Marine Corps' new tent system Marine Corps News 21 Aug 2003-- Through the early morning haze, Marines appear. Moving in groups of two and three they converge in the center of the dewy open field. There is an eerie silence to the group, and a sense of purpose. They are here to do a job.
  • Exercise Red Flag develops coalition bonds Marine Corps News 21 Aug 2003-- From the Revolutionary War with the French to Operation Iraqi Freedom with the British, The United States' allies were ready and willing to lend their support during times of conflict.
  • VMAQ-4 aircrew prowl Nevada skies during Exercise Red Flag Marine Corps News 21 Aug 2003-- Coalition fighter jets screech across the desert sky to deliver superior air power against their unsuspecting targets.
  • Seahawk groundcrews keep pilots flying through Red Flag Marine Corps News 21 Aug 2003-- Amidst 130-degree temperatures and the harsh desert sun beating down on Marines working along the flight line, they expediently prepare to launch the jets for morning operations during Exercise Red Flag at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.
  • VMAQ-4 Seahawks take flight over the deserts of the Southwest Marine Corps News 21 Aug 2003-- The Marine Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 4 Seahawks launched into this year's Exercise Red Flag at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada Aug. 3.
  • Officials release accident report AFPN 21 Aug 2003-- Air Force investigators determined that two rivets failed on an improperly loaded B-1B Lancer bomber. The aircraft sustained almost $1.3 million in damage during a March 31 bombing mission.
  • Military Police Search Outgoing Marines Marine Corps News 21 Aug 2003-- Marines of 1st Force Service Support Group have been tested many times, and in many ways during the past six months of Operation Iraqi Freedom. A few of those areas are physical and moral courage, determination and leadership. Prior to returning home, they have one more test to pass ? customs.
  • Marines ease language barrier for UFL 2003 Marine Corps News 21 Aug 2003-- One day, every warfighter will be equipped with the technology to translate a foreign language in a distant land at the touch of a button, or the command of a voice.
  • Military Transformation Tough, Important and Progressing, Secretary Says AFPS 21 Aug 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said bringing change to a department as large as the Pentagon will be tough, but change is important so that the military is not "stuck back in the 20th century."

  • Rumsfeld Says Colombia is Making Gains Against Terrorists Washington File 21 Aug 2003 -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, interviewed August 19 by TV Caracol in Bogotá, Colombia, praised the extensive campaign against narco-terrorists waged by the government of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe.

  • Rumsfeld Praises Central American Troop Contributions in Iraq AFPS 21 Aug 2003 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld praised the U.S.-Honduran military partnership here Aug. 20, saying that Honduras, along with two other Central American nations, is sending troops for peacekeeping duty in Iraq.
  • 16th Engineer Battalion works to improve Iraqi colleges US Army Europe 21 Aug 2003-- Soldiers from the 16th Engineer Battalion of V Corps's 1st Armored Division have spent the past several weeks rebuilding and resupplying Baghdad's higher-learning institutions.
  • Navy cargo ships transport the Army's 82nd combat gear to the Middle East Military Sealift Command 21 Aug 2003-- As the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division begins to replace the Army's 3rd Infantry Division in Iraq, hundreds of thousands of square feet of the 82nd's combat equipment are being transported to the Middle East aboard three of the U.S. Navy's newest and largest cargo ships. The equipment will be used for the 82nd's support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

  • DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 21 Aug 2003

  • Middle East Terror "Has to End," Powell Says Washington File 21 Aug 2003 -- Secretary of State Colin Powell August 21 urged Arab nations and others to press radical groups to end the violence in the Middle East so that progress on the roadmap for peace between Israelis and Palestinians can proceed.
  • Secretary-General deeply concerned by escalation in Middle East violence UN News Centre 21 Aug 2003 -- The United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today voiced deep concern at the sharp escalation in violence in the Middle East, calling on both sides to curb their actions and reaffirming the importance of sticking to the Road Map peace plan.
  • EDITORIAL: TERRORIST BOMBING IN JERUSALEM VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- Hopes for peace between Israelis and Palestinians have been set back by another deadly terrorist attack. On August 19th, a Palestinian suicide terrorist set off a bomb on a crowded bus in Jerusalem, killing at least twenty people, including five Americans. More than one-hundred were wounded.
  • POWELL / MIDEAST VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- U-S Secretary of State Colin Powell appealed Thursday for pressure from Arab nations and others in the international community to get radical Palestinian factions to end terrorist attacks. He warned of dire consequences if the international "road map" to an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord is scuttled.
  • ISRAEL / GAZA ATTACK (L-UPDATE) VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- Two prominent Palestinian groups, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, have announced the end of a self-declared cease-fire. They have also vowed to carry out revenge attacks following the Israeli army's killing of a top Hamas leader in Gaza City on Thursday. At least two others died when Israeli helicopter gunships fired rockets at a car carrying Hamas leader Ismail Abu Shanab.
  • ISRAEL/GAZA ATTACK VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- Israeli helicopter gun ships fired rockets into a residential neighborhood of Gaza City, killing three people, including one of the leaders of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
  • ISRAEL PALESTINIANS VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- Israeli troops have moved into towns across the West Bank, in a military response to a suicide bombing this week that claimed 20 lives and left more than 100 other people wounded. The move came following a decision by the Israeli Security Cabinet to track down those attacking Israel.

  • Identification of Kuwaiti remains in Iraq brings closure to families - Annan UN News Centre 21 Aug 2003 -- The remains of some of the Kuwaitis listed missing for more than 12 years since Iraq's invasion of its southern neighbour have been identified among the bodies found in mass graves, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says in his latest report on the repatriation of all Kuwaiti and third-country nationals or their mortal remains.

  • NIGERIA/UNREST VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- A relative calm has returned to Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta, but only with the deployment of hundreds of soldiers. More than 30 have died in the latest territorial dispute.
  • NIGERIA: Delta militants agree to end fighting, says governor IRIN 21 Aug 2003 -- Rival ethnic militias have agreed to end fighting after days of bloody clashes in Nigeria's southern oil city of Warri in which dozens of people died, the local Delta State governor said on Thursday.

  • RWANDA / ELECTION VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- Leading candidates in Rwanda's upcoming presidential election are trading accusations of harassment and intimidation. The independent commission overseeing the election admits there are problems.
  • SOMALIA: UN concerned over "persistent" weapons flow IRIN 21 Aug 2003 -- The UN Security Council has expressed concern over the "persistent flow of weapons and ammunitions" to Somalia.
  • KENYA: Anti-personnel mines destroyed IRIN 21 Aug 2003 -- The government of Kenya has begun the destruction of assorted anti-personnel mines it has stockpiled over the years, National Security Minister Chris Murungaru announced on Wednesday.
  • DRC: WFP feeding thousands seeking refuge in Bunia IRIN 21 Aug 2003 -- Some 20,000 people who have sought refuge in Bunia, the main town of the troubled Ituri District of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), have started to receive some 400 mt of food aid from the UN World Food Programme (WFP), the agency announced on Wednesday.
  • Great Lakes: UNHCR head arrives in Kinshasa at start of tour IRIN 21 Aug 2003 -- UN High Commissioner for Refugees Ruud Lubbers arrived on Wednesday in Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), kicking off a tour to review his UNHCR's operations and various peace initiatives that could pave the way for the return of hundreds of thousands of refugees in several countries of the Great Lakes region, the UN agency reported.
  • BURUNDI-TANZANIA: Governments agree to open more border crossing points IRIN 21 Aug 2003 -- The governments of Burundi and Tanzania have agreed to try to open more border crossing points to facilitate the voluntary return of Burundian refugees living in western Tanzanian camps, the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported on Wednesday.

News Reports

  • SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 21 Aug 2003 -- U.S. insisting on Assembly decision before talks on Turkish troop dispatch / Diplomatic moves underway to provide larger multinational force / More coverage of ISAF commander's Kabul news conference

  • ARGENTINA / U-S VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- After a decade of close relations between Washington and Buenos Aires, Argentina says it will focus more on ties with its immediate neighbors.
  • U-S-CHINA HUMAN RIGHTS VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- The Bush administration went public Thursday with criticism of China for what it says has been "backsliding" on its human rights performance. Officials say China has failed to fulfill promises made at a U-S-Chinese human rights dialogue late last year.
  • LATVIA / IRAN/ARMS VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- Security police and customs officials in the Latvian capital, Riga, have seized what was described as a sizable illegal shipment of weapons reportedly bound for Iran. Experts say the aging gear was likely bound for terrorist groups for the purpose of updating and repairing existing equipment.
  • ARGENTINA / AMNESTY VOTE VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- Argentina's Senate has voted to abolish laws giving amnesty to members of the former military regime accused of human rights abuses. The measure was approved early today (Thursday) after several hours of debate. The action is another step toward possible trials for former military leaders.
  • Russia: Search Resumes For Missing Helicopter In Far East RFE/RL 21 Aug 2003 -- Teams of rescuers and the military today resumed the search for a missing helicopter in Russia's Far East.
  • RUSSIA/HELICOPTER VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- Rescue teams are continuing their search for a helicopter that has disappeared in Russia's Far East with the governor of a major region and up to 20 other people on board. Scores of ships and planes are scouring the southern end of the rugged Kamchatka peninsula
  • PHILIPPINES/ARROYO VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- Philippine President Gloria Arroyo has called for an end to partisan politics in a bid to bring stability to the country after last month's military uprising.
  • EUROPE / HEATWAVE VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- The death toll from a heat wave that has swept Europe has claimed lives estimated in the thousands. French President Jacques Chirac has acknowledged shortcomings in his own country's health system during the crisis and pledged to make improvements. While temperatures have cooled, Europe is still feeling the after-effects of the devastating heat spell.
  • CHINA / SARS VOA 21 Aug 2003 -- The World Health Organization is bracing for what it says could be a new outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome later this year.
  • RWANDA: US calls on Kigali to hold "free and fair" elections IRIN 21 Aug 2003 -- The United States has called on Rwanda to hold free and fair presidential and legislative elections in the wake of growing animosity between the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) and opposition candidates.
  • ZIMBABWE: Think-tanks finds talks key to peaceful change IRIN 21 Aug 2003 -- In a special report on the Zimbabwean crisis, the United States Institute of Peace said the best means of ensuring a peaceful political transition was a combination of increased international and domestic pressure on the government.



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