Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Prison comes under deadly gunmen attack in eastern Afghanistan Press TV 02 Aug 2020 -- Gunmen have attacked a prison compound in Afghanistan's eastern province of Nangarhar, killing at least three people and injuring several others, local officials say.
• Afghan government frees over 300 Taliban prisoners in Eid ceasefire deal Press TV 02 Aug 2020 -- The Afghan government says a further 300 Taliban prisoners have been released since Friday as part of a deal, taking the total number of militants freed so far to just over 4,900.
• US proposes house arrest for 'most dreaded' Taliban inmates to break deadlock in talks: Report Press TV 02 Aug 2020 -- The United States has reportedly proposed that the Taliban militants deemed dangerous be placed under house arrest following their release from Afghan jails as a solution to the stalemate that has delayed the intra-Afghan peace process.
• Afghan Prison Attack Leaves Several Dead, Dozens Injured RFE/RL 02 Aug 2020 -- An attack on a prison in Afghanistan has left several people dead and dozens wounded as violence continues unabated in the war-torn nation.
• Two Killed, Over 20 Injured After Car Bomb Explodes Outside Prison in Afghanistan Sputnik 02 Aug 2020 -- No militant group has so far taken responsibility for the attack.

Defense Policy / Programs

• SEARCH AND RESCUE FOR MISSING SERVICE MEMBERS CONCLUDES USMC News 02 Aug 2020 -- After an extensive 40-hour search, the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit. I Marine Expeditionary force. and the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group concluded their search and rescue operation for seven missing Marines and one Sailor, today.
• 7 Marines, 1 Sailor Presumed Dead After Accident Involving Amphibious Vehicles on California Coast Sputnik 02 Aug 2020 -- Earlier, the death of one US Marine officer was confirmed by the I Marine Expeditionary Force following an accident during routine exercises off the coast of California conducted on 30 July.
• US Marines Ends Search for Missing Servicemen VOA 02 Aug 2020 -- The U.S. Marines says it has ended the search and rescue mission for seven missing Marines and one Sailor following an accident in Southern California. All the service members are presumed dead.
• Moscow raps US 'disinformation campaign' against Russian missile work Press TV 02 Aug 2020 -- Moscow has slammed the Pentagon for unleashing a "disinformation campaign" against the Russian missile defense program, saying the US is attempting to "discredit" Russia and justify its military buildup around the world.
• German, French Arms Manufacturers Aiming to Reduce US Technologies in Military Production Sputnik 02 Aug 2020 -- Military-industrial enterprises of Germany and France are looking for ways to phase out dependence on US technologies in the production of military equipment, including for data protection, according to the German publication Welt am Sonntag.
• US House passes spending package valued at $500mn for Israel's missile systems Press TV 02 Aug 2020 -- The US House of Representatives has passed an aid package valued at hundreds of millions of dollars and designated for assistance to the Israeli regime to develop its surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Interview with South China Sea think tank head shows three possibilities risking China-US military conflict Global Times 02 Aug 2020 -- At 2:22 pm on Saturday, China's Army Day, think tank South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI) released the latest movement of US warships on its Weibo account, including the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier and USS America amphibious assault ship in the East China Sea.
• American drone operated by Saudi-led coalition shot down by Yemen's army Press TV 02 Aug 2020 -- An American drone operated by the Saudi-led coalition has been shot down by Yemen's army over the northern province of Hajjah.
• Houthis Claim Downing US-Made Spy Drone Near Saudi Border Sputnik 02 Aug 2020 -- The Houthi movement, which controls the north of Yemen, said that it shot down a US-made spy drone near the border with the Saudi province of Jazan on Sunday.
• Damascus condemns "void agreement" between US company, SDF militants for stealing Syria oil Press TV 02 Aug 2020 -- Syria has strongly condemned an agreement signed between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militant group and an American oil company aimed at stealing the country's oil, stressing that Damascus considers the contract null and void with no legal effect.
• Syria Views US-Kurdish Oil Deal as 'Theft' Lacking Any Legal Force Sputnik 02 Aug 2020 -- Syria considers an oil deal recently struck between an alliance of Kurdish militias and a US company to be null and void, a Foreign Ministry official told SANA on Sunday.

News Reports

• Portland Riots Read-out: August 2 DHS 02 Aug 2020
• Mexican Police Arrest Gang Leader 'El Marro' - Photos Sputnik 02 Aug 2020 -- Yepez, the boss of the Santa Rosa de Lima cartel, a gang based in Guanajuato, has been involved in a bloody struggle for control of the drug trade in the state with another gang, the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
• Protests Spread Across Russia in Support of Jailed Khabarovsk Former Governor VOA 02 Aug 2020 -- Protesters took to the street in cities across Russia on Saturday in support of jailed Khabarovsk former governor Sergei Furgal.
• US Condemns Hong Kong Election Postponement VOA 02 Aug 2020 -- The United States has condemned the Hong Kong government's decision to postpone the Legislative Council elections initially scheduled for September 6, 2020, for one year.
• US Activist Accused of Breaching HK's Security Law Says He Will Not Back Down VOA 02 Aug 2020 -- Samuel Chu, one of six activists now living overseas who Hong Kong has reportedly issued arrest warrants for under its new national security law, has told VOA he will not stop fighting for democracy for Hong Kong.
• Pompeo Hits Out at Hong Kong's Delay of Legislative Elections Sputnik 02 Aug 2020 -- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticized the Hong Kong administration's one-year delay of the legislative elections, questioning whether Hong Kongers will ever be able to vote again.
• Beijing's security law for Hong Kong spares no one: activist CNA 02 Aug 2020 -- Beijing's security law for Hong Kong spares no one, Samuel Chu (朱牧民), the first non-Chinese citizen reportedly wanted by the special administrative region's police under that law, warned Saturday.
• Wanted Hong Kong activist-in-exile vows to continue push for democracy CNA 02 Aug 2020 -- Hong Kong activist-in-exile Ray Wong (黃台仰) believes he and five others have been put on a Hong Kong wanted list for violating the national security law to deter overseas Hongkongers from building groups that promote democracy there.
• HK opposition's criticism of postponed LegCo election ignores threat to public health: Leung Chun-ying Global Times 02 Aug 2020 -- The Hong Kong opposition's criticism of the postponement of Legislative Council (LegCo)'s election ignores the threat to public health, says Leung Chun-ying, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
• Young people violating 'one country' principle have gloomy future: Carrie Lam Global Times 02 Aug 2020 -- Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR),said that some young people have wrongly got the idea that opposing the local or central government will help them, and warned that if they violate the "one country" principle, their future could be gloomy.
• Postponement of LegCo election timely move to protect Hong Kong people: former WHO chief People's Daily 02 Aug 2020 -- The postponement of the 2020 Legislative Council (LegCo) General Election of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) is a timely move to protect the health and well-being of Hong Kong residents, Margaret Chan, former director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said on Saturday.
• Pompeo Says U.S. Firms 'Becoming Aware' Of Abuses In Xinjiang, Warns China On Iran Deal RFE/RL 02 Aug 2020 -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said American companies are "becoming aware" of human rights abuses in the Chinese province of Xinjiang as he reiterated his call for them to reconsider doing business there.
• 'Independent' observation based on lies in Xinjiang unaccepted Global Times 02 Aug 2020 -- China will not accept so-called independent observation of human rights in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region as it is only some countries' trick to crack down against countries who are different from theirs and it will not bring justice but only indulge those rumor-mongers, the Chinese Embassy in France said Sunday in response to France's recent suggestion of a UN-led observer mission to evaluate the treatment of the Uygurs in Xinjiang.
• On China's Predatory Fishing Practices in the Galápagos US Dept. of State 02 Aug 2020 -- The People's Republic of China subsidizes the world's largest commercial fishing fleet, which routinely violates the sovereign rights and jurisdiction of coastal states, fishes without permission, and overfishes licensing agreements.
• China's Mars probe Tianwen-1 completes first mid-course correction Global Times 02 Aug 2020 -- Tianwen-1, China's first Mars probe, completed its first mid-course correction on Sunday, allowing it to continue heading toward the Red Planet precisely, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
• China's Mars probe completes first orbital correction People's Daily 02 Aug 2020 -- China's Mars probe Tianwen-1 successfully carried out its first orbital correction Sunday morning, according to the China National Space Administration.
• 2 US Astronauts Return From International Space Station VOA 02 Aug 2020 -- Two U.S. astronauts returned to Earth on Sunday, splashing safely into the Gulf of Mexico after a two-month mission to the International Space Station aboard the commercially developed SpaceX spacecraft Crew Dragon.
• IRGC Contradicts Iran's Intelligence Ministry On Arrest Of 'US-Based Terror Ringleader' Radio Farda 02 Aug 2020 -- Remarks made by Iranian Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi and a report by IRGC-linked newspaper in Tehran have cast more doubt on the Ministry's claim about arresting the leader of "a US-based terrorist group."
• IRGC spokesman: Enemies know that no step taken against Iran will go unanswered Press TV 02 Aug 2020 -- The spokesman for Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says enemies of the Islamic Republic are well aware that no step taken against the country's national interests will go unanswered and will be met with suitable reactions.
• 'Brother' Of Iran Judge Who Died In Romania Says Family Cannot Identify Body Radio Farda 02 Aug 2020 -- The brother of an Iranian judge who died in Romania in suspicious circumstances says the family has not been able to positively identify the body sent back to Iran recently.
• Military Tribunal To Investigate 'Astronomical Corruption' Case Linked To IRGC Radio Farda 02 Aug 2020 -- In an interview with reformist daily Etemad on Sunday August 2, A Tehran City Councillor, Mahmoud Mirlohi, has revealed that the case of illegal sale of properties by the Tehran Municipality under Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf is still open for investigation.
• Iran Parliament Committee Defends Appointment Of Controversial Man To Audit Court Radio Farda 02 Aug 2020 -- Iranian parliament's budget committee has once again defended its decision to appoint a controversial operative as the head of its Supreme Court of Audit, despite the publication of numerous documents showing he faked his educational and other credentials.
• Police In Iran Complain Of Lacking Manpower To Enforce Hijab Rules Radio Farda 02 Aug 2020 -- The deputy commander of the Islamic Republic's law enforcement has complained that his forces are "really left single-handed" in policing "moral security" of the Iranian society.
• Belarusian Presidential Candidate Tsikhanouskaya Says She Is Against Integration With Russia RFE/RL 02 Aug 2020 -- Belarusian presidential candidate Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya said she is against forming a union state with Russia but called for maintaining good relations with Moscow.
• Exiled Lukashenka Challenger Said To Leave Moscow For Kyiv RFE/RL 02 Aug 2020 -- A critic of Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka who last month fled the country along with his children after his and others' candidacies were rejected for next week's presidential election has reportedly left Russia for neighboring Ukraine.
• Belarusian President Lukashenka To Address Nation Days Before Toughest Reelection Bid RFE/RL 02 Aug 2020 -- Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka will deliver his state-of-the-union address on August 4, just days before his toughest reelection bid since coming to power more than a quarter century ago.
• Israeli Police Forcefully Disperse Protesters Outside PM's Residence VOA 02 Aug 2020 -- Israeli police used force to disperse protesters gathered outside the official residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday morning.