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Operations
Defense Policy / Programs
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Other Conflicts
News Reports

Current Operations

• Pentagon: Senior Al-Qaida Leader Killed in US Drone Strike in Syria VOA 23 Oct 2021 -- A U.S. military drone strike in Syria Friday killed a high-level al-Qaida leader, according to the U.S. Central Command.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Kyrgyz President Rejects Idea Of New U.S. Base In Kyrgyzstan RFE/RL 23 Oct 2021 -- Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov has rejected the idea of hosting a U.S. military base in his country, saying such a move would place Kyrgyzstan in a "cat and mouse" game in terms of its relations with Washington and with Russia.
• Kyrgyz President Says Country Will Not Host US Military Bases, Russian Presence 'Enough' Sputnik 23 Oct 2021 -- Kyrgyzstan will not host a US military base on its territory as Russia's presence was "enough," Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said on Saturday.
• Russian-Led CSTO Stages More Counterterrorism Drills On Tajik-Afghan Border RFE/RL Gandhara 23 Oct 2021 -- Members of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) have completed another joint counterterrorism training exercise in Tajikistan near the border with Afghanistan.
• Russia, China Conduct First Joint Naval Patrol in Pacific Ocean Sputnik 23 Oct 2021 -- Russian and Chinese warships conducted the first joint patrol in the Pacific Ocean, the Russian Ministry of Defenсe said on Saturday.
• First joint naval patrol by China, Russia in West Pacific is 'of vital significance': military experts Global Times 23 Oct 2021 -- Chinese and Russian naval forces have carried out their first joint sea patrol in waters in the West Pacific between October 17 to 23, Chinese Ministry of Defense said on Saturday, which experts said is of vital significance in sending a clear signal and practicing real world drills.
• China-Russia Joint Sea 2021 military exercise concludes PLA Daily 23 Oct 2021 -- At noon on October 23, local time, the China-Russia joint naval exercise Joint Sea 2021 and joint maritime cruise concluded successfully. The two sides' ship formations held a farewell ceremony in the eastern waters of the East China Sea.
• Chinese and Russian navies conduct joint cruise in the Western Pacific PLA Daily 23 Oct 2021 -- The navies of China and Russia organized joint maritime cruise in waters of the Western Pacific Ocean for the first time from October 17 to 23, according to a written statement released by the Ministry of National Defense of China on Saturday.
• Tokyo Says Self-Defenсe Forces Fighters Scrambled Over Chinese Chopper Takeoff Near Danjo Sputnik 23 Oct 2021 -- Fighter jets of the Japanese Air Self-Defenсe Force were scrambled in response to the takeoff of a Chinese helicopter from the deck of a warship, which, along with other Chinese and Russian warships, was passing near the Danjo Islands, the Japanese defenсe ministry said on Saturday.
• China commissions its largest vessel for maritime patrol PLA Daily 23 Oct 2021 -- China has commissioned its first 10,000 tonnes class vessel – Haixun 09 – in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province, to boost maritime patrolling and law enforcement, Xinhua News Agency reported on Saturday.
• Defence Development Exhibition Self-Defence-2021 Closes KCNA 23 Oct 2021 -- The Defence Development Exhibition Self-Defence-2021 closed after running for ten days. It was opened on October 11 to mark the 76th founding anniversary of the Workers' Party of Korea.
• Pakistan denies deal on US use of airspace for Afghanistan attacks Press TV 23 Oct 2021 -- Pakistan has denied a report on a formal agreement for the use of its airspace by the United States to conduct military strikes in Afghanistan, saying there is "no such understanding" between the two countries.
• Pakistan Denies Reports of Preparing to Sign Airspace Agreement With US Sputnik 23 Oct 2021 -- Pakistani Foreign Ministry has denied media reports about the possibility of signing an agreement with the United States on the use of the country's airspace for operations against terrorists in Afghanistan.
• Pakistan, US Discussing Counterterror Use of Airspace VOA 23 Oct 2021 -- Pakistan stopped short Saturday of refuting media claims it is working out a deal for the use of its airspace by the United States to launch counterterrorism military missions in neighboring Afghanistan.
• Turkey Begins Procedure to Acquire F-16 Fighter Jets From US, Defence Minister Says Sputnik 23 Oct 2021 -- Turkey has launched the procedure to purchase F-16 fighter jets from the United States, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Saturday.
• UK forges closer defence and security partnership with India, October 2021 UK FCDO 23 Oct 2021 -- Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is forging stronger UK security and defence links with India on her visit to the country, as she visits HMS Queen Elizabeth in Mumbai today.
• 'Think twice' about AUKUS, China's foreign minister tells UK Press TV 23 Oct 2021 -- China's foreign minister has urged Britain to "think twice" about its trilateral military pact with the United States and Australia, which will allow Canberra to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.
• AUKUS, China Sea Tensions Put Indonesia in Tight Spot, Analysts Say VOA 23 Oct 2021 -- Heightened Sino-Australian tensions over the new AUKUS agreement calling for the sharing of U.S. nuclear submarine technology with Australia, along with China's naval expansionism in the South China Sea, have left Indonesia with a delicate balancing act, analysts say.

Defense Industry

Other Conflicts

• RAF airlifts 102 people who have left Afghanistan to the UK UK MOD 23 Oct 2021 -- The RAF has airlifted over 102 people who had already left Afghanistan from a neighbouring third country.
• Afghan Pilots Who Fled To Tajikistan Say Taliban Is Threatening Relatives Back Home RFE/RL Gandhara 23 Oct 2021 -- Afghan military pilots who fled to Tajikistan when the Taliban seized power in Kabul say the militant group is pressuring them to return to Afghanistan by threatening to kill their relatives.
• Iran ready to invest in Afghanistan's different sectors, envoy tells Taliban acting FM Press TV 23 Oct 2021 -- Iran's ambassador to Kabul says economic woes are the common foe faced by Iran and Afghanistan, voicing Tehran's readiness to invest in various sectors in Afghanistan to help reconstruct the war-torn country.
• US Immigration Agency Overwhelmed by 20,000 Afghan Humanitarian Requests VOA 23 Oct 2021 -- As recently as last week, the U.S. immigration service was using six officers to process about 14,000 humanitarian requests for Afghans seeking relocation to the United States following the Taliban takeover of the country in August.
• Yemeni forces capture strategic region in Ma'rib as al-Qaeda militants flee Press TV 23 Oct 2021 -- Yemeni army forces, backed by allied fighters from Popular Committees, have made new advances in the country's central province of Ma'rib, establishing full control over a strategic region south of the provincial capital.
• Syrian Constitutional Talks Fail to Reach Consensus VOA 23 Oct 2021 -- U.N.-mediated talks aimed at drafting a new constitution for Syria's war-strapped government have failed to reach a consensus on how to move forward with the political process.
• Nine ISIS terrorists killed in Pakistan's Balochistan IRNA 23 Oct 2021 -- Nine Daesh terrorists were killed by the counter terrorism forces during an operation in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan Province.
• At Least 20 Killed as Somalia Troops Battle Moderate Islamist Militia VOA 23 Oct 2021 -- At least 20 people were killed and more than 40 wounded on Saturday when a moderate Islamist group clashed with Somali government troops over control of a town in central Somalia, according to witnesses and regional officials.
• UN Says Hunger Hits Cameroon's Troubled Western Regions VOA 23 Oct 2021 -- The U.N.'s World Food Program says thousands of destitute people in Cameroon's crisis-prone western regions are going hungry and their situations may become worse if the separatist crisis there continues. Chris Nikoi, WFP regional director for west and central Africa is visiting hungry community members – most of them farmers chased from their farms by Cameroon's separatist conflicts who are pleading to be spared from fighting between the military and separatists.
• Ethiopia: UN forced to abort humanitarian aid flight into Tigray UN News 23 Oct 2021 -- A UN humanitarian aid flight destined for the capital of the Tigray region in northern Ethiopia, was forced to return to Addis Ababa due to airstrikes on Friday, raising "serious concerns" for the safety of staff working on the ground, said the UN's Emergency Relief Coordinator, in a statement.

News Reports

• Jury Finds Former Giuliani Associate Lev Parnas Guilty Of Violating U.S. Finance Law RFE/RL 23 Oct 2021 -- A U.S. jury on October 22 found Ukrainian-born U.S. citizen Lev Parnas, a onetime associate of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, guilty of violating campaign finance laws during the 2018 elections.
• Colombian Authorities Reportedly Capture Elusive Drug Lord Otoniel, Leader of Clan del Golfo Sputnik 23 Oct 2021 -- Back in March, Colombian police captured Nini Johana Usuga, the sister of Clan del Golfo leader Dairo Antonio Úsuga David - alias "Otoniel." The group has been in operation since 2001, and has grown to be the largest drug-trafficking cabal in Colombia.
• China adopts land borders law PLA Daily 23 Oct 2021 -- China's top legislature on Saturday voted to adopt a new law on the protection and exploitation of the country's land border areas, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2022.
• China gains support for its sovereignty PLA Daily 23 Oct 2021 -- China's ambassador to the United Nations on Thursday bluntly told the United States, France and a few other Western countries that they are "in no position to make choices for the Chinese people, let alone lecture China", with more than 80 countries expressing their support for China's sovereignty.
• Hong Kong to hold chief executive election next March Global Times 23 Oct 2021 -- The election for the next chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) will be held on March 27, 2022, the HKSAR government announced on Friday.
• Report: Beijing Built Repressive Governance System for Uyghur Region VOA 23 Oct 2021 -- More than 170 Chinese Communist Party, government, military, paramilitary and hybrid administrative entities in China have participated in building and maintaining repressive governance of Uyghurs and other indigenous groups in Xinjiang since 2014, according to a report released this week.
• China to pilot levying property tax in selected cities Global Times 23 Oct 2021 -- China has decided to pilot testing property tax levies in selected cities during the coming five years, to garner experiences before proceeding with formal legislation.
• U.S. – Taiwan Working Group Meeting on International Organizations (IO Talks) US Dept. of State 23 Oct 2021 -- On October 22, 2021, the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) convened high-level representatives of the U.S. Department of State and the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a virtual forum on expanding Taiwan's participation at the United Nations and in other international fora.
• U.S. senators introduce bill to 'avoid miscalculation' in the Taiwan Strait CNA 23 Oct 2021 -- Two U.S. senators on Wednesday introduced a bipartisan legislation which they say is aimed at lowering tensions and reducing the risk of conflict in the Taiwan Strait.
• 'Strategic Ambiguity' on Taiwan Apparent as White House Walks Back Biden Comments VOA 23 Oct 2021 -- White House press secretary Jen Psaki on Friday appeared to walk back President Joe Biden's statement on Thursday that the United States was committed to defending Taiwan should it come under Chinese attack.
• US State Department official is blasted for challenging 'one China' principle Global Times 23 Oct 2021 -- China has expressed its firm opposition and lodged a solemn representation with the US after a senior US State Department official criticized Beijing for using UN Resolution 2758 to block Taiwan from participating in UN activities, which is a blatant challenge to the one-China principle and a serious political provocation to China, spokesperson of the Chinese Embassy in the US said.
• US Special Envoy Arrives in Seoul to Reopen Nuclear Talks With Pyongyang VOA 23 Oct 2021 -- U.S. special envoy for North Korea Sung Kim arrived Saturday in South Korea to reopen stalled denuclearization talks with the North.
• Iran says will resume negotiations with G4+1 soon IRNA 23 Oct 2021 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian on Saturday referred to recent talks with the European Union in Tehran and the continuation of talks in Brussels, noting that Tehran will resume nuclear negotiations with G4+1 soon.
• Iran-P4+1 talks on sanctions removal to resume soon: FM Amir-Abdollahian Press TV 23 Oct 2021 -- Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian says the negotiations between Tehran and the P4+1 group of countries on the removal of US anti-Iran sanctions will be resumed in the near future.
• Iran says resolved to broaden ties with Azerbaijan after Baku releases truck drivers Press TV 23 Oct 2021 -- Iran says Azerbaijan's release of two Iranian truck drivers detained last month constitutes a constructive move to clear misunderstandings, expressing Tehran's keenness to improve and broaden relations with Baku.
• 'Atrocity crimes' feared as Myanmar sending troops, weapons to north: UN Press TV 23 Oct 2021 -- The United Nations (UN) warns of more "atrocity crimes" in Myanmar amid reports of the military massing thousands of troops and heavy weapons in the north of the country in a move reminiscent of the "genocidal attacks against the Rohingya Muslims" five years ago.
• Myanmar Military's Release of Prisoners Only to Ease International Pressure, Experts Say VOA 23 Oct 2021 -- The Myanmar military's recent decision to release thousands of prisoners is due to international pressure, and not a real sign of change, human rights activists say.
• Erdogan: Turkey to banish ambassadors of 10 Western countries over call for release of rights activist Press TV 23 Oct 2021 -- Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says he has ordered the foreign ministry to declare ambassadors from 10 Western countries, including the American envoy, "persona non grata" over their joint call on Ankara for the release of Osman Kavala, a civil society leader.
• Erdogan: Ambassadors of 10 Countries Calling for Human Rights Activist's Release to Be Expelled Sputnik 23 Oct 2021 -- Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan announced on Saturday that he had instructed the Turkish Foreign Ministry to declare ambassadors of 10 countries personae non gratae, including the United States, that have called on Ankara to release human rights activist Osman Kavala.
• Ukraine accuses Russia of 'gas aggression', calls for EU action Press TV 23 Oct 2021 -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of orchestrating an energy crisis in Europe by raising gas prices, calling on Brussels to work with Kiev against what he characterized as Russian "gas aggression."
• Orban, Opposition Hold Budapest Rallies To Launch Election Campaign RFE/RL 23 Oct 2021 -- Prime Minister Viktor Orban and joint opposition leader Peter Marki-Zay both held campaign-style rallies in Budapest on October 23, nearly six months ahead of an election that is expected to be closely contested.
• Uzbekistan Clamps Down On Activists, Critics Ahead Of Presidential Election RFE/RL 23 Oct 2021 -- Just days before Uzbekistan's president election, former presidential hopeful Jahongir Otajonov was told that he had been barred from leaving the country.
• The Tajik Government's Style Of Justice And Mercy RFE/RL 23 Oct 2021 -- International rights watchdogs have long charged that the judiciary system in Tajikistan is often used to punish perceived enemies of the government.