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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
Defense Industry
Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Secretary Blinken's Call with Afghanistan High Council for National Reconciliation Chair Abdullah Abdullah US Dept. of State 14 Aug 2021
• Secretary Blinken's Call with Afghan President Ghani US Dept. of State 14 Aug 2021
• Statement by President Joe Biden on Afghanistan The White House 14 Aug 2021
• Taliban Captures Mazar-e Sharif; Afghan President Vows Not To Give Up 'Achievements' RFE/RL Gandhara 14 Aug 2021 -- Taliban fighters have taken control of Mazar-e Sharif, a major northern Afghan city that is one of the last in the country still under government control.
• U.S. Troops Begin Arriving In Afghanistan To Help Evacuate Civilians As Concern Mounts Over Kabul Security RFE/RL Gandhara 14 Aug 2021 -- The first of thousands of U.S. forces being sent to Afghanistan to assist in the evacuation of U.S. Embassy staff and secure the airport have begun arriving in the country as the Taliban's sweeping offensive bring the militants closer to Kabul.
• 'People Are Terrified': Panic Sweeps Kabul As Taliban Moves Toward Afghan Capital RFE/RL Gandhara 14 Aug 2021 -- The road to Kabul's international airport is clogged with thousands of people who are rushing to leave the country.
• Canada To Resettle Afghans Whose Jobs Leave Them Vulnerable To Taliban Reprisals RFE/RL Gandhara 14 Aug 2021 -- Canada plans to resettle more than 20,000 Afghans to protect them from Taliban reprisals, Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino has said.
• Biden lightning rod for criticism as Taliban advance on Afghan capital Press TV 14 Aug 2021 -- The Taliban militant group rapidly stack up on their huge gains against the Afghan government, advancing on the capital Kabul as criticism mounts against US President Joe Biden for leaving the beleaguered country on its own at a time it could use the slightest bit of help.
• UK sends forces to Afghanistan to facilitate evacuation of British nationals and allies Press TV 14 Aug 2021 -- The Ministry of Defense (MoD) has dispatched the first group of British soldiers to evacuate UK nationals from Afghanistan as part of Operation Pitting.
• Afghan president vows to remobilize forces in face of Taliban surge Press TV 14 Aug 2021 -- Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has promised to stop violence "as a historic mission" amid the Taliban's advances nationwide and the group's capturing a key town not far from the capital Kabul.
• Biden Increases US Troops in Afghanistan to 5,000 For 'Safe Drawdown' of US Personnel Sputnik 14 Aug 2021 -- Earlier in the week, the Pentagon announced the redeployment of 3,000 American troops to Afghanistan to assist in the evacuation of US diplomats as the Taliban continues to advance in the country. The latter has reportedly asserted that it has established control over 90% of Afghan territory.
• Taliban Claim Control Over Capital of Southeastern Paktika Province Sputnik 14 Aug 2021 -- The Taliban movement* announced the capture of Sharana, the capital of the southeastern Afghan province of Paktika, on Saturday.
• Ghani Announces Plans to Revitalize Armed Forces, Consultations VOA 14 Aug 2021 -- President Ashraf Ghani told Afghans in a recorded message Saturday that he intended to fight the "imposed war" and would make sure that the security forces were up to the task at a time when Taliban seems to be inching closer to the capital, Kabul, by the day.
• Hunger Grips Millions as Afghanistan Falls to Taliban Insurgents VOA 14 Aug 2021 -- The World Food Program is warning of a dramatic rise in the number of hungry people in Afghanistan as fighting and displacement in the war-torn country intensify.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Phone Call With Canadian Minister of National Defence Harjit S. Sajjan DoD 14 Aug 2021
• Secretary Blinken's Call with Canadian Foreign Minister Garneau US Dept. of State 14 Aug 2021
• Russia sends ships to Iran's Bandar Anzali for Sea Cup competition Press TV 14 Aug 2021 -- Russia has deployed two vessels to Iran's northern port of Bandar Anzali on the Caspian Sea to participate in the Sea Cup competition of the 2021 International Army Games.
• Russia, China conclude massive anti-terror drills, vow closer alliance Press TV 14 Aug 2021 -- Russia and China have wrapped up their five-day joint strategic military drills in Northwest China involving over 10,000 troops and advanced weaponry as top officials in both countries vowed further collaborations amid rising US-led provocations in eastern Europe and the pacific.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• Yemeni forces shoot down US ScanEagle spy drone over Ma'rib Press TV 14 Aug 2021 -- Yemeni forces have shot down a US-built ScanEagle spy drone flying over the central province of Ma'rib which is the center of fierce clashes with Saudi-backed militants.
• Iraqi PM Vows to Target Terrorists Attacking Electricity Grid VOA 14 Aug 2021 -- Iraq's top military commander and prime minister say they have a plan to stop Islamic State terrorists from creating more power blackouts.
• Three Militants Killed In Shoot-Out In Pakistan's Restive Balochistan RFE/RL Gandhara 14 Aug 2021 -- Pakistani security forces have killed three militants during a shoot-out following a militant attack on a security patrol in the restive southwestern Balochistan Province.
• 22 Muslims massacred in vicious central Nigeria attack Press TV 14 Aug 2021 -- Assailants ambush buses carrying Muslims in central Nigeria, killing at least 22 of them and injuring 14 others.
• Hamas warns of new round of tension if Israel persists in blockading Gaza Press TV 14 Aug 2021 -- The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has warned that a fresh round of "real tension" is very likely in the region if the Israeli regime persists in tightening the years-long blockade on the Gaza Strip.
• Hezbollah says won't stand any Israeli aggression, defends rocket barrage Press TV 14 Aug 2021 -- A high-ranking Hezbollah official says the Lebanese resistance movement does not seek a military confrontation with the Tel Aviv regime, but would not stand any act of aggression by the Israeli military on Lebanon's soil.

News Reports

• Putin Calls Siberian Wildfires 'Unprecedented,' Calls For Stronger Response RFE/RL 14 Aug 2021 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the wildfires ravaging parts of northern Siberia "absolutely unprecedented" and called for a better response by firefighters.
• Analysts: China Expanding Influence in Africa Via Telecom Network Deals VOA 14 Aug 2021 -- Telecommunications networks funded and built by China are taking over Africa's cyberspace, a dependence that analysts suggest puts Beijing in a position to exert political influence in some of the continent's countries.
• US is bound to pay a price for joint drills with S.Korea: N. Korean ambassador to China Global Times 14 Aug 2021 -- Ri Ryong-nam, North Korean ambassador to China, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview recently that a series of US-South Korea joint military exercises that started on Tuesday are the most concentrated performance of US hostile policy against North Korea. "It's unwelcome and they will definitely pay the price for that."
• UK cannot blackmail Iran IRNA 14 Aug 2021 -- Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday said that the UK wanted to blackmail Iran by taking its money hostage in exchange for prisoners.
• UK's attempt to blackmail Iran never going to work: Araghchi ISNA 14 Aug 2021 -- Iranian deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Abbas Araghchi stressed that UK tries to blackmail Iran by taking its own money which has been illegally kept for more than 40 years hostage in exchange for prisoners.
• UK bids to blackmail Iran will never work: Top diplomat Press TV 14 Aug 2021 -- A senior Iranian diplomat has hit back at the British prime minister for pressuring Tehran to "immediately" release a dual national, who has been held in Iran for four years, saying London's efforts to blackmail Tehran by taking its own money hostage in exchange for inmates will fail.
• U.S. Hits Alleged Oil Smuggler, Network Of Companies With Sanctions For Backing Iran's Quds Force RFE/RL 14 Aug 2021 -- The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on an alleged oil smuggler and companies it said provide support to the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.
• U.S. Diplomat Calls On Lukashenka To Stop 'Irregular Migrant Flows' RFE/RL 14 Aug 2021 -- A top U.S. diplomat has called on Belarus to stop allowing migrants to illegally cross into Lithuania and other neighboring countries.
• US imposes new sanctions against Cuba, claiming support for Cuban people Press TV 14 Aug 2021 -- The US Treasury Department has imposed new sanctions against two Cuban Interior Ministry officials and a military unit, claiming they were involved in the government's crackdown on US-inspired protests last month.
• Right-Wing Protesters Clash With Police Outside Ukrainian President's Office RFE/RL 14 Aug 2021 -- Protesters led by members of a prominent right-wing Ukrainian political group clashed with riot police near the offices of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, injuring at least eight police officers.
• Joint Statement on Venezuela Negotiations US Dept. of State 14 Aug 2021 -- The following statement was released by Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, and Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marc Garneau.
• Venezuelan government, opposition talks begin in Mexico City Press TV 14 Aug 2021 -- Representatives of Venezuela's government and opposition groups have begun a fresh round of talks in Mexico in efforts to resolve the nation's persisting political and economic crisis, amid a US-led campaign against Caracas.
• Nicaragua: UK Statement on Elections UK FCDO 14 Aug 2021 -- Foreign Office Minister Lord Goldsmith has issued a statement on the elections in Nicaragua.
• Tunisia's Saied Is in Charge, but for How Long? VOA 14 Aug 2021 -- Two years after vaulting to power as a nerdy, conservative outsider, Tunisia's president, Kais Saied, tests another paradox: Can he save the Arab Spring's only democracy through arguably undemocratic means?
• Zambian Opposition Leader Hichilema Takes Early Lead in Presidential Vote VOA 14 Aug 2021 -- Early results Saturday in Zambia's presidential election showed opposition candidate Hakainde Hichilema leading, according to the electoral commission.
• Statement by President Joe Biden on Haiti The White House 14 Aug 2021