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HavenWorks.com/military/archive/2003 |
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/ Archive
/ 2003
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- "Iraq
arms hunt may hinder other U.S. aims." ... "In nine
months, not a single item has been found in Iraq from a long and classified
intelligence list of weapons of mass destruction which guided the work
of dozens of elite teams from Special Forces, the military, the CIA and
the Pentagon during the most secretive, expensive and fruitless weapons
hunt in history." ... "For U.S. allies, arms control experts and some involved
in the hunt, the lack of evidence in a war premised on the threat of proliferation
will have far reaching consequences in the coming year for the United States
in its efforts to curb Iran, North Korea, Syria and others." ... "While
some argue the Iraq war helped push open the doors of closed regimes such
as Libya and Iran, others say it has only strengthened convictions that
negotiations, U.N. inspections and sanctions work." -By
Dafna Linzer -AP
via -MercuryNews-BayArea
-
- "S.Korea
to Send 3,000 Troops to Iraq in April." ... "South
Korea is to send 3,000 troops to the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk in late
April to help reconstruction efforts, cabinet and military officials said
Tuesday." ... "South Korea's cabinet approved a motion for the dispatch
of the troops at a special session Tuesday and would now send it to parliament
for ratification, officials said." -Reuters
via -ABCNEWS.com
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Christmas
News
- "Where
Christmas trees will stay up until April: One Army
town's bittersweet celebration." ... "The past nine months have been difficult
for families of soldiers at Fort Carson, an Army post south of Colorado
Springs. About 11,000 troops were deployed from Fort Carson to Iraq in
April. Most aren't expected to return until spring." ... "In many homes,
Christmas trees will stay up through the spring, with packages underneath
for returning soldiers and their stockings full and dangling from mantles."
-By Jeremy Meyer -CSMonitor
- Anthrax
News
- "Judge
Halts Military's Required Anthrax Shots." ... "A
federal district judge ruled Monday that the Defense Department could not
compel members of the armed forces to be vaccinated against anthrax without
their consent." ... "The judge, Emmet G. Sullivan, issued a preliminary
injunction that prohibits Pentagon officials from "inoculating service
members without their consent."" ... "The judge found that the vaccine
in question, intended to protect military personnel against the potentially
deadly effects of inhaled anthrax, was "an investigational drug," being
used for an unapproved purpose." -By Robert Pear with
contributions by Thom Shanker -NYTimes
via -Google-News
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- "U.N.
Nuclear Watchdog Agency Head to Travel to Libya:
ElBaradei Will 'Kick Start a Process of Verification'." ... "Mohamed ElBaradei,
director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told a press
briefing in Vienna that he would lead an IAEA team to Libya to "kick start
a process of verification" of Libya's arms program, wire services reported."
... "After years of denying the existence of a nuclear weapons program,
Libya acknowledged last week that it had a program to develop nuclear and
other unconventional weapons. In a surprise announcement, Libyan leader
Moammar Gaddafi said he will abandon unconventional weapons, freeze his
nuclear program and allow international inspectors to test his word." -By
Fred Barbash -WashingtonPost
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- "Libya
to allow snap arms inspections." ... "Libya has agreed
to allow snap U.N. nuclear arms inspections, just a day after declaring
it was giving up plans to build an atomic bomb, a Western diplomat says."
... "Libya, widely praised for announcing on Friday that it was ditching
efforts to build the bomb and other banned weapons, told the head of the
U.N. nuclear watchdog on Saturday that it was ready to sign up to inspections,
the diplomat told Reuters." -By Louis Charbonneau
-Reuters via -Reuters.co.uk
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- Time
Magazine's Person of the Year: 2003:
"The
American Soldier: They swept across Iraq and conquered
it in 21 days. They
stand guard on streets pot-holed with skepticism and rancor. They caught
Saddam Hussein. They are the face of America, its might and good will,
in a region unused to democracy. The U.S. G.I. is TIME's Person of the
Year" ... "" -By Nancy Gibbs
-Vol.
162 No. 26 20031229-20040105-TIME.com
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- Christmas
News
- "Spanish
PM Aznar Makes Christmas Trip to Iraq." ... "Prime
Minister Jose Maria Aznar made a lightning trip to Iraq Saturday to express
his support for Spanish troops just ahead of the Christmas holiday." ...
"Despite strong opposition to the U.S.-led war among the Spanish public,
Spain has 1,300 soldiers in Iraq." -Reuters
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- "Court:
President cannot detain U.S. citizen as enemy combatant."
... "In a setback to the Bush administration's anti-terrorism policies,
a federal appeals court ruled Thursday that the president does not have
the power to detain an American citizen seized on U.S. soil as an enemy
combatant." ... "In a 65-page decision, a three-judge panel of the 2nd
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals voted 2-1 that the U.S. government must release
Jose Padilla from military custody within 30 days."
-CNN
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- Christmas
News
- "Christmas
boxes bring Afghan mob scene." ... "Attempts by Canadians
to hand out almost 2,000 Christmas gift boxes to impoverished Afghan children
Wednesday turned into a melee as some of their parents beat back the young
people trying to reach the presents and soldiers had to stop them." ...
"A Canadian Forces truck was quickly surrounded by hundreds of children
as it arrived at a hillside camp in Kabul, where internally displaced people
(IDPs, as they are known by the military) live destitute lives in makeshift
housing." -GlobeAndMail
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- "Hussein's
Hovel Hideaway: Desposed Leader Told Captors He Wanted
to 'Negotiate'." ... "When the deposed Iraqi leader was pulled by U.S.
troops from a dank hole adjacent to the farmhouse Saturday, he told them
in English: "My name is Saddam Hussein. I am the president of Iraq and
I want to negotiate."" ... "A U.S. Special Forces soldier replied: "Regards
from President Bush."" -By Alexandar Vasovic
-AP via -WashingtonPost
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- "A
tip, high-tech surveillance and a GI with a shovel nab Saddam."
... "Perhaps a mile from his nearest palace, Saddam spent his final minutes
of freedom in an underground chamber of hard-packed dirt, just wide enough
to permit a man to recline. After decades as self-proclaimed heir to the
iconic 12th-century warrior known in the West as Saladin, Saddam surrendered
meekly without a shot from the pistol he clutched in his lap." ... "The
clues that led to Saddam's capture emerged three weeks ago, officials said,
when intelligence analysts and Special Operations forces shifted the focus
of their hunt from Saddam's innermost circle to the more distant relatives
and tribal allies who they suspected had been sheltering the deposed president."
... "The U.S. military and the CIA had formed a task force devoted exclusively
to finding Saddam and his top allies. Called Task Force 121, it is an interagency
team of CIA paramilitaries and "black," or unacknowledged, Special Operations
forces." -By Barton Gellman and Dana Priest with contributions
from Rajiv Chandrasekaran and Bradley Graham -WashingtonPost
via -SeattleTimes.NWsource
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- "Ace
in the Hole: Saddam Hussein Captured Near Tikrit By U.S. Forces."
... "Saddam was in a six-to-eight-foot-deep "spider hole" that had been
camouflaged with bricks and dirt. The soldiers saw the hole, investigated
and found him inside, armed with a pistol, said Maj. Gen. Raymond Odierno,
the commander of the 4th Infantry Division that assisted in capturing the
leader." ... "Forces from the 4th Infantry Division along with Special
Forces captured Saddam, the U.S. military said. There were no shots fired
or injuries in the raid, called "Operation Red Dawn," said Lt. Gen. Richardo
Sanchez." (1, 2,
3,
4)
-ABCNEWS.com
-
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- "Saddam
Captured Hiding in Hole Near Tikrit." ... "U.S. troops
captured Saddam Hussein hiding in a hole near his hometown of Tikrit in
a major coup for Washington's beleaguered occupying force in Iraq." ...
"Grubby, bearded and "very disorientated," the 66-year-old fallen dictator
was dug out by troops from a cramped hiding pit during a raid on a farm
in Ad-Dawr village late Saturday, U.S. Maj. Gen. Ray Odierno told a news
conference in Tikrit." (1, 2,
3)
-By Joseph Logan -Reuters
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- "Bush:
Halliburton Must Pay for Overcharge: Bush Says U.S.
Expects Halliburton to Repay Money if Company Overcharged for Gasoline
in Iraq." ... "President Bush said Friday that Vice President Dick Cheney's
former company should repay the government if it overcharged for gasoline
delivered in Iraq under a controversial prewar contract." ... "Pentagon
auditors say the company charged up to $61 million too much for delivering
gasoline to Iraqi citizens under a no-bid contract to rebuild Iraq's dilapidated
oil industry. Halliburton denies overcharging."
-AP via -ABCNEWS.com
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- "Prosecutors
get delay in case against ex-chaplain." ... "The
criminal proceedings against Captain James Yee, the former Muslim chaplain
at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, charged with mishandling classified data,
fell into confusion and stalled as prosecutors asked for extra time to
determine whether documents found in Yee's luggage when he was leaving
the base were, in fact, classified." ... "The hearing was postponed Tuesday
until Jan. 19 to give the prosecutors time to review the documents that
set off a major investigation into whether Yee was a spy, a contention
from which the government has since distanced itself." -By
Neil A. Lewis -NYTimes
via -IHT.com
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- "War
Crimes Court Established for Iraq." ... "Iraq's U.S.-appointed
interim government established a war crimes tribunal Wednesday to try former
members of Saddam Hussein's regime, and two U.S. soldiers were killed and
four wounded in a northern city." ... "Abdel-Aziz al-Hakim, president of
Iraq's Governing Council, said the new tribunal will cover crimes committed
from July 17, 1968 the day Saddam's Baath Party came to power until May
1, 2003 the day President Bush declared major hostilities over."
-AP via -ABCNEWS.com
-
- "Koizumi
commits SDF personnel to Iraq." ... "He says Japan
has a crucial noncombat role to play in Iraq." ... "Prime Minister Junichiro
Koizumi, emphasizing Japan's responsibility to promote peace, said Tuesday
he will send the Self-Defense Forces to one of the most dangerous nations
on the planet." ... "Prior to the Cabinet's approval of the basic plan,
Koizumi met with Takenori Kanzaki, the head of coalition partner New Komeito
who had raised concerns about sending ground troops to Iraq." ... "The
two leaders agreed that the actual dispatch of Ground SDF to Iraq would
come only after the government sufficiently determines the security situation
in that country." ... "Under the basic plan, a maximum 600 GSDF members
will be sent to Iraq, along with up to 200 vehicles. The Air SDF will dispatch
up to eight transport planes, while the Maritime SDF will send two transport
ships and two escort destroyers." -Asahi
Shimbun>English
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- "Pentagon
Bars Three Nations From Iraq Bids." ... "The Pentagon
has barred French, German and Russian companies from competing for $18.6
billion in contracts for the reconstruction of Iraq, saying it was acting
to protect "the essential security interests of the United States."" ...
"The directive, issued Friday by Paul D. Wolfowitz, the deputy defense
secretary, represents the most substantive retaliation to date by the Bush
administration against American allies who opposed its decision to go to
war in Iraq." ... "Under the guidelines, only companies from the United
States, Iraq and 61 countries designated "coalition partners" will be allowed
to bid on the contracts. France, Germany and Russia are not on the list."
(1, 2)
-By Douglas Jehl -NYTimes
via -Google-News
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- "Bush
sides with China over Taiwan referendum." ... "President
George W. Bush yesterday underlined the growing importance the US attaches
to its relationship with China by bluntly telling Taiwan to drop plans
for a referendum that would be interpreted as a unilateral move towards
independence." ... "Mr Bush urged both sides to refrain from provocative
actions and not to challenge the status quo of the "one China" policy."
... "But typically loyal neo-conservatives, who have long viewed China
as the emerging strategic threat to the US, rounded on Mr Bush, accusing
him of suppressing the democratic aspirations of the Taiwanese." -By
Guy Dinmore -FT.com
-
- "Car
Bomb Injures 31 U.S. Troops in Iraq." ... "A car
bomb attack on barracks near the northern city of Mosul early Tuesday wounded
31 American soldiers, mainly with flying debris and glass, the military
said. The injuries were not life-threatening." ... "The attack came less
than a day after insurgents shot and killed a soldier from the Army's 101st
Airborne Division as he guarded a gas station in Mosul, 250 miles north
of Baghdad, Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt said in Baghdad." ... "A total of 448
U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion on March 20.
Of those, 308 died in hostile action." -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
-
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- "Japan
Cabinet Approves Plan for Iraq Troop Dispatch." ...
"Japan's cabinet approved a plan on Tuesday for the dispatch of non-combat
troops to Iraq, a landmark decision that clears the way for what could
be the biggest and most dangerous overseas mission by its military since
World War II." -Reuters
via -Boston/Globe
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- "Major
Afghan offensive launched." ... "The U.S. military
has launched a major ground operation in Afghanistan in an effort to eliminate
the remnants of al Qaeda and the Taliban regime overthrown in 2001." ...
"Military spokesman Lt. Col. Bryan Hilferty described "Operation Avalanche",
which began over the weekend, as the largest ground operation yet in Afghanistan."
... "Between 2,000 and 11,500 soldiers will be dispatched in east and south
Afghanistan to go after Taliban and al Qaeda militants, he said."
-CNN
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-
-
-
-
- "North
Korea guarantee may pave way to accord." ... "The
Bush administration has agreed with South Korea and Japan to a broadly
worded set of principles to end North Korea's nuclear program, calling
for a ``coordinated'' set of steps in which five nations would offer North
Korea a security guarantee as it begins a verifiable disassembly of its
nuclear facilities, according to Bush administration and Asian officials."
... "The statement is being sent to China's leaders today, the officials
said, in hopes that Beijing will pass them on this week to Kim Jong Il,
the North Korean leader. But officials said that North Korea may judge
the offer far too vague, in part because it sets no timetable for energy
or economic aid to the country, and because it would require inspections
of suspect facilities that have never before been opened." -By
David Sanger -NYTimes
via -RegisterGuard
-
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- "U.S.
Airstrike Kills Nine Afghan Kids: U.S. Plane Mistakenly
Kills 9 Afghan Children in Airstrike Targeting Wanted Taliban Commander."
... "Children's hats and shoes littered a bloody field cratered by gunfire
Sunday after a U.S. airstrike, aimed at a wanted Taliban commander, mistakenly
killed nine children in an Afghan mountain village." ... "The American
warplane was targeting Mullah Wazir, once a local commander for the hard-line
Islamic militia. U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and a U.S. military official
said Wazir was killed in the attack, but residents and local officials
said Wazir escaped or was not in the village at all." -By
Stephen Graham -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
- 
- "Dirty
Bomb Warheads Disappear: Stocks of Soviet-Era Arms
For Sale on Black Market." ... "In the ethnic conflicts that surrounded
the collapse of the Soviet Union, fighters in several countries seized
upon an unlikely new weapon: a small, thin rocket known as the Alazan.
Originally built for weather experiments, the Alazan rockets were packed
with explosives and lobbed into cities. Military records show that at least
38 Alazan warheads were modified to carry radioactive material, effectively
creating the world's first surface-to-surface dirty bomb." ... "The radioactive
warheads are not known to have been used. But now, according to experts
and officials, they have disappeared." ... "The last known repository was
here, in a tiny separatist enclave known as Transdniester, which broke
away from Moldova 12 years ago. The Transdniester Moldovan Republic is
a sliver of land no bigger than Rhode Island located along Moldova's eastern
border with Ukraine. Its government is recognized by no other nation. But
its weapons stocks -- new, used and modified -- have attracted the attention
of black-market arms dealers worldwide. And they're for sale, according
to U.S. and Moldovan officials and weapons experts." (1, 2,
3)
-By Joby Warrick -WashingtonPost
-
-
- "Passing
on the lessons from Pearl Harbor: Those who lived
through the attack and WWII reflect on impact of war." ... "On Dec. 7,
1941, six Japanese aircraft carriers positioned 200 miles north of Oahu
launched 181 attack planes toward the slowly waking port of Pearl Harbor
and at U.S. military airfields elsewhere on the island. The two- stage
attack killed 2,403 Americans, including 68 civilians -- men, women and
children." ... "The attack destroyed or damaged 21 ships of the U.S. Pacific
fleet and 347 airplanes. The Japanese lost 29 planes." -By
Matthew B. Stannard -SFGate.com
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-
-
- "Iraq
delays hand Cheney firm $1bn: ·Key contract
decisions postponed again. ·Blair drawn into row over lack of 'level
playing fields'." ... "Halliburton, the engineering group formerly run
by US vice-president Dick Cheney, has been given $1 billion worth of reconstruction
work in Iraq by the US government without having to compete for it, thanks
to repeated delays in opening up a key contract to competition." ... "The
cost-plus contract means the amount spent by the US Army Corps of Engineers
(USACE), which is running the work, is open-ended, rather than being fixed
at the outset, because the scope of the damage was unknown. The USACE described
the contract as a 'bridge to competition', but original plans to award
the work competitively in August have repeatedly slipped. So far, $1.7bn
has been made available to Halliburton for the work." -By
Oliver Morgan -Observer.co.uk
via -Guardian.co.uk
-
- 
- "Tough
New Tactics by U.S. Tighten Grip on Iraq Towns."
... "As the guerrilla war against Iraqi insurgents intensifies, American
soldiers have begun wrapping entire villages in barbed wire." ... "In selective
cases, American soldiers are demolishing buildings thought to be used by
Iraqi attackers. They have begun imprisoning the relatives of suspected
guerrillas, in hopes of pressuring the insurgents to turn themselves in."
... "The Americans embarked on their get-tough strategy in early November,
goaded by what proved to be the deadliest month yet for American forces
in Iraq, with 81 soldiers killed by hostile fire. The response they chose
is beginning to echo the Israeli counterinsurgency campaign in the occupied
territories." (1, 2)
-By Dexter Filkins -NYTimes
via -Google-News
-
-
- 
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- "Arizonans
to visit Cuba base: McCain, Flake to inspect Guantanamo."
... "Sen. John McCain and U.S. Rep. Jeff Flake will make separate visits
next week to the U.S. detention center where suspected terrorists are being
held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba." ... "The trips by the two Republican lawmakers
from Arizona come as the government, under increasing domestic and international
pressure, moves toward releasing 100 or more prisoners and putting others
on trial in military courts after as long as two years." -By
Billy House and Jon Kamman -azcentral.com
- 
- 
-
- "Rumsfeld
Visits Georgia to Bind a Strategic Partnership."
... "The United States views Georgia as a strategic partner, in part for
its location, along an arc of instability in a region thought to be a crossroads
for terrorists. A pipeline set to open in 2005 linking Azerbaijan, which
Mr. Rumsfeld visited Thursday, and Turkey, NATO's only Islamic member,
runs across Georgia, as well." ... "Georgia's leaders, describing the desperate
state of their temporary government, said the treasury was so empty that
they had asked the United States to consider helping pay soldiers' salaries.
Satisfying the armed forces is viewed as important to keeping the peace
ahead of Jan. 4 elections." -By Thom Shanker -NYTimes
via -Google-News
- Georgia
News - "Rumsfeld
Offers U.S. Support for Georgia." ... "Defense Secretary
Donald H. Rumsfeld pledged full U.S. support Friday for this former Soviet
republic and said Russia is obliged to withdraw its troops as promised."
... "Rumsfeld met with Georgia's interim leadership, including the acting
president, Nino Burdzhanadze." ... "He was the first member of President
Bush's cabinet to come here since election protests forced Eduard Shevardnadze
to resign the presidency last month." -By Robert Burns
-AP via -Guardian.co.uk
-
- "Blast
Near U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan: Explosion Occurred
Near U.S. Embassy in Afghan Capital of Kabul; No Injuries Reported." ...
"The blast occurred after U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld met
with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and held a news conference with him
at the Presidential Palace in another part of the city. But it was not
known if Rumsfeld was still in Kabul when the explosion occurred."
-AP via -ABCNEWS.com
-
-
-
- "Guantanamo
Bay Detainee Is First to Be Given a Lawyer: Move
Is Sign That Australian Alleged Al Qaeda Fighter May Be Tried by Tribunal."
... "An Australian detainee at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba last night
became the first prisoner there to be given a lawyer, a strong indication
that he is on track to be the first alleged al Qaeda fighter in detention
to go before a military tribunal, according to informed sources." ... "But
a source said Muslim adventurer and former cowboy David Hicks may never
be tried before one of the special military courts because the U.S. government
is working on a plea bargain with him. He has been accused of associating
with al Qaeda and other terrorist groups." -By John
Mintz -WashingtonPost
-
- "Iraqi
'big fish' eludes US forces." ... "US forces were
conducting a big search and sweep operation last night in the town of Hawija,
30 miles west of Kirkuk. But they denied reports they had captured or killed
Izzat Ibrahim, a longtime Saddam Hussein confidant who is No 6 on the US
list of most wanted. A $10m (£5.78m) reward has been put up for his
capture." ... ""He was definitely not captured in today's mission," said
Major Doug Vincent of the 173rd Airborne Brigade. Like Saddam, Ibrahim
disappeared after the US invasion and since has been widely rumoured to
be in hiding in the northern city of Mosul and Sunni areas north of Baghdad,
coordinating guerrilla attacks against American soldiers and Iraqis working
with the coalition authority." -By Michael Howard
-Guardian.co.uk
-
- "Pentagon
freezes Boeing contract: The US military has put
an $18bn deal to buy Boeing tanker aircraft on hold." ... "The Defence
Department said the deal would be frozen pending an inquiry into Boeing's
links with a former Pentagon procurement official." ... "The official,
Darleen Druyun, discussed a possible job with Boeing before she had disqualified
herself from government service." ... "Ms Druyun was involved in the Pentagon's
decision to award the tanker contract to Boeing."
-BBC/News
- "Boeing
CEO Condit resigns From Staff and wire reports."
... "Boeing (BA)
Chairman and CEO Phil Condit resigned unexpectedly only days after the
huge aerospace manufacturer fired two other Boeing officials for an alleged
ethics breach." ... "The departure of Condit, 62, follows last week's firing
of Chief Financial Officer Michael Sears for discussing job possibilities
with Darleen Druyun while Druyun was still working as a top Air Force procurement
official and was helping Boeing win support for a major Air Force contract."
-USATODAY
-
- "U.S.
military: Iraqi rebels displayed greater coordination in Samarra ambushes."
... "One of the bloodiest engagements since the fall of Saddam Hussein
showed a new, deadlier side of the Iraqi insurgency: stepped up, coordinated
assaults by groups of guerrillas bent on battle rather than a hit-and-run
attack, the U.S. military said Monday." ... "''Here it seems they had the
training to stand and fight,'' said Capt. Andy Deponai, whose tank was
hit by a rocket-propelled grenade during the firefight Sunday in Samarra,
north of Baghdad. Residents disputed U.S. assertions that dozens of Iraqi
fighters died, saying fewer than 10 were killed and that most of those
were civilians." -By Sabah Jerges
-AP via -Boston/Globe
-
- "U.S.
Troops Kill 46 Iraqis But Allies Suffer Losses."
... "U.S. troops killed 46 Iraqis and captured eight they said tried to
ambush U.S. convoys in central Iraq on Sunday, ending a weekend in which
guerrillas killed a dozen people from four nations helping the U.S. military."
... "A U.S. military spokesman said U.S. troops killed the Iraqis when
the 4th Infantry Division repelled several coordinated ambush attacks on
U.S. convoys round Samarra, north of Baghdad." ... "Some attackers wore
the uniform of the Fedayeen, a militia formed by Iraqi President Saddam
Hussein before U.S.-led forces toppled him in April, he [Lieutenant-Colonel
William MacDonald] added." (1, 2,
3)
-By Andrew Marshall with contributions from Luke Baker,
Dean Yates, Emma Graham-Harrison, Lee Suwan, Linda Sieg, and Masayuki Kitano
-Reuters
-
-
- "Officer
charged with Guantanamo security breach." ... "Col.
Jackie Duane Farr is the fourth man assigned to intelligence operations
at Guantanamo Bay accused of mishandling classified information." ... "Until
recently, Farr was director of the intelligence collection operation in
the so-called Joint Interrogations Group, said Lt. Col. Pamela Hart, a
Guantanamo spokeswoman. The group has teams of interrogators and analysts
who weekly question about half of the 660 prisoners being held at Camp
Delta, a sprawling prison camp for captives taken in Afghanistan in the
War on Terror." -By Carol Rosenberg-Miami/Herald
-
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-
- 
- "Two
U.S. Soldiers Among 12 Killed in Iraq This Weekend:
Deadly Weekend Ends Deadliest Month Since March." ... "Guerrillas killed
a dozen people from four nations helping the U.S. military in Iraq in weekend
ambushes, sparking new concern among Washington's allies about the risks
of getting involved in stabilizing the country." ... "Two South Koreans
died on Sunday when their car was sprayed with bullets near Saddam Hussein's
hometown, a day after ambushes killed seven Spanish intelligence agents,
two Japanese diplomats and their Iraqi driver, and a Colombian contractor."
(1, 2)
-By Andrew Marshall-Reutersvia
-WashingtonPost
- 
- "USS
Cole Heads Out for Overseas Deployment: USS Cole
Heads Out for First Overseas Deployment Since 2000 Terrorist Bombing in
Yemen Port." ... "The USS Cole and its crew of 340 pulled out of port Saturday
for the destroyer's first overseas deployment since it was bombed by terrorists
three years ago in Yemen's port of Aden." ... "A crowd of about 100 family
members watched as the ship left the Naval Station Norfolk [Virgina] at
12:55 p.m." -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
-
-
- Thanksgiving
- "Bush
Makes Secret Thanksgiving Visit to Iraq." ... "President
Bush secretly traveled to Baghdad and paid a surprise Thanksgiving Day
visit to U.S. troops on Thursday in a bid to boost the morale of forces
in Iraq amid mounting casualties." ... "In an elaborate plan to ensure
his security in the tense Iraqi capital, Bush slipped away from his Texas
ranch on Wednesday night, arrived in Iraq on Thursday and spent 2-1/2 hours
with the troops before flying back to the United States." -By
Steve Holland -Reuters
via -Wired
-
- "Shift
seen in target of Iraqi guerrillas: Attacks on troops
ease;civilians bear the brunt" ... "Guerrillas thought loyal to ousted
dictator Saddam Hussein are shifting away from attacks against American
troops in favor of killing and terrorizing Iraqi civilians who cooperate
with the US-led coalition occupying the country, the chief of US Central
Command said yesterday." ... "General John Abizaid said that the aggressive
American anti-insurgency campaign underway in Baghdad and in the "Sunni
Triangle" region to the north and west has resulted in a sharp decline
in attacks on US soldiers, although the soldiers from four Army divisions
are still very much under the gun." -By Colin Nickerson
-Boston/Globe
- 
-
- "Pakistan,
Kashmir and India breathe easier with cease-fire."
... "Indian and Pakistani military commanders agreed yesterday to a cease-fire
along their common border, including the volatile and heavily militarized
front line in the disputed territory of Kashmir, officials in both countries
said." ... "The truce, which was to take effect at midnight last night,
is the first formal cease-fire between the nuclear-armed rivals since a
separatist insurgency began in Indian-controlled portions of Kashmir 14
years ago." -By Hari Kumar
-NYTimes via -SeattlePI.NWsource
-
- "Two
American soldiers pummeled by Iraqi teens; third killed in bombing."
... "Iraqi teenagers dragged two bloodied U.S. soldiers from a wrecked
vehicle [in Mosul] and pummeled them with concrete blocks Sunday, witnesses
said, describing the killings as a burst of savagery in a city once safe
for Americans." ... "Another soldier was killed by a bomb and a U.S.-allied
police chief was assassinated." ... "The U.S.-led coalition also said it
grounded commercial flights after the military confirmed that a missile
struck a DHL cargo plane that landed Saturday at Baghdad International
Airport with its wing aflame." -By Mariam Fam
-AP via -Boston/Globe
-
- "China
Warns Taiwan Against Independence." ... "In unusually
strong language, China ratcheted up the rhetoric against Taiwan in remarks
published Wednesday and threatened that "the use of force may become unavoidable"
if the island's leaders pursue independence." ... "The warning from Beijing
came as Taiwan prepares to elect a new leader in March. President Chen
Shui-bian, running for office again, has won over more voters since he
came up with plans for a new constitution and a law on referendums that
could conceivably lead to citizens voting on Taiwanese independence." -By
Audra An -AP
via -MercuryNews-BayArea
- Civil
Liberties News
- "Court
reviews 'combatant' label: US power is debated
in case of detainee in 'dirty bomb' plot." ... "A federal appeals court
yesterday sharply questioned the Bush administration's decision to classify
a US citizen suspected in an alleged "dirty bomb" plot as an enemy combatant,
thus denying him access to legal counsel." ... "A member of the three-judge
panel called placing Jose Padilla in military custody a "sea change in
the constitutional life of the country." US District Judge Barrington D.
Parker Jr. said the result could lead to changes that "have been unprecedented
in civilized society."" -By John J. Goldman-LAtimes
via -Boston/Globe
-
- "Taliban
says killed UN woman." ... "Taliban guerrillas have
claimed responsibility for the weekend murder of a French aid worker that
has prompted the U.N. refugee agency to withdraw staff from the south and
east of Afghanistan." ... "The attack on Sunday that killed 29-year-old
U.N. refugee agency official Bettina Goislard raised pressure on the international
community to send peacekeeping troops to provinces where resurgent Islamic
militants and warlords hold sway." -By Saeed Ali Achakzai
-Reuters
-
- "U.S.
Army stages massive show of force in Saddam's hometown."
... "Hundreds of U.S. troops in tanks and assault vehicles marched through
the crowded downtown area of Saddam Hussein's hometown on Monday in a show
of force intended to deliver a stern warning that armed resistance would
not be tolerated." ... "For nearly two hours, M-1 tanks, Bradley fighting
vehicles and Humvees rumbled through the center of Tikrit, past shops and
public markets, drawing crowds of onlookers and clogging traffic across
the city of 120,000 people." -By Jim Gomez
-AP via -MercuryNews-BayArea
-
-
- "17
soldiers die as 2 US helicopters crash in Iraq."
... "Two US Black Hawk helicopters collided in the Iraqi city of Mosul
yesterday, killing at least 17 soldiers and injuring five in in the military's
deadliest disaster since the war began." ... "One US officer at the scene
said that one of the helicopters had been struck in its tail by a rocket-propelled
grenade, and witnesses said they collided and then went down. If that report
is confirmed, the aircraft would be the fourth and fifth US helicopters
to have been shot down in Iraq in three weeks." -By
Robert Schlesinger -Boston/Globe
-
- ELECTION
2004 - "U.S.
must catch Saddam and soon, Clark says." ... "Retired
general Wesley Clark warned Sunday that the failure to capture Saddam Hussein
was likely to undermine any new Iraqi government. And he said it was important
to capture Saddam alive so he could be tried for war crimes." -By
Susan Page -USATODAY
-
-
- "U.S. probes
deadly helicopter crash." ... "The U.S. military
on Sunday was investigating whether insurgent groundfire caused the crash
of two U.S. helicopters, killing 17 American soldiers, the worst single
loss of U.S. life since the start of the Iraq war." ... "All the casualties
were from the 101st Airborne Division, which controls northern Iraq. Five
soldiers were injured." -AP
via -MSNBC
-
- "Guerrilla
force could number 5,000." ... ""The force of people
actively armed and operating against us does not exceed 5,000," [Army Gen.
John] Abizaid said at a news conference at his headquarters at MacDill
Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla." ... ""People will say, well, that's a very
small number. But when you understand that they're organized in cellular
structure, that they have a brutal and determined cadre, that they know
how to operate covertly, they have access to a lot of money and a lot of
ammunition, you'll understand how dangerous they are."" -By
Eric Schmitt and David E. Sanger -NYTimes
via -SeattlePI.NWsource
-
-
- "US
Struggles to Determine Who Is the Enemy in Iraq."
... "The Pentagon is struggling to figure out who the enemy is in Iraq,
with officials saying they remain foggy about the leadership and organization
of the insurgency and analysts decrying a huge intelligence lapse." ...
"Military commanders and U.S. intelligence officials describe resistance
forces in Iraq as some combination of loyalists of toppled President Saddam
Hussein's government, criminals paid by those loyalists to carry out attacks,
Islamic militants from outside Iraq, and isolated Shiite radicals." -By
Will Dunham -Reuters
via -Wired
-
-
-
- "New urgency,
risks in ‘Iraqification’: Some fear handover
could look like abandonment." ... "At least four factors forced the administration
to overhaul its military and political strategy in Iraq, despite the danger
that a new approach might actually diminish U.S. control over the country’s
future." ... "The foremost factor is security — from an Iraqi opposition
that has become more intense, more effective, more sophisticated and more
extensive. The other three are the failure of the Iraqi Governing Council
to act, the looming U.N. deadline of Dec. 15 for an Iraqi plan of action
and the U.S. elections just a year away, according to administration and
congressional officials and U.S. analysts." -By Robin
Wright and Thomas E. Ricks with contributions from Mike Allen
-WashingtonPost via -MSNBC
-
-
- "Back
to Qatar: Deteriorating Security in Iraq Draws
CENTCOM to Region." ... "The general running the war in Iraq, Gen. John
Abizaid, will move his headquarters back to the region beginning next week,
because of the rise in attacks on U.S., allied and Iraqi targets, military
officials told ABCNEWS." ... "Since taking command of U.S. Central Command,
which covers the Middle East, in July, Abizaid has run the Iraq war from
CENTCOM's permanent base in Tampa, Fla." -Contributions
by Martha Raddatz -ABCNEWS.com
-
- 
- "Japan
halts Iraq troop dispatch: The attack on Italian
forces in Iraq will force Japan to postpone its dispatch of troops to that
country until sometime next year, a top government spokesman said Thursday."
-AP via -CNN
-
- "CIA
Report Says U.S. Losing Popular Support in Iraq."
... "A CIA report concludes that ordinary Iraqis increasingly are siding
with the insurgency amid doubts about the U.S. ability to stamp it out,
officials said on Wednesday, while the U.S. administrator in Iraq said
it was hard to figure out where the Iraqi public stands." ... "The report,
warning of possible failure for Bush's efforts to establish Iraq as a democracy
if the situation is not fixed, said aggressive U.S. counter-insurgency
measures were leaving many Iraqis disillusioned and pushing them to support
the insurgency, one U.S. official said." -By Will
Dunham -Reuters
via -Wired
-
- - -
- "Cheney’s Long
Path to War: The Hard Sell: He sifted intel.
He brooded about threats. And he wanted Saddam gone. The inside story of
how Vice President Cheney bought into shady assumptions and helped persuade
a nation to invade Iraq." ... "Of all the president’s advisers, Cheney
has consistently taken the most dire view of the terrorist threat. On Iraq,
Bush was the decision maker. But more than any adviser, Cheney was the
one to make the case to the president that war against Iraq was an urgent
necessity. Beginning in the late summer of 2002, he persistently warned
that Saddam was stocking up on chemical and biological weapons, and last
March, on the eve of the invasion, he declared that “we believe that he
[Saddam Hussein] has in fact reconstituted nuclear weapons.” (Cheney later
said that he meant “program,” not “weapons.” He also said, a bit optimistically,
“I really do believe that we will be greeted as liberators.”) After seven
months, investigators are still looking for that arsenal of WMD." (1, 2,
3)
-By Mark Hosenball, Michael Isikoff and Evan Thomas
-MSNBC 20031117
-Newsweek
-
- "Turkey
drops Iraq troops plan: Turkey has decided
not to send peacekeeping troops to Iraq, government officials have said."
... "It follows fierce opposition from the US-appointed Iraqi Governing
Council and public opinion in Turkey." ... "Last month, the Turkish parliament
approved a deployment motion, after the United States, a fellow Nato member,
requested more foreign troops."-BBC/News
-
-
- "6
Soldiers Die in Helicopter Crash in Iraq: 2
Others Killed in Separate Attacks in Mosul." ... "A U.S. Army UH-60 Black
Hawk helicopter crashed Friday morning near the Tigris River in northern
Iraq after it was apparently struck by ground fire, killing all six soldiers
on board, military officials and witnesses said." ... "It would be the
second U.S. military helicopter shot down by Iraqis in less than a week
and provided another example of the growing sophistication and lethality
of guerrillas, who have escalated their campaign along an arc that stretches
north and west of Baghdad." -By Anthony Shadid
and Vernon Loeb -WashingtonPost
-
- "Insurgents
Attack U.S. Convoys in Iraq." ... "Insurgents attacked
three American military convoys in this northern city with rocket-propelled
grenades and roadside bombs Wednesday, killing three Iraqi civilians and
wounding five Americans, the U.S. military and hospital officials said."
... "The attacks occurred in a city long considered relatively safe for
U.S. troops, compared to Baghdad and the cities and towns in the ``Sunni
Triangle'' to the south." -By Mariam Fam with contributions
from Bassem Mroue -AP
via -Guardian.co.uk
-
- "3
Blasts Seem Aimed at U.S. Compound." ... "Three powerful
explosions in rapid succession shook central Baghdad on Tuesday [20031104]
evening in what apparently was a mortar attack on the headquarters of the
American civilian authorities here." ... "Iraqi witnesses standing near
the gates said the explosions hit the sprawling, walled-in American compound
about 7:45 p.m." ... "The explosions followed the deaths of at least 15
American soldiers on Sunday, when their helicopter was shot down by a surface-to-air
missile over the town of Falluja. (Early reports from the military indicated
that 16 had been killed, but the Department of Defense is now confirming
only 15.) Last week, suicide bombers struck targets across the capital,
killing 34 people." -By
Dexter Filkins -NYTimes via
-Google-News
-
-
- "Missile
hits U.S. helicopter in Iraq, killing 16 troops."
... "Guerrillas shot down an Army CH-47 Chinook transport helicopter packed
with soldiers headed for a short-term break on Sunday morning, killing
16 and wounding 20 in the deadliest single attack to date on U.S. forces
in Iraq, military officials and witnesses said." ... "A shoulder-fired
missile streaked from a date palm grove through a clear blue sky and struck
the dual-rotor helicopter in its rear about 9 a.m. as it was ferrying soldiers
from bases in western Iraq to Baghdad's international airport." ... "The
attack took place just southwest of Fallujah, a city 40 miles west of Baghdad
where resistance to the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq has been particularly
intense." -By Theola Labbe and Rajiv Chandrasekaran-WashingtonPost
via -StarTribune.com with contributions
from -AP and -NYTimes
-
-
-
- "White
House Promises to Hand Over Iraq Intelligence Documents."
... "The White House reversed itself and promised the Senate Intelligence
Committee access to all materials requested for its inquiry into prewar
intelligence on Iraq, the committee chairman said Sunday." ... "The committee
is examining the accuracy of intelligence about deposed Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein's weapons programs and purported contacts with terrorist
groups. That intelligence served as Bush's main arguments for the U.S.-led
war." -By William C. Mann-WashingtonPost
- "2
CIA Operatives Killed in Afghanistan." ... "The CIA
said Tuesday that William Carlson, 43, of Southern Pines, N.C., and Christopher
Glenn Mueller, 32, of San Diego were ambushed and killed Saturday near
the village in Shkin in Paktika province while ``tracking terrorists.''"
... "Both were veterans of military special operations forces, the agency
said, who were working for the CIA's Directorate of Operations that conducts
clandestine intelligence-gathering and covert operations." -By
Burt Herman -AP
via -AJC
- "President
Decries General's Remarks: Bush says comments
about Muslims do not reflect his point of view. But firing doesn't seem
to be an option." ... "President Bush said Tuesday that controversial remarks
by Lt. Gen. William G. "Jerry" Boykin about Muslims and Islam do not "reflect
my point of view, or the view of this administration" — sharp language
from an administration that tends to circle the wagons when a member is
under attack." ... "Bush's move to distance himself from the outspoken
general was the strongest administration response to date to disclosures
of Boykin's frequent appearances before religious groups at which he characterized
the war on terrorism as a battle between Judeo-Christian tradition and
"Satan."" -By John Hendren-LAtimes
-
-
- "Iran
Still Has Nuclear Deadline, U.S. Says." ... "The
Bush administration intends to press Iran to comply with an Oct. 31 deadline
for opening the books on its past nuclear activities, senior officials
said yesterday, as U.S. skepticism grew toward this week's surprise agreement
by Iran to stop enriching uranium." ... "Iran's ruling clerics hailed Tuesday's
nuclear accord with France, Germany and Britain. But U.S. and U.N. officials
awaited the handover of new documents from Iran spelling out how and why
the oil-rich nation built a number of sophisticated nuclear factories and
laboratories in a rugged area south and west of Tehran." -By
Joby Warrick -WashingtonPost
-
- "Attacks
on Troops on Rise, Commander Says." ... "Attacks
on U.S. troops in Iraq have increased sharply over the past two weeks,
reaching a high of 35 a day, the commanding American general here said
on Wednesday." ... "Over much of the summer, military officials had said
there were between 10 and 15 attacks on U.S. soldiers most days. Since
early October, however, the number of daily attacks has fluctuated between
20 and 35, Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez said at a news conference." ... "A
summary provided by the U.S. military to private contractors working in
Iraq listed 30 so-called security incidents on Tuesday, including two mortar
strikes on American bases, nine attacks with roadside bombs and several
drive-by shootings." -By Rajiv Chandrasekaran with
contributions from Anthony Shadid -WashingtonPost