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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• OIF/OEF/OND Casualty Update 05 Jan 2015 [PDF]
• Combined Joint Task Force Continues Airstrikes Against ISIL AFPS 05 Jan 2015 -- U.S. and partner-nation military forces continued to attack Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in Syria and Iraq, Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve officials reported today.
• U.S. Military Begins Training Iraqi Forces to Take on ISIL AFPS 05 Jan 2015 -- The United States has begun training Iraqi army recruits, a central part of the strategy by the U.S.-led coalition that is working with the Iraqi government to retake territory and ultimately defeat Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant terrorists in the country.
• US might need to 're-examine' withdrawal deadline: Ghani Iran Press TV 05 Jan 2015 -- Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani says the deadline for the withdrawal of the remaining US-led foreign soldiers in the country by the end of 2016 might need to be re-examined.
• Kabul Blast Targets EU Vehicle, As Ghani Asks To 'Reexamine' Withdrawal RFE/RL 05 Jan 2015 -- A suicide car bomber has struck a European Union police vehicle in Kabul, killing one Afghan passerby. The European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL) said the blast occurred when the driver of a car packed with explosives targeted a mission vehicle near the group's headquarters in eastern Kabul on January 5.
• Afghan President Says US Should Reexamine Troop Withdrawal Deadline Sputnik 05 Jan 2015 -- The existing timetable of the US troops' withdrawal from Afghanistan should be reexamined, Ashraf Ghani, the country's president, told CBS.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US Wants Permanent Troops Deployment at Military Base in Spain: Reports Sputnik 05 Jan 2015 -- The United States has asked Spain to grant permanent status for the deployment of US troops at the joint-use Morón Air Base in Spanish Andalusia, El Pais said Monday, citing a letter from US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel.
• Mission Ready: New Crisis Response Marines continue operations in Africa, Europe USMC News 05 Jan 2015 -- A five-day certification exercise for more than a thousand new Marines and sailors deploying during January and February in support of crisis and contingency response in the European and Africa Commands' areas of responsibility concluded on Dec. 18, 2014.
• End of 2014 marks handover with NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission NATO 05 Jan 2015 -- RAMSTEIN, Germany – As 2014 drew to a close, so did the 36th rotation of the NATO Baltic Air Policing (BAP) mission. In a ceremony held at Šiauliai Air Base, Lithuania, on 31 December 2014, the Portuguese Air Force handed over the responsibility of Baltic Air Policing to the Italian Air Force.
• Tehran Warns NATO Against Flying Planes Over Iranian Airspace: Commander Sputnik 05 Jan 2015 -- An Iranian Air Defense commander on Monday warned NATO against flying planes within the country's airspace following recent claims identifying an aircraft from the military alliance.
• Iran Reveals World's First Missile-Escaping 'Suicide' Drone Sputnik 05 Jan 2015 -- An Iranian engineer has designed the first drone that can dodge missiles and detonate itself in hostile conditions, Fars News Agency reports.
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Josh Earnest The White House 05 Jan 2015
• January 5, 2015 - U.S. Department of State Daily Press Briefing US Dept. of State 05 Jan 2015

Defense Industry

• DoD News: Contracts for January 05, 2015

Other Conflicts

• 5 January 2015 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 05 Jan 2015
• Suicide Bomber Kills 3 Saudi Border Guards VOA 05 Jan 2015 -- Saudi officials said a suicide bomber killed two border guards and their commanding officer in an attack near the Iraqi border.
• Rafsanjani warns of civil war in Iraq IRNA 05 Jan 2015 -- Chairman of the Expediency Council Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said on Monday that the Shia and Sunni dignitaries should be watchful of civil war in Iraq.
• Syria Rights Group: Kurds Claim Gains in Kobani VOA 05 Jan 2015 -- Syrian Kurdish fighters in Kobani told a monitoring group they have made further gains against Islamic State militants and now control 80 percent of the city.
• Turkey, US to sign deal on training Syrian militants Iran Press TV 05 Jan 2015 -- Turkey and the United States are taking the final steps to finalize an agreement to equip and train militants fighting against the Syrian government.
• Kurdish fighters recapture 80% of Syria's Kobani, new report says Iran Press TV 05 Jan 2015 -- Kurdish fighters battling the ISIL Takfiri terrorists in the Syrian border town of Kobani now control 80 percent of the town, says the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
• Moscow enemy of Syria opposition: SNC chief Iran Press TV 05 Jan 2015 -- Head of the so-called Syrian National Coalition says Russia is an enemy of Syrian opposition over Moscow's decision not to invite the foreign-sponsored group to the forthcoming peace talks between the Syrian government and the opposition later this month.
• Libya rejects Western military intervention in North African country Iran Press TV 05 Jan 2015 -- A high-ranking Libyan official says the country's internationally recognized government denounces any Western military intervention in the North African country.
• UN-brokered Libya peace talks delayed Iran Press TV 05 Jan 2015 -- A new round of negotiations brokered by the United Nations (UN) and aimed at easing tensions between different warring sides in the North African country of Libya has been delayed.
• Libyan Air Force Strikes 'Suspicious' Oil Tanker Killing Two on Board Sputnik 05 Jan 2015 -- Libya's air force, loyal to the internationally recognized government of Abdullah al-Thani, launched airstrikes at a 'suspicious' oil tanker at the port of Derna, controlled by Islamists, AFP reports.
• Hollande: France Will Not Intervene in Libya Sputnik 05 Jan 2015 -- On Monday, French President Francois Hollande ruled out France's unilateral intervention in Libya, calling for the international community to make every effort to resolve the crisis situation in the country.
• Arab League Calls for Action, Dialogue in Libya VOA 05 Jan 2015 -- The Arab League is calling for both 'action' and 'dialogue' to prevent the chaotic situation in Libya from getting worse. Libya's representative to the League urged the world to help arm the Libyan Army, while the country's parliament speaker called for help in protecting the country's oil infrastructure.
• Prospects For January 15 Ukraine Summit In Doubt RFE/RL 05 Jan 2015 -- France, Germany, and Kyiv have cast doubt on whether a four-way summit on Ukraine will be held next week in Kazakhstan's capital.
• Hollande: Moscow Respects Kiev's Sovereignty, Concerned Over NATO Membership Sputnik 05 Jan 2015 -- Moscow has no plans to invade eastern Ukraine but would not like to see Kiev join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), French President Francois Hollande said on Monday.
• France: Russia sanctions must stop if Ukraine peace talks progress Iran Press TV 05 Jan 2015 -- French President Francois Hollande has called for sanctions against Russia to be stopped if there is progress in ending the crisis across eastern Ukraine.
• Anti-Russia Sanctions to Be Lifted if Progress on Ukraine Reached: Hollande Sputnik 05 Jan 2015 -- France's President Francois Hollande said Monday he expects further progress at the negotiations on the situation in Ukraine that will take place in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, on January 15.
• France Calls for Lifting Russia Sanctions if Progress on Ukraine VOA 05 Jan 2015 -- French President Francois Hollande is calling for sanctions on Russia to be lifted if there is progress in Ukraine.
• With no rebel surrender, UN mission in DR Congo readies military operations UN News Centre 05 Jan 2015 -- With the deadline for the unconditional surrender of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) having passed on 2 January, and no significant additional surrenders of FDLR combatants registered since June, the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) is working to address the situation, a UN spokesperson said today.
• UN, Congo Prepare Offensive Against FDLR Rebels VOA 05 Jan 2015 -- The United Nations says preparations are underway for an offensive against Rwandan rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
• India Says Pakistan Lacks 'Sustained Commitment' to Combat Terrorism Sputnik 05 Jan 2015 -- Despite a decision by the US government to send aid to Pakistan, India does not believe that Pakistan is doing enough to fight terrorist groups, Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said Monday.
• The economics at the heart of Israeli settlements IRIN 05 Jan 2015 -- Of all the hurdles to peace negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian leaders, perhaps the largest is the 150 or so Israeli settlements in the West Bank. These communities, considered illegal by the UN, are fracturing Israel's relationship even with its allies: The pro-Israeli head of the UK parliament's foreign affairs committee this year declared that a decision to develop a new settlement "outraged me more than anything else in my political life".
• Unidentified gunmen attack army base in eastern Mali, kill 5 Iran Press TV 05 Jan 2015 -- Unidentified gunmen in Mali have killed at least five people in an attack on an army base in Nampala City near the Mauritanian border.
• Boko Haram Overruns Nigerian Military Base VOA 05 Jan 2015 -- Boko Haram fighters have overpowered Nigerian soldiers at a military base in the far northeastern town of Baga, forcing residents and soldiers to flee. The military has not issued a statement about Saturday's attack, but sources told VOA the Islamist insurgents have full control of the town.

News Reports

• Kremlin Foe Navalny Says He Will Not Observe House Arrest RFE/RL 05 Jan 2015 -- Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny says he will no longer observe the terms of his house arrest and has cut off the ankle bracelet used by the authorities to monitor his movements.
• China calls for caution following new U.S. sanctions on DPRK People's Daily 05 Jan 2015 -- A Chinese spokeswoman called for caution after the United States imposed new sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
• China, S Korea Reaffirm Tough Stance Toward N Korean Nuclear Weapon Program Sputnik 05 Jan 2015 -- China and South Korea have reaffirmed their zero tolerance position towards North Korea's nuclear weapon program and agreed to enhance cooperation to maintain peace in the region, South's foreign ministry said Monday.
• Japan Doesn't Know What to Do With Waste From Fukushima Nuclear Accident Sputnik 05 Jan 2015 -- It remains unclear where much of the radioactive material recovered following the 2011 nuclear accident at Fukushima will be stored, as municipalities across Japan have voiced heavy opposition to the building of permanent repositories on their territories, The Japan Times reports.
• Turkish MPs Clear Ex-Ministers of Corruption VOA 05 Jan 2015 -- A Turkish parliamentary committee has cleared four former ministers of corruption charges. The investigation followed controversial police probes into the allegations, which the government and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan described as a coup attempt by police.
• Turkey Detains 22 Police Officers Suspected of Illegal Spying Sputnik 05 Jan 2015 -- 22 police officers, suspected of illegally wiretapping politicians, officials and businessmen, were arrested in Turkey, Reuters reports, citing Turkey's privately owned Dogan
  News Agency.
• China urges U.S. to be cautious on Taiwan-related issues People's Daily 05 Jan 2015 -- The United States should be cautious how it approaches Taiwan-related issues, China's Foreign Ministry warned after Taiwan's ' Economic and Cultural Representative Office' in Washington held a 'flag-raising' ceremony on Jan. 1.
• Al-Qaeda Insurgents Studying US Military Tactics to Escape Drone Attacks Sputnik 05 Jan 2015 -- Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has produced a video, demonstrating how to avoid detection by US Predator drones. The insurgents are studying American military tactics and developing measures to counter them.
• Sri Lanka's President Faces Tough Election VOA 05 Jan 2015 -- Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa, seeking a third term in Thursday's elections, is facing an unexpected and powerful challenge from one of his former aides.