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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 10 Aug 2004 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty

• IRAQ WRAP VOA 10 Aug 2004 -- For a sixth day, U.S. forces, backed by U.S. warplanes, are battling militia loyal to the radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. The fighters refuse to leave the holy city of Najaf despite warnings they will be killed. The U.N. investigation into allegations of corruption in the oil-for-food program is seeking access to Iraqi records to check on possible illegal actions by U.N. staff.
• Najaf Cemetery No Enemy Sanctuary, Marine Commander Says AFPS 10 Aug 2004 -- Enemy forces using a Najaf cemetery as a base of operations violated an agreement that had made those grounds off limits for military operations.
• MARINES CONTINUE TO BATTLE WITH ANTI-IRAQI FORCES IN NAJAF CENTCOM 10 Aug 2004 -- Forces with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the Iraqi security forces continue to battle Anti-Iraqi Forces in Najaf today in an effort to rid the city of those who break the rules of law and order.
• Battle In Al-Najaf Raises Concerns Of Wider Shi'a Uprising RFE/RL 10 Aug 2004 -- Fighting continued for a sixth consecutive day today in the southern Iraqi city of Al-Najaf, where U.S. forces have battled militiamen loyal to radical Shi'a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The battle poses a dilemma for the interim government and is raising concerns about a wave of unrest spreading to other Shi'a cities in southern Iraq.
• Fighting Continues In Iraqi Holy City RFE/RL 10 Aug 2004 -- There are reports that fighting between U.S. forces and fighters loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are continuing today for the sixth consecutive day in the Iraqi holy city of Al-Najaf.
• ISF, 11th MEU continue the fight against Anti-Iraqi Forces Marine Corps News 10 Aug 2004 -- After more than five days of fighting in the ancient city of An Najaf between elements of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) and Iraqi security forces against members of the radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Muqtada Militia the battle still hasn't ended.
• Insurgency attacks delay Sadr City projects Army News Service 10 Aug 2004 -- Attacks on the city by the militiamen and insurgents have made it unsafe for local Iraqis to go to work or to travel around the city, contributing to the temporary loss of 15,000 jobs.
• U.S. Urges Iraqi Civilians To Flee Combat Zone RFE/RL 10 Aug 2004 -- U.S. troops have called on Iraqi civilians to evacuate the areas where they are fighting the militia loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in the Iraqi holy city of Al-Najaf.

• MAG-16, 1st Recon jump into combat history Marine Corps News 10 Aug 2004 -- Six recon pathfinders from 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, 1st Marine Division, recently jumped into the Iraqi night sky and into history from a Marine KC-130 Hercules cargo plane belonging to the joint Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadrons 234 and 352, Marine Aircraft Group 16, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing.

• 2ID brigade deploys from Korea for OIF Army News Service 10 Aug 2004 -- Units from the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division are now deploying to the Middle East from South Korea.

• 22nd MEU Afghanistan Recap: Operation PEGASUSMarine Corps News 10 Aug 2004 -- In an effort to protect the people of the town of Khas Oruzgan, a remote village in south-central Afghanistan that has long suffered at the hands of Taliban and ACM elements, the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) launched Operation PEGASUS on May 9, 2004.

Defense Policy / Programs

• NATO assistance to Olympic security starts with deployment of Multinational Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Task Force NATO/JFC Naples 10 Aug 2004 -- NATO's operational activities nicknamed Distinguished Games started with the deployment of initial elements of the Multinational Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear Task Force (MN CBRN TF).
• Engineers design a lighter AC-130 ammunition rack AFPN 10 Aug 2004 -- The AC-130H gunship's mighty arsenal has a new home that is lighter and more efficient for the low-flying hunter of the sky. And, its engineers and users said the modification is making a positive difference.

• Four Naval Aviators Missing NNS 10 Aug 2004 -- Four naval aviators were listed as missing after failing to return to the carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) on the evening of Aug. 10.

• White House Daily Briefing, August 10 Washington File 10 Aug 2004 -- President's schedule, Iraq/Moqtada al Sadr/Najaf, Bush nomination/Goss as CIA Director

Defense Industry

• New Joint Venture Created to Own AM General AM General 10 Aug 2004 -- Forbes Holdings Inc. and The Renco Group, Inc. today announced the formation and capitalization of a new venture that will own AM General LLC. AM General LLC is a world-leader in the design, engineering, production and technical and parts support of military and special purpose vehicles, including the HUMVEE® all-terrain military vehicle and its two commercial counterparts, the HUMMER® H1 and H2 sport utility vehicles.
• Northrop Grumman Awarded Contract to Develop Radar Upgrade Kit for U.S. Air Force F-16s Northrop Grumman 10 Aug 2004 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has received a two-year contract to develop a radar replacement "kit" that will improve performance and enhance reliability in approximately 280 U.S. Air Force F-16C and D fighter aircraft.
• CACI Receives Contract Extension for U.S. Army Interrogation Support in Iraq CACI 10 Aug 2004 -- CACI International Inc (NYSE:CAI) announced the award of a contract to extend its interrogation services to the U.S. Army in Iraq (interrogation services are an intelligence information gathering function and personnel interview activity).
• National Institutes of Health Award Northrop Grumman Biodefense and Public Health Database Contract Northrop Grumman 10 Aug 2004 -- Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE:NOC) has been awarded a five-year, $16.9 million contract by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to develop a database that will be used to centralize and integrate data for six pathogens that pose significant public health threats - and can potentially be used as bio-terrorism agents.

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 10 Aug 2004
• GREAT LAKES: Burundi summit postponed to September IRIN 10 Aug 2004 -- A regional summit to ratify a power-sharing agreement in Burundi that had been scheduled to take place this week in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, has been postponed to early September, a Ugandan official announced on Tuesday. Uganda is the current chair of the region's initiative on Burundi.
• LIBERIA: Rebels dig in at rubber plantation IRIN 10 Aug 2004 -- More than 1,000 former fighters of the LURD rebel movement are holed up in Liberia's second largest rubber plantation and are refusing to turn in their guns to UN peacekeepers, a member of Liberia's transitional parliament said on Tuesday.
• UN envoy calls on Israel to cease over-flights of Lebanon UN News Centre 10 Aug 2004 -- The senior United Nations envoy in southern Lebanon today called on Israel to end its numerous over-flights of Lebanese territory, calling them violations of the Blue Line marking the point of withdrawal between the two countries.
• Haiti: UN team plans to open routes to area controlled by rebels UN News Centre 10 Aug 2004 -- A United Nations team has visited Hinche, a now-isolated town northeast of the capital, to assess the security and humanitarian situations in an area controlled by discharged Haitian military forces along the border with the Dominican Republic, the country with which Haiti shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola.
• UN, Sudanese officials meet to prepare for next stage of action in Darfur UN News Centre 10 Aug 2004 -- Senior United Nations and Sudanese officials met today to prepare for the next stage in the plan for the Government of Sudan to act within 30 days to disarm militias responsible for deadly attacks in the troubled Darfur region, improve security for the 1.2 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) and alleviate the humanitarian crisis.
• Illegal land claims helped fuel clashes in DR of Congo - UN report UN News Centre 10 Aug 2004 -- The Ituri district in the northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is undergoing one of the world's worst and most ignored human rights crises, largely stemming from illegal land seizures which have led to ethnic strife, the deaths of 8,000 civilians and the displacement of another 600,000, a United Nations report says.
• SUDAN / FRIST VOA 10 Aug 2004 -- The highest ranking Republican in the U.S. Senate, Bill Frist, says he has no doubt that the campaign of violence by pro-government Arab militiamen against black civilians in western Sudan is genocide. As VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from our East Africa Bureau in Nairobi, the view of Senator Frist and the U.S. Congress, is at odds with the European Union's official assessment of the crisis in Darfur.
• PALESTINIANS / ARAFAT VOA 10 Aug 2004 -- A Palestinian Legislative Council investigation says the Palestinian Authority, and its president Yasser Arafat, are to blame for failure of the Palestinian security forces to restore law and order in the Gaza Strip. The committee also calls for the resignation of the Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia's government and that new general elections be held
• NEPAL BLOCKADE THREAT VOA 10 Aug 2004 -- In Nepal, the army has started a big offensive against Maoist rebels in the west of the country.
• Georgian Forces Clash With South Ossetian Separtists RFE/RL 10 Aug 2004 -- Georgian forces exchanged fire with South Ossetian separatists for several hours today near the breakaway region's capital, Tskhinvali.
• INDONESIA TIMOR VOA 10 Aug 2004 -- Indonesia has struck back at critics of a court decision to annul the sentences of four members of the security forces convicted of abuses during East Timor's vote for independence five years ago. But the Indonesians say they may be willing to look at new ways to close the bloody episode.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 10 Aug 2004 -- Afghan leader calls in U.S. commander after Afghan complaints, wins pledge of more careful approach / Russian Defence Minister says NATO has no access to nuclear weapons during exercises / Russia criticizes U.S. plan to modernize radar in Greenland / Georgia asks Russia to drop support for separatists / Tehran's demands on nuclear program stall Europe's initiative, Americans see their push strengthened for UN Security Council involvement
• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 10 Aug 2004 -- Olympic security viewed / Turnover of ISAF command to Eurocorps noted

• CAMBODIA / BURMA VOA 10 Aug 2004 -- Burma's prime minister has held talks with his Cambodian counterpart in Phnom Penh, trying to shore up support for Burma's attendance at a regional meeting with the European Union in October.