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News Reports

Current Operations

• Veteran Journalist Says Afghan Peace Process Needs Regional Support To Succeed RFE/RL Gandhara 12 Feb 2021 -- Ahmed Rashid, a Pakistani journalist, says the political, security, and economic predicaments in Afghanistan and Pakistan are coming to a head as the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden reviews its policies in the two countries.
• Existing 3,600 US Troops to Remain on Border With Mexico Through Fiscal Year - Pentagon Sputnik 12 Feb 2021 -- An estimated 3,600 US troops will remain on the US border with Mexico through the current fiscal year, Defense Department spokesperson Lt. Col. Chris Mitchell told Sputnik.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Biden administration mulls closing Guantanamo prison: White House Press TV 12 Feb 2021 -- The administration of new US President Joe Biden has launched a formal review of the future of the notorious US military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, in yet another move aimed at distancing Washington from his predecessor's flawed polices and reviving the Obama-era goal of closing the controversial detention center.
• Partner to Compete, Compete to Deter USMC News 12 Feb 2021 -- The Marines and Sailors of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and the soldiers of the Japanese Ground Self Defense Force executed a bilateral raid at Kin Blue Beach and in the Central Training Area, Okinawa, Japan, February 1.
• DOD to Support FEMA Vaccination Effort DoD News 12 Feb 2021 -- The Defense Department's first 222-person team arrived in California and will begin to support a mass vaccination site in Los Angeles by Feb. 15, said the Pentagon press secretary.
• Director Explains Approaches to Fielding New Space Capability DoD News 12 Feb 2021 -- The Space Development Agency is responsible for unifying and integrating the Defense Department's space development efforts and accelerating the fielding of new military space capabilities.
• Task Force Spartan hosts first large-scale exercise since COVID-19, Iron Union 14 CENTCOM 12 Feb 2021 -- Soldiers from the United States' Task Force Spartan and the United Arab Emirates Land Forces gathered from Jan. 24 to Feb. 6, 2021, at Al Hamra Training Center in the United Arab Emirates for Iron Union 14, the first bi-lateral training exercise between the forces since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on the Department's Representatives to the Congressionally-Mandated Commission on the Naming of Items in the Department of Defense That Commemorate the Confederate States of America DoD 12 Feb 2021 -- "I am pleased to announce today the names of four outstanding leaders who have agreed to serve as the Department's representatives to the Congressionally-mandated commission on the naming of items of the Department of Defense that commemorate the Confederate States of America."
• PLA destroyer flotilla joins multinational drills in Pakistan with US, Russian navies Global Times 12 Feb 2021 -- A Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy flotilla led by a Type 052D destroyer on Thursday started participating in a multinational exercise in Pakistan, a unique platform experts said that provides opportunities for Chinese and Russian navies to come together with their counterparts from the US and other Western countries.
• INDIAN NAVY SIGNS CONTRACT FOR ACQUISITION OF FIVE DIVING SUPPORT CRAFT (DSC) India PIB 12 Feb 2021 -- Adding another milestone to the Make in India initiative of the Government of India, a Contract for construction of five Diving Support Craft (DSC) has been signed by Indian Navy with M/s Titagarh Wagons Ltd, Kolkata on 12 Feb 21. The
• Int'l naval exercise Aman-21 begins in Pakistan with Iran's presence IRNA 12 Feb 2021 -- The seventh edition of the multinational maritime exercise Aman-2021 kicked off in Pakistan's Karachi with the participation of 45 countries, including a delegation from General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Friday.
• Iran, Pakistan urge enhanced maritime cooperation, security, joint maneuvers Press TV 12 Feb 2021 -- Iran and Pakistan have urged the promotion of cooperation on maritime security and interaction between the naval forces.
• IRGC Ground Force possesses 'devastating' offensive, defensive power: Gen. Salami Press TV 12 Feb 2021 -- The commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) says the offensive and defensive power of the IRGC's Ground Force will be "devastating" if used in combination.
• Pakistan Hosts 45 Navies for Joint Drills, Including Russia, China, NATO Members Sputnik 12 Feb 2021 -- The last time Russian naval forces drilled with their counterparts in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was 10 years ago off the coast of Spain, during the "Bold Monarch" exercises.
• U.S. think tank urges help for Taiwan to defend itself CNA 12 Feb 2021 -- The Joe Biden administration should make clear that Washington will not try to change Taiwan's status and work with its allies to plan against Chinese aggression and help Taiwan defend itself, scholars from a U.S. think tank said in a report released earlier this month.
• UK donates 100 vehicles to stop terrorists crossing into Lebanon UK MOD 12 Feb 2021 -- The British Army gave 100 Armoured Patrol Vehicles to the Lebanese Armed Forces to help prevent militants crossing its border from Syria.
• Department Press Briefing – February 12, 2021 US Dept. of State 12 Feb 2021
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan, and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, February 12, 2021 The White House 12 Feb 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Feb. 12, 2021

Other Conflicts

• COVID fuelling risk of recruitment and use of children in conflict, UN and EU warn on International Day UN News 12 Feb 2021 -- More children could be pushed into the joining armed forces and armed groups due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, senior United Nations and European Union (EU) officials said on International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers, observed on Thursday.
• British human rights lawyer elected chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court UN News 12 Feb 2021 -- Criminal lawyer and human rights expert Karim Khan of the United Kingdom was elected on Friday to be the next Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
• US to Reverse Terrorist Designation of Yemen's Houthi Rebels VOA 12 Feb 2021 -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that he would revoke designations of Yemen's Houthi movement as a terrorist group.
• Revocation of the Terrorist Designations of Ansarallah US Dept. of State 12 Feb 2021 -- "Effective February 16, I am revoking the designations of Ansarallah, sometimes referred to as the Houthis, as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) under the Immigration and Nationality Act and as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended."
• US will remove Houthis from terrorist list on Feb. 16: Blinken Press TV 12 Feb 2021 -- The United States has announced that it will remove designations of Yemen's popular Houthi Ansarullah movement from the list of foreign terrorist organizations on February 16.
• Yemen: 'Toxic mix' imperils lives of under-fives with acute malnutrition UN News 12 Feb 2021 -- Since the escalation of conflict in 2015, severe acute malnutrition is among its highest levels in Yemen, threating the lives of half of the country's children under the age of five, four UN agencies warned on Friday.
• 2 Million Children in Yemen Could Fall Victim to Malnourishment VOA 12 Feb 2021 -- Almost 2.3 million of Yemen's children under the age of five are projected to fall victim to acute malnutrition in 2021, United Nations agencies warned Friday.
• Yemeni forces launch drone attacks on Saudi military targets Press TV 12 Feb 2021 -- Yemen's army and popular committees have carried out drone attacks on military targets in Saudi Arabia in retaliation for the kingdom's aggression against their country.
• Nearly 400K Yemeni children under five could starve to death in 2021: UN agencies Press TV 12 Feb 2021 -- Four United Nations (UN) agencies have warned that nearly 2.3 million children under the age of five are projected to suffer from acute malnutrition this year in war-torn Yemen.
• Yemeni forces launch retaliatory missile attack on airbase in southwestern Saudi Arabia Press TV 12 Feb 2021 -- The spokesman for Yemeni Armed Forces says army troops and allied fighters from Popular Committees have launched a retaliatory missile attack on an airbase in Saudi Arabia's southwestern region of Asir.
• Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen: Interception, Destruction of Bomb-Laden UAV Launched Toward the Kingdom SPA 12 Feb 2021 -- Statement by the Official Spokesman of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen Brigadier General Turki Al-Malki "Joint Coalition Forces have intercepted and destroyed this morning (Friday) a bomb-laden UAV launched systematically and deliberately by the terrorist Houthi militia to target civilians and civilian objects in the Southern Region.
• Syrian soldiers liberate southern key town of Tafas in Dara'a province: Report Press TV 12 Feb 2021 -- Syrian government forces are now in full control of a strategic town in southwestern province of Dara'a following an intense operation against foreign-sponsored Takfiri terrorists.
• A Letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Libya The White House 11 Feb 2021
• Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Libya The White House 11 Feb 2021
• Attack On Pakistani Security Post Near Afghan Border Leaves Four Troops, Four Militants Dead RFE/RL 12 Feb 2021 -- Pakistan's military said on February 12 that a group of militants had attacked a security post in the northwest of the country, killing four troops in the ensuing shootout along with four insurgents.
• Militant Raid Kills 4 Pakistani Troops Near Afghan Border VOA 12 Feb 2021 -- Pakistan said Friday four of its soldiers were killed when "terrorists" raided a security post in a remote northwestern district.
• Ministry of Defence statement India PIB 12 Feb 2021 -- Ministry of Defence has taken note of some misinformed and misleading comments being amplified in the media and on social media regarding the disengagement currently underway at Pangong Tso.
• Under pressure, ICC to replace chief prosecutor probing Israeli, US crimes Press TV 12 Feb 2021 -- The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), who has been probing war crimes committed by Israel, the US and their allies, is set to hand over office soon, amid reports of the Tel Aviv regime's intense international lobbying for pressure on her over a recent jurisdiction-related ruling.
• Ethiopia: 'Incomplete but troubling picture' reveals impact of Tigray crisis on children UN News 12 Feb 2021 -- Humanitarians are learning more about the dire situation of children in Ethiopia's Tigray region, where fighting continues between Government troops and regional forces of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF).
• Report: 2018 Peace Deal Was Not a Fix for South Sudan VOA 12 Feb 2021 -- A new International Crisis Group (ICG) report is urging South Sudan's leaders to consider a political model that uses consensus and inclusion to decide the country's future.
• Lifesaving Aid Blocked From Thousands of Displaced People in CAR VOA 12 Feb 2021 -- Humanitarian agencies warn that escalating violence and military operations are preventing them from reaching tens of thousands of forcibly displaced people in the Central African Republic, who need lifesaving aid.
• 5,000 Nigerians Displaced by Boko Haram Ready to Return, Cameroon Says VOA 12 Feb 2021 -- Cameroon says 5,000 of the 103,000 Nigerians, mostly women and children, who fled across the border from Boko Haram terrorists have agreed to return to Nigeria.

News Reports

• Mexico's President Supports Biden Decision to Stop New Border Wall Construction VOA 12 Feb 2021 -- Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday he approves of U.S. President Joe Biden's decision to stop new construction of the border wall between the two countries.
• Biden administration files appeal for Assange's extradition Press TV 12 Feb 2021 -- A US Justice Department official has said the administration of President Joe Biden has appealed a British judge's ruling against the extradition of Julian Assange, the founder of WikiLeaks – an international, non-profit whistle-blowing organization that was created in Iceland in 2006.
• Sweeping Arrests Net Hundreds in Myanmar As Anti-Coup Protests Swell Radio Free Asia 12 Feb 2021 -- Myanmar authorities snatched a doctor from his clinic and rounded up bureaucrats as the ruling junta moved to arrest professionals and state staffers for joining days of growing mass protests against military rule in scores of cities across the country in defiance of crowd limits, curfews, and increasing shows of force by police.
• Myanmar Military Authorities Announce Pardons for Over 23,000 Prisoners Sputnik 12 Feb 2021 -- The military authorities in Myanmar have issued an order to pardon more than 23,000 prisoners, including 55 foreign citizens, a document said.
• 'World is watching,' UN official warns Myanmar's junta after coup Press TV 12 Feb 2021 -- A United Nations (UN) official has urged Myanmar's military to refrain from using violence against anti-coup protesters, warning that human rights abuses in the country would not go unnoticed.
• Human Rights Council: UK statement for the 29th Special Session on Myanmar UK FCDO 12 Feb 2021 -- The UK and EU led a Special Session on the human rights implications of the crisis in Myanmar with support of over 20 other Human Rights Council members.
• Myanmar crisis: 'All options should be on the table', UN Human Rights Council hears UN News 12 Feb 2021 -- The UN deputy human rights chief and the independent expert on Myanmar have called for targeted sanctions against the leaders of what they both described as the coup that took place in the country last week, as the Human Rights Council met in special session on Friday to discuss the ongoing crisis.
• Burmese Expert: China Helping Military Establish Cyber Firewall VOA 12 Feb 2021 -- The Burmese military government is about to pass a tough cyber censorship bill that has sparked widespread opposition at home and abroad.
• Russia 'Ready To Cut Ties' With EU If Sanctions Threat Carried Out RFE/RL 12 Feb 2021 -- Russia says it is prepared to sever ties with the European Union if the bloc follows through with threats to implement tough new economic sanctions against Moscow over the detention and jailing of opposition politician Aleksei Navalny.
• Russian Officials: Moscow Ready to Respond if Faced with Harsh EU Sanctions VOA 12 Feb 2021 -- Russia says it needs to be ready to respond if the European Union imposes harsh sanctions on the country over the arrest and jailing of Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny.
• Russia ready to sever EU ties if hit with new sanctions: Lavrov Press TV 12 Feb 2021 -- Russia has warned that it is ready to sever ties with the European Union (EU) if the 27-member bloc hits Moscow with new economic sanctions following recent tensions over the case of Western-backed blogger Alexei Navalny.
• Russia calls on US to 'stop reckless saber-rattling' in Black Sea Press TV 12 Feb 2021 -- Russia has censured the presence of the US navy as part of a joint drill with Turkish forces in the Black Sea, calling on the United States to "stop reckless saber-rattling" in the region.
• The Week In Russia: The Most Dangerous (Blame) Game? RFE/RL 12 Feb 2021 -- President Vladimir Putin's government stepped up its campaign to blame the West for protests and more as the Kremlin gears up for elections later this year, demonstratively expelling European diplomats during an ill-fated fence-mending visit from the EU foreign policy chief.
• Report: Russian Court To Hear Navalny Appeal On Sentence Change February 20 RFE/RL 12 Feb 2021 -- The Moscow City Court will consider an appeal of the decision to convert opposition politician Aleksei Navalny's suspended sentence to real jail time on February 20, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.
• Russian Media Ordered To Delete Reports On Planned 'Flashlight' Protest RFE/RL 12 Feb 2021 -- Russia's federal media regulator has ordered media outlets, including RFE/RL's Russian Service and Current Time TV, to delete all reports about a planned mobile-phone "flashlight" protest against the jailing of Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny.
• Russia's Anti-Putin Opposition Struggles To Hang Together Following Navalny's Imprisonment RFE/RL 12 Feb 2021 -- When opposition politician Aleksei Navalny stood in the defendant's cage in a Moscow courtroom on February 2, he held a sign that may have captured the Russian opposition's most important priority at the moment.
• Back In Court, Navalny Tells Russian Judge To 'Stop Disgracing Yourself' RFE/RL 12 Feb 2021 -- A court appearance by jailed Russian opposition politician Aleksei Navalny has resumed with a testy exchange with the judge in a slander case involving a World War II veteran, resuming a trial that was interrupted last week.
• Navalny Lawyer Calls New Russian Charges Against Her 'Revenge' RFE/RL 12 Feb 2021 -- Lyubov Sobol, a prominent lawyer for jailed Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK), has been indicted on fresh charges she labeled political "revenge" for daring to speak to an alleged security officer behind the assassination attempt against the Kremlin critic.
• China's Gas Prices from Russia Fall as Market Risks Rise Radio Free Asia 12 Feb 2021 -- A little over a year after Russia opened its giant Power of Siberia pipeline to China, natural gas prices for the Chinese market have fallen below European rates.
• China Investment Deal Seen as Test of EU Cohesion VOA 12 Feb 2021 -- An investment deal agreed to in principle between the European Union and China at the end of last year is facing criticism both in and outside the EU. Analysts point to the expected approval of the deal as evidence of Beijing's uncanny ability to assess the power game within the EU.
• Canada Eases Immigration From Hong Kong VOA 12 Feb 2021 -- Canada is easing the requirements for some students from Hong Kong to stay in Canada, a reaction to crackdowns by China in the former British colony.
• Embassy, observers defend China's BBC license decision as legitimate, reasonable, 'further countermeasures to follow' Global Times 12 Feb 2021 -- The Chinese embassy in the UK firmly defended China's decision to bar the BBC World News from airing in China, saying the move is "legitimate and reasonable" given the British broadcaster's relentless fabrication of "lies of the century" in reporting China.
• China pulls BBC World News off the air for serious content violation People's Daily 12 Feb 2021 -- China's broadcasting regulator on Thursday made an announcement on pulling BBC World News off the air in the country for serious content violation.
• China Bans BBC Broadcasts in Move Seen as Warning to Journalists Over Xinjiang Radio Free Asia 12 Feb 2021 -- In the early hours of Friday morning, China's media regulator issued a blanket ban on BBC broadcasts throughout its territory, including Hong Kong, saying it had engaged in "untruthful" reporting and damaged "national unity."
• Belgian Lawmakers Submit Resolution Recognizing Xinjiang Abuses as 'Genocide' Radio Free Asia 12 Feb 2021 -- Lawmakers in Belgium's Chamber of Representatives have submitted a resolution calling on their government to designate abuses in northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) as genocide, prompting an immediate protest from Beijing demanding that the proposal be tabled.
• Japan's Muji Stops Short of Ban on Cotton From Xinjiang, Where Forced Labor is Rife Radio Free Asia 12 Feb 2021 -- Japanese clothing and lifestyle brand Muji says it has stopped exporting cotton sourced in Xinjiang to the United States, but rights groups say the company has done little to remove Xinjiang cotton -- which has been linked forced labor by mostly ethnic Uyghur detainees who have committed no crime -- from its supply chain.
• North Korean Leader Kim Blasts Cabinet For State of Economy, Lackluster Outlook Sputnik 12 Feb 2021 -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-un blasted the cabinet over the disastrous state of the economy, blaming the ministers for lacklustre drafting of the new five-year plan, state media reported.
• FM: JCPOA enshrined remedial measures for non-compliance IRNA 12 Feb 2021 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in a message advised UK, France and Germany to read paragraph 36 of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) which enshrined remedial measures for non-compliance of either party.
• Iranian official: US must lift sanctions practically, verifiably before rejoining JCPOA Press TV 12 Feb 2021 -- A senior Iranian official has reaffirmed that Tehran will return to full compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal only after the US lifts all the sanctions imposed on the country by the Trump administration and after Iran will be able to verify the termination of those sanctions.
• E3 Statement on the JCPoA: 12 February 2021 UK FCDO 12 Feb 2021 -- The governments of France, Germany and the United Kingdom respond to Iran's production of uranium metal.
• In rebuke to E3, Iran FM challenges trio to lay out fulfilled JCPOA duties Press TV 12 Feb 2021 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has challenged the commitment of the three European parties to the nuclear deal of 2015 signed between Tehran and major world powers after the trio claimed that Iran risks losing the opportunity to fully realize the agreement by starting to produce uranium metal.
• France, Germany, U.K. 'Strongly Urge' Iran To Halt Breach Of Recent Nuclear Deal RFE/RL 12 Feb 2021 -- The so-called E3 European powers have urged Iran to reverse its decision to violate a landmark nuclear deal by producing uranium metal and avoid "noncompliant" steps before it's too late.
• Turkey Reportedly Arrests Iranian Official Over Dissident's Murder RFE/RL 12 Feb 2021 -- An Iranian official suspected of instigating the killing of an Iranian dissident in 2019 has been arrested in Turkey, Reuters has reported.
• Iran Cultivates Taliban Ties to Gain Leverage, Experts Say VOA 12 Feb 2021 -- The Taliban's meeting last month with high-ranking Iranian officials in Tehran is seen by some experts as an effort by the Iranian regime to increase its leverage in negotiations with the Biden administration and maintain influence in Afghan politics.
• Lukashenka Lashes Out, Offers Little Compromise During Congress Of Loyalists Dubbed 'Meeting Of The Illegitimate' RFE/RL 12 Feb 2021 -- Alyaksandr Lukashenka struck a largely combative, uncompromising tone as he addressed nearly 3,000 loyalists gathered in Minsk for what had been billed as a two-day congress representing all of Belarus.
• Harsher Charges Revealed Against Jailed Belarusian Opposition Figures Kalesnikava, Znak RFE/RL 12 Feb 2021 -- Opposition sources say that the Belarusian authorities have added charges including conspiracy to seize state power and organizing extremism to the cases of jailed opposition figures Maryya Kalesnikava and Maksim Znak.
• South Africa President Outlines Ambitious Viral and Economic Plans in Annual Address VOA 12 Feb 2021 -- As president of South Africa since 2018, Cyril Ramaphosa has dutifully delivered his annual address before Parliament, outlining government priorities in the year ahead.
• Turkmen Leader's Son Takes On New Roles; Rapid Rise Renews Talk Of Succession RFE/RL 12 Feb 2021 -- Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov has appointed his son Serdar to the posts of deputy prime minister and chairman of the Supreme Control Chamber, renewing speculation the 63-year-old autocrat is grooming his son to be his successor.
• Kyrgyzstan's Ex-Grand Mufti Implicated In Corruption Case Released From Custody RFE/RL 12 Feb 2021 -- Kyrgyzstan's former top Muslim cleric, Grand Mufti Maksatbek Hajji Toktomushev, has been released from custody and ordered not to leave Bishkek while investigations are carried out over allegations of corruption.
• Uzbekistan Aims For Full Transition To Latin-Based Alphabet By 2023 RFE/RL 12 Feb 2021 -- Uzbekistan plans to fully transition the Uzbek language from the Cyrillic script to a Latin-based alphabet by January 1, 2023.
• Zimbabwe's Alleged Use of COVID as Excuse to Stifle Dissent Draws UN Concern VOA 12 Feb 2021 -- The United Nations Human Rights Office says it is "concerned" by a new Human Rights Watch report that says Zimbabwe's government is using the COVID-19 pandemic as a pretext to clamp down on freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
• Independent UN rights expert calls for unilateral sanctions to be dropped against Venezuela UN News 12 Feb 2021 -- At the end of a two-week visit to Venezuela, an independent UN human rights expert noted on Friday that unilateral sanctions imposed on the country have exacerbated pre-existing crises, calling for them to be dropped.