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News Reports

Current Operations

• Remarks by President Biden on the End of the War in Afghanistan The White House 31 Aug 2021
• President Thanks Service Members for Aiding in Afghanistan Evacuation DoD News 31 Aug 2021 -- President Joe Biden today expressed his appreciation to the service members who airlifted more than 120,000 people to safety from Kabul, Afghanistan.
• Biden Says Era-Ending Afghan Withdrawal 'Best For America,' But U.S. 'Far From Done' RFE/RL Gandhara 31 Aug 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden said in a televised speech on August 31 summing up recent actions in Afghanistan that his choice was "leaving or escalating" that country and he takes "responsibility" for his decision.
• Biden Forcefully Defends Ending Two-Decade US War in Afghanistan VOA 31 Aug 2021 -- U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday forcefully defended his decision to end the country's two-decade war in Afghanistan that leaves Taliban insurgents in power, just as they were in 2001.
• U.S. Moves Diplomatic Mission From Kabul To Qatar, Says Taliban Must Earn International Legitimacy RFE/RL Gandhara 31 Aug 2021 -- All American diplomats left Kabul and the United States suspended its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on August 30, hours after the U.S. military completed its withdrawal from the country.
• Unknown number of Afghan allies were left behind: Top US general Press TV 31 Aug 2021 -- A top US commander an unknown number of Afghan allies and American civilians were left behind in Afghanistan.
• Taliban discussing running Kabul airport with Turkey, Qatar: France Press TV 31 Aug 2021 -- France says the Taliban are in talks with Qatar and Turkey about operating the Kabul airport, a report says, after the last American troops left the war-raved Afghanistan.
• Taliban Takes Control Of Kabul Airport, Celebrates 'Full Independence' After U.S. Pullout RFE/RL Gandhara 31 Aug 2021 -- The Taliban, now in full control of Kabul's airport with the final departure of foreign forces, has clashed with resistance fighters in the northeast as the rest of the world watches to see if the militants live up to their promises of a more tolerant and open brand of rule compared with their first stint in power.
• Taliban special forces take over Kabul airport after U.S. troops pullout from Afghanistan People's Daily 31 Aug 2021 -- The Taliban deployed special forces at the Kabul airport on Tuesday hours after the last batch of U.S. troops left Afghanistan.
• Taliban spokesman to Press TV: US defeat 'lesson' for invaders, great joy for Afghans Press TV 31 Aug 2021 -- Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has told Press TV that the defeat of the United States in Afghanistan was a "lesson" for the invaders, hours after the last American troops left the South Asian country.
• Taliban Warn Against Future Invasions of Afghanistan, Seek Global Legitimacy VOA 31 Aug 2021 -- The Taliban hailed Tuesday the departure of international forces from Afghanistan and their return to power as a "big lesson for other invaders," urging the United States and the rest of the world to recognize Taliban rule.
• Taliban attack resistance hub of Panjshir, 7 militants killed Press TV 31 Aug 2021 -- At least seven Taliban members have reportedly been killed and several others wounded in clashes with resistance militia fighters in Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley, north of the capital, Kabul.
• Panjshir Resistance Leader Ready to Step Down If Taliban Guarantees Freedom in Afghanistan Sputnik 31 Aug 2021 -- The leader of the resistance in the Afghan province of Panjshir, Ahmad Massoud has told Foreign Policy magazine he would give up his struggle if the Taliban* forms an inclusive government and guarantees equal rights for all Afghans.
• French Minister Says Taliban In Talks With Qatar, Turkey About Kabul Airport Management RFE/RL Gandhara 31 Aug 2021 -- France's foreign minister has said that the Taliban is discussing the management of Kabul's international airport with Qatar and Turkey, insisting that the hard-line Islamist group should secure the facility quickly so that people who want to leave Afghanistan can do so using commercial flights.
• EU Vows To Head Off 'Uncontrolled, Large-Scale Illegal Migration' After Afghan Collapse RFE/RL Gandhara 31 Aug 2021 -- Talks among EU interior ministers meeting in Brussels have concluded with a joint statement saying the bloc will aim to stop a big influx of migrants from Afghanistan by boosting border security and providing aid.
• EU Justice, Interior Ministers Hold Joint Press Conference After Meeting on Afghanistan Sputnik 31 Aug 2021 -- On 15 August, Afghanistan saw the Taliban conclude its large-scale offensive by seizing the capital Kabul, which led to the collapse of the US-backed government. This development left many trying to flee the country to avoid potential reprisals from the radical movement.
• EU to Meet to Discuss Preventing Uncontrolled Migration From Afghanistan VOA 31 Aug 2021 -- European Union ministers will hold an emergency meeting Tuesday to discuss preventing uncontrolled migration from Afghanistan after the Taliban's seizure of the country, according to a statement drafted for the meeting.
• UK denies Pentagon leaks it pushed to leave Kabul airport gate open before deadly attack Press TV 31 Aug 2021 -- The UK foreign secretary has rejected Pentagon leaks suggesting that Britain was indirectly responsible for the mass casualties of a deadly attack at Kabul airport amid evacuation operations last week.
• Raab Denies US Claim UK to Blame For Kabul Airport Death Toll Because It Wanted Abbey Gate Kept Open Sputnik 31 Aug 2021 -- Just before 6 p.m. on 26 August a huge bomb went off near Abbey Gate, the main entrance to Kabul airport, killing 13 US service personnel and at least 170 civilians. A suicide bomber was to blame and Daesh-Khorasan* has claimed responsibility.
• US occupation of Afghanistan brought nothing but death and destruction: Iranian FM Spox Press TV 31 Aug 2021 -- Iran says the 20-year-long American occupation of Afghanistan brought "nothing but death and destruction" to the country, reaffirming its support for the neighboring Afghan nation in its efforts to achieve calm and stability following the US military's withdrawal.
• China: US pullout from Afghanistan proves failure of American practices Press TV 31 Aug 2021 -- China says the US withdrawal from Afghanistan proves that America's arbitrary military interventions in and imposition of its values on other countries are failed practices.
• Turkish Officials Say Deportation Centers Packed With Afghan Refugees VOA 31 Aug 2021 -- Under a small bridge more than 100 kilometers from the Turkish border with Iran, a small group of boys and young men waits quietly for a smuggler.
• First Group Of Afghan Evacuees Lands In North Macedonia RFE/RL Gandhara 31 Aug 2021 -- A first group of 149 Afghan evacuees has arrived in North Macedonia, where they are expected to stay for several months pending resettlement to a third country.
• UN Chief: Humanitarian Catastrophe Looming in Afghanistan VOA 31 Aug 2021 -- The U.N. secretary-general is warning that a "humanitarian catastrophe looms" in Afghanistan, where nearly half the population needs assistance to survive.
• Despite funding shortages, UN committed to staying in Afghanistan UN News 31 Aug 2021 -- UN humanitarians have reiterated that they fully intend to stay and deliver to those in need in Afghanistan, as mostly western governments completed their pull-out from the country.
• UN commits to staying in Afghanistan, with basic services close to collapse UN News 31 Aug 2021 -- The flights evacuating civilians from Afghanistan may have come to an end, but a deepening humanitarian crisis remains, UN Secretary-General António Guterres declared on Tuesday, as several senior UN officials restated their commitment to stay and deliver urgently needed supplies to the millions in the country who need humanitarian aid to survive.
• UN Vows to Remain in Afghanistan as Last US Troops Leave VOA 31 Aug 2021 -- With the departure of international troops from Afghanistan, U.N. agencies pledge to remain in the beleaguered country and assist millions of people, many of whom are internally displaced.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Air Force update for COVID-19 US Air Force 31 Aug 2021
• 82nd, 101st Airborne Division Soldiers test new Infantry Squad Vehicle at Ft. Bragg Army News 31 Aug 2021 -- Infantry Soldiers here recently went to the front lines of training using what the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) Program Manager refers to as the "better boot."
• DOD Announces $194.5 Million in Industrial Base Expansion Contract Awards DoD 31 Aug 2021 -- Over the last two days, the Department of Defense (DOD), on behalf of and in coordination with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), awarded $194.5 million across two contracts to increase domestic production capacity of test kits and pipette tips.
• Statement by Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III on the 70th Anniversary of the ANZUS Treaty DoD 31 Aug 2021 -- "Today marks a special milestone for the U.S. - Australian Alliance. Seventy years ago, we formally established the "Unbreakable Alliance" that continues to provide stability and security for the Indo-Pacific and beyond. While the Alliance itself is 70 years old, Australia and the United States have fought side by side in every major conflict since World War I."
• Anniversary Marks 70 Years of Australia, New Zealand, U.S. Treaty DoD News 31 Aug 2021 -- The U.S. military is marking the 70th anniversary of its alliance with America's closest Pacific allies — Australia and New Zealand.
• USS Hershel "Woody" Williams participates in Brazilian exercise off Africa's Atlantic coast USMC News 31 Aug 2021 -- The Navy and Marine Corps conducted at-sea training with the Brazilian Navy and Marine Corps in the Gulf of Guinea on Africa's west coast August 22 to 23.
• US Pens Deal for New Military Base in Micronesia in Latest Move to Keep China Out of Pacific Sputnik 31 Aug 2021 -- As the US pursues "great power competition" with China, Washington is on the hunt for new bases in the Pacific it can use to potentially get an upper hand in the fight. The latest site to be agreed upon is in the Federated States of Micronesia, a group of archipelagoes on the far side of the Philippine Sea from China.
• US, Australian forces strengthen coalition air dominance in Red Flag-Alaska 21-3 US Air Force 31 Aug 2021 -- Red Flag-Alaska 21-3 concluded at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Aug. 27, strengthening interoperability and showcasing air dominance in the Indo-Pacific region.
• New humanitarian support facilities coming for Puerto Rico Air National Guard US Navy 31 Aug 2021 -- Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Southeast awards a contract to build a communications and contingency engineering facility that will support humanitarian relief operations for the 156th Wing stationed at Muñiz Air National Guard Base in Puerto Rico.
• Israeli and U.S. Warships Conduct Milestone Maritime Patrol US Navy 31 Aug 2021 -- Ships from the Israeli Navy and U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) conducted a combined maritime security patrol in the Red Sea, Aug. 30-31.
• Russia to hold naval drills with Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan in early September Press TV 31 Aug 2021 -- The Russian Defense Ministry says the country is set to stage joint naval exercises with three other Caspian Sea littoral states, including Iran, early next month.
• PLA Air Force becomes strategic, to display latest weapons, achievements at airshow Global Times 31 Aug 2021 -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force will display its latest achievements that have transformed the Chinese military into a strategic force on its way to becoming world class, at the Airshow China 2021, the service announced on Tuesday, with military observers predicting that the "20 family" aircraft, namely the J-20 fighter jet, Y-20 large transport aircraft and Z-20 utility helicopter, will likely again be in the spotlight but with new surprises.
• PLA Macao Garrison completes 22nd troop rotation PLA Daily 31 Aug 2021 -- In accordance with the Law of the People's Republic of China on Garrisoning the Macao Special Administrative Region (Macao SAR) and under the order of the Central Military Commission (CMC), the PLA Macao Garrison on Monday morning completed the 22nd rotation of organic units since it began garrisoning Macao in 1999.
• Boost to 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' in defence India PIB 31 Aug 2021 -- Indian Navy has signed contract with Navratna Defence PSU Bharat Limited (BEL) for supply of the first indigenous comprehensive Naval Anti Drone System (NADS) with both hard kill and soft kill capabilities in New Delhi on August 31, 2021.
• AS PART OF MISSION SAGAR INDIAN NAVAL SHIP SAVITRI DEPARTS TO DELIVER MEDICAL SUPPLIES TO BANGLADESH India PIB 31 Aug 2021 -- Indian Navy's Offshore Patrol Vessel INS Savitri departed Visakhapatnam on 30 August 2021 and is enroute to Chittagong, Bangladesh to support the ongoing efforts of the Bangladesh military and government agencies in combating the ongoing wave of the Covid pandemic in their country.
• Indian Navy's Maiden Exercise with Algerian Navy India PIB 31 Aug 2021 -- As part of her ongoing goodwill visit to Europe and Africa, INS Tabar took part in a Maritime Partnership Exercise with Algerian Navy ship 'Ezzadjer' on 29 Aug 21.
• Iran test-fires domestic missile system 'Mersad 16' IRNA 31 Aug 2021 -- Iran's Army successfully test-fired domestically developed Mersad 16 missile system in central Iran on Tuesday.
• Iran successfully tests new generation of Mersad missile system Press TV 31 Aug 2021 -- Iran's Air Defense Force has successfully put to test a new generation of the domestically-manufactured Mersad-16 missile system in the country's central desert.
• Japanese ministry demands record military budget over 'security threats' Press TV 31 Aug 2021 -- Japan's Defense Ministry has demanded a record budget to further boost the country's military against what it considers to be national security threats from China and North Korea.
• Japan's Defence Ministry Seeks Record Budget of Nearly $50 Billion for Next Year, Reports Suggest Sputnik 31 Aug 2021 -- The Japanese Defence Ministry has requested a record 5.4 trillion yen (over $49 billion) for fiscal year 2022, which begins on 1 April, while the country's total federal budget could exceed 111 trillion yen (about $1.01 trillion), the Kyodo news agency reports.
• U.S.-Japan Joint Statement US Dept. of State 31 Aug 2021 -- On the occasion of Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry's visit to Japan, Japan and the United States issued the following statement:
• Kazakh Defense Minister Resigns Over Deadly Explosions At Military Warehouse RFE/RL 31 Aug 2021 -- Kazakhstan's Defense Minister Nurlan Ermekbaev has resigned after a series of explosions last week in the Central Asian nation's south that left at least 15 people dead.
• Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Opening Remarks at Pentagon Meeting DoD 31 Aug 2021
• U.S., Ukraine Leaders Discuss Strategic Partnership During Pentagon Meeting DoD News 31 Aug 2021 -- The United States will continue to urge Russia to end its illegal occupation of Ukraine's Crimea and looks to strengthen bonds between the United States and Ukraine, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III told Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Defense Minister Andrii Taranto at the Pentagon today.
• U.S. Announces Fresh Military Aid To Ukraine As Zelenskiy Visits Washington RFE/RL 31 Aug 2021 -- Washington is promising Kyiv up to $60 million in military aid ahead of scheduled talks at the White House between U.S. President Joe Biden and his visiting Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
• U.S.-made A-29 Super Tucano aircraft officially inducted into Nigerian Air Force AFRICOM 31 Aug 2021 -- U.S. Department of Defense leaders attended the A-29 Super Tucano induction ceremony, hosted by Nigerian Minister of Defence Bashir Salihi Magashi and the Nigerian Air Force, here Aug. 31.
• Department Press Briefing – August 31, 2021 US Dept. of State 31 Aug 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For Aug. 31, 2021

Other Conflicts

• 31 August 2021 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 31 Aug 2021
• New Chinese Law Requires Foreign Vessels to Report to Maritime Authorities When Entering Waters Sputnik 31 Aug 2021 -- China has long struggled to exert control over the large parts of the South China Sea it claims, including by erecting floating radar stations and dredging the seafloor to expand the waterway's tiny islands. However, so have several other nations, many of which claim the same islands and waters.
• Condemning the Recent Houthi Attack Against Saudi Arabia US Dept. of State 31 Aug 2021 -- The United States strongly condemns the recent Houthi attack against Saudi Arabia that struck the civilian airport in Abha, wounding eight civilians and damaging a commercial airliner.
• Yemen defense forces not far from recapturing whole Ma'rib: Reports Press TV 31 Aug 2021 -- Yemen's allied defense forces have decisively escalated their counterattacks on Saudi Arabia's allies in Ma'rib, the capital of a hugely strategic west-central Yemeni province of the same name, and are reportedly on the verge of recapturing the whole city.
• Saudi-led coalition says 8 injured in drone attack on Abha airport Press TV 31 Aug 2021 -- The Saudi-led coalition waging war on Yemen says several people have been injured when a bomb-laden drone targeted Abha airport in Saudi Arabia's southwest on Tuesday.
• Houthi to US, Saudis: Prepare Yemen retreat plan after Afghanistan fiasco Press TV 31 Aug 2021 -- In the wake of America's disgraceful withdrawal from Afghanistan after a futile war, a senior Yemeni official has called on the United States and Saudi Arabia to draw up a plan for pullout from Yemen as well, warning that the Arab country will eventually turn into a "graveyard for the aggressors."
• Syrian army responds to deadly attacks by terrorists holed up in Dara'a Press TV 31 Aug 2021 -- The Syrian military has conducted retaliatory strikes on the last militant enclave in the southern city of Dara'a after the armed terrorists holed up in the area launched deadly attacks against army soldiers and civilians.
• Red Cross: 48,000 People Confirmed Missing Across Africa VOA 31 Aug 2021 -- The International Committee of the Red Cross says more than 48,000 people are missing across Africa, and at least 21,600 are minors. Most of the registered disappearances — widely believed to be a fraction of the continent's wider, undocumented humanitarian tragedy — are linked to armed conflict, violence, disasters and migration across the continent.

News Reports

• China urges US to scrap warrant on 'fentanyl trafficker,' provide more evidence Global Times 31 Aug 2021 -- The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Tuesday requested the US to stop offering a reward of $5 million for the arrest of a Chinese national described by the US as a transnational drug trafficker, as such a move undermines the foundation of bilateral anti-drug cooperation and obstructs future collaboration.
• Kremlin 'Tightening Its Grip' On The Internet Ahead Of Elections, Group Says RFE/RL 31 Aug 2021 -- Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says the Russian state is "tightening its grip" on the Internet, "drastically" restricting freedom of the press and of expression ahead of next month's parliamentary elections.
• Marked by the State: Russia Ramps Up 'Foreign Agent' Law Ahead of Election VOA 31 Aug 2021 -- Dozens of Russian independent media have been labeled "foreign agents" in the run-up to parliamentary elections, which are now only three weeks away.
• Russian Prosecutor-General's Office Registers Big Jump In Corruption Cases RFE/RL 31 Aug 2021 -- Russia's Prosecutor-General's Office says it has registered a sharp increase in the filing of corruption cases across the country since the start of the year.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin's Regular Press Conference on August 31, 2021 PRC MofA 31 Aug 2021
• HK legal sector returns to rationality with election of pro-establishment Law Society president Global Times 31 Aug 2021 -- The election of the new pro-establishment president of the Law Society of Hong Kong has once again shown the pillar role of the national security law for Hong Kong in maintaining the region's order and stability, legal experts said Tuesday, suggesting a return to rationality in the region's legal community.
• China's Ruling Party Limits Underage Gamers to Three Hours' Play a Week Radio Free Asia 31 Aug 2021 -- Authorities in China are cracking down on widespread gaming among minors, limiting anyone under 18 to just three hours' online gaming per week, the country's press, publications, and gaming censor said in a statement.
• China's Central Government Moves to Take Back Leased Rural Land Radio Free Asia 31 Aug 2021 -- The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is moving to strengthen central control over the country's land, setting up a scheme to allow farmers to be bought out of household responsibility leases set up in the post-Mao Zedong era and requiring the proceeds of land sales to be paid into central government coffers.
• Amirabdollahian: Defensive diplomacy, inseparable part of Iran's foreign policy IRNA 31 Aug 2021 -- Iran's Foreign Minister said here on Tuesday that defensive diplomacy is an inseparable part of the Islamic Republic of Iran's foreign policy.
• New Iranian Foreign Minister Seeks Better Relations With Arab Neighbors VOA 31 Aug 2021 -- Iran's new top diplomat, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, appears to be focusing his efforts on Arab states in a bid to achieve a thaw in long frozen relations with Tehran's Arab and Gulf neighbors. The effort comes amid the ongoing proxy war in Yemen that involves Iran and Saudi Arabia.
• US Embassy in Belarus Reduces Staff at Minsk's Request Sputnik 31 Aug 2021 -- The American Embassy in Belarus has had to further reduce its staff at Minsk's request, the diplomatic mission said.
• Poland Could Declare State of Emergency at Belarus Border VOA 31 Aug 2021 -- The Polish government has asked President Andrzej Duda to declare a state of emergency along the Poland-Belarus border.
• Polish Government Asks For 'State Of Emergency' Amid Migrant Surge From Belarus RFE/RL 31 Aug 2021 -- Poland's government has formally asked President Andrzej Duda to declare a state of emergency along parts of its border with Belarus amid a surge of migrants that Warsaw and its EU partners believe is being encouraged and facilitated by Alyaksandr Lukashenka's regime in Minsk.
• Verdicts Expected For Belarusian Opposition Figures Kalesnikava, Znak RFE/RL 31 Aug 2021 -- Verdicts and sentences will be handed down on September 6 in the trial of two leading Belarusian opposition figures, Maryya Kalesnikava and Maksim Znak, on conspiracy charges the United States has called "manufactured" amid an ongoing crackdown on pro-democracy activists and groups by authoritarian ruler Alyaksandr Lukashenka.
• Thai parliament starts no-confidence debate against PM Press TV 31 Aug 2021 -- Thai lawmakers have begun a no-confidence debate against Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha and five cabinet members, with the opposition threatening to escalate street protests fueled by frustration at Prayuth's handling of the COVID-19 outbreak.