Threat Matrix: August 2008

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[nwctwx]

Pentagon Makes Fighting Extremism Top Priority

Seven years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the Pentagon on Thursday officially named "the long war" against global extremism as its top priority and pledged to avert any conventional military threat from China or Russia through dialogue.

The Defense Department, in a new national defense strategy, also emphasized the need to subordinate military operations to "soft power" initiatives to undermine Islamist militancy by promoting economic, political and social development in vulnerable corners of the world.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he hoped the change would help establish permanent institutional support for counterinsurgency skills acquired in Iraq and Afghanistan within a defense community heavily skewed in favor of expensive conventional and strategic modernization programs. Read More

	Rethinking the Post-9/11 Strategy
	Al-Qaida in Iraq Leaders Reportedly Leaving for Afghanistan
	Defense Rests at 1st Guantanamo War Crimes Trail

Threat Matrix:
August 2008

July 2008

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Theat Matrix Handbook

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[april15Bendovr]

Thank you Cindy

[Cindy]

http://www.truthusa.com/IRAN.html

#

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3583887,00.html

“Iran says it put first dummy satellite in orbit”

SNIPPET: “Islamic Republic says it put dummy satellite into orbit on home-grown rocket for first time; technology used to put satellites into space can also be used for launching weapons. Israeli expert: ‘Iran far from launching military satellite with real capabilities’”

Reuters
Latest Update: 08.17.08, 23:50 / Israel News

#

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,405133,00.html
(AP)

“Report: Iran Tests Rocket for Future Satellite Launch”
Sunday, August 17, 2008

TEHRAN, IRAN

[Cindy]

You’re welcome april15Bendovr.

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/globaljihad
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/hamas

#

BLOG:

http://littlegreenfootballs.com/article/30969_Inside_a_Hamas_Rocket_Factory
(CNN VIDEO)

“Inside a Hamas Rocket Factory”
Sun, Aug 17, 2008 at 11:09:18 am PST

#

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3583055,00.html

“Jordan restores relations with Hamas”

SNIPPET: “Newspapers in kingdom report of ‘positive meetings’ between Amman officials, Hamas delegation, say Jordanian intelligence chief demanded Palestinian movement refrain from taking sides in Jordan’s political issues”

Ali Waked
Published: 08.15.08, 16:08 / Israel News

[Cindy]

August 14, 2008

http://newyork.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel08/murder081508.htm

“THREE CHARGED WITH APRIL 2008 MURDER OF STATEN ISLAND JEWELER LOUIS ANTONELLI
Murder Orchestrated by Genovese Organized Crime Family”

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/georgia/
http://www.messenger.com.ge/

#

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50839

“Gates Voices Doubts About Swift Withdrawal of Russian Forces from Georgia”

By John J. Kruzel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2008

[Cindy]

Note; The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50840

Troops in Iraq Catch Dozens of Suspects, Seize Weapons Caches

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2008 – Coalition and Iraqi forces detained dozens of suspects and seized scores of weapons and munitions in Iraq over the past three days, military officials said.

Coalition forces detained eight suspected terrorists in central and northern Iraq today while targeting al-Qaida in Iraq operatives responsible for bringing foreigners into Iraq and coordinating bombings.

During those operations:

— Troops detained two wanted men and an associate in Biaj for their suspected ties to an al-Qaida in Iraq network that assists foreign terrorists in the Jazirah Desert.

— Forces in Tikrit used information from an operation Jul. 9 to capture an alleged senior member of the bombing network that operates in the Tigris River Valley. Troops also caught an additional suspect on site and another suspect in a related raid in Beiji.

— In the Iraqi capital, forces captured a wanted man and an associate reportedly working for a Baghdad-based al-Qaida in Iraq foreign-fighter-facilitation network.

In operations yesterday:
— Coalition forces in Baghdad captured three suspects, including the alleged member of a car-bombing network that targets civilians in the northern belt around the Iraqi capital. Troops also caught four suspects from the al-Qaida in Iraq foreign-terrorist network in Baghdad.

— Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers detained four alleged criminals in eastern Baghdad, including one who military officials characterized as a “key suspected criminal.”

— Troops in Tikrit captured two suspected terrorists, one of whom is a man wanted for leading a bombing cell. In a related raid the following day, forces captured another alleged bombing-cell leader, who reportedly provides explosives training to al-Qaida in Iraq operatives.

— Forces captured two suspects in Mosul who are reportedly part of a foreign-fighter-facilitation network that primarily operates in Anbar province. Troops also detained a suspected member of the al-Qaida in Iraq financial network in Mosul.

— Coalition forces in Kut detained an alleged key assistant to an Iranian-backed “special group” after the individual’s brother led troops to the suspect’s location, military officials said.

Coalition and Iraqi forces confiscated scores of weapons and munitions caches throughout Baghdad in about a dozen raids, some of which spanned two days and culminated yesterday. Troops nabbed stockpiles in several parts of the Iraqi capital: Sadr City, Kadhamiyah, Ghazaliyah, East and West Rashid, New Baghdad, and Mansuriyah. The caches contained grenades, munitions rounds, assault rifles, bomb-making materials, and other equipment, military officials said.

(Compiled from Multinational Force Iraq and Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.)

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=50841

Forces Kill More Than 30 Armed Militants in Afghanistan

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2008 – Coalition and Afghan forces killed at least 30 armed militants during fierce fighting in Afghanistan over the past week, military officials said.

As troops searched for a Taliban leader in a compound in the Tag Ab district of Kapisa province Aug. 15, they came under fire from multiple groups of enemy fighters. Coalition forces responded with air strikes and small-arms fire, killing the insurgents, military officials said.

Seven woman and 11 children located with the militants as gunfire erupted were caught in the crossfire. All were unharmed, except for one woman who suffered injuries that were treated onsite by coalition medical personnel, before she was transported to a coalition medical facility for further care.

Afghan and coalition forces killed more than 30 enemy fighters during several days of fierce fighting in Kandahar province from Aug. 13-15, military officials said.

Militants engaged a combined reconnaissance patrol numerous times over a three-day period with machine gun and small-arms fire as troops patrolled the Zamto Valley, which spans multiple districts in Kandahar province. Afghan and coalition forces quashed the attacks by returning fire with a variety of small arms and calling for close-air support, military officials said.

(Compiled from Combined Joint Task Force 101 news releases.)

[Cindy]

http://www.dia.mil

#

Thanks to TigerLikesRooster for the ping to this thread.

Note: The following text is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2063567/posts

New Unit of DIA Will Take the Offensive On Counterintelligence
WP ^ | 08/18/08 | Walter Pincus
Posted on August 17, 2008 9:59:02 PM PDT by TigerLikesRooster

New Unit of DIA Will Take the Offensive On Counterintelligence -
By Walter Pincus
Monday, August 18, 2008; A09

The Defense Intelligence Agency’s newly created Defense Counterintelligence and Human Intelligence Center is going to have an office authorized for the first time to carry out “strategic offensive counterintelligence operations,” according to Mike Pick, who will direct the program.

Such covert offensive operations are carried out at home and abroad against people known or suspected to be foreign intelligence officers or connected to foreign intelligence or international terrorist activities — but not against U.S. citizens, said Toby Sullivan, director of counterintelligence for James R. Clapper Jr., the undersecretary of defense for intelligence.

Sullivan and Pick, who is chief of the agency’s Counterintelligence Human Intelligence Enterprise Management Office, spoke to reporters during a Pentagon briefing this month.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...

[Cindy]

http://www.mi5.gov.uk/

#

Hmmm....

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063570/posts

http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,24198305-5005961,00.html

“Britain ‘recruiting gay spies’”
Article from: Agence France-Presse

From correspondents in London
August 18, 2008 10:36am

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “BRITAIN’S domestic intelligence agency MI5 is actively recruiting gay spies and wants its staff to be more open about their sexuality, the Financial Times has reported.”

[Cindy]

FYI Only.

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http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/musharraf
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/pakistan

#

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063583/posts

Pakistan- Musharraf to address nation on Monday (Resignation expected - 4 AM ET)
Reuters (excerpt) ^ | August 18, 2008 | Kamran Haider
Posted on August 17, 2008 10:52:14 PM PDT by HAL9000

Excerpt -

ISLAMABAD, Aug 18 (Reuters) - Pakistan’s President Pervez Musharraf, under pressure to step down before he is impeached, will address the nation at 1 p.m. (0700 GMT) on Monday, an official in the president’s office told Reuters.
Speculation the former army chief and firm U.S. ally will resign has been mounting since the coalition government, led by the party of assassinated former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, said this month it planned to impeach him.

~ snip ~

(Excerpt) Read more at alertnet.org ...

#

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062977/posts

Saudi intelligence chief in Pakistan amid Musharraf crisis
Google | AFP ^ | 8/16/08
Posted on August 16, 2008 11:36:09 AM PDT by LibWhacker

ISLAMABAD (AFP) — Saudi Arabia’s intelligence chief dashed to Pakistan for talks with the government over its plans to impeach President Pervez Musharraf, a senior official in Islamabad said Saturday.

The visit of Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz came as a minister from the ruling coalition pressed Musharraf to stand down within two days and avoid putting the country through a destabilising impeachment battle.

“Yes, Saudi intelligence chief Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz did visit Pakistan on Friday and met senior government officials,” a senior coalition official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

(Excerpt) Read more at afp.google.com ...

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/globaljihad
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/milf
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/philippines

#

UPDATE:

#

Breaking News...

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view/20080818-155346/MILF-orders-pullout-of-rebels-in-Lanao-Norte-towns

“MILF orders pullout of rebels in Lanao Norte towns”

INQUIRER.net
First Posted 13:36:00 08/18/2008

ARTICLE SNIPPET: “MANILA, Philippines — The Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has ordered its men to pull out from areas that they have occupied in Lanao del Norte, as the military launched offensives against the Muslim rebels, a spokesman for the MILF said.”

#

http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/022248.php
(AFP)

August 17, 2008
“Philippines: MILF jihadists kill seven in ambush”

#

Previously...

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061106/posts

“Philippines retakes farmlands from Muslim rebels”
Reuters ^ | 13 August 08 | Manny Mogato
Posted on August 13, 2008 6:29:33 AM PDT by LSUfan

MANILA (Reuters)

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/china

#

http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=34224

“China Confiscates Bibles from American Christians”
Monday, August 18, 2008
By Gillian Wong, Associated Press

Beijing

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/russia
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/georgia

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/globaldiplomacy/

####

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063600/posts

South Ossetia holds civilian Georgians hostage
The Guardian ^ | August 18, 2008 | Tom Parfitt
Posted on August 18, 2008 12:27:32 AM PDT by Schnucki

More than 130 Georgian civilians are being held captive by South Ossetian authorities in the regional capital, Tskhinvali, after being rounded up and herded into a single room in the interior ministry headquarters here, the Guardian has learned.

The prisoners, who were plucked off the streets according to their nationality soon after hostilities broke out 10 days ago, are being kept indefinitely in the hope of exchanging them for Ossetian civilians allegedly abducted by Georgian soldiers during the conflict. One interior ministry official confirmed the plan, saying: “We hope there will be an exchange soon.”

The 131 “hostages” are being held in a single room in the interior ministry headquarters in Tskhinvali, according to Taymuraz Khugayev, South Ossetia’s prosecutor general. Roughly half of them are women and they include one 12-year-old girl. Most of them are Georgian “guest workers” who were living in the city when it was attacked on August 7. Their status is unclear. The taking of civilian hostages by warring parties is prohibited by Article 3 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

The Guardian was able to speak to a hostage after he was led out into the street by three soldiers. He looked nervously at his captors as he crossed the street. “I am Tamaz Barbikadze, a Georgian,” he said. “I worked the last two years in Tskhinvali as an engineer.” He glanced at his jailer with a gun at his hip: “I am a hostage.”

Yesterday Georgian government officials said they were aware of the hostage situation. “We know about them,’ said Koba Subeliani, an MP responsible for internally displaced persons. He added: “They want to exchange them for our hostages. The problem is we don’t have any hostages so we can’t do any exchange.”

Barbikadze, 69, was only allowed to speak in the presence of

(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...

####

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063597/posts

‘Putin has given us an order that everyone must leave or be shot’
Times Online ^ | August 18, 2008 | Tony Halpin
Posted on August 18, 2008 12:11:05 AM PDT by Schnucki

“The soldiers told us they had an order from Putin - leave or be killed.” Manana Dioshvili showed no emotion as she described how Russian troops forced her to flee her home. Her former neighbours nodded in agreement, huddled together in a kindergarten whose windows had been blown out by a Russian bomb.

“That’s how they explained themselves to us,” she recalled of the moment they fled the ethnic Georgian village of Kurta, near the capital of South Ossetia, Tskhinvali.

“They said, ‘Putin has given us an order that everyone must be either shot or forced to leave’. They told us we should ask the Americans for help now because they would kill us if we stayed.”

Vardo Babutidze, 79, was not lucky enough to be visited by Russian soldiers. Her husband Georgi, 85, was shot twice through the chest by an Ossetian paramilitary who came to their house to demand weapons.

“We didn’t have any guns, so he shot Georgi in front of me without saying a word,” she said. “A neighbour helped me to bury him in our garden and then I just fled.”

Manana Galigashvili, 53, whose husband Andrei stared vacantly from a bed behind her, said that Ossetian soldiers had returned later and torched the house. They, too, had left after a soldier threatened to slit their throats.

Frightened refugees told similar stories all over the city of Gori yesterday as the Russian army extended its reach deep into Georgian territory despite a ceasefire agreement signed by President Medvedev that requires them to withdraw.

Troops and tanks moved to within 25 miles (40km) of the capital, Tbilisi, setting up roadblocks and digging in defensive positions in the hills above the highway. A line of tanks faced towards Tbilisi outside the village of Kaspi, a day after

(Excerpt) Read more at timesonline.co.uk ...

[Cindy]

RECAP AND UPDATED:

FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE.com: "POLISH MISSILE CRISIS" by Kathy Shaidle (August 18, 2008)

YNET NEWS.com: "REPORT: RUSSIA MAY ARM BALTIC FLEET WITH NUCLEAR WARHEADS" (Published August 17, 2008, 08:07)

TELEGRAPH.co.uk: "RUSSIA THREATENS NUCLEAR ATTACK ON POLAND OVER US MISSILE SHIELD DEAL" (Last updated August 15, 2008, 8:41 BST) (August 15, 2008)

Link

Link

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/musharraf
http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/pakistan

#

Fyi Only.

UPDATE:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063610/posts

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063610/posts?page=7#7

http://www.geo.tv/8-18-2008/22968.htm
Musharraf announces resignation
Updated at: 1405 PST, Monday, August 18, 2008

ISLAMABAD: President Pervez Musharraf announced in a televised address to the nation Monday that he had decided to resign after nine years in power to avoid the threat of impeachment.

“After viewing the situation and consulting legal advisers and political allies, with their advice I have decided to resign,” a grim-faced Musharraf said, backed by Pakistani flags and a portrait of the country’s founder.

“I leave my future in the hands of people.”

Musharraf made the shock announcement after denying that any of the impeachment charges against him could stand and launching into a lengthy defence of his time in power.

“Not a single charge in the impeachment can stand against me,” Musharraf said. “No charge can be proved against me because I never did anything for myself, it was all for Pakistan.”

He said that there was now law and order in the country, that human rights and democracy had been improved and that Pakistan was now an crucial country internationally.

“On the map of the world, Pakistan is now an important country, by the grace of Allah,” he said.

7 posted on August 18, 2008 1:22:53 AM PDT by HAL9000 (”No one made you run for president, girl.”- Bill Clinton)

[Cindy]

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/syria
http://www.memri.org/syria.html
http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/site/html/search.asp?isSearch=yes&isT8=yes&searchText=T91&pid=109&sid=13&preview=

http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/france

###

Note: The following news brief is a quote:

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3584136,00.html

Syria to place ambassador in Paris; Sarkozy to visit Damascus
Published: 08.18.08, 11:25 / Israel News

Syria announced the appointment of a new ambassador to Paris following two years in which the position was not manned. This is part of a “warm-up” in the relations between the two countries.

The London-based al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper reported that French President Nicolas Sarkozy is expected to make a historic visit to Damascus next month and that Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner will visit the Syrian capital on Friday. (Roee Nahmias)

[Cindy]

Wonderfully Off Topic.

Note: The following post is a quote:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063612/posts

‘Our Country Is the Best’
Wall Street Journal ^ | August 18, 2008 | Unattributed
Posted on August 18, 2008 1:52:09 AM PDT by gpapa

Assorted TV commentators keep opining that the Olympics are all about the brotherhood of man, rather than national ambition or patriotism. But don’t tell that to the fanatically nationalist Chinese — or to Kobe Bryant, the NBA star who is playing with Team USA in Beijing.

In an interview Friday on NBC, the world’s most famous basketball player told Chris Collinsworth how he got “goosebumps” when he received his Olympics uniform. “I actually just looked at it for a while. I just held it there and I laid it across my bed and I just stared at it for a few minutes; just because as a kid growing up this is the ultimate, ultimate in basketball.” The Los Angeles Laker went on to call the U.S. “the greatest country in the world. It has given us so many great opportunities, and it’s just a sense of pride that you have; that you say, ‘You know what? Our country is the best.’”

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...

[Cindy]

RECAP AND UPDATED:

WTOP.com (AP): Gori, Georgia - "GEORGIANS WAIT FOR RUSSIAN TROOP WITHDRAWAL" (August 18, 2008, 6:55 am)

MESSENGER.com.ge: "PULLOUT ANNOUNCED AFTER FURTHER INCURSION" by Mikheil Svanidze (August 18, 2008)

MESSENGER.ge: "AID ARRIVES FROM ALL OVER" by Shorena Labadze (August 18, 2008)

FreeRepublic.com - Discussion Forum (THE GUARDIAN): "SOUTH OSSETIA HOLDS CIVILIAN GEORGIANS HOSTAGE" (August 18, 2008)

FreeRepublic.com - Discussion Forum (TIMES ONLINE): "'Putin has given us an order that everyone must leave or be shot'" (August 18, 2008)

FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE.com (NEW YORK POST): "BAD NEW BEAR" by Peter Brookes (August 18, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "GATES VOICES DOUBTS ABOUT SWIFT WITHDRAWAL OF RUSSIAN FORCES FROM GEORGIA" (August 17, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "RICE EXPECTS RUSSIAN TROOPS TO WITHDRAW FROM GEORGIA" (August 16, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "MILITARY HUMANITARIAN MISSION IN GEORGIA TO CONTINUE, BUSH SAYS" (August 16, 2008)

WHITEHOUSE.gov - News Release: Crawford, Texas - "REMARKS BY SECRETARY RICE TO THE TRAVEL POOL" (August 16, 2008)

WHITEHOUSE.gov - News Release: Crawford, Texas - "PRESIDENT BUSH DISCUSSES SITUATION IN GEORGIA" (August 16, 2008)

MESSENGER.com.ge: "PARLIAMENT OF GEORGIA RATIFIES DECISION TO QUIT CIS" (August 15, 2008)

YNET NEWS.com: "SOURCE: SECRET IDF MATERIAL WENT UNGUARDED IN GEORGIA" (Published August 16, 2008, 15:47)

MESSENGER.com.ge: "DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS CONTINUE AS RUSSIAN FORCES FAIL TO LEAVE" by Mikheil Svanidze (August 15, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "GEORGIA TRANSPORTATION PLAN DEMONSTRATES U.S. FLEXIBILITY, RESPONSIVENESS" by Jim Garamone (August 15, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "CEASE-FIRE ACCORD SPECIFIES RUSSIAN TROOP WITHDRAWAL FROM GEORGIA" by Gerry J. Gilmore (August 15, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (Special to AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Stuttgart, Germany - "HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FOR GEORGIA CONTINUES" by Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Dana M. Clark (August 15, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "U.S., ALLIES 'STAND WITH PEOPLE OF GEORGIA,' BUSH SAYS" by Gerry J. Gilmore (August 15, 2008)

WHITEHOUSE.gov - News Release: "PRESIDENT BUSH DISCUSSES SITUATION IN GEORGIA" (August 15, 2008)

IBD EDITORIALS.com: "RUSSIA'S BIG LIE" by Investor's Business Daily (Posted August 15, 2008, 4:20 pm PT)

Link

JCPA.org - Vol. 8, No. 6: "THE RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN WAR: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE MIDDLE EAST" by Ariel Cohen (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Moscow formulated far-reaching goals when it carefully prepared - over a period of at least two and a half years - for a land invasion of Georgia.") (August 15, 2008)

TIMES ONLINE.co.uk: "VLADIMIR PUTIN'S MASTERY CHECKMATES THE WEST Russia has been biding its time, but its victory in Georgia has been brutal - and brilliant" by Michael Binyon (August 14, 2008)

FORCES.gc.ca - NR-08.054 - Media Advisory: Ottawa - "STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENCE ON THE CANCELLATION OF A PLANNED NORAD MILITARY EXERCISE WITH RUSSIA" (August 14, 2008)

Link

FOX NEWS.com (AP): "GEORGIA: RUSSIAN TROOPS APPEARED READY TO PULL OUT, THEN RETURNED" (August 14, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "GEORGIAN INVASION SENDS MESSAGE TO WORLD, GATES SAYS" by Jim Garamone (August 14, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "GATES SAYS RUSSIAN ACTIONS HAVE LONG-TERM IMPLICATIONS" (August 14, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "GEORGIAN HUMANITARIAN MISSION CONTINUES" by Jim Garamone (August 14, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (Special to AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Tbilisi, Georgia - "AIR FORCE COMPLETES FIRST GEORGIA HUMANITARIAN AID MISSION" by Air Force Capt. Erin Dorrance (August 14, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (Special to AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Kaiserslautern, Germany - "SOLDIERS, AIRMEN IN EUROPE WORK TO PROVIDE GEORGIA AID" by Army Capt. Bryan Woods (August 14, 2008)

MESSENGER.com.ge: "CEASEFIRE PROPOSED, BUT NOT KEPT" by Mikheil Svanidze (August 14, 2008)

MESSENGER.com.ge: "TORRENT OF REFUGEES SURGES THROUGH TBILISI" by Shorena Labadze (August 14, 2008)

WHITEHOUSE.gov - News Release: "PRESIDENT BUSH DISCUSSES SITUATION IN GEORGIA, URGES RUSSIA TO CEASE MILITARY OPERATIONS" (August 13, 2008)

WHITEHOUSE.gov - News Release: "SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT: PRESIDENT BUSH HAS TAKEN ACTION TO ENSURE PEACE, SECURITY AND HUMANITARIAN AID IN GEORGIA" (August 13, 2008)

FOX NEWS.com (AP): "RUSSIA SAYS GEORGIA CAN 'FORGET' REGAINING PROVINCES, AS TROOPS CRIPPLE GEORGIAN MILITARY" (August 14, 2008)

TOWNHALL.com: "TIME TO GET SERIOUS WITH RUSSIA" by Charles Krauthammer (August 14, 2008)

VIDEO: "GLENN BECK INTERVIEWS PRES. SAAKASHVILI - Part 1 (Added August 13, 2008)

VIDEO: "GLENN BECK INTERVIEWS PRES. SAAKASHVILI - Part 2 (Added August 13, 2008)

VIDEO: "GLENN BECK INTERVIEWS PRES. SAAKASHVILI - Part 3 (Added August 13, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "RICE CALLS MILITARY RELIEF MISSION IN GEORGIA 'CONTINUOUS, ROBUST'" by John J. Kruzel (August 13, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "AIR FORCE DELIVERS HUMANITARIAN AID TO GEORGIA" by Jim Garamone (August 13, 2008)

MESSENGER.com.ge: "RUSSIAN 'PEACE' DECLARED" by Mikheil Svanidze (August 13, 2008)

MESSENGER.com.ge: "GEORGIANS EVERYWHERE DEFY RUSSIA" by Shorena Labadze (August 13, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "BUSH OUTLINES HUMANITARIAN, DIPLOMATIC INTERVENTION IN GEORGIA" by John J. Kruzel (August 13, 2008)

WHITEHOUSE.gov - News Release: "PRESIDENT BUSH DISCUSSES SITUATION IN GEORGIA, URGES RUSSIA TO DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "AIR FORCE DELIVERS HUMANITARIAN AID TO GEORGIA" by Jim Garamone (August 13, 2008)

Travel.State.Gov - UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE Bureau of Consular Affairs - Travel Warning: "GEORGIA"

WHITE HOUSE.gov - In Focus: "GLOBAL DIPLOMACY"

FOX NEWS.com (AP): Tbilisi, Georgia - "GEORGIA SAYS TRUCE VIOLATED AS RUSSIAN TANKS ROLL IN, SEIZE BASE" (August 13, 2008)

FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE.com: "THE ASHES OF VICTORY" by Stephen Brown (August 13, 2008)

FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE.com: "BEHIND RUSSIA'S BLUSTER" by Vasko Kohlmayer (August 13, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "RICE URGES CEASEFIRE, DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION IN GEORGIA" by John J. Kruzel (August 12, 2008)

WHITEHOUSE.gov - News Release: "REMARKS BY SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZZA RICE ON SITUATION IN GEORGIA" (August 12, 2008, 1:21 pm EDT)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "U.S. COMPLETES GEORGIAN TROOP REDEPLOYMENT; U.S. CONTINGENT REMAINS" by John J. Kruzel (August 12, 2008)

BBC NEWS: "RUSSIA 'ENDS GEORGIA OPERATION'" (Page last updated August 12, 2008, 17:19 UK)

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FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE.com: "RUSSIAN IMPERIALISM - It's Back" by Michael Radu (August 12, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "BUSH DENOUNCES RUSSIA'S 'BRUTAL ESCALATION' IN GEORGIA" by John J. Kruzel (August 11, 2008)

WHITEHOUSE.gov - News Release: "PRESIDENT BUSH DISCUSSES SITUATION IN GEORGIA" (August 11, 2008, 5:21 pm EDT)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "U.S. TO COMPLETE REDEPLOYMENT OF GEORGIAN FORCES FROM IRAQ" (August 11, 2008)

DDANCHEV - blog: "THE RUSSIA vs GEORGIA CYBER ATTACK" -Posted by Dancho Danchev (August 11, 2008)

THE JAWA REPORT - blog: "UPDATE: GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT WEBSITES UNDER DDoS & CYBER ATTACK" (August 11, 2008)

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FRONTPAGE MAGAZINE.com: "COLD WAR II" by Stephen Brown (August 11, 2008)

OSAC.gov - Consular Affairs Bulletins - Report - Europe - Georgia: "WARDEN MESSAGE: U.S. EMBASSY TBILISI AUTHORIZES FAMILY DEPARTURE" (August 9, 2008)

Travel.State.Gov - United States Department of State - Bureau of Consular Affairs - Travel Warning: "GEORGIA"

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "BUSH CALLS FOR END OF HOSTILITIES IN SOUTH OSSETIA CONFLICT" by Gerry J. Gilmore (August 9, 2008)

WHITEHOUSE.gov - News Release: "PRESIDENT BUSH CONCERNED BY ESCALATION OF VIOLENCE IN GEORGIA" (August 9, 2008)

DEFENSElink.mil (AMERICAN FORCES PRESS SERVICE): Washington - "PENTAGON, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT MONITORING GEORGIAN SITUATION" by Gerry J. Gilmore (August 8, 2008)

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FOX NEWS.com: "U.S. CALLS FOR RUSSIA TO HALT ATTACKS AS FIGHTING IN BREAKAWAY GEORGIA PROVINCE ESCALATES" (August 8, 2008)

stepping back in time...WHITEHOUSE.gov - News Release: Tbilisi, Georgia - Freedom Square - "PRESIDENT ADDRESSES AND THANKS CITIZENS IN TBILISI, GEORGIA" (May 10, 2005)

[Cindy]

Note: The following text is a quote:

https://www.osac.gov/Reports/report.cfm?contentID=89082

YOU ARE HERE: Home > Reports > Consular Affairs Bulletins > Report
Warden Message: Current Situation In Georgia
CONSULAR AFFAIRS BULLETINS
Europe - Georgia
17 Aug 2008

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RELATED REPORTS
9 Aug 2008
WARDEN MESSAGE: U.S. EMBASSY TBILISI AUTHORIZES FAMILY DEPARTURE
8 Aug 2008
TRAVEL WARNING: GEORGIA
8 Aug 2008
TRAVEL ALERT: GEORGIA
8 Aug 2008
WARDEN MESSAGE: GEORGIAN/SEPARATIST FORCES CLASH IN SOUTH OSSETIA
8 Aug 2008
GEORGIA-RUSSIA CONFLICT
U.S. Embassy Tblisi issued the following Warden Message August 17, 2008:

The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi would like to inform American citizens that fires are currently burning in the forests around Khashuri, Surami and Borjomi. US citizens currently in the region are advised to evaluate the situation in their area and to make the appropriate decision based on their personal situation of whether to leave or to stay. American citizens in the region are advised to avoid travel on the highway between Khashuri and Gori and to avoid all travel to the north and west of Kutaisi. All American citizens in Georgia should contact the consular section of the US Embassy as soon as possible if they have not already done so, and advise the consular section on their current location if they have moved.

For more information on flights operating out of both Tbilisi and Batumi, please see the following website: http://www.tavgeorgia.com. As flights departing Tbilisi are expected to be very heavily booked for the next several days, individuals interested in traveling are urged to contact travel agents or airlines as soon as possible to prevent any unnecessary delays.

Updated warden messages will be posted on the Embassy website at: http://georgia.usembassy.gov/citserv_wardenm.html, American citizens in Tbilisi may also tune in to Radio Syndicati at FM 104.3 or throughout Georgia at Radio Green Wave at FM 107.4 for updated U.S. Embassy warden message information for U.S. citizens.

For the latest security information, Americans living and traveling abroad should regularly monitor the Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs Internet web site at http://travel.state.gov/, where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Alerts, Travel Warnings, Country Specific Information, and health information resources can be found. Up-to-date information on security can also be obtained by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll free in the U.S., or, for callers outside the U.S. and Canada, a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

U.S. citizens living or traveling abroad are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate through the State Department’s travel registration web site at https://travelregistration.state.gov/ibrs/ui/ so that they can obtain updated information on travel and security. Americans without Internet access may register directly with the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. By registering, American citizens make it easier for the Embassy or Consulate to contact them in case of emergency

The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi is located at 11 George Balanchine Street (in Didi Dighomi), Tbilisi 0131, Georgia, Tel: 995-32-27-70-00. The after hours emergency number is 995-99-57-39-69, or, if dialing locally on a mobile telephone, 899-57-39-69.