Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Afghan fighting, roadside bomb kill 15 including 11 police in Badakhshan People's Daily 06 Jun 2020 -- At least 15 fighters including 11 local police personnel were confirmed dead as a clash erupted in Khash district of Afghanistan's northern Badakhshan province on Saturday, provincial police spokesman Sanahullah Rohani said.
• Pakistan Appoints New Special Envoy For Afghanistan RFE/RL 06 Jun 2020 -- Pakistan has appointed a new envoy to Afghanistan in a fresh bid to ease tense bilateral relations.
• At Least 11 Police Officers Killed in Roadside Blast in Northeastern Afghanistan - Reports Sputnik 06 Jun 2020 -- At least 11 police officers, including their commander, were killed in a roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan's northeastern province of Badakhshan, the TOLOnews broadcaster reported on Saturday, citing the provincial police spokesman, Sanaullah Rohani.
• Roadside Bomb Kills 11 Afghan Forces as US Envoy Renews Peace Diplomacy VOA 06 Jun 2020 -- Officials in Afghanistan said Saturday a roadside bomb explosion in the northeastern border province of Badakhshan has killed at least eleven police personnel.
• US, France Confirm Death of Key al-Qaida Emir in Africa VOA 06 Jun 2020 -- The United States says there is no doubt that the long-time leader of a key al-Qaida terror group affiliate in North Africa is dead.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Trump directs U.S. troops reduction in Germany: media People's Daily 06 Jun 2020 -- U.S. President Donald Trump directed the Pentagon to reduce U.S. military presence in Germany by September, U.S. media reported on Friday.
• US Media Says Air Force's New CLEAVER Cargo Plane-Launched Bomb is Potential Game-Changing Weapon Sputnik 06 Jun 2020 -- The US Air Force successfully tested a new pallet-based glide bomb last week, dropping it out of the back of an MC-130J Commando II cargo aircraft, ostensibly demonstrating that cargo planes can be used in place of traditional bombers to launch powerful missile and bomb attacks against enemies.
• China Would Lose 95% of Ballistic, Cruise Capability If It Signed US Nuclear Pact, Research Shows Sputnik 06 Jun 2020 -- In its justification for binning the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) last year, and its sluggish response to Russian proposals to renew the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the Trump administration has repeatedly demanded that China be made a party to any new nuclear arms control treaty.
• OP Samudra Setu - INS Jalashwa departs Male for Tuticorin with 700 Indians embarked India PIB 06 Jun 2020 -- Indian Naval Ship Jalashwa, which reached Male, Maldives on 04 Jun 20 for her third trip under Op Samudra Setu - Indian Navy's contribution to India's national effort to bring home our citizens from foreign shores by sea, embarked 700 Indian nationals on 05 Jun 20 and departed for India late in the evening. During the embarkation, the ship was visited by Colonel Mohamed Saleem, the Commandant of the Maldives Coast Guard.
• India's Investigative Agency Arrests Terror Funding Conspirator in Navy Espionage Racket Sputnik 06 Jun 2020 -- Authorities uncovered a major espionage ring in November in which Pakistani spies recruited agents in India's defence establishment to collect classified information regarding submarines, warships and data on the location of naval commands.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Taiwan reiterates sovereignty rights over Diaoyutai Islands CNA 06 Jun 2020 -- Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Saturday reiterated Taiwan's sovereignty rights over the Diaoyutai Islands, called Senkaku Islands by Japan, amid a reported plan by a Japanese local government to change their district name.
• Islamic State Deadlier Than COVID-19 in Parts of Iraq VOA 06 Jun 2020 -- With the spread of the novel coronavirus in Iraq and a recent spike in the number of registered cases, Iraqis have wondered how to compare the deadly new threat with a more familiar foe: Islamic State.
• Egypt's President Sisi proposes peace initiative for Libya amid Haftar's failed offensive for Tripoli Press TV 06 Jun 2020 -- Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, flanked by renegade Libyan General Khalifa Haftar, has announced a new peace initiative for Libya in the wake of the collapse of a long-running offensive to oust a UN-backed government in the capital Tripoli.
• Turkey, Libya to enhance cooperation in Eastern Mediterranean: Turkish president Global Times 06 Jun 2020 -- Turkey and Libya agreed to further enhance their cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean over a deal made on maritime delimitation, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.
• Cairo Declaration Proclaimed, including Political Initiative to End Conflict, in Libya SPA 06 Jun 2020 -- Talks between the Egyptian President Abdullfatth Al-Sissi and the Commander-in-Chief of the Libyan Armed Forces Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar and the Speaker of the Libyan House of Representatives Aqilla Saleh, concluded in declaring here today, a political initiative.
• Egypt Proposes Libya Cease-fire, Calls for Withdrawal of Mercenaries VOA 06 Jun 2020 -- As forces loyal to the internationally recognized Libyan government in Tripoli gain more ground near the capital from forces under eastern military commander General Khalifa Haftar, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sissi called for a cease-fire. Sissi urged both sides to resume dialogue. Tripoli-based Prime Minister Fayez al Sarraj also met Friday with his main backer, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
• Myanmar Avoids Helping Rohingya Minority Despite International Court Order, Observers say VOA 06 Jun 2020 -- Myanmar has sidelined an international court order to improve conditions for its long-embattled Rohingya minority, despite fears that the Southeast Asian government is trying to commit genocide against the group, observers say.
• China-India border meeting injects hopes to ease tension; 'bottom line' with India non-negotiable: experts Global Times 06 Jun 2020 -- A meeting between Chinese and Indian military officials, led by top tactical army commanders, according to Indian media, is scheduled on Saturday. The meeting between the top echelons injects hopes to ease the ongoing border tensions that have been dominating the spotlight.
• INDIA-CHINA BORDER SITUATION India PIB 06 Jun 2020 -- Indian and Chinese officials continue to remain engaged through the established military and diplomatic channels to address the current situation in the India-China border areas.
• Indian Army Says It Maintains Contact With China Over Tensions Along Disputed Border Sputnik 06 Jun 2020 -- India and China continue to remain engaged through military and diplomatic channels to address the existing bilateral tensions at the disputed border, the Indian military said in a statement as the two sides began high-level talks to settle their disagreements.
• Indian Spying Drone Shot Down by Pakistani Army SPA 06 Jun 2020 -- Forces of the Pakistani Army shot down an Indian spying quadcopter after it had intruded Pakistani airspace across the Line of Control (LoC) between the two sides of Kashmir.
• UNICEF condemns in 'strongest possible terms' killing of children in DR Congo UN News 06 Jun 2020 -- UNICEF denounced on Saturday, an attack that killed 16 people, including five girls under age 15, in north eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
• Rights Groups Condemn Attack on Aid Workers in Cameroon VOA 06 Jun 2020 -- Rights groups in Cameroon have condemned increased attacks on aid workers and hospital staff in the country's troubled western regions. The groups blame both government troops and anglophone rebels fighting to create an English-speaking state in majority French-speaking Cameroon.
• Somaliland Leader: Mogadishu Is Biggest Challenge to Our Recognition VOA 06 Jun 2020 -- Somaliland President Muse Bihi Abdi says authorities in Mogadishu pose the biggest challenge for the autonomous region's fight for recognition as an independent state, 29 years after the region broke away from Somalia after the overthrow of military ruler Siad Barre.

News Reports

• Report: German Neo-Nazis Training At Russian Terrorist Camp RFE/RL 06 Jun 2020 -- German neo-Nazis are conducting paramilitary training with a Russian ultranationalist group at a camp near St. Petersburg, German magazine Focus reported on June 5.
• Russia Orders Review Of Infrastructure Built On Permafrost In Wake Of Arctic Fuel Disaster RFE/RL 06 Jun 2020 -- Russia's Prosecutor-General's Office on June 5 ordered a review of all hazardous objects built on permafrost in response to a fuel tank leak that has created an ecological disaster in the Arctic linked to climate change.
• Chinese Nationals Slammed with Prison Sentences for Photos of Restricted Areas at Florida Naval Base Sputnik 06 Jun 2020 -- The trespassing incidents involving the Chinese nationals took place shortly after two Chinese Embassy officials were reported by The New York Times to have been "secretly expelled" by the US in December 2019 after breaching a "sensitive" military base near Norfolk, Virginia.
• On the Chinese Communist Party's Obscene Propaganda US Dept. of State 06 Jun 2020 -- "The Chinese Communist Party's callous exploitation of the tragic death of George Floyd to justify its authoritarian denial of basic human dignity exposes its true colors yet again. As with dictatorships throughout history, no lie is too obscene, so long as it serves the Party's lust for power. This laughable propaganda should not fool anyone."
• China opposes United States adding Chinese entities to export control list: spokesperson Global Times 06 Jun 2020 -- China is firmly opposed to the United States adding 33 Chinese entities to its "entity list" of export controls, a Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said Friday.
• Multiple dimensions to gauge China-US relations Global Times 06 Jun 2020
• Australia could lose all Chinese tourists post-COVID-19 this year if safety issue not addressed: industrial insider Global Times 06 Jun 2020 -- China could issue more security alerts warning its citizens not to travel to Australia, the biggest tourism spenders for the latter, that could lead to zero Chinese visitors in 2020 even after the COVID-19 pandemic, if discriminatory rhetoric and safety issues for Chinese tourists are not addressed, Chinese industrial insiders warned on Saturday.
• Decision on HK national security legislation to be resolutely implemented: liaison office Global Times 06 Jun 2020 -- The adopted decision to make the Hong Kong national security law will be resolutely implemented and the legislation will target only an extremely tiny number of acts and activities that severely endanger the country's national security, and protects the legitimate rights and freedom of ordinary Hong Kong residents, according to Luo Huining, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administration Region (SAR) on Saturday.
• Keeping HK's business, financial center status benefits US, and all Global Times 06 Jun 2020 -- Whatever the kind of geopolitical rivalry that the two powers, the US and China, are now engaging themselves in, the distinctive place of Hong Kong as a cultural and economic bridge between the East and West should be preserved and prolonged, which is widely believed to not only benefit the city itself but also the whole Asia-Pacific region, including the interests of the US.
• China Urges UK to Abandon 'Colonial' Thinking, Warns of 'Consequences' Over Hong Kong Statements Sputnik 06 Jun 2020 -- China's foreign ministry earlier warned the UK of consequences over its alleged "gross interference" and "irresponsible remarks" in connection with Hong Kong affairs and China's domestic issues.
• China, Serbia sign memorandum on space technology PLA Daily 06 Jun 2020 -- China and Serbia on Friday signed a memorandum on space technology which aims, among other things, to put the Serbian national flag on co-designed spacecraft in the future.
• US has no right to call for extension of Iran arms embargo: Envoy Press TV 06 Jun 2020 -- Iran's UN ambassador says the US' call for an extension of the UN Security Council's arms embargo on Tehran lacks legal standing in international law.
• Future US-Iran Prisoner Releases Could be Complicated by Who's Involved, Who Isn't VOA 06 Jun 2020 -- As the U.S. and Iran welcome the latest freeing of each other's citizens and call for more such releases, the next deal between the longtime foes could be complicated by who is involved and who isn't.
• IAEA's new report indicates continued verification for Iran, envoy says IRNA 06 Jun 2020 -- Iran's Permanent Ambassador to the International Organizations in Vienna Kazem Gharibabadi said that the International Atomic Energy Agency's new report on JCPOA both signifies continuation of IAEA's verification activities and portrays Iran's actions in implementing its decisions to suspend its JCPOA commitments.
• Iran's 4.5 percent enriched uranium stockpile exceeds 1300 kg ISNA 06 Jun 2020 -- Ambassador and permanent representative of Iran to the International Organizations in Vienna, Kazem Gharib-Abadi stressed that the International Atomic Energy Agency's new report on JCPOA both shows continuation of IAEA's verification activities and portrays Iran's actions in implementing its decisions to suspend its JCPOA commitments.
• UN Atomic Watchdog Report Claims Iran is Stockpiling Enriched Uranium in Violation of Nuclear Deal Sputnik 06 Jun 2020 -- After US President Donald Trump withdrew his country unilaterally from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in May 2018, slapping Tehran with crippling banking and energy sanctions, Iran gradually backed away from some of the nuclear deal's provisions, including limitations on levels of uranium enrichment.
• Prisoners swap not the result of negotiations with US: Shamkhani ISNA 06 Jun 2020 -- Iran's secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani stressed that the prisoners swap was not the result of negotiations with the US and no talks would happen in future.
• Hook Calls For Release Of All American Prisoners, Iran Hardliners Frown At Talks With U.S. Radio Farda 06 Jun 2020 -- Brian Hook, U.S. Special Representative for Iran and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State on Friday called for the release of the remaining American prisoners in Iran while Iranian hardliners vehemently dismissed any negotiations with the United States.
• Iran Speaker Compares Acceptance Of Trump's Olive Branch To 'Peace With Infidels' Radio Farda 06 Jun 2020 -- Brian Hook, U.S. Special Iran's newly-elected Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf on Friday compared acceptance of President Donald Trump's "big deal" offer to "peace with infidels".
• Iran's Judiciary Makes Disclosures About Its Hidden Funds Radio Farda 06 Jun 2020 -- In an unprecedented move, the Iranian Judiciary has explained for the first time how it has spent the interest earned on the bonds deposited into its accounts by those implicated in criminal and political cases.
• Kosovo Lifts All Trade Barriers Against Serbia RFE/RL 06 Jun 2020 -- The new government of Kosovo announced on June 6 that it is lifting all trade barriers imposed on Serbia in a bid to reopen EU-brokered talks on normalizing ties with Belgrade.
• Anti-Government Protests in Beirut Explode Into Violence Sputnik 06 Jun 2020 -- Thousands of anti-government protesters, angry at continuing economic hardships in Lebanon, clashed with security forces in downtown Beirut on Saturday.
• Latest Brexit trade talks end without 'significant' progress Press TV 06 Jun 2020 -- The latest round of post-Brexit trade talks between the UK and the European Union (EU) has hit a deadlock with no prospect of an immediate breakthrough.
• UK, EU need to conclude negotiation "in good time": UK chief Brexit negotiator People's Daily 06 Jun 2020 -- Britain's chief Brexit negotiator David Frost said Friday that Britain remains "committed to a successful outcome" in talks with Brussels after little progress was made in the fourth round of crucial talks.
• Belarus's 'Slipper Revolution' Seeks To Stamp Out Lukashenka. Is He At Risk? RFE/RL 06 Jun 2020 -- The sight of thousands of people snaking along streets in towns and cities across Belarus to sign petitions for opposition would-be candidates has apparently spooked authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, who has ruled since 1994 and is seeking a sixth term in an election on August 9.
• More Than 100 Detained At Kazakh Rallies Demanding Democratic Reforms RFE/RL 06 Jun 2020 -- More than 100 opposition activists have been detained by police in Kazakhstan where two opposition parties had planned to hold rallies on June 6 in several cities to demand democratic reforms in the Central Asian nation.