July
1-15
Russian
Border Guards Confiscated About 1,500 Kg Of Heroin On Tajik-Afghan
Border Since January 2003
MOSCOW, July
2, 2003 /from a RIA Novosti correspondent/ — Russian border guards
on the Tajik-Afghan border have confiscated about 1,500 kg of
heroin since the year’s beginning, an official of the Russian
Border Guard Service told RIA Novosti Wednesday.
According to him, heroin makes up over 63% of the drugs confiscated
on the Tajik-Afghan border over this period. He stressed that
over 70% of crude opium and almost 100% of heroin in the European
Union came from Afghanistan, according to the UN expert data.
Tajikistan
accounts for up to 85% of the overall volume of drugs confiscated
in the Central Asia, with 60% of them being confiscated by Russian
border guards. The Border Guard Service officer specified that
over 40% of Afghan drugs proceeded via the so-called "northern
route" (former Soviet Central Asian republics) with Tajikistan
and Turkmenistan accounting for 15% each, and Uzbekistan for 10%
of the drugs traffic.
"However, neither Turkmenistan nor Uzbekistan provide data
on the fight against drugs trafficking on their territory,"
the RIA Novosti interlocutor stressed.
Policeman
Kidnapped In Chechnya
GROZNY, July
3, 2003. /From a RIA Novosti correspondent/ — One Utsmiyev, a
24-year-old senior sergeant of the extradepartmental security
of Grozny’s Oktyabrsky interior office, was kidnapped from the
village of Sataya Sunzha, Chechnya’s Grozny district on Wednesday.
The kidnappers, 12 militants, escaped the scene on passenger cars.
The republic’s law enforcers have launched an investigation and
are busy searching for the kidnapped policeman.
U.S.
President Bush Celebrates the 4th in Ohio
President
Bush’s 4th of July Speech and the Celebration of 100 years of
Flight
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Thanks for the warm welcome.
Be seated. (Laughter.) It’s kind of a long speech. (Laughter.)
Thanks for coming. It’s great to be in the great state of Ohio.
(Applause.) I am proud to be at Wright Patt, the birthplace, the
home and the future of aerospace. (Applause.)
I had the honor of meeting Amanda Wright Lane and Steve Wright,
descendants of the Wright brothers. They were quick to remind
me that Dayton is where the Wright brothers first drew up the
plans for their flying machine. I wonder what Wilbur and Orville
would have thought if they’d have seen that flying machine that
I came in on today. (Full
Story)
Fallujah
Mosque Explosion Tied to Bomb-making Class
WASHINGTON
– A bomb manufacturing class being taught inside the Al
Hasan Mosque in Fallujah was apparently the cause of the early
July 1 explosion there, according to U.S. Central Command officials.
Coalition forces had no involvement in the incident, according
to an ongoing investigation by coalition troops and local police.
U.S. 3rd Infantry Division troops had responded to the incident
after a U.S. aircraft had notified officials about the blast,
according to CENTCOM. (Full
Story)
Coalition
Continues Effort To Rebuild Iraq
BAGHDAD,
Iraq — Irrigation water in sufficient quantity reached Tala’a,
a small village near Al Hillah in southern Iraq, for the first
time in three years according to the 304th Civil Affairs Brigade.
In the An Najaf area, two hundred one facility protection service
guards graduated from security training. Sixty-seven guards will
work at oil and gas facilities and 134 will work at hospitals.
While in the Fallujah area, Coalition forces transferred authority
and responsibility for the security of the power substation to
the local police.
Coalition forces continued to clean sewer pipes in different cities
and towns throughout the country to minimize sewage back up and
reduce the chances of a health epidemic. Five septic trucks were
provided to Baghdad’s Al Schweb neighborhood to relieve
a serious emerging sewer problem.
Three doctors from Korea Food for the Hungry International (KFHI)
and Global Care working with Coalition forces completed the recreation
of disabled veterans’ medical records.
France
Presse Journalist Kidnapped Witnessed by Reuters and Radio Liberty
PARIS, July
6, 2003. RIA Novosti by Andrei Nizamutdinov–Men who kidnapped
a France Presse correspondent, Ali Astamirov, in Nazran, the Republic
of Ingushetia, bordering on Chechnya in the North Caucasus, have
not yet contacted central or Moscow offices of the agency, a staff
member of the Agence France Presse reported on Sunday.
According to him, the abductors
keep silent and do not advance any demands. The management of
the Moscow office informed the interior ministries of Russia and
Ingushetia of what happened, but has received no news from Nazran.
According to information available
to AFP, Astamirov, who was the agency’s correspondent for Chechnya
and Ingushetia, was abducted on Friday evening at a fueling station
in Nazran by men wearing face masks. The happening was witnessed
by journalists from Reuters and Radio Liberty, who were not touched
by the kidnappers and had only their mobile telephones taken from
them.
Soldier
Killed Protecting Baghdad Museum
BAGHDAD, Iraq
– A 1st Armored Division soldier was shot and killed by
small arms fire while protecting the Baghdad Museum.
The soldier was in the gunner’s
hatch of a Bradley Fighting Vehicle at a guard post in the Rushafa
neighborhood when he was hit.
The soldier’s name is being
withheld pending notification of his next of kin.
Iraqi
Detonates Bomb Near Civil Military Operations Center, Kills Self
BAGHDAD,
Iraq — An Iraqi civilian attempting to place a bomb near a center
for humanitarian assistance in Ba’qubah died July 3 when
the device detonated. The blast also injured three Iraqis, who
were taken away by other Iraqi civilians.
Iraqi police responded to the incident,
but were chased from the scene by a crowd. The attack is evidence
of opposition attempts to deny assistance to Iraqis and further
stabilize the country.
Soldiers from 2nd Brigade responded
to the site and dispersed the crowd without incident.
The Civil Military Operations Center
acts as a central point for coordinating humanitarian assistance
with governmental and nongovernmental organizations and suffered
minor damage as windows were broken.
Terrorist
Attack Kills 7 Iraqi Police Recruits
AR
RAMADI, Iraq – Seven Iraqi police recruits were killed and
13 were wounded in an explosion where terrorist apparently triggered
the blast by remote device outside the city police department
in Ar Ramadi, Iraq on July 5.
The newly trained city police recruits were attending their graduation
ceremony when the explosion occurred. Investigation by 3rd Armored
Cavalry Regiment explosive ordnance specialists state the cause
of the explosion was a command detonated device usually set off
by an electronic component like a garage door opener.
No Coalition forces were present at the time of the explosion.
The 3rd Armory Cavalry Regiment dispatched a Quick Reaction Force
team to the site and a Coalition forces explosive ordnance detachment,
which later investigated the scene, confirmed the cause of the
explosion.
The incident is currently under investigation by Iraqi Police
and U.S. military authorities
A
Stash of Suicide Belts was Found in Chechnya’s Kurchaloi District
According
to the press service of the United Federal Forces, three belts
stuffed with plastic explosives and scraps of metal were found
in a militant training camp not far from the village of Nikikhita.
The terrorist base was discovered
by the federal forces’ special task unit, which also eliminated
five terrorists not far from the base, said RIA Novosti’s source.
Third
International Division Possible in Iraq
WASHINGTON
– A third international division- sized unit could possibly
be stood up in Iraq in the future, DoD officials said during a
press conference last week.
Two divisions, led by Britain and
Poland, are already scheduled to start moving into Iraq in July
and August. Joint Chiefs chairman Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers
said these 20,000 international troops will take up duties in
the country in September. Joint Staff officials said the United
States in negotiating with many other nations for the third division-sized
unit.
There are just under 150,000 American
troops in Iraq with just over 12,000 coalition forces today, Myers
said. U.S. leaders have been in discussions with more than 20
nations. The effort started soon after hostilities began in March,
Joint Staff officials said. (Full
Story)
Operation
Sidewinder Raids Grab Saddam-Regime Supporters, Outlawed
Weapons
WASHINGTON
– Security operations designed to corral Saddam-regime sycophants
remaining in Iraq continue, according to a U.S. Central Command
news release July 2.
Operation Sidewinder raids against
suspected Hussein supporters, the release noted, have so far netted
20 high- value former Baath Party leaders and members, former
Fedayeen paramilitary leaders and a former Iraqi military intelligence
officer. The operation began June 29.
And five recent Sidewinder raids
conducted by 4th Infantry Division soldiers have garnered a cornucopia
of outlawed weaponry, including 28 hand grenades, three AK-47
automatic rifles, five mortar fuses, and a crate of rocket-propelled
grenades, according to the release. (Full
Story)
Operation
Sidewinder Yields Positive Results
BAGHDAD,
Iraq – The 4th Infantry Division conducted 10 raids in support
of Operation Sidewinde resulting in nine detained individuals.
In a separate event, 4th ID raided
a suspected arms market in the vicinity of Balad Ruz. Three Iraqi
males, including the store owner were detained. Four rocket-propelled
grenade launchers and four rocket-propelled grenade rounds were
removed. Additionally, one rocket-propelled grenade, one set of
night vision goggles and 227 rounds of various types of ammunition
were confiscated elsewhere.
Mudhat Aagad Khalaf, a former regime
Special Security Officer, turned himself in to a unit of the 4th
ID. He was transported to a detention facility for further interrogation.
(Full
Story)
British
Coalition Forces Seize Illegal Haul
BASRAH,
Iraq – In the early hours of July 4, British Coalition Forces’
troops carried out the latest in a string of successful operations
against criminal elements in the southern Basrah region, seizing
cash and significant quantities of suspected drugs.
Acting on information from a local
source, soldiers from the 40th Regiment, Royal Artillery, carried
out a shock raid on a house in Khor Az Zubayr, in the south of
the province. They arrested three suspected drug dealers and seized
33 million Iraqi Dinar, $11,000 (U.S.), forgery equipment, some
suspected cannabis resin and two bags of pills. (Full
Story)
The
Road Map: Israelis Still Being Attacked
Security
has always been the number one priority for Israel and in complying
with demands from the U.S. to move a road map along that promises
peace, many Israeli families that had modest homes settled in
areas which Palestinians claim as theirs have been forcefully
removed by Israeli soldiers. Also removed in recent days are road
blocks and outposts designed to prevent terrorist infiltrators.
Israeli troops have moved out of Gaza and Bethlehem (a town with
ancient Jewish and Christian ties) and the Palestinian Authority
is now in charge of the West Bank, reportedly by PA General Haj
Ismail.
An Israeli built protective wall
has also been targeted for removal, but Israelis want the defensive
wall to stay. Last week an Israeli security guard was wounded
in a shooting attack against workers building the security fence,
and a bomb also exploded close to the fence near the town of Qalqilyah.
(Full
Story)
16
Soldiers Wounded in July 3rd Mortar Attack
WASHINGTON
– A total of 16 soldiers were wounded in a mortar attack
against a logistics post near Balad, Iraq, July 3, U.S. Central
Command officials said.
Two of the soldiers, all members
of the 4th Infantry Division, were evacuated from the area and
are in stable condition, officials said. The rest were treated
and released.
Combined Joint Task Force –
7 officials said this is the first instance of a mortar attack
against U.S. troops since President Bush declared an end to major
combat on May 1. (Full
Story)
Female
Terrorists Strike at Rock Festival
MOSCOW
– Two females wearing explosives attempted to gain entry
into a popular rock concert but were stopped by security who had
become suspicious. The terrorists blew themselves up near the
box offices, killing 16 people and wounding over 40.
The explosions hit within a 15-minute
interval in Moscow on the territory of the Tushino market adjoined
to the airfield that was hosting the Krylya (Wings) outdoor rock
festival.
According to the Russian Interior
Minister Boris Gryzlov, one woman’s suicide belt had been packed
with at least one kilogram (2.2 pounds) of explosives. The terrorist
acts was carried out by two Shahid women. One of them was identified
as a Chechen–as her passport was found on her. There have been
reports that the explosives were filled with nails and other shrapnel,
and that one of them did not go off fully. (Full
Story)
‘Incredible
Progress’ Made Restoring Iraq’s Infrastructure
By Gerry J.
Gilmore, AFPS
WASHINGTON – Iraq’s electrical system and other key infrastructure
was all but ruined after years of neglect under Saddam Hussein’s
rule, but reconstruction efforts are improving life for the country’s
citizens with each passing day, U.S. officials in Baghdad said
July 7.
The main challenge in getting Iraq’s
infrastructure up to snuff, noted Army Maj. Gen. Carl Strock,
the deputy director of operations for the Coalition Provisional
Authority in Baghdad, involves "decades of neglect"
by the deposed regime, including lack of investment in operations
and maintenance.
U.S.
Committed to Peace in Africa, Bush Says
WASHINGTON
– President Bush said the United States is firmly committed
to peace in Africa and said America would support peacekeeping
efforts in Liberia.
Bush, speaking at a joint press conference with South African
President Thabo Mbeki in Pretoria, said the United States strongly
supports the Liberian cease-fire agreement signed last month.
(Full
Story)
Milan
DIGOS Arrests Group of Egyptians
(AGI) – Milan,
Italy, July 11 – The Milan police special investigations unit
(DIGOS) arrested some Egyptian citizens in the provinces of Como,
Alessandria, and Pavia who allegedly belong to terrorist groups,
and is also doing seventeen searches. The investigations started
with suspicions concerning an Egyptian, who together with some
of his countrymen, had a role in getting hold of false documents
to make illegal immigrants enter Italy. Using these documents,
the police unit also found ties with Islamic fundamentalists arrested
in Milan with the accusation of belonging to terrorist groups.
ICE
Targets the Export of Illegal Military Components to Iranian Arms
Network
WASHINGTON,
D.C. – The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE) announced last week that agents from ICE and the Defense
Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) executed search warrants
on 18 U.S. companies as part of an ongoing probe into the illegal
export of U.S. military components to a front company in London
that procures arms for the Iranian military.
“Keeping sensitive U.S. military
technology from falling into the wrong hands is one of the most
important missions of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security.
This case is a prime example of cooperation between ICE and the
DCIS in our efforts to protect the American homeland and U.S.
troops deployed around the world,” said Michael J. Garcia,
Acting Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Immigration and Customs
Enforcement. (Full
Story)
Italy
Envisions Israel a Future Member of EU
Rome
– July 11, 2003 – In his meeting today with Deputy Prime Minister
and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Italian Prime Minister Silvio
Berlusconi told Foreign Minister Shalom that in his meetings with
the 25 ambassadors representing the countries of the European
Union, he discussed his vision that Israel would join the European
Union. Despite the fact that Israel is located geographically
on the other side of the Mediterranean, culturally and economically
Israel is a Western European and democratic country. (Full
Story)
Coalition
and Iraqi Police Work to Make Iraq Secure
BAGHDAD,
Iraq – Coalition forces continued to strike pockets of resistance
in Iraq in the effort to stabilize the former war torn country.
Iraqi civilians led a joint 1st
Armored Division military and Iraqi police patrol to an improvised
explosive device located over a gas pipeline in a market in Baghdad.
The IED turned out to be a hand grenade inside of a soda can.
First AD engineers were called to the scene to detonate the IED.
A 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment patrol
team detained 31 individuals after observing them stealing ammunition
crates from an ammunition storage point in Al Qaim. The 3rd ACR
transported the individuals to a detention holding cell in Al
Asad for questioning. (Full
Story)
Jordanian
Unit Resumes De-mining Ops
KANDAHAR
AIR FIELD, Afghanistan — After four idle months the Jordanian
de-mining team resumed operations, clearing mines from the desert
floor surrounding Kandahar Air Field.
Clearing Afghanistan of the deadly
ground weapons is a high priority for coalition forces and the
soldiers from Jordan have been waiting two months for the chance
to do their jobs. The United Nations Mine Action Programme figures
there are roughly 10 million mines strewn throughout Afghanistan
— placed mainly during the Russian occupation in the 1980s
— that hinder reconstruction efforts in the country. According
to the agency, approximately 150 people are maimed or killed every
month in the country because of mines. (Full
Story)
Iraqis
Need Proof Saddam Dead, Captured to Feel Safe
WASHINGTON
– Iraqis need to see Saddam Hussein and his sons dead or
in custody before they feel safe, said Emad Dhia, director of
the Iraqi Reconstruction and Development Council, during a Pentagon
press conference.
This is despite the fact that American officials have assured
Iraqis that Saddam Hussein’s regime is gone and it’s not coming
back.
Larry Di Rita, acting Pentagon spokesman,
said the many different "strains" of anti-coalition
activity in Iraq do not seem to be directed by a single command.
(Full
Story)
U.S.
Forces Committed to Global War on Terror
WASHINGTON
– U.S. Central Command has been at the "leading edge
of the global war on terrorism" for the past two years, according
to Tommy Franks, the U.S. Army general who led the U.S. offensive
against terrorism in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
"The precision, the determination,
the expertise of our young men and women who wear the uniform,
and of our coalition partners," Franks said "has brought
about the liberation of Afghanistan. It’s brought about the liberation
of Iraq — both in lightning speed, in the sweep of history, with
minimum bloodshed." (Full
Story)
Russian
Explosives Expert Killed by Remote Bomb While Investigating on
Moscow Street
Moscow – Around
10:30p.m. last Wednesday, law enforcement officers detained a
suspicious looking young women at the Imbir restaurant located
in building No. 14 on 1st Tverskaya-Yamskaya street. At the time
of arrest, the woman told officers that she had an explosive device
in her purse and threatened to activate it.
Officers led the terrorist to the
street, secured her hands with handcuffs and ordered her to put
the purse on the ground. Then, they covered the purse with a bulletproof
vest for safety purposes. (Full
Story)
More
Coalition Soldiers are Killed by Saddam Fedayeen, Death Squads
and other Saddam Fighters
In response
to continued attacks from what Defense and Intelligence sources
say are being carried out by remaining Saddam Death Squads and
Fedayeen, the U.S. has launched Operation Ivy Serpent. The Operation
led by the 4th Infantry Division and Task Force Ironhorse is the
fourth in a series of operations focused on neutralizing these
paramilitary groups and Ba’ath Party fighters who are trying
to disrupt peace in Iraq.
Another US soldier was killed, six
injured early Monday when their convoy came under an RPG and machine
attack in Baghdad’s Mansour district–one day after the
US army launched the Ivy Serpent operation to pre-empt Saddam
"anniversary" attacks. Operation Ivy Serpent is a preemptive
strike that aggressively focuses on former regime leaders who
are planning attacks against coalition forces designed to cause
damage and harm and hinder the Coalition and Iraqi efforts in
building a new Iraq. (Full
Story)
July
16-31
Israel
and the IRA Connection
A few days ago Israel believed they had captured Irish Republican
Army bomb expert, John Morgan, 40, at a makeshift roadblock between
Jerusalem and Ramallah. However, Israeli officials found that
he was not the sought after bomb maker. Instead, according to
some reports, he is a man with a common name that is an activist
of sorts, associated with an organization that brings Palestinians
to Ireland.
Morgan
admitted during questioning to committing at least one crime for
the IRA of which he was convicted in the 1980’s. Israeli officials
with additional information from the Israeli press released a
statement on Thursday saying:
"Northern Irish teacher and journalist John Morgan, who was
mistaken for an IRA bomb expert and arrested at a West Bank checkpoint
on Saturday, was freed on Wednesday and escorted by police to
Ben Gurion Airport where he left on a flight home…" (Full
Story)
Former
POW Receives Honors at NAACP Convention
MIAMI —
Possibly the most honored person at the NAACP’s 28th Annual Armed
Services and Veterans Affairs award dinner was not a high-ranking
dignitary or any of the scheduled awardees.
However, this invited guest was
special: Spc. Shoshana Johnson, former POW from Operation Iraqi
Freedom. She received a bullet wound to both feet when her vehicle
convoy came under heavy enemy fire March 23 in Nasiriyah, Iraq.
She and other members of the Army’s 507th Maintenance Battalion
were taken as POWs. Along with six other POWs, she was rescued
by Marines conducting house raids in the city of Samarra, Iraq.
Unit members found the captives when they kicked down the door
to a home. (Full
Story)
Operation
Soda Mountain Projects Help Iraqis
BAGHDAD,
Iraq – Coalition forces performed a number of successful
humanitarian projects, to enhance the long-term stability throughout
Iraq, in support of Operation Soda Mountain, which ended on July
17.
The
4th Infantry Division engineers opened the Buffalo Soldier Bridge,
which spans the Tigris River, on July 17. The completion of the
bridge project marks the first completed joint project between
the 4th ID’s 14th Engineer Battalion and local Iraqis. The
bridge, which had been damaged by erosion, is now safe for civilian
as well as military traffic. (Full
Story)
Russia
Ranks 2nd in World’s Petroleum/Fuel Exports, Says OPEC
VIENNA, July
20 /from RIA Novosti’s Borislav Pechnikov/ – Russia has been steadily
ranking the world’s second for petroleum, fuel and lubricant exports
since 1991, says an expert report of the OPEC market studies department,
which the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries is circulating
via its Vienna HQ.
Saudi Arabia is a firm leader, though
Russia outran it to rank first for two months last spring. The
list of the oil exporter Top Fifteen comes as follows, after the
two leaders: Norway, Venezuela, Iran, the UK, Nigeria, Mexico,
the United Arab Emirates, Canada, Iraq, Kuwait, the Netherlands,
South Korea and Indonesia.
Mass
Grave Found in Al Hatra
MOSUL,
Iraq – The remains of an estimated 200 people were found
by soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) recently
in a mass grave in Al Hatra, about 40 miles south of Mosul.
A
mass grave assessment team, including members of the division’s
Criminal Investigation Division and Division Surgeon sections,
confirmed the find by partially excavating the site located on
a slight depression on the edge of a wadi, or dry riverbed.
Two
pieces of clothing were found at approximately six-feet deep and
multiple remains were uncovered at approximately 10-feet deep.
About 25 sets of human remains were pulled from the hole, with
an unknown number still buried.
According
to reports gathered from local civilians and estimates based on
the size of the depression as many as 200 to 400 bodies could
be buried there.
The
team now has help from specialists from the Armed Forces Institute
of Pathology, a Department of Defense asset, which arrived in
Mosul July 14.
Russian-American
Group for Combating International Terrorism
MOSCOW, July
20. RIA Novosti – A delegation from Moscow arrives in the United
States to take part in the jubilee, tenth, session of the Russian-American
group for combating international terrorism.
As the RIA Novosti correspondent
reports, at the coming session the sides will discuss a broad
range of questions concerning co-operation between Russia and
the United States in countering terrorism, the interaction of
both states within the framework of the anti-terrorist coalition
and in various international organisations.
The Russian delegation will be headed
by First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Trubnikov,
the American delegation – by Deputy Secretary of State Richard
Armitage.
The session has been planned for
a period after the 20th of July.
Possible
American Troops in Liberia Not to Be Under U.N. Control
WASHINGTON
– Any large-scale deployment of American troops to Liberia
would not be under U.N. control, President George W. Bush said
at the White House last week.
"We
would not be blue-helmeted," he said after meeting with U.N.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Instead, Bush continued, "we
would be there to facilitate (an international force’s entry)
and then to leave."
Bush
said American involvement would be in the form of assistance to
the Economic Community of West African States. "It may require
troops, but we don’t know how many yet," he said. (Full
Story)
Fighting
Terror Abroad
WASHINGTON
"We can either fight this battle against terrorism at home,
or we can fight it abroad," U.S. Army Gen. John Abizaid said
July 16. "Our soldiers have to know in their heart of hearts
that they’ve got to fight it abroad."
The
new commander of Operation Iraqi Freedom met with Pentagon reporters
on the eve of his departure for the Persian Gulf. Abizaid, who
assumed command of U.S. Central Command July 7, gave an update
on the security situation in Iraq. He
also discussed how long troops would remain in Iraq, a question
being posed by the public, military family members and the troops
themselves. (Full
Story)
Blair
Says Freedom, Liberty Best Weapons Against Terrorism
WASHINGTON
– The values of liberty and freedom are America’s and Great
Britain’s best weapons against terrorism, British Prime Minister
Tony Blair told a joint meeting of Congress July 17.
Blair,
interrupted by standing ovations a number of times, told the legislators
that the spread of freedom is the best security for the free.
"It
is our last line of defense and our first line of attack,"
he said. "And just as the terrorist seeks to divide humanity
in hate, so we have to unify around an idea. And that idea is
liberty." (Full
Story)
Another
Terrorist Act in Chechnya
GROZNY,
RIA Novosti – A terrorist attack in Chechnya struck eight police
officers causing serious wounds in the provisional press centre
of the Russian Interior Ministry on Saturday.
At eight o’clock, Moscow time, an
UAZ automobile carrying a composite detachment of the Murmansk
region’s interior department was blown up 2 km north-east of the
Kargalinovskaya settlement on the Kargalinovskaya-Kizlyar motorway,
the press centre reported.
Eight policemen who incurred wounds
from the terrorist attack were rushed to hospital and are being
treated.
Operative and search operations
are being conducted at the site of the incident.
C4
in Weapons Caches Seized in Soda Mountain Raids
BAGHDAD,
Iraq – The 4th Infantry Division seized an extensive amount
of weapons in Operation Soda Mountain in support of the effort
to create a secure environment in Iraq.
In
one 24 hour period, the 4th Infantry Division conducted 14 raids
which resulted in 282 AK 47s, 501 grenades, 10 pistols, 20 mortar
rounds, 54 crates of C4 explosives, 250,000 blasting caps, and
a large amount of small arms ammunition confiscated and 30 individuals
detained. (Full
Story)
Cease-Fire?
Israel Still Being Attacked
IDF
forces along the Israel-Egypt border were fired at a number of
times over the weekend, and in the West Bank, terrorists fired
at an Israeli vehicle near the Taibeh check-point. In Tulkarem
an explosive device was detonated towards IDF forces, and in Tubas,
north of Nablus, IDF forces uncovered a 15 kilogram explosive
device. The device was detonated in a controlled explosion by
IDF sappers.
Earlier in the week a mortar was
fired from the Gaza Strip and landed near the Gush Katif perimeter
fence. Terrorists also fired at an IDF position near the Israeli
community of Neveh Dekalim in the southern Gaza Strip. And, on
Thursday morning last week, terrorists fired at IDF forces along
the Israel-Egypt border, near Rafah. (Full
Story)
Coalition
Forces Ambushed in Iraq and Afghanistan
An
American soldier guarding a Baghdad bank was shot dead Saturday
afternoon following a remote-control bombing attack in Faluja
Friday.
Bagram
Air Field, Afghanistan – Two coalition soldiers and one
Afghan Military Forces soldier were wounded when their patrol
was ambushed north of Orgun-E about 11 a.m. on Saturday.
The
wounded soldiers were evacuated to Forward Operating Base Salerno
near Khowst. They are in stable condition and are being moved
to the U.S. Army hospital at Bagram. (Full
Story)
Foreigners
Seeking Russia’s Citizenship will be Tested for Knowledge of Russian
MOSCOW,
July 25, 2003 RIA Novosti — In accordance with the 2002 federal
law "On Citizenship of the Russian Federation," one
of the conditions for granting citizenship in Russia is knowledge
of the Russian language, the international education and co-operation
department of Russia’s Education Ministry said on Friday.
The ministry has developed tests
and approved a list of institutes where one can be officially
tested for knowledge of the Russian language as a foreign one
"at the level of a basic general command of the Russian language."
Test materials have been registered with the Justice Ministry
and have already been dispatched to educational establishments,
it was said at the Education Ministry.
A foreigner taking the test must
know spoken Russian and be able to read a text. As was noted at
the ministry, all assignments "have been taken from real
life situations".
Moscow’s list of educational establishments
qualified to test foreigners for their knowledge of Russian include
Lomonosov State University of Moscow, MGIMO (Moscow State Institute
of International Relations), the Bauman University /MVTU/, University
of Friendship of Peoples, the Plekhanov State Economics Academy,
and some other colleges.
U.S.
Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch: Home to the Mountains
WASHINGTON-
"It’s great to be home," Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch told
hundreds of well wishers who lined the streets of Elizabeth, W.
Va. to welcome the former POW home.
A Blackhawk helicopter carried the
former POW to Elizabeth, after her discharge from Walter Reed
Army Medical Center. Lynch then traveled the last five miles of
her journey by motorcade to a private homecoming in her hometown
of Palestine. (Full
Story)
U.S.
HHS, Republic of Korea Join on
Infectious Diseases Research
U.S.
HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson last week signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) with Korean Minister of Health and Welfare
Hwa-Joong Kim to promote enhanced United States-Korea cooperation
in vaccine-preventable and infectious disease research. (Full
Story)
Meteorite
Was Probably a Comet
MOSCOW,
July 25, 2003–Russian scientists who have investigated the place
where the so-called Vitim meteorite fell presume that what hit
the taiga was a small comet. The object concerned was a large
celestial body with a supposed weight of about 100 tons, which
at the end of September of last year fell into the basin of the
Vitim River in Eastern Siberia. Witnesses claim that they saw
a glowing object hurtle through the air and break up into small
pieces and then heard a powerful explosion. A fire started in
the place of the fall, within a radius of 3 kilometres. Because
these localities are hard to reach, the investigators did not
arrive there until this summer. (Full
Story)
21
Marines Sent Into Liberia at Ambassador’s Request
WASHINGTON
— A team of 21 U.S. Marines arrived in Monrovia last week
to add a level of security to the U.S. Embassy in Liberia’s capital,
Defense officials in the Pentagon said.
Civil
war in the West African nation has increased security concerns.
The newly arrived Marines, deployed from Rota, Spain, are part
of a Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team. They join a 35-member
Humanitarian Assistance Support Team that U.S. European Command
deployed July 7. Another 20 Marines are staged in neighboring
Sierra Leone awaiting further orders. (Full
Story)
Special
Ops Troops Kill Two Dozen Enemy Forces in Afghanistan
WASHINGTON-
American special operations forces killed roughly two dozen enemy
forces after being attacked in Afghanistan last week. While, elsewhere,
nine coalition troops have been wounded in recent days.
In a statement out of Bagram this
morning, Coalition Joint Task Force 180 spokesman Army Col. Rodney
Davis described the fight. The engagement started when an "unknown-sized
element" of enemy forces attacked a two-vehicle American
convoy near the firebase at Spin Boldak, he said. (Full
Story)
Iraqi
Militia to Seek, Destroy Saddam Fighters
With several
Coalition forces being killed each week in ambush attacks and
reports that recently released tapes are confirmed to be the voice
of Saddam Hussein, it is clear that as the U.S. works to rebuild
Iraq from years of ruin, they must act quickly and wisely to stop
the onslaught of attacks. Several U.S. officials have come out
in the last few days with what seem to be plans of action. Sunday,
a senior official in Iraq said that an Iraqi militia is being
formed to assist U.S. and coalition forces in rooting out and
destroying Saddam loyalists who’ve been attacking coalition forces
and obstructing reconstruction efforts.
"We’re
starting this week to raise an Iraqi civil defense corps,"
Paul Bremer announced on Sunday. (Full
Story)
4th
ID Commander Reports Iraqis
Providing More Information
WASHINGTON
— The July 22 deaths of Saddam Hussein’s sons Uday and Qusay
at the hands of U.S. forces who were tipped of by an Iraqi citizen
is bringing forth intelligence information that has led to weapons
seizures and the arrests of Saddam loyalists.
During
a video-teleconference briefing from Tikrit, Iraq, Army Maj. Gen.
Ray Odierno told Pentagon reporters that recent tips from Iraqis
have led to the discovery of several large caches of weapons and
the detention of what may prove to be some of Saddam’s personal
security detachment. (Full
Story)
Gratitude
to Italian PM for Support in War on Terrorism
WASHINGTON
– America and Europe are "both more secure and more effective"
when they work together, President George W. Bush said during
a press conference with his Italian counterpart last Monday.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
is visiting Bush at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Italy was one
of Bush’s strongest international supporters in the build- up
to the war in Iraq. The two discussed Iraq’s reconstruction, the
war on terrorism and the security situation in the Middle East.
(Full
Story)
Saddam
Regime Holdouts Targeting
Peace and Successes in Iraq
WASHINGTON
— U.S. President Bush last week urged nations around the world
to contribute "militarily and financially" toward building
a free and secure Iraq.
Nineteen nations are providing a
total of 13,000 troops to stability efforts, and more than two
dozen nations have provided funds, the president noted while flanked
by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Joint Chiefs Chairman Air
Force Gen. Richard Myers, and Ambassador L. Paul Bremer, the U.S.
civil administrator in Iraq, during a White House press briefing.
(Full
Story)
Photos
of Hussein Brothers’ Bodies Provide Proof to Iraqis
WASHINGTON
– The deaths of Uday and Qusay Hussein sent "a very clear
signal to the Iraqis that the Hussein family is finished and will
not be returning to terrorize them again," Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld said today.
Releasing photographs of the brothers’ bodies was not a decision
he made lightly, the secretary said during a Pentagon media briefing.
But, he added, he believes the Iraqi people deserve proof that
their longtime tormenters are really gone. (Full
Story)
ICE
Thwarts Plot to Illegally Export U.S. Fighter Jet Components to
China
WASHINGTON,
D.C. – Roscoe C. Howard Jr., the United States Attorney
for the District of Columbia, and Michael J. Garcia, the Acting
Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement
(ICE), announced that two people identified as Amanullah Khan
and Ziad Jamil Gammoh have been indicted for attempting to illegally
export military components for F-4 and F-5 fighter jets to China.
These defendants have also been
charged with conspiring to export parts for F-14 TomCat fighter
jets, AH-1J attack helicopters, and Hawk surface-to-air missiles.
(Full
Story)
Terrorist
Acts in Russia Prove Aggression Organized by Forces of International
Terrorism
KRASNODAR
-RIA Novosti -The latest terrorist attacks in Russia are evidence
of the aggression organized by forces of international terrorism,
Russia’s Interior Minister Boris Gryzlov said in Krasnodar on
Friday.
"The character of terrorist
acts of the recent period clearly indicates that we are confronted
not with scattered incidents, but with an aggression ably organized
by strike forces of international terrorism," Gryzlov said.
According to him, the latest terrorist
attacks in Moscow and Khasavyurt once again confirm that today’s
terrorism is challenging the whole of the Russian state. "Terrorism
is a threat to our civilization and it must be fought to the end,"
the Russian interior minister said.
Speaking before graduates and staff
of the Krasnodar juridical institute, the minister pointed to
the high level of training of the graduates. "You are faced
with a far from easy task – to protect the people of Russia against
the terrible threats of terrorism, narcotic spreading, and corruption,"
Gryzlov said, addressing the graduates.
The
Mission That Killed Hussein’s Sons
WASHINGTON
— U.S. military officials in Iraq believe a coalition missile
barrage at roughly 1 p.m. local time July 22 struck the fatal
blow to Uday and Qusay Hussein.
Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez…described
the 101st Airborne Division operation in northeast Mosul, Iraq,
that led to the deaths of Saddam Hussein’s sons, numbers two and
three on U.S. Central Command’s list of most wanted members of
the former regime, and two others. (Full
Story)
Uday
and Qusay Have 7 Lives? Facts From Inside Iraq
A
fierce gunfight broke out in an upscale neighborhood in Mosul
and an arsenal was used to bring down the dreaded Hussein duo,
but many Iraqis still feared that Uday and Qusay would return
to their dirty deeds of torture, rape, and the murder of innocent
people. In a week where a Red Cross aid worker was killed by Saddam
Hussein fighters and more U.S. soldiers were killed even while
protecting a Children’s Hospital, the deaths of the two who terrorized
for years, Uday and Qusay Hussein, didn’t seem real. (Full
Story)
Chairman’s
Wife Gets Firsthand Look at Afghan Hospital, Orphanage
BAGRAM AIR
BASE, Afghanistan — While her husband addressed military affairs,
Mary Jo Myers toured various places around Afghanistan July 30
to get a feel for the shape the country and its people are in.
Myers, wife of Joint Chiefs chairman Air Force Gen. Richard Myers,
visited Afghanistan along with her husband, who met with Combined
Joint Task Force 180 leaders and other officials as part a six-day
trip to the Middle East and Central Asia. She toured the U.S.
hospital at Bagram; Gardez, an outpost in northern Afghanistan;
and Kabul, where she visited a women’s hospital and an orphanage.
(Full
Story)
Terror
War, U.S.-India Eforts
NEW DELHI,
India — Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers discussed the continuing
war on terrorism with his Indian counterpart here last week and
quashed rumors that his visit was related to U.S. pressure for
India to provide troops for operations in Iraq.
Myers,
chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with Indian Chairman
of the Chiefs of Staff Committee Adm. Madhvendra Singh and discussed
ongoing military- to-military ties between India and the United
States. Myers spoke afterwards during a press conference at the
American embassy. (Full
Story)
U.S.
DoD Cites ‘Profound Gratitude’ for Hope’s Troop Tours
WASHINGTON,
July 28, 2003 – The King (of Comedy) is dead. Long live the King.
Such
might be the public reaction to news that American comedy giant
Bob Hope had died of pneumonia July 27 at his Toluca Lake, Calif.,
home at age 100.
Yet,
perhaps no other organization mourns Hope’s passing more than
the Pentagon, for whom the British-born comedian undertook numerous
— and often dangerous — overseas tours to entertain U.S. troops
between 1943 during World War II to his last in 1990, just before
Operation Desert Storm. (Full
Story)
Terrorists
Using Road Map Cease-Fire to Build up 1,000 Rockets
Even as Israel has made extreme gestures to please outside states
and PM Sharon meets at the White House for talks on the road map,
Hamas and other terrorist groups have made several threats and
have issued ultimatums. Israelis have been murdered, and currently
there are hundreds of volunteers searching for a missing 20-year-old
soldier that authorities now believe is another victim of Palestinian
terrorist kidnapping. An abducted taxi driver was rescued by Israeli
soldiers only last week, when fortunately he was found alive,
although in a dark, damp holding hole several feet underground
and out of view. Another bombing hasn’t occurred since the so-called
cease-fire, but there still have been killings by Palestinian
terrorists. (Full
Story)