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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Afghanistan calls in senior Pakistani diplomat over remarks by Prime Minister Khan Press TV 16 Mar 2019 -- Afghanistan has summoned a senior Pakistani diplomat over remarks by Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan, who speculated about a new government in Kabul.
• Zarif stresses peace, stability promotion in Afghanistan, pledges Iran's support for Afghans Press TV 16 Mar 2019 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says only the Afghan people should decide on their country's internal affairs, reaffirming Iran's support for its eastern neighbor in promoting peace.
• UN Manages Only Temporary Afghan Mission Rollover After U.S.-China Spat RFE/RL 16 Mar 2019 -- The United Nations Security Council has adopted a temporary six-month rollover of the UN mission in Afghanistan after a spat between the United States and China prevented a full resolution.
• UNSC to Extend Peacekeeping Mandate in Afghanistan Sputnik 16 Mar 2019 -- The UN Security Council unanimously agreed to extend the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) for a period of six months, French Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Anne Gueguen said.
• Pompeo Slams International Criminal Court, Threatens To Deny, Revoke U.S. Visas RFE/RL 16 Mar 2019 -- The United States will revoke or deny visas to any International Criminal Court (ICC) individuals investigating alleged war crimes by U.S. forces or allies, including in Afghanistan, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said.

Defense Policy / Programs

• US Navy Wants a 'Ghost Fleet' of Drone Warships – Report Sputnik 16 Mar 2019 -- The drones might serve as protection for carrier strike groups or as offensive vessels in their own right, Navy officials say.
• Trump Nominates Air Force General For Top NATO Post In Europe RFE/RL 16 Mar 2019 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has nominated the top U.S. Air Force general in Europe to serve as the next supreme allied commander in Europe and head the U.S. European Command.
• Russia Has No Plans to Deploy Missiles in European Part of Country - MFA Sputnik 16 Mar 2019 -- Earlier in the week, General Ben Hodges, former commander of United States Army Europe (USAREUR), suggested that after leaving the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), the US would increase the potential of its missile defence system in Europe without focusing on deploying its cruise missiles to the continent.
• PLA, armed police urged to study spirit of NPC session Global Times 16 Mar 2019 -- The People's Liberation Army (PLA) and armed police force have been urged to study the spirit of the second session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) and the spirit of the remarks made by President Xi Jinping during the session.
• Maduro Announces New Venezuela Military Drills After Week-Long Blackout Sputnik 16 Mar 2019 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced the start of the second stage of the country's large-scale military drills on Saturday, following a nearly week-long nationwide blackout.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Yemenis downed 19 Saudi Apache copters during war: Army spokesman Press TV 16 Mar 2019 -- Yemen's army says the country's air defense has managed to shoot down 19 Saudi Apache helicopters since the outbreak of the war in 2015.
• If you 'care' about Yemenis, back Saudi war: Pompeo to senators Press TV 16 Mar 2019 -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has rebuked senators for passing a resolution to end Washington's support for the Saudi war on Yemen, saying they should back Riyadh if they "truly care about Yemeni lives."
• Fresh US-led airstrikes kill many civilians in Syria's Dayr al-Zawr Press TV 16 Mar 2019 -- A large number of civilians, mostly women and children, have been killed after the US-led coalition purportedly fighting the terrorist Takfiri Daesh group conducted fresh airstrikes in eastern Syria.
• At Least 4 Killed, 36 Civilians Hurt as Mine Explodes in Deir ez-Zor - Reports Sputnik 16 Mar 2019 -- According to Syrian state-run news agency SANA, a mine planted by Daesh militants exploded Saturday in the Syrian eastern province of Deir ez-Zo province.
• 'Moral obligation and political imperative' to support Syria on path to peace: Guterres UN News 16 Mar 2019 -- Governments across the world have a "moral obligation" to help Syrians "unite around a vision for their common future", finally bringing an end to eight years of brutal conflict, said the UN Secretary-General on Friday.
• UNSC Extends Peacekeeping Mission in South Sudan - France Deputy Envoy Sputnik 16 Mar 2019 -- A resolution to extend for a year the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has been adopted, French Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Anne Gueguen said during a UN Security Council meeting.
• Israeli TV Says Hamas 'Accidentally' Fired Rockets at Tel Aviv, IDF Agrees Sputnik 16 Mar 2019 -- The launch of two rockets from the Gaza Strip prompted Israel to launch massive airstrike in retaliation Thursday evening. The Israel Defense Forces seems to agree with the assessment, while the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank doubts the Israeli TV report.
• UN: No Rights Progress in Eritrea After Peace Deal With Ethiopia VOA 16 Mar 2019 -- U.N. experts say Eritrea's human rights record has not changed for the better since the government signed a peace agreement with Ethiopia last year, formally ending a two decades-long border conflict. The U.N. Human Rights Council held an interactive dialogue on the current situation in Eritrea this week.

News Reports

• Venezuela's Maduro creates military unit to protect key services after massive blackout Press TV 16 Mar 2019 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says he has authorized the formation of a new military unit tasked with protecting the country's key infrastructure following the recent nationwide blackout.
• Maduro Vows 'Powerful Changes' in Govt, New Authority to Protect Infrastructure Sputnik 16 Mar 2019 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro promised Friday to carry out significant changes in the work of the government.
• Venezuelans Relocating in Brazil to Ease Pressure on Host Communities VOA 16 Mar 2019 -- More than 200,000 Venezuelans fleeing economic hardship, political oppression and human rights abuses have arrived in Brazil since 2017. Most of them are living in the northern part of the country, putting a strain on the local residents hosting them.
• Venezuela's Guaido Begins National Tour VOA 16 Mar 2019 -- Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido began a tour of his country Saturday in Valencia, part of his effort to oust embattled President Nicolas Maduro.
• US, Canada, EU announce new sanctions against Russia Press TV 16 Mar 2019 -- The US, the EU and Canada have imposed fresh sanctions against Moscow in a coordinated move as people in Crimea celebrated the fifth anniversary of reintegration to Russia following a referendum.
• Exclusive: Washington Autopsy Files Reveal Lesin Sustained Broken Bone In Neck RFE/RL 16 Mar 2019 -- Mikhail Lesin, the former Russian press minister who turned up dead in a Washington hotel room in 2015, sustained a fracture to a neck bone just below the jaw line "at or near the time" of his death, according to documents released by the city's medical examiner that provide new details about his final days.
• Russia Vows To Respond To Fresh EU Sanctions RFE/RL 16 Mar 2019 -- The Russian Foreign Ministry has announced Moscow will respond to fresh sanction action by the European Union.
• Russia's Deripaska Files Suit Against U.S. Sanctions, Claims Loss Of $7.5 Billion RFE/RL 16 Mar 2019 -- Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska has filed a lawsuit in a Washington court against the U.S. Treasury Department, alleging the sanctions against him are illegal and claiming they have cost him $7.5 billion.
• DPRK Attempting to 'Pressure the US Back to Negotiations' With Latest Threats Sputnik 16 Mar 2019 -- Simone Chun, a fellow at the Korea Policy Institute, told Radio Sputnik on Friday that North Korea's threat to suspend denuclearization talks with the US may be a response to unsuccessful talks between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
• Four new phases of South Pars ready to be launched IRNA 16 Mar 2019 -- Four new phases of the 13, 22, 23 and 24 South Pars will be officially commissioned on Sunday in a ceremony at the presence of President Hassan Rouhani.
• Iran exports from South Pars gas fields growing despite US bans IRNA 16 Mar 2019 -- Iran's export of gas condensate from South Pars Gas Field in the Persian Gulf region has witnessed 15 percent increase in January and February 2019 compared with similar period last year, a senior Iranian official in economic affairs said on Saturday.
• Iranian mechanism proportionate to INSTEX to be registered soon IRNA 16 Mar 2019 -- Governor of Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Abdolnasser Hemmati announced late on Friday that the mechanism proportionate to the channel introduced by the three European states will soon be registered in Tehran.
• Iranian mechanism of INSTEX to be registered soon ISNA 16 Mar 2019 -- Special Trade and Financial Instrument (STFI) designed as Iran's mechanism for Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX) is due to be registered soon in Tehran, Governor of Iran's Central Bank, Abdolnaser Hemmati announced.
• Iran to unveil 112 new nuclear achievements in April: AEOI Press TV 16 Mar 2019 -- The spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) says the Islamic Republic will unveil 112 new nuclear achievements in April.
• Suspect In New Zealand Mosque Shootings Officially Charged With Murder RFE/RL 16 Mar 2019 -- The 28-year-old Australian man suspected of carrying out mass shootings at two mosques in New Zealand has made his first court appearance, wearing handcuffs and a white prison suit as he waited to hear the charges against him.
• Christchurch Death Toll Rises to 50 VOA 16 Mar 2019 -- The death toll in a mass shooting at two New Zealand mosques on Friday has risen to 50 after emergency workers found another body at one of the crime scenes.
• FSB: India, Pakistan Mull Counter-Terrorism Cooperation Despite Tense Relations Sputnik 16 Mar 2019 -- The intelligence services of India and Pakistan are interested in cooperation in combating terrorism despite a recent escalation of tensions between the two countries, Sergei Smirnov, the first deputy director of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), said Friday.
• Government critic expected to win presidential election in Slovakia Press TV 16 Mar 2019 -- Slovakia may see its first female ceremonial head of state as the nation heads to the polls to elect a new president.
• Political Newcomer Vies To Become Slovakia's First Female President RFE/RL 16 Mar 2019 -- Zuzana Caputova, an anticorruption campaigner with no previous experience in public office, appears to be the leading contender as Slovaks go to the polls to elect their next president.
• Anticorruption Activist Caputova To Face Ruling Party Candidate in Slovakia Presidential Runoff RFE/RL 16 Mar 2019 -- Anticorruption activist and political newcomer Zuzana Caputova won the first round in Slovakia's presidential election and will now face second-place Maros Sefcovic, who is backed by the ruling Direction-Social Democracy (Smer-SD) party.
• Report: May Partner Insists on Role in Post-Brexit Trade Talks VOA 16 Mar 2019 -- The Northern Irish party that props up British Prime Minister Theresa May's minority government is demanding a seat at post-Brexit trade talks as its price for supporting her twice-defeated divorce deal, The Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported.
• Hundreds Gather At Far-Right Rally In Kyiv Amid Military Corruption Scandal RFE/RL 16 Mar 2019 -- Several hundred people have gathered in Kyiv at a protest organized by a far-right group to call for arrests of figures linked to an alleged military corruption scandal.
• Egypt court upholds verdict, places 169 Brotherhood convicts on terror list Press TV 16 Mar 2019 -- An Egyptian court has upheld an earlier verdict against 169 convicted members of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood movement and placed them on the country's terror list for the next five years.