A Soldiers Blog

"To My daughter, Mother and Girlfriends with Love"


I sat under an oak tree in Wyoming on a summer day, drinking iced tea
and visiting with my mother. "Don't forget your girlfriends", Mother
advised, clinking the ice cubes in her glass. No matter how much you
love your husband, you are still going to need girlfriends. Remember
to go places with them now and then; and do things with them, even
when you don't necessarily want to, And remember that girlfriends are
not only friends, but sisters, daughters, mothers, grandmothers and
other relatives too. Women supporting and relating to other women is
our responsibility and our gift. "What a funny piece of advice," I
thought. "Hadn't I just gotten married? Hadn't I just joined the
couple-world? I was now a married woman, for goodness sake, not some
young girl who needed friends!" But I listened to my Mom. I kept in
contact with my girlfriends and even found some new ones along the
way. As the years tumbled by, one after another, I gradually came to
understand that Mom really knew what she was talking about! Here is
what I know about girlfriends: girlfriends bring casseroles and scrub
your bathroom when you need help; girlfriends keep your children and
your secrets. Girlfriends give advice when you ask, sometimes you take
it and sometimes you don't. Girlfriends don't always tell you you're
right, but they usually tell the truth. Girlfriends still love you,
even when they disagree with your choices. Girlfriends laugh with you
and don't need canned jokes to start the laughter. Girlfriends pull
you out of jams. Girlfriends don't keep a calendar of who hosted the
other's last big party. girlfriends will celebrate for your son or
daughter when they get married or have a baby, in whichever order that
happens. Girlfriends are there for you in an instant, and when the
hard times come, girlfriends listen when you lose a job or a friend.
Girlfriends listen when your children break your heart. Girlfriends
listen when your parents' minds and bodies fail. My daughters,
sisters, family, and friends bless my
life! When we began this adventure, we had no idea of the incredible
joys or sorrows that lay ahead. Nor did we know how much we would need
each other..... Pass this on to your girlfriends/sisters/daughters...
I just did! Read the next 2 lines very slowly and let it sink in... If
God brings you to it, He will bring you through it. Pass this message
on and make someone's day!

Support Group Helps Soldiers' Families
Associated Press
January 27, 2004


EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Rusty Bitzer came into the Indiana Army National Guard Armory with a stack of photographs his son had sent from a war zone.

One shows his son arm wrestling an Iraqi man. Another shows a fellow soldier with blood on his arm - not from an injury, but an IV used to rehydrate in the desert heat.

Bitzer, 47, smiles as he shows the snapshots to other parents, spouses, girlfriends and children of deployed Indiana Army National Guardsmen. At parades, parties and meetings like this one, families of the 66 deployed Evansville Guardsmen from the 1st Battalion, 163rd Field Artillery gather with those who understand, exchanging pictures and news out of Iraq.

Like other family readiness groups that crop up around many Guard and reserve units, the Evansville members share their fears, and sometimes frustrations, about a war that took their loved ones away nearly a year ago.

Few families knew each other before the meetings, but they now talk about paying bills, discuss soldiers whereabouts, wait for a date for the soldiers to return and worry about how they will adjust when they do.

Family support group meetings and events like picture exchanges aren't something Bitzer thought much about until his 21-year-old son got the call to go to Iraq last February and left a few days later.

But Bitzer said early on he and his wife knew they needed help. The group is an outlet for information and support. "It's somebody else just like you," Bitzer said. "There's a bond."

The group sends care packages to soldiers, as well as birthday and Christmas cards with prepaid calling cards. The group's leader, Rita Cassin, sends e-mail updates with information about the unit and the status of injured soldiers.

Although the oldest member is in his 50s, most of the men in the Evansville unit are single and in their early 20s. Some got married days before leaving for Iraq.

Deborah Heldt, 41, a tire saleswoman and vice chairwoman of the Evansville family readiness group, said she tries to listen to the wives.

"Emotionally, some are lonely not having the guys around," said Heldt, whose 19-year-old son was deployed with the unit. "We let them cry. In my world, crying is my relief. Some of them girls get embarrassed about crying. I say it just shows you have a heart."

She said she's also comforted parents, some who are confused and angry about how their son ended up fighting in a war.

I say to parents, "Don't worry, my son's watching your son's back and yours is protecting my son's back," Heldt said.

Iraq

Soldiers in the thick of it tell you what you can expect

By Gina Cavallaro
Times staff writer

An explosion rocks the Humvee vehicle in front of you, throwing soldiers onto the street. You see the vehicle rise up onto two wheels before settling and rolling to a stop. AK-47 fire erupts and incoming rocket-propelled grenades are heard almost simultaneously. Your soldiers stagger about, trying to shake off the effects of the concussion. Some fire wildly in different directions because the cracking of the AK-47s is echoing off the buildings, so you cannot pinpoint the direction of fire. The battle drill says to clear the kill zone, but you have competing priorities. You have casualties that need to be secured, assessed and stabilized.

If you run, you won’t kill the enemy or deter them. You must fight back and hopefully kill them. Do you stay in the kill zone and fight?

This scenario, written by Capt. Daniel Morgan, former commander of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), was real, and, he said, repeated itself “on several occasions in various forms.”

Morgan is one of several soldiers interviewed on the Internet in December who have spent nearly a year in Iraq toppling the Saddam Hussein regime, battling lingering insurgents, caring for civilians and carving out forward operating bases for the next round of incoming soldiers.

These newly minted war veterans have a lot to share with soldiers heading into the war zone as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom II.

Through May, more than 200,000 troops will swap places in Iraq, as units deploy to replace soldiers who have been there for a year or so.

Soldiers in theater say incoming troops will do things they’ve trained for and things they never thought they’d do. They’ll pine for family, yet have access to phones and the Internet.

They’ll befriend some Iraqis, arrest a few and shoot at others who shoot at them.

Danger zone

“It’s still dangerous here. It’s arguably more dangerous than during combat operations,” said Capt. Anthony New, assistant planning officer with 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).

“The enemy … will conduct terroristlike attacks. He will hit you when you least expect it. Constant and continual situational awareness, alertness and leaders supervising their subordinates — and watching out for each other — is paramount.

“The first priority of work is, and should always be, security,” he said.

Changes in training

Most enemy contact, like that described by the 3-502’s Morgan, takes place outside the camera’s eye, but a good deal of it also is reported in the news. The Army uses all of it to create the most realistic training scenarios possible. Lessons learned are incorporated into instruction throughout the Army, from basic training to national training centers.

“If you’re reading about it in the news, you’re going to see it at the National Training Center,” said Maj. Mike Lawhorn, an NTC spokesman at Fort Irwin, Calif. “We’re also in touch with guys in theater. Our hope is that a soldier never experiences anything for the first time in theater.”

NTC ramped up training for troops going to Iraq by boosting the number of civilians on the battlefield, the number of mock villages and the number and nature of contacts soldiers will experience.

Booby traps are everywhere. Convoys are attacked with simulated small-arms fire, grenades and surprise roadside explosives.

Chanting villagers rock Humvees and soldiers talk to them through interpreters. Instead of rotational forward operating bases, soldiers live in fixed buildings.

It’s difficult and the realism is meant to unnerve the soldiers.

“You can see it in their faces. Guys are tense. They’re dealing with role players, the crowd gets close,” Lawhorn said.

Dressing for combat success

You can count on a wide swing in weather conditions during a year in Iraq.

Soldiers say you shouldn’t even consider not consuming the water you are ordered to drink.

Last summer, according to medical officers at the 21st Combat Support Hospital in Balad, there was a spike in cases of kidney stones because soldiers weren’t drinking enough water.

Maj. Christopher Croft is the logistics officer for the 4th Infantry Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team, which is living in Baqubah, just north of Baghdad.

When they got there last April, the weather was about 90 degrees, rose to about 130 in June and topped out at 157 in August, he said.

“Driving on the roads, you felt like you were in a convection oven,” he said. “Bottled water was at a premium. We were issued five bottles of water per person, per day, plus we had the bulk water being produced by Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Units.

“Now it’s very cold — around 30 degrees at night,” he wrote in December, “and around 50 degrees during the day.”

New described the extremes, too:

“You will experience the entire spectrum of weather. From, ‘It’s so hot that I’ve stopped sweating.’ ‘The sandstorm is pelting my face and I don’t think I can take another step.’ To the point of being so cold and wet that, ‘If I move another step then that raindrop on my Kevlar helmet will fall down behind my collar, and migrate its way all the way down my spine, making me cold to the point of no return.’”

Officers and enlisted soldiers alike should pack all the cold- and hot-weather gear issued, even if it seems ridiculous. You may not use it all, but you will want it if you need it.

Other must-have weather-related and personal-comfort items are:

• CamelBak drinking system.

• Neck scarf, neck gator.

• Sun and safety glasses, such as Wiley-X goggles or other sun-wind-dust goggles.

• Sunscreen and lip balm.

• A good pair of gloves, preferrably the Nomex gloves aviators wear.

• Extra boot laces and boot insoles.

• Sturdy shower shoes. Don’t go cheap on these.

• Spray or gel deodorant “because anything else will melt,” Croft said.

• Moleskin and corn pads.

• Running shoes and physical-training gear.

• Spare name tapes, U.S. Army tapes and patches for uniforms issued in theater.

• Sewing kit and patch kit if you have an Army-issued air-mattress pad.

• Fly bait, ant and mouse traps.

• Lots of Gatorade.

• Insect repellent with DEET.

• Pinch lights.

Plan ahead

There undoubtedly will be an adjustment period while you and your unit get settled and get your bearings.

Plan ahead to have things on hand that you take for granted, things to keep vehicles humming, weapons accounted for and computers glowing.

Here’s some advice from a group of soldiers at the 101st Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade, who suggest you bring the following:

• Individual attachable magazine carriers for the stock of your weapon. At base camps, you’ll most likely not have a magazine inserted in your weapon, but will want ammunition on hand in the event of an attack.

• Tool kits, tow bars and chains for vehicles. The elements will take a toll on vehicle maintenance and arming drivers with tools to conduct minor repairs is key. Also, you’ll travel long distances, and the last thing you want to do is leave a vehicle on the side of the road or have to secure it.

• Power inverters for vehicles also will come in handy for limited power generation of electronic equipment.

• Weapons racks and/or cages and plenty of locks. Personnel will PCS and in-process and you will have unassigned equipment to secure.

• Unit-property book materials and hand receipts. Leaders and commanders will change and property accountability is not suspended during deployment.

• Power generators. It’s difficult to sustain operations with military generators and they are only allocated/designed to support command-and-control operations in the field. Your unit headquarters most likely will be in hard-stand/buildings and require additional power.

• Zip ties, 550 cord, power tools and how-to books for doing basic electric and plumbing tasks.

• Common automation-system requirements, such as printers that use the same cartridges.

• Thumb disks, mass computer-storage devices (an absolute must!).

• Walkie-talkies.

Creature comforts

“The quality of life is improving daily,” Croft said.

“When we first arrived, we were living in tents and unimproved buildings and we were fighting the dust. Now we are living in container living units with two to four people living in them. They have a lot of room.”

There are varying degrees of comfort and access to amenities, but for many, washing machines and laundry services have replaced buckets and water, fixed structures replaced tents and dining facilities replaced field kitchens.

Internet access, phones and recreational facilities improve all the time and post exchanges bloom like spring flowers.

“Most soldiers live in buildings, whether it be a bombed-out palace or small buildings,” said Capt. Tammy Galloway, a public-affairs officer for the 82nd Airborne Division.

“Our engineers have done wonderful work in trying to reconstruct or repair areas of buildings so that soldiers may live comfortably. The buildings have A/C or fans for the hotter season and we have portable heaters now during the winter,” she said.

“The command purchased bunk beds for most soldiers so that more individuals could live in the buildings; this, of course, helps save space.”

There are porta-potties everywhere, but you’re just as likely to use a flush toilet inside a building. The same goes for showers. You may be in a force-provider tent or trailer, or in a shower stall inside an old barracks building.

But if you have the kind of job that takes you on trips, you may want to keep a good supply of baby wipes on hand.

Sgt. Gabe Nix, who works in the 350th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, a unit that’s been attached to the 4th Infantry Division and the 82nd Airborne Division, warned anyone going to Iraq to “be prepared to stink.”

“Sometimes there is no opportunity to shower or clean clothes for a while, so be aware that stinking will be occurring,” he said.

Galloway had lukewarm things to say about Iraqis contracted to wash soldiers’ clothes, but has recently decided it has its advantages.

“I don’t think I ever got all the soap out of my laundry, plus it takes too much of your time with the constant changing of water,” she said, describing the traditional bucket method. “As it started getting cold, doing laundry became more painful with your hands submerged in cold water for hours at a time. Thinking back, I’m beginning to like the laundry service more and more.”

Some PXs are better than others, and some only take cash, but soldiers usually can get what they need, Galloway said.

“You may see a store or two within a base, too, that allows locals to come in and set up a shop so soldiers can purchase other items off the market, like soft blankets, jewelry and other items,” she said.

Soldiers also have been able to take advantage of dozens of Morale, Welfare and Recreation centers located at camps around the country.

They usually have televisions, DVD players, movies, Playstations with games, weights, ping-pong, newspapers and magazines. Others have swimming pools, volleyball nets and basketball courts.

“E-mail and phone use are usually fairly accessible, depending on where you are located,” Nix said.

“Other hot items are the Internet/phone cafes,” Galloway said. “Computers set up for Internet access and several phones with commercial capabilities to call back to the states.”

And take that time to stay in touch with the folks back home, soldiers say.

“Mail is hit or miss,” Galloway noted. “We always get it. When is the question.

“Sometimes it may take a month, other times 10 days. When soldiers first arrive, it may take four to six weeks to get a good mail system in place, but after that it is pretty regular.”

Nix agreed. “Mail takes about three weeks, and mail is some of the most fun that you will have over here, so have people send lots of it.”

New said, “In Iraq, everything is difficult — from surviving the elements to the language barrier and cultural differences to capturing/killing the enemy, to helping out the local population.

“You will do things you never imagined you’d be doing and things you never thought possible.”

Thefts prompt caution on packages to Iraq

By Karen Jowers
Times staff writer

Items are being pilfered from some boxes mailed to service members in Iraq, according to troops, family members and morale-mail organizers.
The Military Postal Service Agency has received occasional complaints about rifled or stolen mail, but has no indication from command sources that “this is a widespread or organized problem, nor of major loss or theft,” stated Marine Capt. Luke Gové, an MPSA spokesman, in an e-mail response to questions.

“In each case that we have encountered, the parcel was not insured,” Gové added.

The military has supervisors with oversight at key facilities during critical periods when mail moves from the U.S. Postal Service to the military system, and “monitoring procedures in place to minimize theft and tampering,” he said.

Still, theft occurs, according to some troops and family members.

Army Staff Sgt. Charlie Goodreau, who is deployed to Iraq, said it seems that boxes are rifled through for the best items, then sealed back up. Another soldier’s wife at Fort Sill, Okla., who asked not to be identified, said tobacco has been taken from boxes she sent to her husband. She has stopped listing it on the customs form that must be placed on packages.

Mary Kay Salomone, founder of Operation Support Our Troops, estimates that about 98 percent of the 195 tons of comfort items her group has sent since February 2002 has made it to their destinations, but that’s not a certainty.

She said her volunteers have reported complaints about troops not receiving items that were mailed to them.

“We’re not missing whole boxes ... it’s items out of boxes,” she said. “None of the boxes that had pilfering were broken open. And they were taped over. Ridiculous things are missing, like 12 rolls of toilet paper.”

Her group includes a core of 400 volunteers with links to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., but also includes thousands of other volunteers. They send items to chaplains and to individual troops, in many cases in response to requests for specific items.

The problems apparently are confined to items being sent to the Middle East, Salomone said. Her group has sent packages all over the world — to Navy ships, Korea, the Philippines and elsewhere, and has heard no reports they were pilfered.

“With the new round of deployments, it’s important for family members to know how to safely get their packages to the troops,” she said.

Frankie Mayo, who founded “Operation AC,” said many of the 200 Christmas trees her group sent didn’t reach their destination in Iraq.

“A lot of the combat boots we send get grabbed, but I got wise to them,” she said in an e-mail. The group now sends boots in plain brown boxes to conceal the manufacturer’s name.

Mayo thinks supply problems facing troops in Iraq have led some to resort to becoming “sort of pirates, I guess,” she said. “But to me, I don’t care as long as it’s a U.S. [service member] who has our stuff. I’ll just keep sending more.”

Gové said one way to cushion mail losses is to purchase insurance for packages. Without it, no claim can be filed if a box is pilfered or goes missing.

Goodreau said many of the reports he’s heard involved pilfering of boxes that had no insurance.

The postal agency offers these tips for avoiding theft:

• Wrap parcels securely to make tampering or theft more difficult. For example, tape the opening of your box and reinforce all seams with 2-inch-wide clear or brown packaging tape, reinforced packing tape or paper tape. Tips on wrapping parcels can be found at www.usps.com.

• Attach the top portion of the U.S. Customs Form 2976A to the outside of the parcel, but put the portion listing the contents inside the parcel. Most senders are unaware that they can do this, Gové said.

• Insurance is encouraged, especially when high-value items are shipped.

To file a claim for suspected theft, the sender should contact the U.S. Postal Service.

The Military Postal Service Agency customer hotline number is (800) 810-6098; e-mail is mpsawebcontas@hqda.army.mil.







--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forward thinking
Postal officials in the Iraq theater offer these guidelines for returning troops to ensure a smooth transition in forwarding mail to their stateside addresses:
• Troops should notify family, friends and correspondents to stop sending mail to the theater at least 15 days, and preferably 30 days, before they move from base camp to redeployment site.

• When mailing items out of theater before returning home, troops should mark parcels and letters “MPS” for free delivery of items that are not valuable. There is no reimbursement for lost or damaged items marked “MPS.” Valuable items should be insured, or sent by registered mail, according to 3rd Personnel Command.

• Redeploying troops need to complete and return two change-of-address cards, available from unit mail clerks or personnel offices. Mail will be forwarded for 60 days by either the APO or a forward mail clerk.

Officials say the military mail system will be heavily taxed over the current rotation period. On average, redeploying troops send home two or three personal packages.

At least 3 killed in Baghdad explosion in IraqWar.ru (English)



U.S. Forces Set to Destroy Saddam's Homes: "U.S. authorities on Wednesday prepared to demolish Saddam Hussein's five palatial homes in the village where he was born, having stripped them of expensive marbles, tiles and valuable furniture. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Blair faces round two with release of report on Iraq weapons expert: "British Prime Minister Tony Blair faced the second round in a battle for his future, with the release of a judicial report into the suicide of weapons expert David Kelly. (AFP)"

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Suicide Bomb in Baghdad Kills Two, Wounds Several: "A suicide bomber blew up a car packedwith more than 180 kg of explosives outside a hotel in BaghdadWednesday, killing two Iraqis, wounding several others andripping the front off the three-story building. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



U.S. forces set to destroy Saddam's homes: "U.S. authorities on Wednesday prepared to demolish Saddam Hussein's five palatial homes in the village where he was born, having stripped them of expensive marbles, tiles and valuable furniture."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



At least 8 Palestinians killed in Gaza: "At least eight Palestinians were killed Wednesday during some of the fiercest fighting in Gaza in months, complicating efforts by visiting American envoys to revive peace talks."

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Gaza fighting kills eight Palestinians: "At least eight Palestinians were killed Wednesday in fierce fighting with Israeli troops in Gaza City, a Palestinian hospital official said."

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War in Iraq: Not a Humanitarian Intervention: ""At a time of renewed interest in humanitarian intervention, the Iraq war and the effort to justify it even in part in humanitarian terms risk giving humanitarian intervention a bad name. If that breeds cynicism about the use of military force for humanitarian purposes, it could be devastating for people in need of future rescue." In an opening essay introducing Human Rights Watch's Annual Report on worldwide human rights developments in 2003, HRW Executive Director Ken Roth provides an incisive critique of US rhetoric and reasoning about Iraq."

In Electronic Iraq



Baghdad Hotel Car Bomb Kills 4, Wounds 17: "A car bomb exploded in front of a hotel used by Westerners in central Baghdad on Wednesday, partially destroying the three-story building and killing at least four people, officials said. A receptionist at the hotel said one of the dead was South African. (AP)"

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Four Die in Baghdad As U.N. Team Arrives: "A car bomb exploded Wednesday in front of a hotel frequented by Westerners, killing at least four people, witnesses and coalition officials said. The blast occurred one day after six U.S. soldiers were killed in a pair of roadside bombings. (AP)"

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Arab prisoners in Israel pack their bags: "An Israeli forensics team flew to Germany Wednesday in last-minute preparations for a prisoner swap with the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, while a few dozen Arab prisoners held in Israel were packing their bags ahead of their release."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Four die in Baghdad as U.N. team arrives: "A car bomb exploded Wednesday in front of a hotel frequented by Westerners, killing at least four people, witnesses and coalition officials said. The blast occurred one day after six U.S. soldiers were killed in a pair of roadside bombings."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Four killed in hotel car bomb attack: "A car bomb has exploded in front of a hotel used by westerners in central Baghdad, killing at least four people including a South African."

In Ananova: War In Iraq



Hopeful Egyptians Hoard 'Bremer Dinars': "Millions of new Iraqi dinars are quietly making their way into Egypt and, despite warnings, people in all walks of life are buying them up on the black market with hopes of cashing in on a future boom in the Iraqi economy. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Nine Palestinians die in Gaza fighting: "Nine Palestinians were killed Wednesday in fierce fighting with Israeli troops in Gaza City, a Palestinian hospital official said."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Hopeful Egyptians hoard 'Bremer dinars': "Millions of new Iraqi dinars are quietly making their way into Egypt and, despite warnings, people in all walks of life are buying them up on the black market with hopes of cashing in on a future boom in the Iraqi economy."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Baghdad hotel car bomb kills 4, wounds 17: "A car bomb exploded in front of a hotel used by Westerners in central Baghdad on Wednesday, partially destroying the three-story building and killing at least four people including a South African, officials said."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Kay to Testify About Iraqi WMD Search: "Senators want to speak with the former top U.S. weapons inspector who said he couldn't find evidence that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction, a primary justification by President Bush for the war in Iraq. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq

U.S. May Set Up Bases in Former Soviet Republics


By Peter Slevin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, January 28, 2004; Page A16



MOSCOW, Jan. 27 -- Secretary of State Colin L. Powell said Tuesday that the United States might establish military bases in parts of the former Soviet empire, but he sought to reassure Russians that increased U.S. influence in the region does not pose a threat to them.

Russian officials, led by Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov, have complained about U.S. plans to shift part of its European-based military forces east and south. The United States already has some troops based in Central Asia, and others are training soldiers in Georgia.

"We are not trying to surround anyone," Powell told Ekho Moskvy, an independent Moscow radio station. "The Cold War is over. The Iron Curtain is down. We should not see things in old Cold War terms."

Powell, finishing a four-day trip to Georgia and Russia, also spoke about the limits the Bush administration faces in affecting events in war-battered Chechnya. Powell said, however, that he was "impressed" with Russian President Vladimir Putin's "open attitude" toward a U.S. demand that several thousand Russian troops be removed from Georgia.

Powell criticized the Putin government Monday for backsliding on issues of democracy and the rule of law. But Powell said Tuesday that the Russian leader had assured him that the prosecution of several jailed Yukos oil company executives would be fair.

U.S. officials have said they believe that the arrest of the former Yukos chief, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Russia's richest man, was orchestrated to dim his political influence and send a warning to other independent business leaders.

Putin "made clear" that he understood U.S. complaints, Powell said at a forum in Moscow. He added that Putin said that the Khodorkovsky case would be handled with "full transparency in accordance with the rule of law."

Later in the day, Russian officials said they had put 10 other people associated with Yukos on Interpol's wanted list, the Reuters news agency reported. Yuri Biryukov, first deputy to Russia's general prosecutor, told the Interfax news agency that the 10 included three major shareholders of Yukos, Leonid Nevzlin, Vladimir Dubov and Mikhail Brudno, who are reported to have fled Russia. Biryukov said the other seven were charged with setting up firms that helped Yukos evade taxes.

"All of them are mentioned in an international warrant sanctioned by the court. They are accused of evading payment of taxes and also a number of other crimes," Biryukov said.

Before he left Moscow, Powell said the Russians should see the U.S. military moves as positive, given improved U.S.-Russian cooperation against terrorism and trafficking in drugs and people.

"Are we pointing a dagger in the soft underbelly of Russia? Of course not," Powell said. "What we're doing is working together against terrorism."

The United States established bases in the Central Asian countries of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan to help fight the Afghan war in 2001. The Russians recently opened a base in Kyrgyzstan, just a few miles from the U.S. facility. Russia bristled at the U.S. decision in 2002 to help train Georgian forces to clear Muslim rebels and alleged terrorists from the Pankisi Gorge on the border with Chechnya.

In efforts to reduce and realign U.S. forces in Europe, Pentagon officials have discussed Romania, Poland and Bulgaria as potential sites for U.S. bases. Powell referred to the sites Tuesday as "temporary facilities."

"These would not be big bases of the kind that we had in Germany during the days of the Cold War," Powell said. "These might be small places were we could go and train for a brief period of time or use air bases . . . to get to dangerous places -- crisis places -- in Central Asia, the Persian Gulf, the Middle East."

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27, 2004 -- Coalition officials in Baghdad expressed strong support today for a United Nations plan to send a team to evaluate the feasibility of holding direct elections before June 30.

Dan Senor, senior coalition spokesman, told reporters in Baghdad that he welcomes U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan's announcement that he will dispatch a security team to Iraq. The team will assess the security situation on the ground to determine the feasibility of sending an electoral team.

Annan announced the plan today in Paris, where he is meeting with French President Jacques Chirac. His decision marks the most significant expansion of the United Nations' role in Iraq since most staffers left the country in late October due to security concerns.

Acknowledging that it is impossible to protect the United Nations team "everywhere, all the time," Senor said the Coalition Provision Authority will provide "all necessary measures to ensure the success and safety of the team" and will "cooperate fully as they move forward on this process."

Ironically, Senor's assurance was delivered during a briefing that was delayed for more than an hour after a bomb was discovered nearby. Details of the incident were not available at press time, and officials said the incident was still under investigation.

Army Brig. Gen. Mark Kimmitt, deputy director of operations for Combined Joint Task Force 7, said the number of attacks – but unfortunately not the number of casualties -- against coalition troops "has consistently and continuously gone down since about mid-November."

During the past week, Kimmitt said Iraqi insurgents have launched an average of 16 daily engagements against coalition military forces, just under four attacks daily against Iraqi security forces and just over one attack daily against Iraqi civilians.

Senor warned that the level of violence might actually increase as "the enemies of freedom" in Iraq "realize that we are getting closer and closer to handing over a sovereign, democratic Iraq to the Iraqi people."

The insurgents, he said, will attempt to undermine the process in hopes that they can "turn the clock back on Iraq and prevent this effort from moving forward."

Citing continued progress, including rapid improvements within the Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, Senor said the insurgents have become desperate in their attempts to bring this forward momentum to a halt. "The enemies of freedom and the foreign fighters and the insurgents will try to stop it," he warned. "And the violence will continue. It will go down, but we should not be surprised if it continues."

By Ivana Avramovic, Stars and Stripes
European edition, Wednesday, January 21, 2004


TUZLA, Bosnia and Herzegovina — The U.S. peacekeeping force in Bosnia will be reduced in the coming months to around 800 troops operating out of three primary base camps under a plan announced Tuesday.

The changes, which will begin with the current group of 1,300 Stabilization Force troops, will not change the amount of territory the American-run Multinational Brigade North is responsible for. The area will be covered by troops from the remaining bases.

Most troops will be stationed at the brigade headquarters, Eagle Base, near Tuzla. Forward Operating Base Morgan and the recently built Forward Operating Base Clark will serve as temporary homes for a company-size element of about 100 troops during deployments to each.

Two camps, Forward Operating Base Connor in the southeastern part of the American sector and Camp McGovern in the northern part, will be “cold based,” Maj. Jarrod Krull, the Multinational Brigade North spokesman said at a Tuzla news conference.

“Cold basing means that while the base is not occupied by a large number of soldiers and supporting staff, it is maintained by the presence of personnel, both soldiers and civilian employees, who can quickly re-establish operations there if necessary, and prepare the base and provide support to SFOR soldiers,” he said.

Both camps played key roles in establishing peace in the region and creating the environment that encouraged the return of refugees in the eight years since the Bosnian war ended.

McGovern is next to Brcko, once a wartorn town that each of the country’s ethnic groups wanted under its control. It is now a prospering port town.

Only after Connor opened near Bratunac in the eastern part of the U.S. sector about three years ago did refugees return and rebuilding in the area began. Troops stationed at Eagle Base will continue patrolling the area.

SFOR 14 rotation under the Minnesota National Guard 34th Infantry Division command will start implementing the changes before the end of its deployment in late March, sending some troops home early.

“Obviously we have fewer soldiers and we had to look at the entire area of responsibility that we have,” said Krull, explaining how it was determined which base camps will remain active.

“The best way we thought we could operate keeping our presence in the north and in the south is maintaining FOB Morgan in the far north, Eagle Base in the center and then Clark in the far south of our area of responsibility.”

While the blueprint of the new structure is set, there are still details on civilian support staff for the bases that need to be determined.

“The intent is to have at least four to six weeks of operations conducted under the new force structure and brigade organization, so that we may develop methods that will set up SFOR 15 for success during their rotation,” Krull said.

SFOR 14 troops will have about two weeks of so-called left seat/right seat transition with their successors — the main element coming from the Indiana National Guard 38th Infantry Division.

That rotation has already been extended through the end of this year, increasing the regular six-month rotation to nine months.

The U.S. military will continue providing 15 percent of the overall peacekeeping force after restructuring, Krull said. Other nations have already reduced or will reduce the number of their troops.

Turkish Battalion headquartered in Zenica and Multinational Battle Group in Doboj, covering the western part of the American-controlled sector will remain unchanged, he said.

NATO announced earlier the reduction of the peacekeeping force from 12,000 to about 7,000 troops by June and the possibility of turning over the mission to the European Union at the end of the year.

Some 60,000 international troops, almost 20,000 of them American, deployed to Bosnia in late 1995 to implement the peace agreement that ended the 1992-95 Bosnian war. As the situation in the country progressed, the international force gradually reduced to the current levels

US inspector says Saddam had no banned weapons before war: "David Kay, who just resigned as the chief US weapons inspector in Iraq, said he did not think that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction when US-led forces invaded the country. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Intelligence services 'must answer for Iraq WMD claims': "Intelligence chiefs should explain why they believed Iraq possessed banned weapons of mass destruction before the coalition invasion, outgoing US weapons inspector David Kay said."

In Ananova: War In Iraq



Kay Doubts Presence of Illicit Iraq Arms: "The outgoing chief U.S. weapons inspector says his inability to find illicit arms in Iraq raises serious questions about American intelligence-gathering. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Iraqi Cleric Shows Political Clout: "Many Americans tend to be wary about aging Shiite Muslim clerics who dabble in politics. They recall how Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini transformed Iran into a rabidly anti-American state and changed the region's political map as well. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Blair feared Chirac was "out to get him" before Iraq war: "Tony Blair believed that Jacques Chirac was "out to get him" ahead of the Iraq war, because the French leader feared Britain's prime minister was usurping his own position as the natural leader of Europe, the Financial Times (FT) newspaper reported. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Iraqi Women Deal With Mixed Legacy: "With the backing of the U.S.-led coalition, Nidal Jreo was appointed in July as the first woman judge in the conservative Shiite Muslim city Najaf. Six months later, she has yet to hear her first case. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Jordanian driver for Japan forces killed near Baghdad in IraqWar.ru (English)



US must quit Iraq before vote, say Sunnis in IraqWar.ru (English)



Iraqi women deal with mixed legacy: "With the backing of the U.S.-led coalition, Nidal Jreo was appointed in July as the first woman judge in the conservative Shiite Muslim city Najaf. Six months later, she has yet to hear her first case."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Troops in Iraq struggle with language: "U.S. troops warned Iraqi guards they should leave the area because it was "risky." The Iraqis thought the soldiers threatened them unless they brought "whisky.""

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Kay doubts presence of illicit Iraq arms: "The outgoing chief U.S. weapons inspector says his inability to find illicit arms in Iraq raises serious questions about American intelligence-gathering."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



U.S. loses fifth copter this month in Iraq: "The U.S. military lost its fifth helicopter this month in Iraq, which crashed in the Tigris river while searching for a soldier whose boat had capsized. The aircraft's two crew members and the soldier remained missing Monday."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Hunt for missing helicopter crew: "A search is under way for two crew members of a US helicopter that crashed in Iraq's Tigris river while searching for a missing soldier, the military said."

In Ananova: War In Iraq



Robin's Winds of War: Jan 26/04: "Welcome! Our goal is to give you one power-packed briefing of insights, news and trends from the global War on Terror that leaves you stimulated, informed, and occasionally amused every Monday & Thursday. Today's "Winds of War" is brought to you by Robin Burk.
TOP TOPICS

• The threat of nuclear proliferation, especially to non-state entities (such as Islamacist terror networks) is serious and growing. Libya's decision to renounce WMD programs has blown the cover off of a black market in nuclear technologies.The head of the IAEA, Mohammed elBaradai, says that illicit trafficking of nuclear-related material and equipment has grown so widespread that it amounts to a Wal-Mart for weapons-seeking countries.

• The IAEA has acquiesced to a continued US role in dismantling Libya's programs; key equipment and materials are already being prepared for shipment to the US for safekeeping. A Congressional delegation visted Tripoli by invitation this weekend.

• LT Gen Sanchez says there are signs of increased cooperation between al Qaeda and the Baathist remnants . However, an al Qaeda magazine has reportedly urged jihadis to leave Iraq and fight the US elsewhere because the large number of Muslim deaths from their attacks have created a backlash.

Other Topics Today Include: Blair, Straw defend the decision to invade Iraq; Iraqi WMD in Syria?; Iraqi Marines; power struggle in Iran; prisoner swap in ME ; Israel & her neighbours; al Qaeda supporter indicted in US ; China and France get together; German armed forces restructure.
Read the Rest?"

In Command Post: Irak



Australia Says Iraq WMD May Yet Be Found: "Australia has no regrets over its involvement in the Iraq war and believes weapons of mass destruction might still be found, the government said Monday. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Kay: U.S. Must Explain Iraq WMD Research: "U.S. intelligence agencies need to explain why their research indicated Iraq possessed banned weapons before the American-led invasion, says the outgoing top U.S. inspector, who now believes Saddam Hussein had no such arms. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



U.S. Searches for 2 Pilots in Iraq Crash: "A U.S. helicopter crashed in the Tigris river while searching for a missing soldier on Sunday, and the aircraft's two crew members were missing, the military said. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



UN to Decide on Iraq, Three U.S. Soldiers Missing: "U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan saidhe may decide as early as Monday on sending a mission to help aU.S. handover of power to Iraqis, while U.S. forces searchedfor three missing military personnel. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Search on for 2 Army Pilots in Iraq Crash: "A U.S. helicopter crashed in the Tigris river while searching for a missing soldier on Sunday, and the aircraft's two crew members were missing, the military said. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Iraq set to dominate Cheney talks with Berlusconi: "The reconstruction of Iraq will be high on the agenda when visiting US Vice President Dick Cheney holds talks with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Rome, diplomats here said. (AFP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Search on for 2 Army pilots in Iraq crash: "A U.S. helicopter crashed in the Tigris river while searching for a missing soldier on Sunday, and the aircraft's two crew members were missing, the military said."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Get Out The Link!: "Many readers have supported us with donations, which we appreciate. But the best way to support The Post is with traffic. So with the final push in New Hampshire to get out the vote, we ask that you help us "Get Out The Link."
Support Command Post this Monday by sending the www.command-post.org URL to everyone in your contact list who you think might enjoy the site. We're not picky: we just want to introduce people to The Command Post, and think the day before the primary is a great day to do so.
So "Get Out The Link" on Monday the 25th, and thanks for reading The Post!"

In Command Post: Irak



Army copter crashes into Tigris; 2 aboard: "A U.S. helicopter crashed in the Tigris river while searching for a missing soldier on Sunday, and the aircraft's two crew members were missing, the military said."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Back and enlightened: "      Yep, another long period with very little posts, sorry about that.  I was at the Himalayan Institute for the weekend (a really cool place, by the way, partly because it gives you a break from these evil computing devices and the cynicism that comes with surfing the web too much), and now I'm sitting up straighter and think I might actually start doing yoga or at least some exercise..."

In Catalyzer Newsroom



Kay Asks Why U.S. Thought Iraq Had WMD: "U.S. intelligence agencies need to explain why their research indicated Iraq possessed banned weapons before the American-led invasion, says the outgoing top U.S. inspector, who now believes Saddam Hussein had no such arms. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Kay asks why U.S. thought Iraq had WMD: "U.S. intelligence agencies need to explain why their research indicated Iraq possessed banned weapons before the American-led invasion, says the outgoing top U.S. inspector, who now believes Saddam Hussein had no such arms."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Army Chopper Crashes in Iraq; 2 on Board: "A U.S. helicopter crashed in the Tigris river while searching for a missing soldier on Sunday, and the aircraft's two crew members were missing, the military said. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Dean: Iraqi Standard of Living Worse Now: "Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean said Sunday that the standard of living for Iraqis is a "whole lot worse" since Saddam Hussein's removal from power in last year's American-led invasion. (AP)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Democrats Call for Probe of Iraq Weapons Claims: "Democratic presidential candidateSen. John Kerry said on Sunday the Bush administration,including Vice President Dick Cheney, should be "heldaccountable" for claims Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. (Reuters)"

In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq



Army chopper crashes in Iraq; 2 on board: "A U.S. helicopter crashed in the Tigris river while searching for a missing soldier on Sunday, and the aircraft's two crew members were missing, the military said."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Iranian hard-liners veto election bill: "Iran's hard-line Guardian Council vetoed a bill on Sunday that would have curbed its power, throwing elections into doubt in a historic confrontation between reformers and conservatives."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Kay: Lack of Iraqi WMD requires review: "U.S. intelligence agencies need to explain why their research indicated Iraq possessed banned weapons before the American-led invasion, says the outgoing top U.S. inspector, who now believes Saddam Hussein had no such arms."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



Syria denies weapons received before war: "Syria on Sunday denied claims that it received weapons of mass destruction from Iraq shortly before the United States and its allies invaded."

In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq



US abuses human rights in Iraq, useless compensation system: "According to a new report, the US military in Iraq is arrogant and cruel when dealing with Iraqis seeking compensation for wrongful death, injuries and property destruction. The report, authored by Iraq Occupation Watch and The National Association for the Defense of Human Rights in Iraq (NADHRI), slams US military practice in Iraq since March 1, 2003 and charges that the US compensation system in Iraq is useless. The "Joint Report on Civilian Casualties and Claims Related to US Military Operations", investigates cases of civilian casualties caused by random shootings, house searches, car accidents between civilian and military vehicles, and deaths caused by cluster bombs. It also explores how the compensation system is working. Chris Spannos reports for eIraq."

In Electronic Iraq



US Army lied on killing Journalists in Palestine Hotel in Baghdad: "In a report Reporters Without Borders called today for the reopening of the enquiry into who was really responsible for the US Army's "criminal negligence" in shooting at the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad on 8 April 2003 and causing the death of two journalists. Reporters Without Borders called today for the reopening of the enquiry into who was really responsible for the US Army's "criminal negligence" in shooting at the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad on 8 April 2003 and causing the death of two journalists - Ukrainian cameramen Taras Protsyuk (of Reuters news agency) and Spaniard Jos Couso (of the Spanish TV station Telecinco)."

In Electronic Iraq



Howard Dean: Iraqis Are Worse Off Now: "

"You can say that it's great that Saddam is gone and I'm sure that a lot of Iraqis feel it is great that Saddam is gone," said the former Vermont governor , an unflinching critic of the war against Iraq. "But a lot of them gave their lives. And their living standard is a whole lot worse now than it was before."

Feel free to refute or defend the statement while I dig up some links."

In Command Post: Irak