Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Taliban increases attacks on Afghan forces since signing US peace deal: Report Press TV 02 May 2020 -- The Taliban militant group has conducted more than 4,500 attacks in Afghanistan, marking a sharp rise in violence only in the 45 days since it signed a deal with the United States that paves the way for American troops to wind down their presence in the war-ravaged country, a report says.
• Afghan Authorities Release at Least 100 Taliban Members From Prison in Kabul - Reports Sputnik 02 May 2020 -- Afghan authorities have released at least 100 members of the Taliban movement from prison in Kabul, the TOLOnews reported on Saturday, citing a source.
• Three Civilians Killed in Bomb Blast Near Prison in Afghanistan's East - Governor's Office Sputnik 02 May 2020 -- Three civilians were killed and four others sustained injuries after a motorcycle bomb went off near a prison in Afghanistan's eastern province of Laghman on Saturday, the governor's spokesman said.

Defense Policy / Programs

• USNS Comfort Arrives Naval Station Norfolk Prepared for Future Tasking NNS 02 May 2020 -- The hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) returned to Naval Station Norfolk after supporting the Department of Defense (DOD) response efforts to New York and New Jersey during the coronavirus outbreak, May 2.
• Pacific Fleet Commander, Fleet Master Chief Visit USS Theodore Roosevelt NNS 02 May 2020 -- As COVID free Sailors move aboard to prepare the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) to go back to sea and execute their mission, the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet Commander and the Fleet Master Chief visited the crew to see the operation firsthand and thank the Sailors for their resilience and dedication in getting the "Big Stick" back in the fight.
• Russian Black Sea Fleet carries out drills in Mediterranean Sea Global Times 02 May 2020 -- Four ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet have conducted drills involving anti-mine reconnaissance and overcoming minefields in the Mediterranean Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement Friday.
• IRGC Navy warned US to leave drill area, will pursue them: Commander Press TV 02 May 2020 -- The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy chief has said a recent incident with US forces in the Persian Gulf happened as they entered a drill area despite despite having been warned in advance not to approach it.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Saudi-led airstrikes hit trucks carrying food, medicine in central Yemen Press TV 02 May 2020 -- A series of airstrikes by the Saudi-led military coalition have hit trucks carrying imported food and medicine in Yemen's central province of al-Bayda, as the Riyadh regime presses ahead with its devastating onslaught against the impoverished Arab country.
• Rival Saudi, UAE-backed militants engage in clashes in Yemen's Socotra Press TV 02 May 2020 -- Once-allied rival militants, backed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, have engaged in intense clashes in Yemen's strategic Socotra Island, exposing a deep rift in a Riyadh-led coalition.
• UN: 150,000 Yemen Flood Victims at Risk of Deadly Disease Outbreaks VOA 02 May 2020 -- The United Nations says torrential rains and flooding have affected nearly 150,000 people throughout Yemen, causing serious damage to vital infrastructure and exposing thousands to potentially life-threatening disease outbreaks.
• Syrian civilian shot dead by US military forces in Dayr al-Zawr: SANA Press TV 02 May 2020 -- US military forces have shot and killed a civilian in Syria's eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr, amid soaring resentment and protests against the deployment of the troops in the strategic region, which has forced the occupying soldiers to retreat on occasions.
• Syrian Forces Demine Almost 5 Acres of Land Over Past 24 Hours, Russian Military Says Sputnik 02 May 2020 -- Syrian military engineers have diffused 60 explosive devices over the past 24 hours, thereby demining 2 hectares (4.9 acres) of territory, the Russian Defence Ministry's Centre for Reconciliation of Opposing Sides said on Saturday.
• US using Daesh attacks as pretext to extend its Iraq presence: Asa'ib chief Press TV 02 May 2020 -- A senior commander of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Units says the recent Daesh attacks on PMU positions are part of a US plot to extend the American troops' presence in Iraq.
• Major resistance group warns about US plot to transfer Daesh terrorists into Iraq Press TV 02 May 2020 -- A major Iraqi resistance group has warned about a fiendish plot by the United States to transfer members and field commanders of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group from neighboring Syria to the Arab country.
• Daesh attack kills 10 Hashd al-Sha'abi forces in Iraq Press TV 02 May 2020 -- At least 10 Iraqi fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), also known as Hashd al-Sha'abi, have been killed in an attack by the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in Iraq's Salahuddin Province.
• IS Militants Kill 10 Iraqi Militiamen in Most Lethal Attack in Months VOA 02 May 2020 -- Ten Iraqi Shi'ite "Hushd" militiamen were killed early Saturday in an Islamic State (IS) attack on their positions in Salahuddin province. The attack comes as the country's prime minister-designate prepares to present his new government to parliament this coming week.
• Chief ICC prosecutor affirms Palestinian statehood, says court can probe Israeli crimes Press TV 02 May 2020 -- Chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Fatou Bensouda has reiterated her position affirming the statehood of Palestine, and granting the court's jurisdiction to probe Israeli war crimes against Palestinians.
• India Reports Two Pakistani Terrorists Dead After Clash in Northern Kashmir Sputnik 02 May 2020 -- The situation in the disputed region remains tense, with constant attacks on Indian forces and frequent clashes between the government and the militants that oppose New Delhi.

News Reports

• Turning A Newspaper Into 'Toilet Paper': Business Daily Caught Up In Putin's War On Journalism RFE/RL 02 May 2020 -- On April 23, the editorial staff of the business daily Vedomosti took the unusual step of publishing an editorial that accused the paper's own acting editor in chief, Andrei Shmarov, of undermining the values of professional journalism that underlie Vedomosti's reputation.
• Russian Ship Capable Of Completing Nord Stream 2 Approaches Danish Waters RFE/RL 02 May 2020 -- A Russian ship capable of laying pipe is approaching Danish waters, raising speculation it may seek to complete an $11 billion natural-gas pipeline whose construction was halted by U.S. sanctions last year.
• HKSAR gov't slams foreign politicians for their serious intervention in HK affairs Global Times 02 May 2020 -- China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region(HKSAR)government Friday refuted remarks by some foreign officials and politicians, saying that they were totally unfounded and amounted to a serious intervention in Hong Kong's affairs. The HKSAR government strongly disagreed with the grossly irresponsible remarks and expressed deep regret about them.
• Central govt's liaison office in HK condemns radicals for re-instigating dangerous unrest during May Day holiday Global Times 02 May 2020 -- The Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region on Saturday strongly condemned radical protesters for re-instigating violence while ignoring civilians' sufferings.
• 'What Are They Trying To Hide?' Uyghurs Ask of China's Media Curbs in Xinjiang Radio Free Asia 02 May 2020 -- China's tightening curbs on media and speech freedoms compound the hardships of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), where authorities stop at nothing to prevent reporting on the close to two million people who have disappeared into internment camps, Uyghur and press advocates said.
• China's Planned 'Year of Europe' Left in Tatters VOA 02 May 2020 -- China had designated 2020 as its "Year of Europe." The country's leaders had planned a series of diplomatic events and trade deals as part of a charm offensive to expand Chinese influence.
• U.S. launches online campaign urging Taiwan's inclusion in WHA CNA 02 May 2020 -- The United States State Department on Friday launched a "Tweet for Taiwan" campaign calling for Taiwan's inclusion in the World Health Assembly (WHA), drawing supportive responses from figures across the U.S. government.
• WHO internal power play key to Taiwan's WHA bid: observers CNA 02 May 2020 -- Despite open support from like-minded countries, especially the United States, whether Taiwan is invited to participate in this year's World Health Assembly (WHA) will depend on a power play within the World Health Organization (WHO), Taiwanese observers said.
• China firmly opposes US support for Taiwan's participation in UN Global Times 02 May 2020 -- The US UN mission has gravely interfered with China's internal affairs by openly supporting Taiwan's participation in the United Nations, said a spokesperson of the permanent mission of China to the UN.
• Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un Cuts Tape for Completion of Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Factory KCNA 02 May 2020 -- The Sunchon Phosphatic Fertilizer Factory has been built as a creation of our struggle to achieve prosperity by dint of self-reliance, another step forward in the grand march of all the people for opening up the new avenue of socialist construction true to the Party's grand plan while braving severe hardships facing the revolution.
• DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un cuts tape for factory completion People's Daily 02 May 2020 -- Kim Jong Un, top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony of a phosphatic fertilizer factory on Friday, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Saturday.
• Kim Jong-un Inspects a Fertiliser Plant After Weeks-Long Absence in a Video Released by State Media Sputnik 02 May 2020 -- Kim Jong-un's well-being has been a matter of speculation over the past several weeks as the North Korean leader has been conspicuously absent from public events which led to rumours that he was either ill or even dead.
• He's Back: Kim Jong Un Reappears – at Fertilizer Plant VOA 02 May 2020 -- After a wave of news reports suggesting he was gravely ill or even dead, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has appeared in public for the first time in 21 days.
• US claim to be participant to nuclear deal lacks legal grounds: Iran envoy Press TV 02 May 2020 -- Iran's permanent representative to Vienna-based international organizations says the US attempts to establish itself as a participant to a 2015 nuclear deal signed between Iran and major world powers "have no legal grounds" following its withdrawal from the landmark accord.
• US imposes new sanctions on Iran amid coronavirus crisis Press TV 02 May 2020 -- The United States has slapped new sanctions on Iran despite claims of its readiness to help the Islamic Republic in its fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
• US plan to say still a party to nuclear deal 'a joke': Iran's envoy to UN Press TV 02 May 2020 -- Iran's ambassador to the UN says US officials' calls for an extension of an arms embargo on Tehran lack legal standing in international law, noting that the request will be "certainly" turned down at the Security Council.
• Iran Threatens Extending Arms Embargo Will Endanger Regional Security Radio Farda 02 May 2020 -- President Hassan Rouhani's spokesman says Tehran will show a "hard reaction" to the extension of the arms embargo against Iran due to end in October.
• Iran Hardliner Lawmaker Attacks Rouhani For 'Wasting Public Money' Radio Farda 02 May 2020 -- An outspoken conservative legislator in Iran has lambasted the Islamic Republic government for wasting the national treasury by offering U.S. dollars to some companies at a preferential low rate in 2018.
• Kazakh President Dismisses Nazarbaev's Daughter As Speaker Of Parliament RFE/RL 02 May 2020 -- Darigha Nazarbaeva, the daughter of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev, has been dismissed from her post as speaker of the upper house of parliament.