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News Reports

Current Operations

• Remarks by President Biden on the Terror Attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport The White House 26 Aug 2021
• Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Holds a Press Briefing DoD 26 Aug 2021 -- Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby; General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. (USMC), Commander, U.S. Central Command
• Statement by U.S. Central Command on the Attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport CENTCOM 26 Aug 2021 -- I can confirm that subsequent to Gen. McKenzie's remarks, a thirteenth U.S. service member has died from his wounds suffered as a result of the attack on Abbey Gate. The latest number of injured is now 18, all of whom are in the process of being aeromedically evacuated from Afghanistan on specially equipped C-17s with embarked surgical units. We continue to provide the best possible medical care to those injured. Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the injured and to the friends and family of those who were killed.
• On Today's Terrorist Attacks in Kabul US Dept. of State 26 Aug 2021 -- Today's bombings around the Kabul airport were a devastating reminder of the dangerous conditions in which our servicemembers and diplomats are operating as we conclude the United States' 20-year military mission in Afghanistan.
• Statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on the Attack at Hamid Karzai International Airport DoD 26 Aug 2021
• Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby on This Morning's Attack on HKIA DoD 26 Aug 2021
• Kabul attack: Foreign Secretary's statement following his call with US Secretary of State UK FCDO 26 Aug 2021 -- Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab gave a statement following his call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after the attack in Kabul on 26 August 2021.
• Afghanistan: UN chief condemns terrorist blasts near Kabul airport UN News 26 Aug 2021 -- Secretary-General António Guterres condemned on Thursday the terror attacks around Kabul airport in Afghanistan and expressed his support for both the injured and the families of those who have been killed.
• Tragic Deaths of U.S. Service Members in Afghanistan Won't Stop Evacuation Mission DoD News 26 Aug 2021 -- A dozen American service members were killed, 15 more were injured and a number of Afghan civilians were also killed or injured during attacks this morning in Afghanistan.
• 'We Will Hunt You Down': Biden Vows To Retaliate For Deadly Attacks On Kabul Airport RFE/RL Gandhara 26 Aug 2021 -- The U.S. military believes there are still "credible threats" against a major airlift operation at Kabul airport a day after a suicide attack on a crowd trying to flee Taliban-controlled Afghanistan killed more than 100 people, including 13 U.S. troops.
• 90 Aghan civilians, 13 US service members killed in Kabul attack claimed by Daesh; US vows to retaliate Press TV 26 Aug 2021 -- Scores of Afghan civilians and at least 13 members of the US military have been killed and many more injured in Kabul suicide bombing attacks claimed by the Daesh terrorist group.
• Powerful explosions rattle area outside Kabul airport, claim over dozen civilian lives, 12 US service members Press TV 26 Aug 2021 -- At least two explosions have rattled the area outside the airport in the Afghan capital amid the precarious security situation following the Taliban's takeover of the country, killing more than a dozen people as well as 12 US servicemen, in what was described by the militant group as a "terrorist attack."
• Kremlin Says It Will Watch Taliban Actions Before Taking Position On Afghan Administration RFE/RL Gandhara 26 Aug 2021 -- The Kremlin says it will wait to see how the Taliban acts after taking over Afghanistan before deciding on its position toward the militant group.
• Germany, Canada Join Other Nations In Ending Evacuations From Afghanistan As Deadline Draws Near RFE/RL Gandhara 26 Aug 2021 -- Germany has joined Canada, Hungary, and other NATO members in announcing an end to its operations to evacuate personnel and Afghan citizens from Afghanistan as an end-of-month deadline for the foreign troops' withdrawal draws closer.
• Iran receives Afghanistan's Kam Air planes IRNA 26 Aug 2021 -- Iran's Civil Aviation Organization (CAO) spokesman said that Iran has received a number of planes belonging to Afghanistan's Kam Air at the request of the airline.
• UN migration agency launches $24 million appeal for Afghanistan UN News 26 Aug 2021 -- In response to the growing humanitarian situation in Afghanistan, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Thursday launched a $24 million urgent appeal to assist hundreds of thousands of people displaced within the country over the past two months.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Space Development Agency Transitioning to U.S. Space Force DoD News 26 Aug 2021 -- The Space Development Agency has already started the process of transitioning from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to the U.S. Space Force, said the agency's director.
• Navy Tests Second Stage Hypersonic Rocket Motor US Navy 26 Aug 2021 -- Navy Strategic Systems Programs (SSP) successfully conducted a test of the Second Stage Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) on August 25th in Promontory, Utah as part of the development of the Navy's Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) offensive hypersonic strike capability and the Army's Long Range Hypersonic Weapon (LRHW).
• 2021 U.S.-Baltic Dialogue with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania DoD 26 Aug 2021 -- Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Policy Spencer Boyer and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Michael Murphy led a U.S. delegation August 24-25 in the annual U.S.-Baltic Dialogue with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
• 'Quad' countries kick off joint naval exercises in Pacific Ocean Press TV 26 Aug 2021 -- India, the United States, Australia, and Japan, which form a security grouping commonly known as the Quad, have kicked off the 25th edition of joint naval drills off the coast of the Pacific island of Guam.
• Grand Forks AFB to lead future ISR missions US Air Force 26 Aug 2021 -- The Department of the Air Force announced today it will conduct infrastructure planning in 2022 for construction and renovation projects at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota, projected to begin in 2023.
• Pentagon orders military personnel to get vaccinated immediately Press TV 26 Aug 2021 -- US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says the country's military troops must receive their Covid-19 vaccine as soon as possible.
• PLA holds far sea exercises amid multinational drills targeting China, 'shows capability, determination against provocation' Global Times 26 Aug 2021 -- With two multinational exercises near and said to be targeting China, including one involving maritime forces from Australia, Japan, India and the US, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) reportedly sent two naval flotillas featuring some of its world-class warships on far sea drills.
• PLA Tibet Military Command holds large-scale joint drills in plateau region Global Times 26 Aug 2021 -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Tibet Military Command recently organized large-scale joint exercises in a snowy plateau region, in which the troops operated some of the PLA's latest weapons and equipment and practiced multidimensional tactics with the goal of target elimination.
• Chinese military to hold multinational peacekeeping exercise Shared Destiny-2021 PLA Daily 26 Aug 2021 -- According to Senior Colonel Tan Kefei, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, the Chinese military will host the first multinational peacekeeping live exercise "Shared Destiny-2021" at the combined-arms tactical training base of the PLA Army in Queshan County of central China's Henan Province from September 6 to 15.
• Indian Navy participates in Naval Exercise Malabar India PIB 26 Aug 2021 -- Indian Navy is participating in the sea phase of Exercise Malabar 2021 from 26 – 29 August 2021 along with the US Navy (USN), Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF) and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
• Iran's Army navy fleet return home from int'l mission IRNA 26 Aug 2021 -- The Iranian Army Navy's intelligence and operational fleet 76 docked on Thursday at Bandar Abbas port after an 87-day mission in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
• US Vice President Kamala Harris Raises Human Rights Issues in Talks in Vietnam Radio Free Asia 26 Aug 2021 -- U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris in talks in Hanoi this week raised U.S. concerns over human rights abuses in Vietnam, where freedom of speech and political dissent is routinely suppressed, Harris said Thursday.
• Secretary Blinken's Call with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab US Dept. of State 26 Aug 2021
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett Before Their Meeting US Dept. of State 26 Aug 2021
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, August 26, 2021 The White House 26 Aug 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Aug. 26, 2021

Other Conflicts

• 26 August 2021 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 26 Aug 2021
• Pioneering report continues to help children survive conflict UN News 26 Aug 2021 -- The UN has verified 266,000 cases of grave violations against children in more than 30 conflict situations across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America over the past 16 years, two top UN officials said on Thursday – marking 25 years since the Organization released a groundbreaking report on the issue.
• Yemeni forces launch drone strike on SW Saudi Arabia Press TV 26 Aug 2021 -- The Yemeni Army and allied Popular Committees have conducted a drone operation targeting Saudi Arabia's southwestern city of Khamis Mushait in retaliation for the Riyadh regime's devastating military campaign and blockade against its impoverished neighbor.
• Boko Haram terrorists kill 16 soldiers in Niger Press TV 26 Aug 2021 -- The Takfiri Boko Haram terrorist group has attacked a military post in southern Niger, killing 16 soldiers and wounding nine more, the Nigerien Defense Ministry says.
• Mass Arrest of Tibetans in Sichuan Over Dalai Lama Photos Radio Free Asia 26 Aug 2021 -- Police in western China's Sichuan province arrested about 60 Tibetans found with photos of exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama this week, intensifying a campaign against possession of the banned images, Tibetan sources say.
• Ethnic Armenian Separatists Detain Azerbaijani Soldier In Nagorno-Karabakh RFE/RL 26 Aug 2021 -- Ethnic Armenian separatists controlling parts of the region of Nagorno-Karabakh have detained an Azerbaijani soldier, whom Baku says escaped from a psychiatric clinic.
• Yerevan Accuses Azerbaijan Of Blocking Major Road Connecting Two Parts Of Armenian Region RFE/RL 26 Aug 2021 -- Armenia's National Security Service (NSS) says that dozens of Azerbaijani soldiers have blocked a road between two parts of Armenia's southern region of Syunik after an alleged stabbing incident.
• 'Over 400,000 people in Tigray are experiencing famine conditions – more than in the rest of the world combined' UK FCDO 26 Aug 2021 -- Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the Security Council briefing on the crisis in Tigray
• Catastrophe 'unfolding before our eyes' in Ethiopia's Tigray region – UN chief UN News 26 Aug 2021 -- A military confrontation that started 10 months ago in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region is spreading, with serious political, economic and humanitarian implications for the country and the broader region, the Secretary-General warned the Security Council on Thursday.
• 100,000 Rakhine Conflict Refugees Remain Displaced Nine Months After Truce with Myanmar Army Radio Free Asia 26 Aug 2021 -- Nine months after a ceasefire brought relative calm to Myanmar's western Rakhine state following a bitter two-year military conflict, Oo Thein Lwin and Ma Saw Yin are still trapped in a refugee camp, recalling when they grew their own food and found regular work in their village.

News Reports

• Biden Urges Technology Executives To 'Raise The Bar' On Cybersecurity RFE/RL 26 Aug 2021 -- Some of the largest U.S. technology companies have committed to investing billions of dollars to strengthen cybersecurity after a series of high-profile attacks on U.S. companies believed to have been carried out by Russian hackers.
• Moscow warns London of consequences if it violates Russian territorial waters again Press TV 26 Aug 2021 -- Moscow has warned London that there will be consequences in the event of a repeat of the incident in June when a British ship crossed into Russian territorial waters near Crimea.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on August 26, 2021 PRC MofA 26 Aug 2021
• Uyghur Children of Incarcerated Parents Undergo Political Education in Xinjiang Schools Radio Free Asia 26 Aug 2021 -- A group of Uyghur elementary school students whose parents are incarcerated in internment camps or prison are being subjected to "special political education" classes in schools in northwestern China's Xinjiang, with some pupils developing serious emotional problems and getting poor grades, sources in the region said.
• Media report reveals questionable family business deals of fallen Hangzhou Party chief Global Times 26 Aug 2021 -- With the investigation into Zhou Jiangyong, Party chief of Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang Province, underway, Chinese media have been looking into the business dealings and questionable economic activities of the fallen tiger's family and friends.
• CPC to reinforce anti-graft, ensure no safe haven, no tolerance to corruption following 8 officials probed, 13 punished in 1 week Global Times 26 Aug 2021 -- The Communist Party of China (CPC) will reinforce its ability to resist corruption, allowing no safe haven, leaving no ground unturned and showing no tolerance in fighting corruption, a major publication on the CPC's mission and contributions said on Thursday, as the anti-graft campaign continued to gain momentum in China with 8 officials being probed and 13 punished in one week this month.
• English Textbook Shelves Empty in Shanghai Bookstore After New Rules Radio Free Asia 26 Aug 2021 -- English textbooks disappeared from the shelves of the Shanghai branch of the state-backed Xinhua Bookstore this week, as parents rushed to panic-buy books, for fear they may later be banned under a nationwide crackdown on private tutoring.
• 16th Plenary Meeting of 14th Standing Committee of SPA of DPRK Held KCNA 26 Aug 2021 -- The 16th Plenary Meeting of the 14th Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA) of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was held at the Mansudae Assembly Hall on Aug. 24.
• Biden To Welcome Israeli PM To White House For Talks Expected To Focus On Iran RFE/RL 26 Aug 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett are scheduled to meet on August 26 as both leaders seek to reset the tone of U.S.-Israeli relations.
• Raisi Tells First Cabinet Meeting That Iran Is 'Seriously Lagging Behind' As Virus Woes Mount RFE/RL 26 Aug 2021 -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi says the country is "seriously lagging behind" in certain social and economic areas and the government must act to "improve people's livelihoods" as the country grapples with a surge in coronavirus cases.
• Poland Calls On Belarus To Allow Aid Delivery To Stranded Migrants RFE/RL 26 Aug 2021 -- Poland has accused the Belarusian authorities of not allowing humanitarian assistance to be delivered to a group of about 30 migrants stranded on the border between the two countries.
• Japan's ruling party sets date for leadership vote, incumbent PM likely to face strong challenge Press TV 26 Aug 2021 -- Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will hold a vote to choose its leader on September 29, with incumbent Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga expected to face strong opposition.
• Bulgarian President To Ask Third Party To Form Government After Previous Attempts Fail RFE/RL 26 Aug 2021 -- Bulgarian President Rumen Radev says he will give a third and last mandate to form a government to the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) after two other political parties gave up efforts to set up a coalition following last month's inconclusive vote.
• WFP steps up support in Haiti UN News 26 Aug 2021 -- The World Food Programme (WFP) is stepping up ongoing support to Haitians who are now facing destroyed homes, lost livelihoods and little or no access to food in the wake of the 14 August earthquake, the UN agency reported on Thursday.