Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
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News Reports

Current Operations

• 'Best Shot At Peace': Explaining The Finer Points Of The U.S.-Taliban Deal RFE/RL 21 Feb 2020 -- The United States and the Taliban are on the verge of signing a historic deal that could pave the way to ending America's longest-ever war.
• U.S.-Taliban Deal Signing Expected Next Week, If Reduction In Violence Is Successful RFE/RL 21 Feb 2020 -- A deal between the United States and the Taliban is expected to be signed on February 29 provided a "reduction in violence'" due to enter into force at midnight proves successful, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on February 21.
• Next Steps Toward a U.S. Agreement with the Taliban US Dept. of State 21 Feb 2020 -- The United States and the Taliban have been engaged in extensive talks to facilitate a political settlement to end the war in Afghanistan, reduce United States and Allied Forces presence, and ensure that no terrorist group ever uses Afghan soil to threaten the United States or our allies.
• Pompeo: US prepares to sign troop withdrawal deal with Taliban on February 29 Press TV 21 Feb 2020 -- The United States and the Afghan Taliban militant group have agreed to sign a peace deal at the end of February aimed at ending America's longest war.
• US, Taliban Set to Sign Deal VOA 21 Feb 2020 -- In simultaneously issued statements, U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo and the Taliban announced Friday that a deal between the U.S. and the Taliban will be signed February 29, paving the way toward ending the longest American war in history.
• Statement by the NATO Secretary General on Afghanistan NATO 21 Feb 2020 -- Press Release (2020) 024
  Issued on 21 Feb. 2020
  

Defense Policy / Programs

• USS Colorado Returns Home NNS 21 Feb 2020 -- The Virginia-class fast-attack submarine USS Colorado (SSN 788) returned from its maiden deployment to its homeport at Naval Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut, Feb. 20.
• Iraq's anti-terror PMU appoints Abu Fadak al-Mohammedawi as al-Muhandis successor Press TV 21 Feb 2020 -- Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) has appointed Abu Fadak al-Mohammedawi as the new deputy commander of Hashd al-Shaabi following the martyrdom of his predecessor Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, who was killed in a US drone attack last month.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• The Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen: Royal Saudi Air Defense Intercepts and Destroys Ballistic Missiles Launched from (Sanaa) Toward the Kingdom SPA 21 Feb 2020 -- Statement by the Official Spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen COL Turki Al-Malki:
• Yemeni forces hit Aramco oil facilities in western Saudi Arabia: Military spokesman Press TV 21 Feb 2020 -- Yemeni armed forces have pounded facilities belonging to the state-run oil giant Saudi Aramco as well as strategic targets inside the kingdom's western province of Madinah, a high-ranking Yemeni military official says.
• UN chief appeals for end to Syria's 'man-made humanitarian nightmare' UN News 21 Feb 2020 -- In a tersely delivered statement on Friday, the UN Secretary-General appealed for an end to the "man-made humanitarian nightmare" currently unfolding in Syria, where ongoing military operations in the north-west have displaced hundreds of thousands amid bitter winter temperatures.
• UN Chief Calls for Immediate Cease-Fire in Syria's Idlib VOA 21 Feb 2020 -- U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Friday for an immediate cease-fire in Syria's northwestern region of Idlib to end a humanitarian crisis "and avoid an uncontrollable escalation" in the area.
• Russia says Turkey sends large amounts of ammo to Syria's Idlib ahead of large-scale op Press TV 21 Feb 2020 -- Russia says Turkey has sent large amounts of ammunition and armored vehicles into Syria's Idlib province, apparently in preparation for its anticipated large-scale operation in the Arab country.
• Kremlin Scrambles to Avoid Open Conflict With Turkey VOA 21 Feb 2020 -- The Kremlin was scrambling Friday to reach a stopgap agreement with Ankara to halt fighting in northwest Syria amid growing fears that Russia and Turkey are on the brink of open warfare.
• Russia-backed Syrian troops repel attacks of Turkey-supported militants: Russian military People's Daily 21 Feb 2020 -- Syrian government troops covered by Russian warplanes on Thursday repelled several massive attacks of militants supported by Turkey in Syria's Idlib, according to the Russian military.
• Turkey confirms presence of allied Syria mercenaries in Libya Press TV 21 Feb 2020 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has confirmed for the first time the presence of pro-Turkish Syrian militants in Libya.
• Haftar says any ceasefire depends on Turkey's withdrawal from Libya Press TV 21 Feb 2020 -- Libya's self-styled commander Khalifa Haftar says he would be ready for a ceasefire, on condition that Turkish forces leave the country and Ankara stops providing the country's UN-recognized government with weapons.
• Myanmar Army Says it Will Try Soldiers Over Killings of Rohingya Civilians Radio Free Asia 21 Feb 2020 -- The Myanmar military announced Friday that it would investigate and open court-martial proceedings against soldiers accused of killing Rohingya Muslim civilians during a violent army-led crackdown in the country's Rakhine state in 2017, the third such case in a country facing international criticism for failing to hold troops accountable for widespread atrocities.
• Escalating Burkina Faso violence brings wider Sahel displacement emergency into focus UN News 21 Feb 2020 -- Deadly attacks on villages in Burkina Faso have forced 150,000 people to flee in just the last three weeks, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said on Friday, warning of a displacement emergency in the wider Sahel region.
• Cameroon: UN officials raise alarm over escalating violence, call for civilian protection UN News 21 Feb 2020 -- Four senior UN officials issued a joint statement on Friday deploring the continued human rights abuses committed against civilians, including women and children, in the south-west and north-west regions of Cameroon.
• Situation in central Mali 'deteriorating' as violence, impunity rise, UN rights expert warns UN News 21 Feb 2020 -- The growing violence has contributed to a deteriorating security situation in central Mali, with impunity being one of the aggravating factors, an independent UN human rights expert warned on Friday.
• Thousands Fleeing Escalating Violence in Africa's Sahel Region VOA 21 Feb 2020 -- The U.N. refugee agency says more than 700,000 people in Africa's Sahel region have fled attacks by militants and armed groups in the last 12 months, a 10-fold increase compared to January 2019.

News Reports

• US intelligence told lawmakers of Russian effort to boost Trump Press TV 21 Feb 2020 -- US intelligence officials claim that Russia is interfering in the 2020 presidential campaign by trying to boost President Donald Trump's reelection, a report says.
• Russia rejects claims of meddling in 2020 US election Press TV 21 Feb 2020 -- The Kremlin has rejected "paranoid" claims that Moscow is seeking to meddle in the 2020 presidential election in the United States.
• US intelligence told lawmakers of Russian effort to boost Trump Press TV 21 Feb 2020 -- US intelligence officials claim that Russia is interfering in the 2020 presidential campaign by trying to boost President Donald Trump's reelection, a report says.
• Trump Dismisses U.S. Intelligence Reports Warning Of Russian Help In His 2020 Relection Bid RFE/RL 21 Feb 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump has rejected reported assertions by U.S. intelligence officials that Russia was interfering in the 2020 presidential election in a bid to help his reelection campaign.
• Trump Cleaning House, Teasing New Leadership for Top Intel Agency VOA 21 Feb 2020 -- The White House will start with a clean slate as it works to reshape the leadership of the United States intelligence community, pushing the country's acting No. 2 official out just days after firing his boss.
• Trump's Acting Intelligence Appointee Doesn't Expect To Be Named For Permanent Post RFE/RL 21 Feb 2020 -- Richard Grenell, who was named U.S. President Donald Trump's acting director of intelligence, says he does not expect to be named to the post permanently.
• Bulgarian Prosecutors Identify Three Russians Suspected In 2015 Poisoning Case RFE/RL 21 Feb 2020 -- Prosecutors in Bulgaria have filed criminal charges against three Russian citizens in connection with the attempted poisoning in 2015 of arms dealer Emilian Gebrev.
• The Week In Russia: 'Not Telling' (Or How The Kremlin Holds Back Information) RFE/RL 21 Feb 2020 -- The architect of "managed democracy" is managed out, and President Vladimir Putin reveals almost zero about the motives for Vladislav Surkov's departure. Same goes for the dismissal of Dmitry Medvedev's cabinet, with Putin's telling remark about the timing of the move being, "Not telling."
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang's Daily Briefing Online on February 21, 2020 PRC MofA 21 Feb 2020
• Former vice governor in central China expelled from CPC, office People's Daily 21 Feb 2020 -- Xu Guang, former vice governor of central China's Henan Province, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and dismissed from public office over serious violations of Party discipline and laws, the top anti-graft body announced Friday.
• EU Seen Turning Tough Rhetoric Into Action on Abuses Against Muslim Uyghurs in China Radio Free Asia 21 Feb 2020 -- Rights groups rejoiced when the European Parliament passed a resolution in December strongly condemning the large-scale incarceration of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) in northwestern China, laying out a blueprint for action against Beijing should it not stop its harsh treatment of the Muslim minority group.
• Cyberthefts Help North Korea Offset Revenue Lost to Sanctions VOA 21 Feb 2020 -- North Korea made up nearly $2 billion of revenue it lost from sanctions by conducting cyberthefts from financial institutions and cryptocurrency exchanges, an expert said.
• Supreme Leader: Elections guarantee national interests IRNA 21 Feb 2020 -- Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei says election sustains national interests.
• Zarif briefs reporters on FATF meeting IRNA 21 Feb 2020 -- Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday briefed the reporters on an ongoing plenary meeting of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
• Iran slams FATF's politically-motivated move to place Iran on terrorism financing blacklist Press TV 21 Feb 2020 -- Iran says the move by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to place the country on its blacklist was a politically-motivated decision, emphasizing that the Islamic Republic can never be labeled with money laundering and financing of terrorism.
• Ballots Being Counted In Iranian Election Seen By U.S. As A 'Sham' RFE/RL 21 Feb 2020 -- Ballots are being counted in Iran's February 21 parliamentary elections in a polling certain to favor conservative candidates following the pre-vote disqualification of thousands of reformists or relative moderates.
• United States Commends FATF for Re-imposition of Countermeasures on Iran US Dept. of State 21 Feb 2020
• Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Calls for Countermeasures on Iran, Evaluates U.S. AML Framework, Releases Digital Identity Guidance US Treasury 21 Feb 2020 -- Today the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) concluded its 31st plenary meeting with a public statement calling for countermeasures on Iran. The FATF also released guidance on digital identity for customer identification and verification, and evaluated Treasury's Customer Due Diligence rule for compliance with the FATF standards.
• Global Terrorism Finance Watchdog Blacklists Iran, Grants Reprieve To Pakistan RFE/RL 21 Feb 2020 -- A global financial watchdog has blacklisted Iran for failing to take measures against money laundering and the financing of terrorist groups.
• Anti-Terror Agency Keeps Pakistan on 'Gray List' VOA 21 Feb 2020 -- A global agency leading the fight against the financing of terrorism and money laundering has kept Pakistan on its "gray list" of nations with inadequate mechanisms to curb funding sources to terrorist groups.
• Laos Plans to Build Sixth Large-Scale Mekong River Mainstream Dam Radio Free Asia 21 Feb 2020 -- A Thai hydropower company has plans to build what would be Laos' sixth large-scale Mekong river dam, the latest cog in Laos' ambitious plan to become the "battery of Southeast Asia."
• Lesotho Tense After Departing Prime Minister Leaves, Missing Court Date over Murder Charge VOA 21 Feb 2020 -- Tiny Lesotho's political problems are again threatening to overflow into neighboring South Africa, with Lesotho's outgoing prime minister crossing the border instead of appearing in a Maseru court Friday to be charged with the murder of his estranged wife, Lipolelo.
• Somali President Signs Historic Election Bill Into Law VOA 21 Feb 2020 -- Somalia's president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, has signed legislation that will allow ordinary Somalis to vote in parliamentary elections for the first time.