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Current Operations

• Top Police Officials Killed In Iraq RFE/RL 11 Dec 2004 -- At least three high-ranking Iraqi police officials were killed today as scattered violence was seen throughout the country.
• White House Says Addressing Equipment Concerns RFE/RL 11 Dec 2004 -- The White House says it is addressing concerns by U.S. troops about a lack of armor and other equipment necessary for Iraq.
• Army seeks boost in up-armored Humvee production Army News 11 Dec 2004 -- An additional 100 up-armored Humvees per month could soon be heading to Iraq, according to Army officials.
• Controlled Detonation of Weapons Cache Outside Ramadi MNF-I/MNC-I 11 Dec 2004 -- Soldiers of the 1st Marine Division of the I Marine Expeditionary Force conducted a controlled detonation of a large weapons cache in the Ramadi suburb of Sofia last evening.
• Insurgents Use Hospital as Base of Attack Against Soldiers MNF-I/MNC-I 11 Dec 2004 -- Soldiers from the 1st Marine Division of the I Marine Expeditionary Force were ambushed by insurgents operating in and near the Ar Ramadi General Hospital and Medical College on Dec. 10.
• Soldiers Detain Suspected IED Maker MNF-I/MNC-I 11 Dec 2004 -- 1st Infantry Division Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 7th Field Artillery Regiment detained a suspected improvised explosive device maker on Dec. 11 at about 5:40 a.m. near Bayji.
• 1st FSSG Marines provide supplies to those on frontlines USMC News 11 Dec 2004 -- While infantry Marines continue to rid Fallujah of insurgents, Marines with the 1st Force Service Support Group here are providing crucial, behind-the-scenes support to those on the frontlines.

• U.S. Military In New Offensive Against Taliban RFE/RL 11 Dec 2004 -- The U.S. military has begun a new operation in Afghanistan to hunt down Taliban militants in their winter hideouts.
• U.S. Supporting Afghan Counterdrug Efforts AFPS 11 Dec 2004 -- The United States is backing Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai's efforts to eradicate the production of narcotics in that country, a Combined Forces Command Afghanistan spokesman said today.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Drug War Experiences Help in War on Terror AFPS 11 Dec 2004 -- Experience gained combating drugs has come in handy in the global war on terrorism, said DoD's top counternarcotics official.
• 26th MEU rolls hardened vehicles into service USMC News 11 Dec 2004 -- The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit began installing armor to its vehicle inventory Dec. 7, as it continues to prepare for deployment in support of the Global War on Terrorism.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• RUSSIA / WAR ANNIVERSARY VOA 11 Dec 2004 -- Ten years ago today (Saturday), three armored columns, carrying thousands of Russian troops and weapons, roared into the southern region of Chechnya, attempting to crush a bid for independence. The first war in Chechnya ushered in a new era in post-Soviet Russia.
• Analysis: Look Back In Anger -- Ten Years Of War In Chechnya RFE/RL 11 Dec 2004 -- Analysis: Look Back In Anger -- Ten Years Of War In Chechnya

• Israeli Conflict No Obstacle to Middle East Reforms, Powell Says Washington File 11 Dec 2004 -- U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell says the countries of the Middle East and North Africa realize they must move ahead with political and economic reforms regardless of the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.
• MIDDLE EAST CONFERENCE VOA 11 Dec 2004 -- The United States says social, political and economic reforms in Muslim countries should not be deterred because of the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed the view after a meeting in Morocco to promote modernization in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.
• CONGO/FIGHTING VOA 11 Dec 2004 -- Rival units within Democratic Republic of Congo's supposedly unified national army have yet again clashed in eastern part of the country. Reports reaching the capital in Kinshasa suggested heavy fighting broke out on Saturday morning, but by late afternoon, the local based U.N. officials said that calm had returned to the volatile region, just south of the border town of Goma.
• SUDAN / TALKS VOA 11 Dec 2004 -- Peace talks for Sudan's Darfur region have resumed in Nigeria, but rebel delegates asked for several demands to be met immediately before they can continue. The talks come amid renewed fighting in the troubled region.

News Reports

• UKRAINE/OUTLOOK VOA 10 Dec 2004 -- The Ukrainian opposition is confident that Victor Yushchenko will be declared Ukraine's president after a second round of voting in the nation's contested presidential election. Mr. Yushchenko's chief of staff says such a victory on December 26th would further align Ukraine with the Europe and the West. But at a forum in Washington, Friday, some experts say Ukraine's future is more complicated than simply turning to Europe or to Russia.
• YUSCHENKO/POISONING VOA 11 Dec 2004 -- Doctors say tests prove conclusively that Victor Yuschenko's illness was caused by extremely high levels of dioxin found in the Ukrainian opposition leader's blood and tissue.
• Kuchma Pledges Peaceful Transfer Of Power RFE/RL 11 Dec 2004 -- Ukraine's outgoing President Leonid Kuchma today promised an orderly rerun of the presidential runoff on 26 December and a peaceful transfer of power.
• Yushchenko's Illness Caused By Dioxin Poisoning RFE/RL 11 Dec 2004 -- Doctors in Vienna said today that Ukrainian opposition leader and presidential candidate Viktor Yushchenko's mysterious illness was caused by dioxin poisoning.