AFGHANISTAN

US Officials Describe Afghan Airstrike - Eric Schmitt, New York Times

American military officials sought on Wednesday to refute claims that as many as 90 civilians - among them 60 children - were killed in airstrikes on a village in western Afghanistan last Friday.

In the face of an investigation by Afghan officials and a report by a United Nations team that support the high number of deaths, United States officials maintain that 25 militants and 5 civilians were killed in airstrikes called in after Afghan and American commandos came under heavy fire during a raid on the compound of a top Taliban commander.

American officials have refused to comment publicly on the conflicting death tolls pending the outcome of an investigation ordered over the weekend by Maj. Gen. Jeffrey J. Schloesser, a top American commander. The results are expected to be announced later this week, American officials said.

But four military and Pentagon officials agreed to give details of the incident on the condition of anonymity because of the inquiry under way.

One American military official, who has seen photographs taken at the scene as troops went house to house assessing damage and casualties, said there was no evidence to support the higher civilian death toll. Nor was there any evidence of a large number of recently dug graves or large number of injuries reported in local hospitals, the official said.

More at The New York Times.

Only a Two-Page 'Note' Governs US Military in Afghanistan - Karen DeYoung, Washington Post

For the past six years, military relations between the United States and Afghanistan have been governed by a two-page "diplomatic note" giving US forces virtual carte blanche to conduct operations as they see fit.

Although President Bush pledged in a 2005 declaration signed with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to "develop appropriate arrangements and agreements" formally spelling out the terms of the US troop presence and other bilateral ties, no such agreements were drawn up.

But after a US-led airstrike last week that United Nations and Afghan officials have said killed up to 90 civilians - most of them children - Karzai has publicly called for a review of all foreign forces in Afghanistan and a formal "status of forces agreement," along the lines of an accord being negotiated between the United States and Iraq.

More at The Washington Post

Weak Afghan Police Threaten NATO Plan - James Palmer, Washington Times

Outgunned, outmanned, poorly trained and underpaid, Afghan police are a weak link in the US-led effort to stabilize the country and must improve or risk jeopardizing security seven years after US-led forces toppled the Taliban government.

The challenge is particularly acute in the southeastern corner of the country - the former Taliban heartland - where militants and criminal gangs strike with alarming frequency. Ambushes, assassinations and hijackings are common.

A recent insurgent attack on Kandahar city's prison freed more than 1,000 inmates, including about 400 Taliban fighters.

Often, the only defense against gangs or the Taliban is the local police. But officers question whether it's worth risking their lives for a salary equivalent to about $100 a month.

More at The Washington Times

IRAQ

New Threat to Troops - Richard Tomkins, Washington Times

A deadly new weapon that is beginning to show up on the streets of Iraq, the improvised rocket-assisted mortar, or IRAM, may be technologically crude and inaccurate in its aim, but its potential for death and destruction is so great that soldiers on combat operations around Baghdad conduct daily patrols to disrupt any attempt to plant the devices.

"Its mobile, it´s concealable. Those two things make it very dangerous," said Lt. Col. John Digiambattista, operations officer for the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

"In the right place, at the right time, it can be very lethal," Col. Digiambattista said. "Our biggest challenge is to keep it out of an area where it can do the most damage."

IRAM thus has joined IED (improvised explosive device), VBIED (vehicle-borne improvised explosive device) and EFP (explosively formed penetrator) as the latest acronym in the arsenal for Shi'ite extremists battling US forces in the Baghdad area.

In essence, the IRAM is a flying IED. It consists of a canister - a propane gas tank or cylinder - packed with explosives attached to a rocket tube (body) and powered by a 107mm rocket motor.

More at The Washington Times.

RUSSIA / GEORGIA

Russian-backed Rebels in 'Ethnic Cleansing' - James Hider, The Times

Russian-backed paramilitaries are ethnically cleansing villages on Georgian soil, refugees and officials told The Times today.

South Ossetian militiamen have torched houses, beaten elderly people and even murdered civilians in the lawless buffer zone set up by the Russian army just north of Gori.

The violence - close to the border with breakaway republic whose independence Russia recognized this week - has triggered a new wave of refugees into Gori, 40 miles north of Tblisi.

People who had started to return to their villages in the area now fleeing for a second time, joined by old people who had refused to leave their homes when the Russians stormed in two weeks ago.

More at The Times.

Georgia War Shows 'Weak' Russia - Glenn Kessler, Washington Post

Russia's conflict with Georgia is the sign of a "weak" Russian nation, not a newly assertive one, and Moscow now has put its place in the world order at risk, the top US diplomat for relations with the country said in an interview yesterday.

"There is a Russia narrative that 'we were weak in the '90s, but now we are back and we are not going to take it anymore.' But being angry and seeking revanchist victory is not the sign of a strong nation. It is the sign of a weak one," said Daniel Fried, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs.

"Russia is going to have to come to terms with the reality it can either integrate with the world or it can be a self-isolated bully. But it can't be both. And that's a choice Russia has to have," Fried said.

More at The Washington Post

AUSTRALIA

Revamp a Sign of 'Adaptive Army' - Patrick Walters, The Australian

The Australian Army is to undergo its biggest reorganisation in 40 years, adopting a new command structure that aims to streamline training functions and better prepare troops for a broader range of operations abroad.

The changes will see the creation of two new functional commands: Headquarters 1st Division and Forces Command, which will sit alongside the existing Special Operations Command. They replace the Land and Training commands introduced after the Hassett review in the early 1970s.

Starting from next year, the new Forces Command will be responsible for the individual and collective training for most of the 26,000-strong land force.

The army's Brisbane-based 1st Division will undertake higher-level training for overseas operations, and retain control of the land force's three regular brigades.

Army chief Ken Gillespie said the defence force's increased operational tempo had driven the need to revamp the command and control functions in keeping with the joint operations now routinely conducted by the defence force.

More at The Australian and Canberra Times. Links: Australia Department of Defence, Australian Army.

CANADA

Blackwater-linked Firm to Train Canadian Troops - Allan Woods, Toronto Star

Canadian soldiers could get training from a US company closely linked to Blackwater USA, a private security firm implicated in the killings of hundreds of Iraqi civilians, if the Department of National Defence has its way.

The military gave notice this week of its intention to award an $850,000 contract for advanced counterinsurgency training to the Terrorism Research Center, a Virginia-based firm that specializes in terrorism training for military and law enforcement officials. The contract is for one year with the option for a two-year extension.

The counterinsurgency school, which boasts close links to the US government, is listed as a branch of Total Intelligence Solutions, a company that is run by former director of CIA counterterrorism Cofer Black and Erik Prince, a former US Navy Seal.

Both are top executives with the Prince Group, the chief holding company for Total Intelligence Solutions and Blackwater.

More at The Toronto Star. Links: Blackwater USA, Terrorism Research Center, Total Intelligence Solutions, Cofer Black, Erik Prince.

US SOUTHERN COMMAND

SOUTHCOM Transformation Promotes New Approach to Regional Challenges - Donna Miles, American Forces Press Service

Along with US Africa Command going fully operational Oct. 1, the Defense Department will reach another milestone as US Southern Command completes a major reorganization that also promotes joint, interagency and even private- and public-sector cooperation.

The concept supports universal agreement among President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, Joint Chiefs Chairman Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the service chiefs and the combatant commanders that the military can’t tackle 21st-century security challenges alone.

The 2008 National Defense Strategy, released July 31, reflects in its first update since 2005 the importance of interagency as well as interservice and international cooperation to face today’s and tomorrow’s challenges.

“We are working to create an organization that can best adapt itself to working with the interagency, with our international partners and even with the private-public sector,” said Navy Adm. James Stavridis, SOUTHCOM commander. “And we want to do it in a way that is completely supportive of all our partners.

“If I would put one word on it, it’s partnership,” he continued. “That is our [SOUTHCOM] motto -- Partnership for the Americas – and our objective is to become the best possible international, interagency partner we can be.”

More at American Forces Press Service. Links: US Southern Command, US Africa Command, 2008 National Defense Strategy.

US INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY

Contractors Account for a Quarter of US Spy Operations - Greg Miller, Los Angeles Times

Private contractors account for more than one-quarter of the core workforce at US intelligence agencies, according to newly released government figures that underscore how much of the nation's spying work has been outsourced since the Sept. 11 attacks.

The CIA and other spy agencies employ about 36,000 contractors in espionage-related jobs, in addition to approximately 100,000 full-time government workers, said Ronald Sanders, head of personnel for the US intelligence community.

Contractors carry out missions including collecting intelligence in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as operating classified computer networks for the 16 spy agencies that make up the US intelligence community.

Sanders said the number of contractors remained steady over the last year, after surging in the years following the Sept. 11 attacks.

More at The Los Angeles Times.

NEWS NOTES

US Department of Defense

Army Opens Prep School for Dropouts to Fill Ranks - Associated Press

United Kingdom

Britain is Adrift Without a Proper Foreign Policy - The Telegraph opinion

Iraq

US to Hand Over Security Duties in Anbar to Iraqi Forces - Washington Post
US to Hand Over Security in Anbar to the Iraqis - New York Times
Top Marine Wants to Shift Troops from Iraq to Afghanistan - Los Angeles Times
Anbar Handover Could Free Marines for Afghanistan Missions - AFPS
Two Iraqis' Different Paths Lead to American Cooperation - Los Angeles Times
Military Sending Foreign Fighters to Home Nations - New York Times
Iraq's al-Sadr May Stay in Iran for Years - Associated Press
In Iraq, Displaced Families Return to Ruins - Los Angeles Times
KBR, Partner in Iraq Contract Sued in Human Trafficking Case - Washington Post

Afghanistan / Pakistan Tribal Areas

US-Pakistani Brainstorming on Border Violence - New York Times
Combat Flares in 3rd Area of Pakistan Border Belt - Associated Press
Doubts Over French Role in Afghanistan - The Times
9 Killed in Bomb Blast in Pakistan - Associated Press
Bombing Villages Feeds Taliban War - Toronto Star editorial
Charlie Wilson's Peace - Washington Post opinion

Iran

Iranian Cleric Blasts Ahmadinejad - Jerusalem Post
Divisions in Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps - Washington Times

Russia / Georgia / NATO

Russia Adopts Blustery Tone Set by Envoy - New York Times
US Military Ship Delivers Aid to Georgia - Washington Post
NATO Ships in Black Sea Raise Alarms in Russia - New York Times
Putin Ratchets Up Cold War Fears over Black Sea - The Times
Georgia Looks for the Silver Lining - Los Angeles Times
Georgia: Europe Unites to Condemn Kremlin - Daily Telegraph
Russia: Are Territories Like Kosovo or Not? - Christian Science Monitor
Western Nations Warn Russia to `Change Course' - Associated Press
Russia Chooses Confrontation - The Economist editorial
Russia's Delusion - Washington Post editorial
Reckless Russia - The Times editorial
Standing Up to the Russian Bully - Daily Telegraph editorial
How the Georgian Conflict Really Started - Wall Street Journal opinion
Isolate or Embrace? - Los Angeles Times opinion

Africa

Mugabe Ignoring MDC Leads to New Crisis - The Times
Anger at Mugabe Plan for Cabinet - The Australian
Mugabe to Form Government Without Opposition - Daily Telegraph
Zimbabwe Opposition: Mugabe Will Fail Alone - Associated Press
Hijackers of Darfur Plane Surrender in Libya - Associated Press

Americas

As Food Prices Soar, Brazil and Argentina React in Opposite Ways - NY Times

Asia / Pacific

Pentagon OKs Missile Sale to Taiwan - Los Angeles Times
Thai Court Orders Protesters off Government Grounds - Washington Post
Protesters Face Police in Thailand - New York Times
Yakuza Stalk Japanese Markets - The Times
Australian Army Role in Timor Could Soon be Over - Sydney Morning Herald

Middle East

Syria Eyes an Edge Amid Russia-US Rift - Christian Science Monitor

South Asia

Zardari's Rise Inevitable But Unfortunate - The Australian
Pakistan's Presidential Perils - Washington Times opinion
Kashmir Protests Alter Equation for India - Washington Post
10 Killed And Family Is Captive In Kashmir - New York Times
Sri Lanka Advances on Rebel Base - Christian Science Monitor
The Sri Lankan Solution - Wall Street Journal editorial

BOOKS

Baghdad at Sunrise - Peter Mansoor

This compelling book presents an unparalleled record of what happened after US forces seized Baghdad in the spring of 2003.

The Strongest Tribe - Bing West

From a universally respected combat journalist, a gripping history based on five years of front-line reporting about how the war was turned around–and the choice now facing America.

Tell Me How This Ends - Linda Robinson

After a series of disastrous missteps in its conduct of the war, the White House in 2006 appointed General David Petraeus as the Commanding General of the coalition forces. Tell Me How This Ends is an inside account of his attempt to turn around a failing war.

We Are Soldiers Still - Joe Galloway

In their stunning follow-up to the classic bestseller We Were Soldiers Once... and Young, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway return to Vietnam and reflect on how the war changed them, their men, their enemies, and both countries - often with surprising results.

BOOK DISCUSSIONS / SIGNINGS

The Strongest Tribe by Bing West. September 11, 2008, 12:00 - 2:00 PM - Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters. Details.

EVENTS OF INTEREST

11-12 September - DNI Open Source Conferece 2008 (Public Event - Conference). Washington, DC. Sponsored by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The Office of the DNI is pleased to announce the "DNI Open Source Conference 2008" to be held on Thursday, 11 September and Friday, 12 September, 2008 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington DC. The conference is free; however, all who wish to attend must register online in advance (deadline 31 July). The two-day conference will explore a wide range of open source issues and open source best practices for the Intelligence Community and its partners. We invite participants from the broader open source community of interest including academia, think tanks, private industry, federal, state, local and tribal entities, international partners, and the media to attend. The conference will include speakers from across the broader open source community participating in panel discussions and focus group sessions. Information about the agenda and break-out sessions is now available. The DNI Open Source Conference 2007 was held 16-17 July 2007 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. More than 900 registered participants and speakers attended. Presentations made at the conference break-out sessions are available on the DNI Open Source Conference 2007 website.

16-18 September - The U.S. Army and the Interagency Process: A Historical Perspective (Public Event - Conference / Call for Papers). Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Combat Studies Institute. The symposium will include a variety of guest speakers, panel sessions, and general discussions. This symposium will explore the partnership between the U.S. Army and government agencies in attaining national goals and objectives in peace and war within a historical context. Separate international topics may be presented. The symposium will also examine current issues, dilemmas, problems, trends, and practices associated with U.S. Army operations requiring close interagency cooperation.

17 September - The Iranian Puzzle Piece: Understanding Iran in the Global Context (Public Event - Symposium). Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Virginia. Sponsored by the by the Marine Corps University (MCU) and the Marine Corps University Foundation to enhance the overall understanding of Iran, exploring its internal dynamics, regional perspectives, and extra-regional factors and examining its near-term political and strategic options and their potential impact on the course of action of the United States and the USMC.