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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF Casualty Update 13 Aug 2004 [PDF]
• DoD Identifies Army Casualty

• MNF Operating Under Firm Instructions Concerning Operations in Najaf MNF-I/MNC-I 13 Aug 2004 -- Clearing operations by Iraqi Security Forces and Multi-National Forces today in Najaf continue to further isolate the militia and restore control of the city to the government and people of Najaf. Forces have not participated in actions at or near the Imam Ali and Kufa Mosques.
• ISF lead the way in raid on Muqtada Militia MNF-I/MNC-I 13 Aug 2004 -- Security Forces (ISF) , augmented by Marines of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, conducted a raid before dawn today on Muqtada Militia troops using a mosque in Kufa as a militant stronghold. The ISF, who entered and cleared the building of militia members, were supported by Marines who remained outside the mosque the entire time, and provided a security cordon around the building to prevent militants from reinforcing or escaping.
• IRAQ WRAP VOA 13 Aug 2004 -- Iraqi officials are negotiating with radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr to end nine days of bloodshed in the holy city of Najaf. A British journalist wounded and kidnapped by unidentified gunmen is released but an Egyptian hostage has been beheaded. Despite the violence, Iraq's interim government is going ahead with a national conference on Sunday to help sort out the country's political future.
• Military Cannot Confirm Radical Cleric Wounded in Najaf AFPS 13 Aug 2004 -- The multinational force in Iraq cannot confirm reports that radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr had been wounded during a week of intense fighting in Najaf, a spokesman said today in a written statement.
• Iraqi Militants Abduct British Reporter RFE/RL 13 Aug 2004 -- Reports say Iraqi militants have kidnapped a British journalist in the southern city of Al-Basrah and threaten to kill him if the U.S.-led assault on the holy Shi'a city of Al-Najaf is not stopped within 24 hours.
• Al-Sadr Injured In Al-Najaf Fighting RFE/RL 13 Aug 2004 -- A spokesman for Muqtada al-Sadr today said the Iraqi radical Shi'ite cleric has been injured during fighting with U.S. forces in the holy Shi'ite city of Al-Najaf.
• Iraqi Government Denies Reports Al-Sadr Wounded RFE/RL 13 Aug 2004 -- The Iraqi government is denying reports that radical Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was injured today during fighting with U.S. forces in the holy city of Al-Najaf.
• Sensitivity Grows Over Confrontations in Iraq's Al-Najaf RFE/RL 13 Aug 2004 -- The situation in the Iraqi holy city is growing continually more sensitive as U.S. and Iraqi forces battle fighters loyal to Shi'a cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Shi'ites revere Al-Najaf and the mosque as holy sites and the fighting has set off protests in other Iraqi cities and has drawn criticism from Muslim leaders in other countries.

• Afghanistan: U.S.-Led Coalition Reports Success From Former Taliban Heartland RFE/RL 13 Aug 2004 -- Commanders of an outpost of U.S. Marines operating in Afghanistan's southeastern provinces of Khost, Paktiya, Lowgar, and Nangarhar say they have successfully contained the threat posed by Taliban insurgents. Most attacks in this former Taliban heartland originate from behind the Pakistani border from Pashtun areas there. Although threats are expected to escalate in the run-up to the 9 October elections, U.S. officials say much of their attention now goes to the reconstruction effort.
• Afghanistan: NATO's Top General Says Taliban Defeated RFE/RL 13 Aug 2004 -- NATO's top military official, General James Jones, was in Afghanistan this week (11-12 August). After a series of meetings in Kabul with other NATO officials and representatives of the Afghan government, Jones paid a lightning visit to Camp Salerno -- a U.S. base in southeastern Khost Province. There, he spoke to a small group of reporters who accompanied him on the trip.
• Roads Promote Stronger Infrastructure in Afghanistan AFPS 13 Aug 2004 -- Members of the Ghazni provincial reconstruction team and the local government are looking at long-term improvements to be made in their region, adding to the redevelopment taking place throughout Afghanistan.
• Afghan National Army Brings Security, Sets Example AFPS 13 Aug 2004 -- The Afghan National Army is more than just a security force for the nation; it is an example.
• Security aides Afghan voter registration Army News Service 13 Aug 2004 -- As the date for the Afghan presidential election draws closer, voter registration is making its final push in southern Afghanistan.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Transcript: Special Defense Department Briefing with Secretary of the Navy Gordon England on Combatant Status Review Tribunals 13 Aug 2004 -- Secretary of the Navy Gordon England
• GUANTANAMO DETAINEES VOA 13 Aug 2004 -- U.S. military hearings underway at a Naval detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have found that at least four people held there have correctly been classified as enemy combatants, meaning they could ultimately face terrorism related charges. Preliminary hearings for the first prosecutions in terrorism cases are set to open later this month.
• Status-Review Tribunals Under Way at Guantanamo AFPS 13 Aug 2004 -- Cases have been opened for about 150 detainees to appear before status-review tribunals at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
• Four Guantanamo Detainees Determined to be Enemy Combatants Washington File 13 Aug 2004 -- Four detainees at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, U.S. Navy base, who have had their cases reviewed by a special military panel, are properly classified as enemy combatants and will not be released, Navy Secretary Gordon England says.

• White House Daily Briefing, August 13 Washington File 13 Aug 2004 -- White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan briefed reporters on Air Force One the morning of August 13 as they accompanied President Bush on a trip to Portland, Oregon.

• Four Missing Air Crewmen Killed, Identified Navy Newsstand 13 Aug 2004 -- The four air crewmen killed in the crash of an S-3B Viking aircraft Aug. 10, operating from the San Diego-based aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) have been identified.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• DAILY PRESS BRIEFING BY THE OFFICE OF THE SPOKESMAN FOR THE SECRETARY-GENERAL United Nations 13 Aug 2004
• Israeli General: 'Israel Could Afford to Return Golan to Syria' VOA News 13 Aug 2004 -- Israel's army chief says that his country could give up the territory it holds in the Golan Heights in order to reach a peace agreement with Syria, without serious consequences for the Jewish state's ability to defend itself.
• SUDAN: Libya hosts informal talks with government and Darfur rebels IRIN 13 Aug 2004 -- Libya has hosted an informal round of consultations with representatives of the Sudanese government and the rebel movements in the western region of Darfur to ensure their attendance at formal negotiations which are due to begin in Nigeria on 23 August, a mediator in the peace process said on Friday.
• In meeting with UN, Sudan unveils steps and timetable for action in Darfur UN News Centre 13 Aug 2004 -- Sudan has presented the United Nations a set of measures to meet the Security Council timetable to improve the dire situation in the Darfur region, the focal point of fighting between rebels and Government forces leading to what some UN officials have described as the world's worst humanitarian crisis.
• NIGERIA/SUDAN TALKS VOA 13 Aug 2004 -- Nigeria says Sudan peace talks on Darfur, to be chaired by the African Union and Chad in Abuja, Nigeria, later this month, will go ahead as scheduled, despite reports from Sudanese rebel groups that they may not attend.
• Fresh Fighting Reported In South Ossetia RFE/RL 13 Aug 2004 -- Reports from Georgia say fighting resumed overnight in the separatist republic of South Ossetia.

News Reports

• SHAPE News Morning Update SHAPE 13 Aug 2004 -- Top UN official call Serb threats to boycott elections in Kosovo antidemocratic / U.S. defence chief thanks Azerbaijan president / U.S. increases military aid to Uzbekistan / Russia to boost defence spending next year / African states ready to send troops to Darfur
• SHAPE News Summary & Analysis SHAPE 13 Aug 2004 -- Athens set for Olympic opening / Editorial urges more action to combat Afghanistan drugs trade / France says peacekeepers may be needed in Darfur