Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Chairman Optimistic That Afghan Forces Ready by 2014 AFPS 12 Feb 2012 -- A quick trip to Afghanistan encouraged the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff that the Afghan National Security Forces will be ready by 2014 to take the combat lead.
• Four Tajik Citizens Killed In Afghanistan Crash RFE/RL 12 Feb 2012 -- three men and one woman -- A transport helicopter has crashed in southern Afghanistan, killing all four people onboard.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Pacific Fleet’s Task Force Returns after Anti-Piracy Mission RIA Novosti 12 Feb 2012 -- Russian Pacific Fleet's task force led by the Admiral Panteleyev destroyer arrives in the Far Eastern port of Vladivostok.
• Azerbaijani Aviation Engineer Seeks Niche In Civilian Drone Market RFE/RL 12 Feb 2012 -- Droidair is one of a growing number of drone aircraft manufacturers seeking a share of a global market.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Arab League Calls for UN Peacekeepers in Syria VOA 12 Feb 2012 -- The Arab League has agreed to open contacts with the Syrian opposition and ask the U.N. Security Council to form a joint peacekeeping force.
• Arab League Seeks Joint Arab-UN Peacekeeping Mission In Syria RFE/RL 12 Feb 2012 -- The Arab League is calling for a joint Arab-UN peacekeeping mission to end the 11-month-old conflict in Syria.
• Arab World Wants New Mission to Syria RIA Novosti 12 Feb 2012 -- The League of Arab States is currently considering a proposal to send a new mission to conflict-torn Syria including U.N. monitors.
• Al-Qaida Leader Voices Support for Syrian Uprising VOA 12 Feb 2012 -- Al-Qaida's leader has voiced support for the Syrian uprising against President Bashar al-Assad and called on Muslims from neighboring countries to come to the aid of Syrian anti-government rebels.
• Homs: Syria's Epicenter Of Revolution, Reprisal RFE/RL 12 Feb 2012 -- The bombardment of the city of Homs by Syrian forces, an offensive that has killed hundreds, is a key part of President Bashar al-Assad's attempt to crush an 11-month-old insurgency.
• Patriarch of Antioch: Syrian Unrests Instigated by Foreigners RIA Novosti 12 Feb 2012 -- Ongoing Syrian unrests are being instigated by foreigners, The Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, His Holiness Moran Mor Ignatius Zakka said.
• Turkish Warplanes Strike Suspected PKK Targets In Northern Iraq RFE/RL 12 Feb 2012 -- Turkey's military says warplanes have bombed suspected Kurdish rebel targets in northern Iraq.
• Peru Guerilla Leader Shot, Captured VOA 12 Feb 2012 -- Peru's president says an alleged leader of the Shining Path rebel group has been captured deep in the Peruvian jungle.

News Reports

• Iran is ready to talk with 5+1 Group: Khazaee IRNA 12 Feb 2012 -- Islamic Republic of Iran's ambassador to UN, Mohammad Khazaee said that the Iranian government is ready to hold serious talks with the 5+1 Group.
• Tibetan Nun Dies From Self-Immolation in China VOA 12 Feb 2012 -- An 18-year-old Tibetan Buddhist nun is reported to have died after setting herself on fire in China's southwestern Sichuan province.
• Tibetan Nun Sets Herself On Fire RFE/RL 12 Feb 2012 -- An 18-year-old Buddhist nun has reportedly committed self-immolation in western China.
• Commonwealth to Probe Government Change in Maldives VOA 12 Feb 2012 -- The Commonwealth said Sunday it is sending a team to the Maldives to investigate the sudden transfer of power in the Indian Ocean archipelago.
• Maldives President expands cabinet: Report IRNA 12 Feb 2012 -- Maldives' new President Mohamed Waheed Hassan Sunday inducted seven members into his expanded cabinet, including the country's first woman Attorney General and an aide of former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, as he tries to cement his position as the head of a 'unity government'.
• Senegal Youth Mobilizes Before Elections VOA 12 Feb 2012 -- A non-partisan youth movement has kicked off a weekend-long protest in Dakar, as many presidential candidates campaign throughout Senegal, including 85-year-old incumbent Abdoulaye Wade.
• Libya Asks Niger To Extradite Qaddafi's Son RFE/RL 12 Feb 2012 -- Libya is demanding Niger hand over Saadi Qaddafi, one of the sons of former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi.
• Turkmen Cast Votes For President, But Outcome Largely A Foregone Conclusion RFE/RL 12 Feb 2012 -- Election officials in the Central Asian state of Turkmenistan recorded a near-unanimous turnout in the country's presidential election on February 12.
• Primer: Turkmenistan's Presidential Election RFE/RL 12 Feb 2012 -- Turkmenistan is holding a presidential election on February 12. What do inquiring minds need to know?
• Turkmenistan Holds Presidential Election VOA 12 Feb 2012 -- Voters cast ballots Sunday in Turkmenistan, where President Gurbanguli Berdymukhamedov is expected to be re-elected.
• Turkmenistan Polls Open to Elect President RIA Novosti 12 Feb 2012 -- Polls opened in Turkmenistan on Sunday in a presidential election, in which incumbent President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov is seen as the most likely candidate to win another term.
• Venezuela Chooses Chavez Challenger VOA 12 Feb 2012 -- Venezuela's opposition parties are holding a primary Sunday to choose a single candidate to run against President Hugo Chavez in the October presidential elections.
• DRC: Senior Kabila Advisor Dies in Plane Crash VOA 12 Feb 2012 -- A plane crash in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has killed three people, including a close adviser to President Joseph Kabila.