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Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 20 Sep 2013 [PDF]
• 'Predictable and sustained' international support vital for Afghan transition – UN official UN News Centre 20 Sep 2013 -- "Predictable and sustained" international support for Afghanistan will be critical as the country proceeds with its transition, prepares to hold elections next year and international forces draw down by the end of 2014, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said today.
• Islamabad Sets Release Date For Senior Afghan Taliban Commander RFE/RL 20 Sep 2013 -- Pakistan has indicated that it will release its most senior Afghan Taliban detainee on September 21.
• ISAF Air Training Commander Describes ‘Delicate Balance’ AFPS 20 Sep 2013 -- The commander of NATO’s Air Training Command Afghanistan: Mission is ramping up in size and complexity and in the number of obstacles encountered.
• US drone strike claims seven lives in central Afghanistan PressTV 20 Sep 2013 -- A US-led terror drone strike has claimed the lives of at least seven people and injured some others in Afghanistan's central-eastern province of Maidan Wardak.
• National Guard preps to support drawdown in Afghanistan Army News 20 Sep 2013 -- National Guard Soldiers hailing from Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts recently completed a culminating training exercise in preparation for a nine-month deployment to Afghanistan to close or convert military sites for other uses by the Afghan Security Forces and local communities.
• Pakistani Cabinet Approves Changes In Antiterrorism Laws RFE/RL 20 Sep 2013 -- Pakistan's federal cabinet has approved sweeping changes to the country's antiterrorism laws.
• Pakistani leader says Taliban want release of 50 prisoners IRNA 20 Sep 2013 -- Pakistani Taliban has demanded release of 50 prisoners languishing in various prisons across the country.
• Pakistan raises drones issue at UN IRNA 20 Sep 2013 -- Pakistan has raised the issue of American drone strikes in its tribal regions at the United Nations Security Council.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Military Well Positioned a Year After Benghazi AFPS 20 Sep 2013 -- The U.S. response to the deadly attack on the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, a year ago would have been faster if military assets now in place had been forward postured.
• Military Flood Support Mission Shifts in Colorado AFPS 20 Sep 2013 -- Members of the Colorado National Guard, the Army's 4th Combat Aviation Brigade from Fort Carson, Colo., and the Wyoming National Guard are shifting their support of civil authorities in Colorado.
• Guard continues to assist flood victims in Colorado Army News 20 Sep 2013 -- More than 750 members of the Colorado National Guard continue to respond to flooding throughout the central Colorado area.
• Readout of Secretary Hagel's Office Call With Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud DoD 20 Sep 2013
• Hill welcomes F-35 workload AFNS 20 Sep 2013 -- Several hundred people gathered today in hangar 237 to witness the first F-35A Lightning II which arrived for depot level maintenance during a ceremony hosted by the Ogden Air Logistics Complex commander, Maj. Gen. H. Brent Baker Sr.
• MWSS-171 conducts motorized operations USMC News 20 Sep 2013 -- MWSS-171 took seven vehicles through the convoy simulation, evaluated by the coyotes of the Tactical Training Exercise Control Group. The service members practiced improvised explosive device detection, ambush reaction and casualty evacuation during the course.
• Exercise Tafakula 2013 tests security skills USMC News 20 Sep 2013 -- Platoons from Marine Rotational Force Darwin, the Tongan Defence Service and the French Foreign Legion searched car after car, looking for an "extremist" disguised as a service member during a vehicle checkpoint exercise as part of Exercise Tafakula 2013, in Tongatapu, Kingdom of Tonga, Sept. 10, 2013.
• USS Theodore Roosevelt Completes First Underway Replenishment in Four Years NNS 20 Sep 2013 -- USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) pulled alongside the supply ship USNS Kanawha (T-AO 196) Sept. 17 and conducted its first underway replenishment (UNREP) in more than four years.
• River Rattlers Train Aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt NNS 20 Sep 2013 -- The River Rattlers of Strike Fighter Attack Squadron (VFA) 204 from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base New Orleans, conducted at-sea flight operations for the first time in 10 years aboard USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) Sept. 16-20.
• NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support Hosts F-35 Organic Supply Chain Workshop NNS 20 Sep 2013 -- NAVSUP Weapon Systems Support (NAVSUP WSS) hosted the F-35 Organic Supply Chain Workshop 4 from Sept. 16 to 20 in Philadelphia.
• Ship Naming Ceremony Held in San Diego for Three Destroyers NNS 20 Sep 2013 -- A naming ceremony was held at Naval Base San Diego for the Arleigh-Burke class guided- missile destroyers USS John Finn (DDG 113), USS Ralph Johnson (DDG 114) and USS Rafael Peralta (DDG 115) Sept. 20.
• AWG Subterranean Risk Reduction Exercise prepares soldiers for NIE 14.1 Army News 20 Sep 2013 -- Members of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command's Asymmetric Warfare Group conducted a Risk Reductions Exercise in order to prepare soldiers from the Brigade Modernization Command for their upcoming participation in a subterranean assessment at the Network Integration Evaluation 14.1.
• 7th Civil Support Command Soldiers assess Humanitarian Assistance projects in Moldova Army News 20 Sep 2013 -- Soldiers from the 7th Civil Support Command, 21st Theater Sustainment Command deployed to this Eastern European nation Sept. 9 for assessments of U.S. European Command humanitarian assistance projects designed to improve the lives of the Moldovan people.
• Consequences for Russian Missile Crash Will Be Harsh – Official RIA Novosti 20 Sep 2013 -- The people responsible for the crash of a Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile at the start of September will be held accountable and possibly fired.
• Moskva Missile Cruiser Leads Russia’s Mediterranean Force RIA Novosti 20 Sep 2013 -- The Russian Black Sea Fleet’s Moskva warship has arrived to lead Russia’s naval task force in the Mediterranean Sea.
• Russia, Belarus Begin Strategic Biannual Exercises RIA Novosti 20 Sep 2013 -- About 12,000 Russian servicemen will take part in joint biannual military exercises of Russia and Belarus beginning on Friday.
• Third Astute submarine named Artful UK MOD 20 Sep 2013 -- The Royal Navy's third Astute Class attack submarine has been formally named.
• HMS Penzance heads to Mediterranean UK MOD 20 Sep 2013 -- Minehunter HMS Penzance has left the Clyde to take up the UK baton from HMS Ledbury on NATO duties in the Mediterranean.
• Iceland, a pragmatic approach to interoperability and cooperation NATO 20 Sep 2013 -- General Knud Bartels, Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, highlighted Iceland’s support to NATO Air Surveillance missions and recognized its important role in promoting coast guard coop.
• Press Gaggle by Principal Deputy Press Secretary Josh Earnest en route Kansas City, Missouri The White House 20 Sep 2013
• September 20, 2013 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 20 Sep 2013

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for September 20, 2013

Other Conflicts

• 20 September 2013 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 20 Sep 2013
• ICRC Faces Funding Crisis VOA 20 Sep 2013 -- The International Committee of the Red Cross faces a crisis in funding in some regions, particularly in some areas of Africa, Asia and South America.
• Kerry Calls On UN Security Council to Act on Syria VOA 20 Sep 2013 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has called on the United Nations Security Council to act in unison to ensure the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons.
• Kerry Urges UN Action On Syria RFE/RL 20 Sep 2013 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says the UN Security Council "must act" to make sure Syria implements a deal brokered by Russia and the United States on ridding Syria of its chemical weapons.
• Kerry Shoots Down Russia’s Syrian Chemical Attack Claims RIA Novosti 20 Sep 2013 -- US Secretary of State John Kerry issued a sharp rebuke to Russia over its assertion that Syrian rebels were most likely behind the Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack outside Damascus.
• Syrian Deputy PM Denies Government To Propose Cease-Fire RFE/RL 20 Sep 2013 -- The party of Syria's Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil has denied reports that he said the government would propose a cease-fire at planned peace talks.
• Syria to Propose Cease-fire at Peace Conference VOA 20 Sep 2013 -- Syria's government has said it will call for a cease-fire at a proposed United Nations-backed peace conference aimed at ending the country's civil war.
• Syria Submits Partial Chemical Weapons List VOA 20 Sep 2013 -- For two years, Russia gave increasingly crucial military and diplomatic support to Syria’s beleaguered President Bashar al-Assad as the Syrian civil war deepened.
• Al-Qaeda-linked militants, Free Syrian Army agree ceasefire in Azaz PressTV 20 Sep 2013 -- An al-Qaeda-linked militant group and the so-called Free Syrian Army have agreed on ceasefire in the northern Syrian town of Azaz after days of clashes.
• Hundreds of Russians Fighting as Mercenaries in Syria – FSB RIA Novosti 20 Sep 2013 -- Some 300 to 400 Russians are fighting in the Syrian civil war as soldiers of fortune.
• Ukraine Offers Help in Destruction of Syrian Chemical Weapons RIA Novosti 20 Sep 2013 -- Ukrainian experts and equipment could play a role in the destruction of Syrian chemical weapons.
• Thousands of Syrian children fleeing country alone, UN agency warns UN News Centre 20 Sep 2013 -- More than 4,000 Syrian children have crossed borders into neighbouring countries without parents or adult relatives, the United Nations children’s agency said.
• Gunmen kill 56 police, troops in southern Yemen: Military sources PressTV 20 Sep 2013 -- Fifty-six Yemeni police officers and troops have been killed in three militant attacks in southern Yemen.
• Death Toll in Nigerian Militant Attack Rises to 143 VOA 20 Sep 2013 -- Nigerian officials say the death toll from an attack by Islamist militants earlier this week has risen to 143.
• Central African Republic: UN agencies scaling-up aid amidst more displacement UN News Centre 20 Sep 2013 -- The United Nations food relief agency is reopening its offices in the northern parts of the country and using mobile teams to reach people in dire need of aid.
• Little respite for displaced in DRC’s Ituri District IRIN 20 Sep 2013 -- Over the course of three weeks, clashes between government forces and an armed group in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo displaced many civilians.
• Analysis: Failing to address the root causes of violence in Iraq IRIN 20 Sep 2013 -- In the northern Iraqi province of Kirkuk, a 58km trench is being dug around Kirkuk City.
• Deadly Explosions Hit Sunni Mosque In Iraq RFE/RL 20 Sep 2013 -- Twin explosions have reportedly struck inside a Sunni mosque in Samarra, killing at least 18 people.
• UN official dismayed at Israeli obstruction of humanitarian aid for Palestinians UN News Centre 20 Sep 2013 -- A senior United Nations relief official today expressed deep concern that Israeli forces prevented the provision of humanitarian assistance to a Palestinian community in urgent need in the occupied West Bank.
• Despite Crackdown, Sinai Security Remains Elusive VOA 20 Sep 2013 -- Egypt's military is in the midst of a massive crackdown on Islamist militants in Sinai, but results so far are mixed.
• U.S. Concerned With 'Borderization' Along Lines With Georgian Breakaway Regions RFE/RL 20 Sep 2013 -- The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi has expressed concern over "borderization" activities in Georgia.

News Reports

• US, Chinese Foreign Ministers Meet Ahead of UNGA VOA 20 Sep 2013 -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, met in Washington ahead of next week's opening of the United Nations General Assembly.
• Egypt Muslim Brotherhood calls for fresh nationwide demonstrations PressTV 20 Sep 2013 -- Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood has called for fresh protests across the North African country as an arrest warrant has been issued for a top cleric.
• Egypt Central Bank returns part of Qatari aid package PressTV 20 Sep 2013 -- Egypt’s Central Bank has returned two billion dollars in aid to Qatar despite the country’s economic woes; and turned down a request by Qatari airlines to increase flights between the two states.
• Bahraini forces fire teargas at anti-regime protesters near Manama PressTV 20 Sep 2013 -- Bahraini regime forces have fired teargas and rubber bullets to break up an anti-regime protest near the capital, Manama.
• World Reacts To Iranian President's No-Nuclear Pledge RFE/RL 20 Sep 2013 -- Comments by Iranian President Hassan Rohani that his government would never develop nuclear weapons have sparked world reaction.
• UN rights chief encourages Iranian Government to build on recent prisoner release UN News Centre 20 Sep 2013 -- The United Nations human rights chief has welcomed this week’s release of 12 political prisoners in Iran.
• Chinese Courts Put More Criminal Trials Online VOA 20 Sep 2013 -- Chinese courts are increasingly using social media to broadcast live updates from courtrooms in a move that analysts say is aimed at gaining public trust.
• Ethiopia Supports Campaign Against International Court VOA 20 Sep 2013 -- Ethiopia, which currently chairs the African Union, says it supports the push by Kenya for African countries to jointly withdraw from the International Criminal Court.
• Ivory Coast Rules Against Sending Former First Lady to ICC VOA 20 Sep 2013 -- Ivory Coast's government says it will not transfer former first lady Simone Gbagbo to the International Criminal Court to face charges of crimes against humanity.
• Thousands of Burmese remain homeless after communal clashes IRIN 20 Sep 2013 -- Close to 4,000 people in Meiktila remain displaced as residents mark the six-month anniversary of one of Myanmar's worst incidents of sectarian violence in decades.
• Sri Lanka’s north prepares for first post-conflict poll IRIN 20 Sep 2013 -- Calm has prevailed thus far as voters prepare for a provincial council poll on 21 September, the first to be held since a decades-long separatist conflict ended in Sri Lanka’s north.
• Interview: McCain On Russia, Putin, And His Pravda.ru Op-Ed RFE/RL 20 Sep 2013 -- U.S. Senator John McCain (Republican-Arizona) has defended an opinion piece he wrote this week that was critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin.