TheList 5571

The List 5571     TGB

To All

Good Monday Morning January 4

I hope that your weekend went well

Regards,

Skip

 

. This Day In Naval History – January 4

Jan. 4

1863 - Blockading ship USS Quaker City captures sloop Mercury carrying dispatches emphasizing desperate plight of the South

1910—USS Michigan, the first U.S. dreadnought battleship, is commissioned.

1943—USS Shad (SS 235) sinks German minesweeper M 4242 (ex-French trawler Odet II) in the Bay of Biscay.

1944—USS Bluefish (SS 222) and USS Rasher (SS 269) attack a Japanese convoy off French Indochina; Bluefish sinks a merchant tanker while Rasher damages another tanker. Also on this date USS Cabrilla (SS 288) sinks a Japanese freighter off Cape Padran, French Indochina while USS Tautog (SS 109) sinks a Japanese freighter off southern Honshu.

1945—During attacks against the U.S. Navy force bound for the Lingayen Gulf, a kamikaze crashes into escort carrier USS Ommaney Bay (CVE 79) in the Sulu Sea and damages her beyond repair. USS Burns (DD 588) scuttles the carrier escort.

1972—Secretary of the Navy John Chaffee approved the establishment of the Legalman (LN) rating.

1989—VF-32 F-14 Tomcats from USS John F. Kennedy shoot down two hostile Libyan MiGs with AIM-7 [Sparrow] and AIM-9 [Sidewinder] missiles in the central Med north of Tobruk in international waters.

Thanks to CHINFO

Executive Summary:

•           National and trade press reported on the Pentagon's announcement that USS Nimitz will remain in the Middle East to counter Iranian threats.

•           Wall Street Journal reported on the Marine Corps' efforts to adapt training to address the growing threat from China.

•           Washington Post published an op-ed from all living defense secretaries who called for the DoD and the military to remain apolitical amid the government transition.

 

Today in History January 4

1757				Robert Francois Damiens makes an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate King Louis XV of France.
1863				Union General Henry Halleck, by direction of President Abraham Lincoln, orders General Ulysses Grant to revoke his infamous General Order No. 11 that expelled Jews from his operational area.
1896				Utah becomes the 45th state of the Union.
1902				France offers to sell their Nicaraguan Canal rights to the United States.
1904				The U.S. Supreme Court decides in the Gonzales v. Williams case that Puerto Ricans are not aliens and can enter the United States freely, yet stops short of awarding citizenship.
1920				The Negro National League, the first black baseball league, is organized by Rube Foster.
1923				The Paris Conference on war reparations hits a deadlock as the French insist on the hard line and the British insist on Reconstruction.
1935				President Franklin D. Roosevelt claims in his State of the Union message that the federal government will provide jobs for 3.5 million Americans on welfare.
1936				Billboard magazine publishes its first music Hit Parade.
1941				On the Greek-Albanian front, the Greeks launch an attack towards Valona from Berat to Klisura against the Italians.
1942				Japanese forces begin the evacuation of Guadalcanal.
1951				UN forces abandon Seoul, Korea, to the Chinese Communist Army.
1952				The French Army in Indochina launches Operation Nenuphar in hopes of ejecting a Viet Minh division from the Ba Tai forest.
1969				Spain returns the Ifni province to Morocco.
1970				A 7.7 earthquake kills 15,000+ people in Tonghai County, China.
1972				Rose Heilbron becomes the first female judge to sit at the Old Bailey in London, England.
1974				President Richard Nixon refuses to hand over tape recordings and documents that had been subpoenaed by the Senate Watergate Committee.
1975				The Khmer Rouge launches its newest assault in its five-year war in Phnom Penh. The war in Cambodia would go on until the spring of 1975.
1976				The Ulster Volunteer Force kills six Irish Catholic civilians in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. The next day 10 Protestant civilians are murdered in retaliation.
1979				Ohio officials approve an out-of-court settlement awarding $675,000 to the victims and families in the 1970 shootings at Kent State University, in which four students were killed and nine wounded by National Guard troops.
1990				Over 300 people die and more than 700 are injured in Pakistan's deadliest train accident, when an overloaded passenger train collides with an empty freight train.
1999				Jesse "The Body" Ventura, a former professional wrestler, is sworn in as populist governor of Minnesota.
1999			The euro, the new money of 11 European nations, goes into effect on the continent of Europe.
2004			NASA Mars rover Spirit successfully lands on Mars.
2004			Mikheil Saakashvili is elected President of Georgia following the Rose Revolution of November 2003.
2007			Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-California) becomes the first female speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.
2010			Burj Khalifa (Khalifa tower) officially opens in Dubai, UAE. At 2,722 ft (829.8 m) it is the world's tallest man-made structure.

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Thanks to Chuck

Subject: An Interesting Story  SEE THE ATTACHMENT

Between a different language & culture and a lot of aviation technical terms for fighting another aircraft it might be hard to understand everything.  However, you will get the gist of what leadership is about when life and death are always in the balance. 

In the Navy they have a punishment referred to as you are in Hack.  Fundamentally you go to your room and stay there until called to return to the ready room and flying.  This could last hours or days with food sent to your room.  Sounds a bit childish and certainly can be career limiting but not necessarily.  Yup I got to do that for doing the right thing but disobeying a direct order in the process from my CO's boss.  My CO got me out after a day or so.  Another is grounding you to stand the duty in lieu of flying missions for minor infractions or just being stupid.

Bottom line better to have a JO pissed off at you or even all of them then attending a burial.

First lesson like this I received is when the XO dead stick (the only engine failed) an A-4 to a landing.   Afterwards he assured us all that if we tried that we would be grounded permanently.   Pilots are expensive and time consuming to train (2 years) ejecting over friendly territory less risky.  That is the official rationale but truth is who wants to attend another burial.

Can not remember how or where I got this but, in my computer and rediscovered.

Enjoy

 

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January 4

This Day in U S Military History

1847 – Samuel Colt rescues the future of his faltering gun company by winning a contract to provide the U.S. government with 1,000 of his .44 caliber revolvers. Before Colt began mass-producing his popular revolvers in 1847, handguns had not played a significant role in the history of either the American West or the nation as a whole. Expensive and inaccurate, short-barreled handguns were impractical for the majority of Americans, though a handful of elite still insisted on using dueling pistols to solve disputes in highly formalized combat. When choosing a practical weapon for self-defense and close-quarter fighting, most Americans preferred knives, and western pioneers especially favored the deadly and versatile Bowie knife. That began to change when Samuel Colt patented his percussion-repeating revolver in 1836. The heart of Colt's invention was a mechanism that combined a single rifled barrel with a revolving chamber that held five or six shots. When the weapon was cocked for firing, the chamber revolved automatically to bring the next shot into line with the barrel. Though still far less accurate than a well-made hunting rifle, the Colt revolver could be aimed with reasonable precision at a short distance (30 to 40 yards in the hands of an expert), because the interior bore was "rifled"–cut with a series of grooves spiraling down its length. The spiral grooves caused the slug to spin rapidly as it left the bbarrel, giving it gyroscopic stability. The five or six-shoot capacity also made accuracy less important, since a missed shot could quickly be followed with others. Yet most cowboys, gamblers, and gunslingers could never have afforded such a revolver if not for the de facto subsidy the federal government provided to Colt by purchasing his revolvers in such great quantities. After the first batch of revolvers proved popular with soldiers, the federal government became one of Colt's biggest customers, providing him with the much-needed capital to improve his production facilities. With the help of Eli Whitney and other inventors, Colt developed a system of mass production and interchangeable parts for his pistols that greatly lowered their cost. Though never cheap, by the early 1850s, Colt revolvers were inexpensive enough to be a favorite with Americans headed westward during the California Gold Rush. Between 1850 and 1860, Colt sold 170,000 of his "pocket" revolvers and 98,000 "belt" revolvers, mostly to civilians looking for a powerful and effective means of self-defense in the Wild West.

 

1945 – The fighting in the Ardennes continues; a German counterattack near Bastogne is repulsed by troops of US 3rd Army. There are attacks by US 8th and 3rd Corps and by the British 30th Corps. Some of the units of the 6th SS Panzer Army (Dietrich) are withdrawn and sent to the Eastern Front. In Alsace, the German attacks in the Bitche area continue.

1945 – Americans B-24 Liberator bombers attack Clark Field in Manila, on Luzon and claim to destroy 20 Japanese aircraft. Shipping near Luzon is also attacked. It is claimed that 35 Japanese vessels have been sunk or severely damaged.

1951 – For the third time in six months, Seoul changed hands as CCF troops moved in. The last USAF aircraft left Kimpo Airfield. Eighth Army regrouped behind the Pyongtaek-Wonju-Samchok line as Seoul fell to the communists for the second time in the war. Britain's 27th Commonwealth Infantry Brigade covered the U.N. withdrawal, then blew the bridges over the Han River. Naval guns of Task Force 90 held the communists at bay while 69,000 U.N. troops withdrew by sea from the port of Inchon on Amphibious Group 3 vessels.

1980 – President Carter announces US boycott of Moscow Olympics.

1989 – Aircraft (VF-32) from USS John F. Kennedy shoot down 2 hostile Libyan Migs over the Mediterranean.

 

Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day

McCARTON, JOHN
Rank and organization: Ship's Printer, U.S. Navy. Born: 1847, Brooklyn, N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 326, 18 October 1884. Citation: For jumping overboard from the U.S. Training Ship New Hampshire off Coasters Harbor Island, near Newport, R.l., 4 January 1882, and endeavoring to rescue Jabez Smith, second class musician, from drowning.

SNYDER, WILLIAM E.
Rank and organization: Chief Electrician, U.S. Navy. Born: 24 February 1883, South Bethlehem, Pa. Accredited to: Pennsylvania. G.O. No.: 58, 2 March 1910. Citation: Serving on board the U.S.S. Birmingham, for extraordinary heroism, rescuing G.H. Kephart seaman, from drowning at Hampton Roads, Va., 4 January 1910.

*JACHMAN, ISADORE S.
Rank and organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, Company B, 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment. Place and date: Flamierge, Belgium, 4 January 1945. Entered service at: Baltimore, Md. Birth: Berlin, Germany. G.O. No.: 25, 9 June 1950. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty at Flamierge, Belgium, on 4 January 1945, when his company was pinned down by enemy artillery, mortar, and small arms fire, 2 hostile tanks attacked the unit, inflicting heavy. casualties. S/Sgt. Jachman, seeing the desperate plight of his comrades, left his place of cover and with total disregard for his own safety dashed across open ground through a hail of fire and seizing a bazooka from a fallen comrade advanced on the tanks, which concentrated their fire on him. Firing the weapon alone, he damaged one and forced both to retire. S/Sgt. Jachman's heroic action, in which he suffered fatal wounds, disrupted the entire enemy attack, reflecting the highest credit upon himself and the parachute infantry.

 

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Thanks to Al

Monday Morning Humor--12th Night and Epiphany

     When I am very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what I do?  I send jokes.

     When I have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, I send jokes.

     When I have something to say, but don't know what, and don't know how...I send jokes.

     My jokes let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for.

     So, the next time you get a joke from me, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and that I, on the other end of your computer, wanted to send you a smile.

     With that said, if you do not want to receive Monday Morning Humor e-mails, just let me know and I will take care of it.

     Your friend,

     Al

 

 

     Twelfth Night (also known as Epiphany Eve) is a festival that takes place on the last night of the Twelve Days of Christmas, marking the coming of the Epiphany.[Different traditions mark the date of Twelfth Night as either 5 January or 6 January, depending on whether the counting begins on Christmas or 26 December.

     A superstition in some English-speaking countries suggests it unlucky to leave Christmas decorations hanging after Twelfth Night.  Other popular customs include eating King cake, singing Christmas carols, chalking the door, having one's house blessed, merrymaking, and attending church services.

 

     Epiphany is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ. And commemorates principally the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child, and thus to the Gentiles. It is sometimes called Three Kings' Day, and in some traditions celebrated as Little Christmas.

     The traditional date for the feast is January 6. However, since 1970, the celebration is held in some countries on the Sunday after January 1.

 

 

Why weren't there any nativity scenes in Sacramento?  They couldn't find three wise men.

 

     In a small Southern town there was a nativity scene that showed great skill and talent had gone into creating it. One small feature bothered me. The three wise men were wearing firemen's helmets.  Totally unable to come up with a reason or explanation, I left.

     At a Quick Stop on the edge of town, I asked the lady behind the counter about the helmets. She exploded into a rage, yelling at me, "You #@*% Yankees never do read the Bible!"

     I assured her that I did, but simply couldn't recall anything about firemen in the Bible.

     She jerked her Bible from behind the counter and ruffled through some pages, and finally jabbed her finger at a passage. Sticking it in my face she said, "See, it says right here, 'The three wise man came from afar.'"

 

Rumor has it that after the three wise men left, the three wise women arrived bringing fresh diapers, lots of formula, and casseroles for the week.

 

I saw an Epiphany infomercial selling gold and frankincense…but wait, there's myrrh!

 

I wonder if the three wise men said to Jesus, "Just to be clear, these gifts are for your birthday AND Christmas."

 

Nothing is recorded about the fourth wise man.  He brought fruitcake.

 

What was the three wise men's favorite Christmas carol?  O camel, ye faithful.

 

The three Wise Men originally showed up at the wrong manger and found a different baby.  "What Child Is This?"

 

 

Submitted by Alan Krause Jr:

 

     Something to look forward to in 2021 is Peter Jackson's movie about the Beatles called Get Back.  A preview montage at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UocEGvQ10OE&t=100s

 

 

Two uplifting videos for the new year:

·        The Train of Life at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZW8CzR_I_0  submitted by Dave Harris

·        Seven Wonders of the World at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZnMBc7jrGk submitted by Al Anderson

 

 

Here's wishing all of you a happier, healthier, and more prosperous 2021,

Al

 

"We do not need more intellectual power, we need more moral power. We do not need more knowledge, we need more character. We do not need more government, we need more culture. We do not need more law, we need more religion. We do not need more of the things that are seen, we need more of the things that are unseen.... If the foundation is firm, the superstructure will stand."--Calvin Coolidge

 

"I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use."--Galileo Galilei

 

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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS for January 4, 2021 FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY

 4 January

1936: The Vought SB2U Vindicator first flew. (5)

1937: Frank Sinclair flew a Seversky Airplane 240 miles per hour from New York to New Orleans, La., in a record of 5 hours. (24)

1944: Operation CARPETBAGGER. American and Royal Air Force planes dropped arms and supplies to French, Belgian, and Italian partisans for the first time. (4)

1945: Republic received a contract to build 100 production P-84 Thunderjets. (12)

1948: The University of California completed a pilot model for the world's first low-pressure supersonic wind tunnel. (24)

1951: KOREAN WAR. As Communist Chinese forces occupied Seoul, the last USAF aircraft left Kimpo Airfield. (28) Miss Caro Bayley flew a Piper Super Cub 30,203 feet over Miami to set a Federation Aeronautique Internationale altitude record for light planes. (24)

1955: Aerojet General began a research and development effort on rocket engines and associated ground equipment for the Titan Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. (6)

1957: Exercise JUMP LIGHT/Project ROTAD. Through 28 January, a joint Army-Tactical Air Command airlift effort supported this exercise and Project ROTAD (Reorganization and Testing of Airborne Division) near Fort Bragg, N. C. (11) 1958: The Army awarded Chrysler Corporation a $51.8 million contract to build the Jupiter Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missile. (6)

1965: The Strategic Air Command's first Atlas-E missiles came off alert in the 548th Strategic Missile Squadron at Forbes AFB, Kans., and the 566th Strategic Missile Squadron at Francis E. Warren AFB, Wy. Moreover, the first Titan Is came off alert in the 568th Strategic Missile Squadron at Larson AFB, Wash., the 850th Strategic Missile Squadron at Ellsworth AFB, N. Dak., and the 851st Strategic Missile Squadron at Beale AFB, Calif. (6)

1968: A 6511th Test Group (Parachute) C-130 claimed an unofficial single-delivery record by dropping a 50,160-pound pallet from 1,200 feet at El Centro, Calif. (3)

1985: Major Patricia M. Young became the first female commander of an Air Force Space Command unit, Detachment 1, 20th Missile Warning Squadron. (16) (26)

1989: Two Navy F-14 Tomcats, operating from the USS John F. Kennedy, shot down two Libyan MiG-23 Floggers that were displaying hostile intentions over international waters. (20)

1994: Operation PROVIDE PROMISE. The USAF formed a C-130 "Delta Squadron" under the 435th Airlift Wing at Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, with Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard assets. The squadron joined the effort to deliver relief supplies to Bosnia. (16)

2000: Joint Task Force FUNDAMENTAL RESPONSE. Final tallies of the flood devastation near Caracas, Venezuela revealed 30,000 people dead and another 400,000 left homeless. Through 10 March, 11 C-17 missions and 5 C-5 missions airlifted 189 passengers and 527 short tons of cargo to Simon Bolivar International Airport near Caracas to support Task Force relief efforts. (See 20 December 1999) (22)

2001: A C-17 Globemaster III from the 315th Airlift Wing at Charleston AFB, S. C., flew the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft from Buckley AFB, Colo., to Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. (22)

 

 

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World News for 4 January thanks to Military Periscope

USA—Senate Passes NDAA, Overriding Trump's Veto Washington Post | 01/04/2021 The Senate has voted to pass the National Defense Authorization Act, overriding President Trump's veto of the bill, reports the Washington Post. On Friday, senators voted 81 to 13 in favor of the measure, overriding Trump's veto for the first time. The House of Representatives voted in favor of the measure on Dec. 28. Trump opposed the legislation, citing language in the bill promising to rename military bases named for Confederate leaders, as well as his support for a larger stimulus payment and changes to laws governing how social media companies restrict potential offensive content on their sites. The president has also opposed controls placed on troop withdrawals from Afghanistan and Germany, which were opposed by larges blocs in both parties, reported the Wall Street Journal. 

 

USA—Nimitz Carrier To Remain In CENTCOM Following Iranian Threats USNI News | 01/04/2021 U.S. officials say that the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz will remain in the Persian Gulf due to Iranian threats, reports USNI News. On Friday, Acting Secretary of Defense Chris Miller ordered the carrier to return home, overruling senior military advisers, reported the New York Times. Sources close to the decision said the move was a de-escalatory signal to avoid fomenting a crisis in the final days of Trump's term. However, on Sunday, Miller said that he ordered a halt to the "routine redeployment." The decision came after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini and army chief Maj. Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi pledged revenge on the first anniversary of the targeted killing of Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani on Jan. 3, 2019, reported Military.com. The carrier has been deployed to the region since June. 

 

USA—Obesity Costs Military $1.2 Billion Annually Task and Purpose | 01/04/2021 Obesity costs the U.S. military an additional $1.2 billion every year due to higher healthcare spending and lower productivity, according to a new report cited by Task and Purpose. The report published last month by the Congressional Research Service cites a study linking obesity to higher rates of injury during basic training and lower job performance in some military specialties. The study by the Institute of Medicine (now the National Academies of Medicine) found that of the recruits who later passed the standards or received an obesity-related waiver, 80 percent failed to complete their first enlistment. The increasing prevalence of obesity in the U.S. is a major obstacle for military recruitment and is one of the leading medical reasons young adults are disqualified from joining the armed forces, says the CRS report. Experts have warned that the trends pose a threat to the all-volunteer force amid growing concerns about potential great power conflict. 

 

NATO—Turkey Takes Command Of Rapid Reaction Force Nato Press Release | 01/04/2021 NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) will be led by Turkey this year, reports the alliance. Ankara succeeds Poland, which led the force in 2020. The Turkish 66th Mechanized Infantry Brigade, with about 4,200 troops, will form the core of the force. Albania, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S. are also providing troops for the VJTF, which will number around 6,400 soldiers. Turkey officially assumed command of the VJTF on Jan. 1. 

 

Denmark—Order Placed For More Eagle Patrol Vehicles General Dynamics European Land Systems | 01/04/2021 The Danish Ministry of Defense has awarded General Dynamics European Land Systems a contract for armored patrol vehicles, reports the defense firm. The US$52.1 million contract covers 56 Eagle V armored patrol vehicles and a single prototype Reconnaissance Open vehicle, GDELS said in a release in mid-December. Deliveries are scheduled to begin by the end of 2021 and conclude in 2022. The order is the second made under a framework agreement for Eagle vehicles that was signed in June 2017. 

 

Italy—Another 86 Centauro II Armored Vehicles Ordered CIO Consortium | 01/04/2021 The Italian Defense Ministry has ordered another 86 Centauro II armored vehicles, reports the manufacturer, the Iveco-Oto Melara Consortium (CIO). The contract signed on Dec. 30 includes an option for 10 additional vehicles as well as logistics support and equipment. Italy ordered an initial batch of 10 Centauro IIs in June 2018. The army has a total requirement for 150 of the vehicles. The value of the deal and delivery schedule were not disclosed. 

 

Russia—Tsirkon Hypersonic Missiles Set For Fielding In 2020 Tass | 01/04/2021 Russia expects to begin fielding serial production Tsirkon hypersonic missiles in 2022, reports the Tass news agency (Moscow). The decision follows a series of successful trials with the Admiral Gorshkov frigate in 2020, Deputy Defense Minister Alexei Krivoruchko told the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper. The Tsirkon has a top speed of Mach 9 and a range of more than 600 miles (1,000 km), President Vladimir Putin said in a speech in 2019. The missile can defeat both land and naval targets. 

 

China—President Xi Tightens Control Over Military South China Morning Post | 01/04/2021 China has revised its national defense law to centralize military decision-making in the hands of President Xi Jinping, reports the South China Morning Post. The revisions that took effect on Jan. 1 added "disruption" and protection of "development interests" as grounds for the deployment of troops and activation of reserve elements. The change shifts power from the State Council, China's Cabinet, in formulating defense policy and directing the armed forces, handing it to the Central Military Commission, which is headed by Xi. The new laws also emphasize the need for a mechanism to marshal military and private resources to develop weapons, cyber capabilities, electromagnetic and space technologies. Analysts noted that expanding the grounds for legitimate military intervention to include development interests would provide a wider legal grounding for potential military intervention. Language justifying the use of military force in case of national disruption could be used against Taiwan, said a Taipei-based analyst. 

 

Afghanistan—Military Pilot Killed In Targeted Attack In Kandahar Khaama Press | 01/04/2021 An Afghan military helicopter pilot has been shot and killed in Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, reports the Khaama Press (Kabul). Massoud Atal, a pilot with the 205th Corps, was assassinated by unknown gunmen on Dec. 30, the unit said. The shooting took place less than a kilometer from the governor's house, reported the Voice of America News. An investigation was opened immediately into the killing. There were no immediate claims of responsibility. Targeted killings have been on the rise in Afghanistan. Officials have blamed the Taliban for the attacks, which have also targeted government officials and journalists. 

 

Pakistan—ISIS Claims Deadly Attack On Shi'ite Coal Miners Geo News | 01/04/2021 Eleven coal miners have been killed in an attack in Pakistan's western Balochistan province, reports Geo News (Karachi). On Sunday, gunmen seized miners from the Machh coal field in the Bolan district to nearby mountains, where they were shot, said police. Four others were critically injured in the attack. Police and Frontier Corps paramilitary personnel were deployed following the attack. The slain miners were members of the predominately Shi'ite Hazara ethnic group, reports Al Jazeera (Qatar). In a statement through its Amaq news agency, ISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. 

 

Iran—Work Begins To Enrich Uranium To 20 Percent Purity British Broadcasting Corp. | 01/04/2021 Iran has announced that it has started enriching uranium to 20 percent purity, reports BBC News. A government spokesman told state media on Monday that the process had begun at the underground Fordow site near Qoms. The move is in line with a law passed last month mandating the production and storage of at least 265 pounds (120 kg) of 20 percent-enriched uranium annually unless sanctions against Iran are lifted. That law passed following the killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. Iran has been progressively moving away from its commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal since President Trump withdrew from the agreement in 2018. The 265-pounds of 20 percent uranium would be about half of uranium needed to be enriched to 90 percent to make a single nuclear bomb, according to the Arms Control Association. A concern is that it is much easier to reach the 90 percent purity from 20 percent pure uranium. 

 

Syria—2020 Sees Fewest Fatalities Since Civil War Began, Observatory Says Syrian Observatory for Human Rights | 01/04/2021 Syria this year saw its lowest death toll since the civil war began almost a decade ago, reports the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (U.K.). The watchdog group recorded 6,817 fatalities as a result of the war in 2020, with civilians making up about 22 percent of the total. This compares to 10,000 in 2019 and 76,000 in 2014, which was the deadliest year so far. An estimated 387,000 people have been killed in the fighting since 2011, including at least 117,000 civilians. Several factors contributed to a reduction of violence in 2020, including consolidation of territory by Turkey and the Syrian government, a cease-fire reached by Turkey and Russia and the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), analysts said. 

 

Libya—4 Russian Contractors Freed After Kidnapping Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty | 01/04/2021 A Russian foundation with links to the Wagner Group private military company says three Russians and a Ukrainian have been freed after being kidnapped in Libya, reports Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. On Saturday, Aleksandr Malkevich, the head of the Foundation for the Protection of Traditional Values, said that the four individuals had been freed after their kidnapping several weeks ago. The circumstances of their kidnapping and release were not immediately clear. The Russian Wagner Group is widely believed to have supported eastern warlord Khalifa Haftar in his fight against the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli. 

 

Niger—100 Killed In Coordinated Attacks In West Reuters | 01/04/2021 At least 100 people have been killed in a pair of militant attacks in western Niger, reports Reuters. On Saturday, gunmen simultaneously attacked the villages of Tchombangou and Zaroumdareye, said security sources. Seventy people were killed in Tchombangou and 30 in Zaroumdareye, local officials told Agence France-Presse. Another 25 people were wounded. The officials said that the attackers, who used motorbikes, were organized and the operation appeared to be coordinated. Outgoing President Mahamadou Issoufou was expected to lead a security council meeting addressing the attack on Monday. There were no immediate claims of responsibility. Niger has suffered numerous attacks by groups affiliated with ISIS and Al-Qaida, as well as ethnic militias. 

 

Mali—2 French Soldiers Killed During Intel Mission In Northeast Agence France-Presse | 01/04/2021 Two French soldiers have been killed in northeastern Mali, reports Agence France-Presse. On Saturday, the soldiers were on an intelligence mission when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb, said President Emmanuel Macron. A third soldier was injured in the blast. The fatalities were identified as Sgt. Yvonne Huynh and Brig. Loic Risser. Huynh was the first female soldier to die in the French mission in the Sahel. Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), the Al-Qaida branch in Mali, claimed responsibility for the attack, reported France 24. A total of 50 French soldiers have been killed in Mali since 2013. 

 

Sudan—UNAMID Closes Doors After 13 Years U.N. News Center | 01/04/2021 The United Nations and African Union peacekeeping mission in Sudan's western Darfur region has ended after 13 years, reports the U.N. News. The U.N.-A.U. Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID) officially wrapped up on Dec. 31, capping off its 13-year mission, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres and A.U. Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said in a joint statement. The move followed a unanimous Security Council decision adopted on Dec. 22. The approximately 4,050 military and 2,000 police personnel with UNAMID will withdraw over the next six months. The move follows steps taken by the Sudanese transitional government to make peace with rebels in the region, which culminated with a peace agreement in October, reported Agence France-Presse. The mission was launched in 2007 following a bitter conflict between factions in Darfur, including the Justice and Equality Movement and government-backed militias called the Janjaweed. Some analysts, as well as residents of Darfur, have said that violence has not sufficiently subsided to justify ending the mission.   

 

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