Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Afghan president calls for lasting, national peace People's Daily 11 Aug 2019 -- Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on Sunday called for the end of war and the return of viable peace in his militancy-battered country.
• Afghan president: Our future cannot be decided outside Press TV 11 Aug 2019 -- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says he does not want outsiders to meddle in Afghanistan's internal affairs, as the United States attempts to negotiate a deal with the Taliban militant group.
• Afghanistan's Fate 'Can't Be Decided Outside,' President Says RFE/RL 11 Aug 2019 -- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has rejected foreign interference and called for the presidential election to be held next month as planned, amid talks between the United States and the Taliban aimed at bringing the nearly 18-year war in Afghanistan to an end.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Wingman drones become new trend for fighter jets Global Times 11 Aug 2019 -- With both the US and Russia announcing in the past week new progress in the development of drones that could accompany manned fighter jets in combat, Chinese experts said on Sunday that such wingman-style drones are a trend that China should not fall behind.
• DPRK top leader guides test-fire of another new weapon People's Daily 11 Aug 2019 -- Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), has guided the test-fire of another new weapon, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported Sunday.
• North Korea's Kim Personally Oversaw Saturday's Test of 'New Weapon' - Reports Sputnik 11 Aug 2019 -- North Korea's chairman Kim Jong-un personally oversaw the test-fire of a "new weapon" that took place on 10 August, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Sunday.
• Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un Guides Test-Fire of New Weapon KCNA 11 Aug 2019-- Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea, chairman of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and supreme commander of the armed forces of the DPRK, guided the test-fire of a new weapon on August 10.
• Turkey mulling purchase of Russian Su-35 jets: Turkish daily Press TV 11 Aug 2019 -- Turkey is reportedly considering the possible purchase of Russian Su-35 fighter jets after Washington suspended Ankara's membership in its F-35 program.
• Crash of Army Watchkeeper drone embarrasses UK MOD Press TV 11 Aug 2019 -- Reports that one of the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) flagship drones crashed after it "landed beyond its planned touchdown point" will do little to assuage concerns about British Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) programmes.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• ICRC: Laws of War Remain Relevant Today Despite New Challenges VOA 11 Aug 2019 -- As events marking the 70th anniversary of the 1949 Geneva Conventions get underway, the International Committee of the Red Cross says these four landmark treaties delineating the law of war are as relevant today as they were when they came into force August 12, 1949.
• Iran backs Yemeni-Yemeni peace talks, Stockholm agreement: Zarif Press TV 11 Aug 2019 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has expressed Tehran's support for intra-Yemeni peace talks meant to end more than four years of a bloody Riyadh-led war on the impoverished country.
• Infighting kills 40, wounds 260 in Yemen's Aden: UN Press TV 11 Aug 2019 -- The United Nations (UN) says at least 40 people have been killed and 260 others wounded in Yemen's southern port city of Aden during infighting between groups of militia receiving support from either Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
• Saudi-led coalition attacks Emirati-backed militia in Aden Press TV 11 Aug 2019 -- The Saudi-led coalition that has invaded Yemen has attacked a position of militia backed by coalition partner the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Aden, describing the site as "a threat."
• Yemeni Government Welcomes Coalition's Call for Ceasefire in Aden, Urgent Meeting in KSA SPA 11 Aug 2019 -- The Yemeni government has welcomed the call of the command of the Coalition for Support of Legitimacy in Yemen to all military components and formations of the so-called Transitional Council to withdraw from the positions seized during the past days, and not to damage public and private property.
• Eight Killed, 11 Injured in Saudi-Led Coalition Airstrikes in Northwestern Yemen - Reports Sputnik 11 Aug 2019 -- Eight civilians have died and 11 others sustained injuries in Saudi-led coalition strikes in northwestern Yemen, Houthi-controlled media reported on Sunday.
• South Yemen Separatists Start Withdrawal From Positions in Aden - Reports Sputnik 11 Aug 2019 -- Yemen's separatists from the Southern Transitional Council have started withdrawing from positions under their control in the city of Aden, Al Arabiya reported on Sunday, citing an Arab coalition source.
• Saudi-led Coalition Hits Key Zones that Pose Threat to Yemeni Government – State Media Sputnik 11 Aug 2019 -- The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen's civil war has attacked zones that pose a direct threat to vital positions belonging to the Yemeni government, Saudi state TV said on Sunday.
• Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen calls for an immediate ceasefire in Aden, and stresses it will use military force against those who violate it SPA 11 Aug 2019-- Colonel Turki Al Malki, the official spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, said that the Coalition's joint command is calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Yemeni interim capital, Aden, starting after midnight at 01:00 a.m. on 10/12/1440 H (Sunday 11th of August 2019) and stresses that it will use military force against anyone who violates it.
• South Yemen Separatists Agree to Commit to Ceasefire in Aden After Riyadh's Calls Sputnik 11 Aug 2019-- Yemen's separatist Southern Transitional Council agreed on Sunday to join a ceasefire in Aden, thereby responding to the Saudi-led coalition's calls for stopping hostilities.
• Syria's Raqqa Struggles to Recover, 2 Years After IS Ouster VOA 11 Aug 2019 -- Once considered the Islamic State's de facto capital, the Syrian city of Raqqa is slowly recovering, nearly two years after its liberation from the terror group.
• Syrian fighter jets strike militant positions in southern edge of Idlib Press TV 11 Aug 2019 -- Syrian fighter jets have carried out a string of airstrikes against the positions of foreign-sponsored Takfiri militants in the southern part of the country's northwestern province of Idlib.
• Syria recaptures strategic town in militant stronghold Press TV 11 Aug 2019 -- Syria's army and its allies have seized a strategic town in the northwestern province of Idlib, which contains the largest concentration of remaining militants in the Arab country.
• Militants Attacks Left 23 Syrian Servicemen Killed From August 10-11 Sputnik 11 Aug 2019 -- Militants attacked positions of the Syrian government troops on Saturday and Sunday, leaving 23 servicemen killed and seven more injured, the Russian Defence Ministry's Center for Syrian reconciliation said.
• Air Defences at Russia's Khmeimim Base in Syria Repel Suspected Drone Attack by Militants - State TV Sputnik 11 Aug 2019 -- Militants have regularly been trying to attack the Hmeymim base in Syria with drones. In July, Russian air defences at the base successfully countered a drone attack destroying the UAVs from a safe distance from the facility.
• Syrian Military Liberates Strategically Important Town in Idlib Province - Reports Sputnik 11 Aug 2019 -- Syrian troops have liberated the town of Hobait in Idlib Province in a strategic move that would allow them to gain access to one of the province's largest cities, Khan Shaykhun, al-Watan reported.
• Israeli siege has cost Gaza $70m a month in economic loss Press TV 11 Aug 2019 -- A Palestinian lawmaker says the economic loss imposed on the Gaza Strip by Israel's 14-year-old blockade of the Palestinian enclave is estimated to have been 70 million dollars a month.
• Joint Statement by the Governments of France, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States on the Truce in Libya US Dept. of State 11 Aug 2019 -- The following is the text of a joint statement by the governments of France, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
• Kyiv Protests Putin's Visit To Annexed Crimea RFE/RL 11 Aug 2019 -- The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has protested Russian President Vladimir Putin's latest visit to Ukraine's Crimea region, calling a it a "gross violation" of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
• Pakistan Cuts Last Public Transport Link With India Over Kashmir Dispute RFE/RL 11 Aug 2019 -- Pakistan says it has cut the last remaining public transport link with India -- a bus line linking Lahore with New Delhi -- as its anger mounts over a dispute with its nuclear rival over the divided Himalayan region of Kashmir.

News Reports

• Maduro Says US Denied Reception to Opposition After Latter Tried to Seek Sanctions Removal Sputnik 11 Aug 2019 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro told participants of the rally against the US economic blockade that the opposition, in talks with Caracas, had pledged to visit Washington to negotiate sanctions removal, but the United States refused to receive it.
• Maduro Sets Task of Boosting Venezuelan Oil Output to Inject More Funds in Social Sector Sputnik 11 Aug 2019-- Venezuelan authorities are determined to step up the nation's oil production to inject more funds in the social sector amid US sanctions, President Nicolas Maduro said, addressing the rally against the US economic blockade.
• Russian Reserves March Toward $600 Billion As Sanction Threats Loom, Fitch Says RFE/RL 11 Aug 2019 -- Russia will continue to build up its foreign currency and gold reserves to protect its economy as threats of more U.S. sanctions loom, a top financial firm said.
• Russia Accuses Google Of Promoting Protests Day After Largest Rally Since 2011 RFE/RL 11 Aug 2019 -- Russia has accused Google of promoting unauthorized rallies on its social-media platform a day after the largest protest against the Kremlin in nearly eight years.
• Press Statement by Director-General of DPRK Foreign Ministry KCNA 11 Aug 2019-- Kwon Jong Gun, Director-General of the Department of American Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, issued the following press statement on Sunday:
• Rouhani: US measures make regional problems more complicated Press TV 11 Aug 2019 -- Iran's President Hassan Rouhani says measures taken by some extra-regional countries, especially the United States, in the Persian Gulf region only serve to render the region's problems more complicated and make it appear less secure in the eyes of the world.
• Flaring to stop in major Iranian oil fields in 3 years Press TV 11 Aug 2019 -- An Iranian official has said that oil fields south of the country will stop wasting the flammable gas accompanying drilling operations in three years' time.
• Iran Vows to Reduce Dependence of Country's Budget on Oil to Zero - Official Sputnik 11 Aug 2019 -- New Iranian budget reforms are aimed at eliminating the country's dependence on oil revenues, head of the country's Plan and Budget Organization, Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, said on Sunday.
• Hong Kong Police Fire Tear Gas Amid Continuing Pro-Democracy Rallies VOA 11 Aug 2019 -- Hong Kong police fired tear gas at protesters Sunday who staged demonstrations in two locations in the territory – the Sham Shui Po area and a main shopping district in the Causeway Bay area.
• Hong Kong Hit by Another Weekend of Clashes, Tear Gas, Public Anger Radio Free Asia 11 Aug 2019 -- Hong Kong has been rocked by yet another weekend of tear gas, baton charges and angry protests amid a deepening confrontation between anti-extradition protesters and the city authorities.
• Illegal rallies hurt life in Hong Kong Global Times 11 Aug 2019 -- More and more Hongkongers urged police to strictly enforce the law and bring all violent rioters to justice after the city suffered another weekend of chaos and public transport disruption.
• China warns Britain to stay out of Hong Kong riots Press TV 11 Aug 2019 -- China has warned Britain to stay out of its internal affairs after British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab called for an independent investigation into the recent riots in its former colony Hong Kong.
• Hong Kong Protesters Throw Molotov Cocktails at Police – Reports Sputnik 11 Aug 2019 -- Protesters in the Chinese city of Hong Kong are attacking police officers with Molotov cocktails, leaving some policemen injured, local media reported on Sunday.
• Hunger Spreads in Central America as Erratic Weather Continues VOA 11 Aug 2019 -- U.N. agencies report more than two million people in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua are struggling to feed their families as crops fail for the fifth consecutive year due to erratic weather patterns.
• A truly global future awaits us after Brexit: article by Dominic Raab UK FCO 11 Aug 2019 -- Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, the Foreign Secretary outlines his vision for a truly global Britain.
• Sonia Gandhi Elected as Interim President of Indian National Congress Sputnik 11 Aug 2019 -- The executive committee of the opposition Indian National Congress – the Congress Working Committee – elected on Saturday Sonia Gandhi as the interim president of the party.