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/ _Current
Iraq News_ / Archive
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2003
Iraq News
- "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
- 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
- 
- 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
- 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
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- 
- "Iraq
Debt Relief Backing Rises, Hard Work Remains." ...
"The Paris Club of creditor states can agree a debt relief deal for Iraq
quickly but the agreement can be signed only when the country has an internationally
recognized leadership, the Paris Club's president said on Thursday." ...
"Increasing hopes that a deal will be reached, Britain said during a European
tour by U.S. special envoy James Baker that it backed the idea of a substantial
reduction in debts estimated at $120 billion." ... "The British comment
echoed similar political pledges made this week by France, Germany and
Italy after talks with Baker, who was visiting Britain and Russia on Thursday."
(1, 2)
-By Brian Love -Reuters
- ELECTION
2004 - "As
rivals sense a weak spot, Dean defends his stance on Iraq:
Kerry, Lieberman sharpen attacks." ... "Democrats trailing Howard Dean
in the presidential race said yesterday his statement that America is not
made safer by the capture of Saddam Hussein raises questions about his
political and national security judgment. The former Vermont governor responded
by casting himself as the victim of unjustified attacks and said such criticism
risks alienating the voters their party needs to win the White House in
2004." -By Glen Johnson
-Boston/Globe
- 
- "Explosion
in Baghdad Kills at Least 10: Truck Loaded With Explosives
Rams Into a Small Bus in Baghdad, Killing at Least 10 People." ... "A truck
loaded with explosives rammed into a small bus near a police station Wednesday,
killing at least 10 Iraqis, an Iraqi deputy minister said. He blamed the
attack on Saddam Hussein loyalists angry over the former dictator's capture."
... "The explosion occurred before dawn in al-Bayaa, a poor district in
southwest Baghdad, police said. Two cars nearby were destroyed. U.S. soldiers
and Iraqi police secured the area after the explosion."
-AP via -ABCNEWS.com
-
-
- "Coalition
fears confirmed as blasts kill eight." ... "Iraqi
insurgents confirmed US and British government fears that the arrest of
Saddam could galvanise them by mounting two attacks yesterday on police
stations, killing eight and injuring 22." ... "The fatal explosion occurred
at Husseiniya, north of Baghdad, when a suicide bomber sped through a fence
protecting a police station in a four-wheel drive packed with explosives.
It hit another car and detonated after guards opened fire. Six policemen
were killed, as well as the driver; about 20 people were wounded." -By
Ewen MacAskill and Richard Norton-Taylor -Guardian.co.uk
-
- "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
-
- 
- Execution
News - "Analysis:
Putting Saddam on trial: The Iraqi Governing Council
intends to put Saddam Hussein on trial by an Iraqi court." ... "It is determined
to resist calls for an international tribunal. Saddam Hussein could face
the death penalty. It has been suspended by the occupation authorities
but could be reinstated by an Iraqi government." ... "That in itself would
be controversial. Britain, as a coalition partner, objects to execution
on principle. But Iraqis may want it." ... "The British Foreign Secretary
Jack Straw said that Iraqis would "express a strong preference" for a trial
in Iraq. International law, he said, also called for a domestic trial in
such cases if possible." ... "The United States is firmly behind the Iraqi
desire to try Saddam Hussein themselves" -By Paul
Reynolds -BBC/News
-
- "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
- 
- "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
- "Car
bomb at police station in Iraq kills at least 17, police say."
... "A suspected suicide attacker detonated a car bomb outside an Iraqi
police station Sunday near Baghdad, killing at least 17 people and wounding
33 others, hours before the announcement of Saddam Hussein's capture, the
U.S. military said." ... "The car bombing in Khaldiyah, 50 miles west of
Baghdad, killed police officers, city workers and civilian bystanders,
U.S. Army Lt. Col. Jeff Swisher said." -By Sameer
N. Yacoub -AP
via -SFGate.com
-
- "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
-
- 
- 
- "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
- "Annan rules
out swift UN redeployment in Iraq." ... "Secretary
General Kofi Annan said Wednesday that he had ruled out a swift renewal
of a substantial UN presence in Iraq because of the danger there." ...
""I cannot compromise the security of our international and national staff,"
he said in a 26-page report to the Security Council that found the UN to
be "a high-value, high-impact target for terrorist activity in Iraq for
the foreseeable future."" -By Warren Hoge -NYTimes
via -IHT.com
-
- "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
-
-
-
-
-
- "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
- "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
- 
- "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
-
- "Iraq's
students say, 'Welcome back, professor'." ... "In
recent months, university presidents report that dozens of professors have
returned from exile and are looking to get their jobs back. At the US-led
Ministry of Higher Education, staffed by expatriate professors, hundreds
more have e-mailed from England, the US, and the Netherlands to inquire
about returning. They also want to offer donations and scholarships, and
to start partnerships." -By Christina Asquith
-CSMonitor
-
-
-
- "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
- "Iraq
council wishes to stay on; Washington seen likely to grant extension."
... "Most members of Iraq's Governing Council want the U.S.-appointed body
to stay beyond July 1, the date set for a provisional Iraqi government
to take office." ... "The coalition agreement on handing sovereignty back
to Iraqis says the 25-seat interim body must cease to exist. But the Bush
administration, faced with mounting military casualties in Iraq and a re-election
campaign, could consider granting the council members' wishes to stay as
a small price to pay for the implementation of the political plan." -By
Hamza Hendawi -AP
via -Boston/Globe
-
- "Bush
Names Baker Envoy on Iraqi Debt: President Bush Names
Ex-Secretary of State James A. Baker III Envoy on Addressing Iraq Debt."
... "President Bush on Friday called on a longtime family troubleshooter,
former Secretary of State James A. Baker III, to oversee the job of getting
Iraq out from under its crushing $125 billion debt." ... "As the president's
personal envoy on the issue, Baker will tackle a major problem in the rebuilding
of Iraq. Iraq's debt carries annual servicing charges of $7 billion to
$8 billion." -AP
via -ABCNEWS.com
- "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
-
- "Iraq council
resists powerful cleric: Majority backs U.S.
plan for picking interim government." ... "A majority of Iraq’s U.S.-appointed
Governing Council has decided to support an American plan to select a provisional
government through regional caucuses despite objections from the country’s
most powerful Shiite Muslim cleric, according to several council members."
... "The council's stance, the result of intense lobbying over the past
few days by the U.S. administrator of Iraq, L. Paul Bremer, could result
in a dramatic showdown with Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, who has insisted
that a provisional government be chosen through a national election. If
the council persists in supporting the American plan, many in Iraq’s Shiite
majority, who regard the grand ayatollah as their supreme spiritual authority,
may reject the provisional government as illegitimate." -By
Rajiv Chandrasekaran -WashingtonPost
via -MSNBC
- "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
-
-
-
- 
- "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-Reuters
via -WashingtonPost
-
- 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
- "Many
Iraqis see little to celebrate as Ramadan ends."
... "For the first time in most of their lives, Iraqis celebrated the start
of Eid al-Fitr on Monday without Saddam Hussein and under a U.S. occupation
that some say is little better than the ousted dictator's rule." -By
Joseph Logan -Reuters
via -MSNBC
- "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
-
- 
- 
- 
-
- 
- "Al Qaeda’s
terror style spreading: Analysts see a form
of franchising at work around globe." ... "Leaders of the al Qaeda
terrorist network have franchised their organization’s brand of synchronized,
devastating violence to homegrown terrorist groups across the world, posing
a formidable new challenge to counterterrorism forces, according to intelligence
analysts and experts in the United States, Europe and the Arab world."
... "The recent attacks in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Chechnya and Iraq show
that the smaller organizations, most of whose leaders were trained in al
Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, have fanned out, imbued with radical ideology
and the means to create or revitalize local terrorist groups. They also
are expanding the horizons of groups that had focused on regional issues."
-By Douglas Farah and Peter Finn with contributions
from Dana Priest, Dan Eggen, and Margot Williams -WashingtonPost
via -MSNBC
- "12
Civilians Are Killed in a Car Bomb Attack in Kirkuk."
... "A car bomb killed 12 civilians today in the northern Iraqi city of
Kirkuk in an explosion aimed at the headquarters compound of a leading
Kurdish political party, an American military official said today." ...
"Most of the blast was absorbed by the perimeter wall of the compound,
which houses the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, and the car bomb was not
able to get close enough to the building to cause significant damage, the
official, from the coalition joint task force, said by telephone from Baghdad."
-By Terence Neilan -NYTimes
via -Google-News
- "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
-
- "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
- "U.S. to help pen
Iraq constitution." ... "We will write into that
constitution exactly the kinds of guarantees that were not in Saddam’s
constitution.,” L. Paul Bremer told ABC’s “This Week” from Baghdad, the
Iraqi capital." ... "“We’ll have a bill of rights. We’ll recognize equality
for all citizens. We’ll recognize an independent judiciary. We’ll talk
about a federal government."" ... "“All of these things will be in the
interim constitution which will also provide in a limited time, probably
two years, for a permanent constitution to be written that also embodies
those American values.”" ... "Bremer said Americans will work with the
Iraqi Governing Council in writing the interim constitution. There will
also be a side agreement dealing with security and the presence of U.S.
and coalition forces in Iraq, he said." ... "Bremer also said that the
U.S. military presence would remain for some time."
-AP and -Reuters
via -MSNBC
-
- 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
- "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
-
- "Explosion
at Italian base in southern Iraq kills at least 14 Italians and eight Iraqis."
... "A truck bomb exploded at the headquarters of Italy's paramilitary
police in this southern city on Wednesday, killing at least 14 Italians
and possibly trapping others in the debris." ... "Italian officials said
Iraqis also died; a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition said at least
eight Iraqis were also killed." ... "About 15 people were wounded, Italian
officials said." -By Anja Niedringhaus
-AP via -SFGate.com
-
- -
- "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
-
- 
- "POW
Lynch was raped by Iraqi captors, biography says:
Soldier has no memory of attack, but book cites medical records." ... "Jessica
Lynch, the U.S. Army private whose capture and subsequent rescue made her
the most famous soldier of the war in Iraq, was raped by her Iraqi captors,
according to a family spokesman." ... "A new authorized biography of the
soldier accurately cites medical records showing Lynch was sexually assaulted,
said spokesman Stephen Goodwin. He said the 20-year-old former private
had no recollection of the attack. The New York Daily News obtained a copy
of the book, written by Rick Bragg and titled, "I Am a Soldier, Too: The
Jessica Lynch Story." The News published excerpts Thursday ahead of the
scheduled Tuesday release." -By William Branigin-WashingtonPost
via -SFGate.com
-
- "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
-
-
-
- "Bush
signs $87B Iraq aid package." ... "President Bush
on Thursday signed an $87.5 billion package approved by Congress for Iraq
and Afghanistan, calling the money a financial commitment by the United
States to the global war to defeat terrorism. "
-USATODAY
- "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
- "Falluja
bomb attack kills five." ... "Four civilians and
a suspected suicide bomber were today reported killed in Iraq as aid agencies
and non-governmental organisations considered their future in the country."
... "The five died when a small car driven by one man - thought to be the
bomber - exploded 100 metres from the main police station in the town of
Falluja, 40 miles west of Baghdad, the Reuters news agency reported." ...
"The attack comes one day after a strike on the Iraqi headquarters of the
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and three Baghdad police
stations that killed 35 people and wounded 244 others within an hour, in
the city's bloodiest day since it fell to US forces in April." -By
Simon Jeffery -Guardian.co.uk
and agencies
- "Bombings
Plunge Iraqi Capital Into Chaos at Start of Ramadan."
... "A series of suicide bombings shook Baghdad early today, including
an attack on the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross
and blasts at four Iraqi police stations that punctuated two days of bloody
violence in this capital city." ... "Iraq's police chief and deputy interior
minister, Ahmad Ibrahim, said at a news conference that 34 people had been
killed and 224 had been wounded in the attacks. He said 26 of the dead
were civilians and 8 were police officers; 65 police officers and 159 civilians
were wounded." -By Dexter Filkins and Alex Berenson
-NYTimes via -Google-News
-
"FACTBOX-
Contributions to reconstruction in Iraq." ... "International
donors pledged at least $33 billion in aid and loans over the next four
years at a conference to raise funds for Iraqi reconstruction on Friday."
... "The United Nations and World Bank have estimated that Iraq needs about
$56 billion to rebuild over that period."-Reuters
via -Forbes
- "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
-
-
- "Bush threatens
a veto on Iraq aid as a loan." ... "The White House
has threatened to veto its own spending bill for Iraq and Afghanistan if
Congress makes reconstruction aid a loan, taking its most forceful stand
yet on the issue even as more lawmakers supported a reimbursement from
Iraq." ... "Having declined to issue a veto threat last week, before the
Senate voted to lend up to $10 billion to Iraq, the White House surprised
many on Capitol Hill with its warning Tuesday. Some congressional officials
said the administration may have been trying to send a signal of its firm
intentions to other countries gathering in Madrid on Thursday for a conference
on providing aid to Iraq." -By David Firestone
-NYTimes via -IHT.com
-
- "Ambush
kills 2 U.S. soldiers in Baghdad: Two U.S. soldiers
on a routine patrol in Baghdad's Sadr City were ambushed and killed Thursday
night, according to the Coalition Press Information Center." ... "Since
the Iraq war began in March, 326 U.S. troops have been killed, 209 in hostile
attacks." -CNN
-
-
- "Six
months after Saddam, eight die as bombers prolong violence."
... "A suicide car bomber killed at least eight people at a Baghdad police
station yesterday as Iraq marked six months since the fall of Saddam Hussein's
regime with another day of bitterly familiar violence." ... "The latest
attack killed three Iraqi policemen and five civilians who had crowded
into the courtyard of the police station in the poor Shia Muslim district
now known as Sadr City. The driver of the car also died and at least 45
people were injured in the blast." ... "In a separate incident in western
Baghdad a few minutes earlier, a Spanish intelligence officer was assassinated
in front of his house." -By Rory McCarthy and Giles
Tremlett -Guardian.co.uk
-
- 
-
- "White
House stops blocking Syria bill." ... "Rep. Eliot
Engel, D-N.Y., the chief author of the Syria Accountability Act, says he
was told on Friday that the legislation had been put on the calendar for
a vote Wednesday by the House International Relations Committee. The measure
has support from a majority in both the House of Representatives and the
Senate." ... "The legislation had been blocked by the White House in the
run-up to the Iraq war while the administration sought to blunt Syrian
opposition to overturning Saddam Hussein's regime." -By
Barbara Slavin -USATODAY
- "Ex-Iraq
Soldiers Riot in Baghdad, Basra: Ex-Iraq Troops
Riot in Baghdad, Basra Over Pay; Ambush Kills U.S. Soldier in Northern
Iraq." ... "Former Iraqi soldiers angry over rumors their pay would be
cut off clashed Saturday with coalition troops in Baghdad and in the southern
city of Basra in riots that left two Iraqis dead and dozens injured. Elsewhere,
a U.S. soldier from the 4th Infantry Division was killed and another was
wounded in an ambush early Saturday in Sadiyah, 60 miles north of Baghdad."
... "The death brought to 88 the number of American soldiers killed by
hostile fire since President Bush declared major combat over on May 1."
-AP via -ABCNEWS.com
-