Saturday, May 31, 2003
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US Army Sgt. Joshua Pond (no state given) from the 1st Armored Division, mans his M240 Machinegun as another US soldier searches an Iraqi car at a checkpoint along Jadriya Bridge in Baghdad Saturday May 31, 2003. Iraqis have to contend with the mobile checkpoints and security checks following the fall of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites). (AP Photo/Ali Haider)
US Soldiers in Iraq
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A U.S. soldier guards the distribution of gas as Iraqi women wait in line, in Baghdad May 31, 2003. Iraq (news - web sites)'s central bank aims to reopen this weekend for basic operations, but it is going to be years before some of Washington's more ambitious plans to enable finance to flow can be put in place, officials say. The U.S.-led war that ousted Saddam sowed havoc on Iraq's infrastructure, already battered by nearly 13 years of economic sanctions. REUTERS/Faleh Kheiber
Friday, May 30, 2003
Thursday, May 29, 2003
Wednesday, May 28, 2003
Iraq War Pictures
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Locals dig up the playground of the al-Makdad secondary school in Basra. A suspected mass grave of dissidents killed in Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s brutal suppression of the 1991 uprising in southern Iraq (news - web sites) was unearthed in the schoolyard 28 May, AFP correspondents witnessed. Relatives rented a pneumatic drill to break through the layer of concrete that had been laid down over the former playing field at the al-Makdad school behind the military hospital in the centre of the southern capital.(AFP/Timothy A. Clary) 
Iraq War Pictures
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A US soldier frisks an Iraqi man in Baghdad. Nine more US soldiers in Iraq (news - web sites) have been injured in attacks, a military spokesman said, as a group declaring itself loyal to toppled leader Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) claimed responsibility for the earlier killing of two US servicemen.(AFP/Cris Bouroncle) 
Tuesday, May 27, 2003
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
From: spliffslips
--------------------
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
--------------------
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer
May 25, 2003, 3:36 PM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- He's banned the Baathists from government, ordered Iraqis to disarm and consigned Saddam Hussein's military to history's trash bin.
L. Paul Bremer has all but said there's a new sheriff in town, yet the U.S. civilian administrator's difficult task has just begun to restore order and basic public services and show that the American effort to rebuild post-war Iraq is advancing steadily.
Since Bremer arrived in Iraq on May 12 and took the reins of the American-led administration from retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, he has moved quickly to expunge the remnants of Saddam's regime from positions of influence.
After U.S. military authorities banned the Baath Party, Bremer outlawed other organizations that also served as the pillars of Saddam's regime, including the government's various security agencies.
He blacklisted Baath officials, ordered the Iraqi military and Republican Guard to disband, and abolished the Information Ministry, which exerted total control over the Iraqi media for the past four decades. The moves, while largely on paper, trumpet the U.S. position: In Iraq, times have changed.
Bremer, whose team is based in one of Saddam's palaces, has vowed to end the lawlessness and looting that has plagued Baghdad and other Iraqi cities since Saddam's fall, and to restore basic public services and utilities. Most importantly, he has said that a national conference to choose an interim government will probably not be held until July.
"We certainly have a law and order problem in Baghdad we're trying to deal with," he said last week. "We're trying to deliver security to the Iraqi people."
But, he added, "Life is getting better for Iraqis very quickly."
The perceived failure to achieve a return to normalcy, though, has cast a shadow -- not only over Bremer's performance but over the Bush administration's attempts to win international acceptance of its occupation of Iraq.
Even Britain and Australia, America's staunchest allies in the war, have acknowledged continuing problems with law and order in Baghdad. Their governments fear a further political backlash after the U.S. failure to uncover any weapons of mass destruction -- the main reason President Bush cited for the war.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who visited Iraq last week, made clear that Bremer's administration needed to do much more to restore security, saying that took precedence over any efforts to forge an interim authority.
"We really do need a better performance in re-establishing law and order," Downer said after emerging from a meeting with Bremer. "People understandably are unhappy."
On Baghdad's streets, Iraqis have little praise for Bremer's fledgling administration.
"Things have become worse since he arrived. Gas lines are longer, garbage is piling up, there's no electricity, and security is so bad that people are too scared to allow their children to go to school," said Alaa Rasul, 47, a Baghdad handyman with 5 children.
"This is not freedom," he said. "This is chaos."
Although no crime statistics are available, during the past week there appeared to be less gunfire on Baghdad's streets. Still, the appearance of bodies killed in overnight robberies or confrontations has become a routine event.
On Sunday morning, traffic crawled around a dead man lying on the pavement on Jadiriyah Bridge as U.S. soldiers arrived to remove it. Later, a group of looters, dressed in fake police uniforms, stopped cars on a main thoroughfare and shot a driver who refused to hand over his keys.
U.S. officials insist things are getting better.
They say the lawlessness is being steadily reduced and say that the 1st Armored Division -- a unit with significant experience in conflict resolution -- is arriving to take over responsibility for security in the capital from the 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd saw heavy fighting during the war and has been helping keep the peace since.
Some analysts have said the 3rd Infantry Division has had trouble transforming itself from a fighting force into a peacekeeping unit tasked mainly with policing duties -- and trouble cooperating with the newly reconstituted police force.
"This will be our prime mission, to improve security throughout the city," said Maj. Scott Slaten, spokesman for the 1st Armored.
Slaten said the division's three armored brigades were currently taking up positions in the city. Changes will include the arrival of thousands more U.S. military police in Baghdad in coming weeks, he said, though exact numbers haven't been released.
The heavy Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles rumbling around Baghdad since April will be replaced with more nimble Humvees. The new division also plans to use its 4th Brigade -- composed of Apache and Black Hawk helicopters -- to assist ground patrols, especially at night.
To beef up security even more, the former New York Police Department commissioner Bernard Kerik has been hired "to assist in the establishment of security, stability and law and order in Iraq."
But a group of Iraqi men gathered in a storefront near the U.S. headquarters said they were wondering when the normal rhythms of daily life would return.
"Bremer is always hiding in Saddam's palace, he never comes out to see how we live," said Ahmed Jassim, a 55-year-old builder.
He pointed to the gridlock at the intersection directly in front of the palace gate, and at the U.S. sentries looking on impassively.
"Look at this mess. They can't even regulate traffic in front of their base," he said. "How can they hope to solve problems elsewhere in Baghdad?"
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-plotting-the-future,0,2233343.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
This news story was sent to you by request
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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
From: spliffslips
--------------------
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
--------------------
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer
May 25, 2003, 3:36 PM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- He's banned the Baathists from government, ordered Iraqis to disarm and consigned Saddam Hussein's military to history's trash bin.
L. Paul Bremer has all but said there's a new sheriff in town, yet the U.S. civilian administrator's difficult task has just begun to restore order and basic public services and show that the American effort to rebuild post-war Iraq is advancing steadily.
Since Bremer arrived in Iraq on May 12 and took the reins of the American-led administration from retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, he has moved quickly to expunge the remnants of Saddam's regime from positions of influence.
After U.S. military authorities banned the Baath Party, Bremer outlawed other organizations that also served as the pillars of Saddam's regime, including the government's various security agencies.
He blacklisted Baath officials, ordered the Iraqi military and Republican Guard to disband, and abolished the Information Ministry, which exerted total control over the Iraqi media for the past four decades. The moves, while largely on paper, trumpet the U.S. position: In Iraq, times have changed.
Bremer, whose team is based in one of Saddam's palaces, has vowed to end the lawlessness and looting that has plagued Baghdad and other Iraqi cities since Saddam's fall, and to restore basic public services and utilities. Most importantly, he has said that a national conference to choose an interim government will probably not be held until July.
"We certainly have a law and order problem in Baghdad we're trying to deal with," he said last week. "We're trying to deliver security to the Iraqi people."
But, he added, "Life is getting better for Iraqis very quickly."
The perceived failure to achieve a return to normalcy, though, has cast a shadow -- not only over Bremer's performance but over the Bush administration's attempts to win international acceptance of its occupation of Iraq.
Even Britain and Australia, America's staunchest allies in the war, have acknowledged continuing problems with law and order in Baghdad. Their governments fear a further political backlash after the U.S. failure to uncover any weapons of mass destruction -- the main reason President Bush cited for the war.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who visited Iraq last week, made clear that Bremer's administration needed to do much more to restore security, saying that took precedence over any efforts to forge an interim authority.
"We really do need a better performance in re-establishing law and order," Downer said after emerging from a meeting with Bremer. "People understandably are unhappy."
On Baghdad's streets, Iraqis have little praise for Bremer's fledgling administration.
"Things have become worse since he arrived. Gas lines are longer, garbage is piling up, there's no electricity, and security is so bad that people are too scared to allow their children to go to school," said Alaa Rasul, 47, a Baghdad handyman with 5 children.
"This is not freedom," he said. "This is chaos."
Although no crime statistics are available, during the past week there appeared to be less gunfire on Baghdad's streets. Still, the appearance of bodies killed in overnight robberies or confrontations has become a routine event.
On Sunday morning, traffic crawled around a dead man lying on the pavement on Jadiriyah Bridge as U.S. soldiers arrived to remove it. Later, a group of looters, dressed in fake police uniforms, stopped cars on a main thoroughfare and shot a driver who refused to hand over his keys.
U.S. officials insist things are getting better.
They say the lawlessness is being steadily reduced and say that the 1st Armored Division -- a unit with significant experience in conflict resolution -- is arriving to take over responsibility for security in the capital from the 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd saw heavy fighting during the war and has been helping keep the peace since.
Some analysts have said the 3rd Infantry Division has had trouble transforming itself from a fighting force into a peacekeeping unit tasked mainly with policing duties -- and trouble cooperating with the newly reconstituted police force.
"This will be our prime mission, to improve security throughout the city," said Maj. Scott Slaten, spokesman for the 1st Armored.
Slaten said the division's three armored brigades were currently taking up positions in the city. Changes will include the arrival of thousands more U.S. military police in Baghdad in coming weeks, he said, though exact numbers haven't been released.
The heavy Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles rumbling around Baghdad since April will be replaced with more nimble Humvees. The new division also plans to use its 4th Brigade -- composed of Apache and Black Hawk helicopters -- to assist ground patrols, especially at night.
To beef up security even more, the former New York Police Department commissioner Bernard Kerik has been hired "to assist in the establishment of security, stability and law and order in Iraq."
But a group of Iraqi men gathered in a storefront near the U.S. headquarters said they were wondering when the normal rhythms of daily life would return.
"Bremer is always hiding in Saddam's palace, he never comes out to see how we live," said Ahmed Jassim, a 55-year-old builder.
He pointed to the gridlock at the intersection directly in front of the palace gate, and at the U.S. sentries looking on impassively.
"Look at this mess. They can't even regulate traffic in front of their base," he said. "How can they hope to solve problems elsewhere in Baghdad?"
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-plotting-the-future,0,2233343.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
This news story was sent to you by request
A news story has been electronically sent to you at the request of the
sender listed below. The story originally appeared in post-gazette.com,
the online edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The sender supplied the following information. A reply to this message
will be directed to the e-mail address supplied by the sender.
Name: Patti
E-mail: spliffslips@aol.com
Message:
Sender IP: 172.192.120.177
Click here to access the story:
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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
From: spliffslips
--------------------
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
--------------------
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer
May 25, 2003, 3:36 PM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- He's banned the Baathists from government, ordered Iraqis to disarm and consigned Saddam Hussein's military to history's trash bin.
L. Paul Bremer has all but said there's a new sheriff in town, yet the U.S. civilian administrator's difficult task has just begun to restore order and basic public services and show that the American effort to rebuild post-war Iraq is advancing steadily.
Since Bremer arrived in Iraq on May 12 and took the reins of the American-led administration from retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, he has moved quickly to expunge the remnants of Saddam's regime from positions of influence.
After U.S. military authorities banned the Baath Party, Bremer outlawed other organizations that also served as the pillars of Saddam's regime, including the government's various security agencies.
He blacklisted Baath officials, ordered the Iraqi military and Republican Guard to disband, and abolished the Information Ministry, which exerted total control over the Iraqi media for the past four decades. The moves, while largely on paper, trumpet the U.S. position: In Iraq, times have changed.
Bremer, whose team is based in one of Saddam's palaces, has vowed to end the lawlessness and looting that has plagued Baghdad and other Iraqi cities since Saddam's fall, and to restore basic public services and utilities. Most importantly, he has said that a national conference to choose an interim government will probably not be held until July.
"We certainly have a law and order problem in Baghdad we're trying to deal with," he said last week. "We're trying to deliver security to the Iraqi people."
But, he added, "Life is getting better for Iraqis very quickly."
The perceived failure to achieve a return to normalcy, though, has cast a shadow -- not only over Bremer's performance but over the Bush administration's attempts to win international acceptance of its occupation of Iraq.
Even Britain and Australia, America's staunchest allies in the war, have acknowledged continuing problems with law and order in Baghdad. Their governments fear a further political backlash after the U.S. failure to uncover any weapons of mass destruction -- the main reason President Bush cited for the war.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who visited Iraq last week, made clear that Bremer's administration needed to do much more to restore security, saying that took precedence over any efforts to forge an interim authority.
"We really do need a better performance in re-establishing law and order," Downer said after emerging from a meeting with Bremer. "People understandably are unhappy."
On Baghdad's streets, Iraqis have little praise for Bremer's fledgling administration.
"Things have become worse since he arrived. Gas lines are longer, garbage is piling up, there's no electricity, and security is so bad that people are too scared to allow their children to go to school," said Alaa Rasul, 47, a Baghdad handyman with 5 children.
"This is not freedom," he said. "This is chaos."
Although no crime statistics are available, during the past week there appeared to be less gunfire on Baghdad's streets. Still, the appearance of bodies killed in overnight robberies or confrontations has become a routine event.
On Sunday morning, traffic crawled around a dead man lying on the pavement on Jadiriyah Bridge as U.S. soldiers arrived to remove it. Later, a group of looters, dressed in fake police uniforms, stopped cars on a main thoroughfare and shot a driver who refused to hand over his keys.
U.S. officials insist things are getting better.
They say the lawlessness is being steadily reduced and say that the 1st Armored Division -- a unit with significant experience in conflict resolution -- is arriving to take over responsibility for security in the capital from the 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd saw heavy fighting during the war and has been helping keep the peace since.
Some analysts have said the 3rd Infantry Division has had trouble transforming itself from a fighting force into a peacekeeping unit tasked mainly with policing duties -- and trouble cooperating with the newly reconstituted police force.
"This will be our prime mission, to improve security throughout the city," said Maj. Scott Slaten, spokesman for the 1st Armored.
Slaten said the division's three armored brigades were currently taking up positions in the city. Changes will include the arrival of thousands more U.S. military police in Baghdad in coming weeks, he said, though exact numbers haven't been released.
The heavy Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles rumbling around Baghdad since April will be replaced with more nimble Humvees. The new division also plans to use its 4th Brigade -- composed of Apache and Black Hawk helicopters -- to assist ground patrols, especially at night.
To beef up security even more, the former New York Police Department commissioner Bernard Kerik has been hired "to assist in the establishment of security, stability and law and order in Iraq."
But a group of Iraqi men gathered in a storefront near the U.S. headquarters said they were wondering when the normal rhythms of daily life would return.
"Bremer is always hiding in Saddam's palace, he never comes out to see how we live," said Ahmed Jassim, a 55-year-old builder.
He pointed to the gridlock at the intersection directly in front of the palace gate, and at the U.S. sentries looking on impassively.
"Look at this mess. They can't even regulate traffic in front of their base," he said. "How can they hope to solve problems elsewhere in Baghdad?"
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-plotting-the-future,0,2233343.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
This news story was sent to you by request
A news story has been electronically sent to you at the request of the
sender listed below. The story originally appeared in post-gazette.com,
the online edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The sender supplied the following information. A reply to this message
will be directed to the e-mail address supplied by the sender.
Name: Patti
E-mail: spliffslips@aol.com
Message:
Sender IP: 172.192.120.177
Click here to access the story:
http://www.post-gazette.com/world/20030519election0519p4.asp
---
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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
From: spliffslips
--------------------
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
--------------------
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer
May 25, 2003, 3:36 PM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- He's banned the Baathists from government, ordered Iraqis to disarm and consigned Saddam Hussein's military to history's trash bin.
L. Paul Bremer has all but said there's a new sheriff in town, yet the U.S. civilian administrator's difficult task has just begun to restore order and basic public services and show that the American effort to rebuild post-war Iraq is advancing steadily.
Since Bremer arrived in Iraq on May 12 and took the reins of the American-led administration from retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, he has moved quickly to expunge the remnants of Saddam's regime from positions of influence.
After U.S. military authorities banned the Baath Party, Bremer outlawed other organizations that also served as the pillars of Saddam's regime, including the government's various security agencies.
He blacklisted Baath officials, ordered the Iraqi military and Republican Guard to disband, and abolished the Information Ministry, which exerted total control over the Iraqi media for the past four decades. The moves, while largely on paper, trumpet the U.S. position: In Iraq, times have changed.
Bremer, whose team is based in one of Saddam's palaces, has vowed to end the lawlessness and looting that has plagued Baghdad and other Iraqi cities since Saddam's fall, and to restore basic public services and utilities. Most importantly, he has said that a national conference to choose an interim government will probably not be held until July.
"We certainly have a law and order problem in Baghdad we're trying to deal with," he said last week. "We're trying to deliver security to the Iraqi people."
But, he added, "Life is getting better for Iraqis very quickly."
The perceived failure to achieve a return to normalcy, though, has cast a shadow -- not only over Bremer's performance but over the Bush administration's attempts to win international acceptance of its occupation of Iraq.
Even Britain and Australia, America's staunchest allies in the war, have acknowledged continuing problems with law and order in Baghdad. Their governments fear a further political backlash after the U.S. failure to uncover any weapons of mass destruction -- the main reason President Bush cited for the war.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who visited Iraq last week, made clear that Bremer's administration needed to do much more to restore security, saying that took precedence over any efforts to forge an interim authority.
"We really do need a better performance in re-establishing law and order," Downer said after emerging from a meeting with Bremer. "People understandably are unhappy."
On Baghdad's streets, Iraqis have little praise for Bremer's fledgling administration.
"Things have become worse since he arrived. Gas lines are longer, garbage is piling up, there's no electricity, and security is so bad that people are too scared to allow their children to go to school," said Alaa Rasul, 47, a Baghdad handyman with 5 children.
"This is not freedom," he said. "This is chaos."
Although no crime statistics are available, during the past week there appeared to be less gunfire on Baghdad's streets. Still, the appearance of bodies killed in overnight robberies or confrontations has become a routine event.
On Sunday morning, traffic crawled around a dead man lying on the pavement on Jadiriyah Bridge as U.S. soldiers arrived to remove it. Later, a group of looters, dressed in fake police uniforms, stopped cars on a main thoroughfare and shot a driver who refused to hand over his keys.
U.S. officials insist things are getting better.
They say the lawlessness is being steadily reduced and say that the 1st Armored Division -- a unit with significant experience in conflict resolution -- is arriving to take over responsibility for security in the capital from the 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd saw heavy fighting during the war and has been helping keep the peace since.
Some analysts have said the 3rd Infantry Division has had trouble transforming itself from a fighting force into a peacekeeping unit tasked mainly with policing duties -- and trouble cooperating with the newly reconstituted police force.
"This will be our prime mission, to improve security throughout the city," said Maj. Scott Slaten, spokesman for the 1st Armored.
Slaten said the division's three armored brigades were currently taking up positions in the city. Changes will include the arrival of thousands more U.S. military police in Baghdad in coming weeks, he said, though exact numbers haven't been released.
The heavy Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles rumbling around Baghdad since April will be replaced with more nimble Humvees. The new division also plans to use its 4th Brigade -- composed of Apache and Black Hawk helicopters -- to assist ground patrols, especially at night.
To beef up security even more, the former New York Police Department commissioner Bernard Kerik has been hired "to assist in the establishment of security, stability and law and order in Iraq."
But a group of Iraqi men gathered in a storefront near the U.S. headquarters said they were wondering when the normal rhythms of daily life would return.
"Bremer is always hiding in Saddam's palace, he never comes out to see how we live," said Ahmed Jassim, a 55-year-old builder.
He pointed to the gridlock at the intersection directly in front of the palace gate, and at the U.S. sentries looking on impassively.
"Look at this mess. They can't even regulate traffic in front of their base," he said. "How can they hope to solve problems elsewhere in Baghdad?"
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-plotting-the-future,0,2233343.story
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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
From: spliffslips
--------------------
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
--------------------
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer
May 25, 2003, 3:36 PM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- He's banned the Baathists from government, ordered Iraqis to disarm and consigned Saddam Hussein's military to history's trash bin.
L. Paul Bremer has all but said there's a new sheriff in town, yet the U.S. civilian administrator's difficult task has just begun to restore order and basic public services and show that the American effort to rebuild post-war Iraq is advancing steadily.
Since Bremer arrived in Iraq on May 12 and took the reins of the American-led administration from retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, he has moved quickly to expunge the remnants of Saddam's regime from positions of influence.
After U.S. military authorities banned the Baath Party, Bremer outlawed other organizations that also served as the pillars of Saddam's regime, including the government's various security agencies.
He blacklisted Baath officials, ordered the Iraqi military and Republican Guard to disband, and abolished the Information Ministry, which exerted total control over the Iraqi media for the past four decades. The moves, while largely on paper, trumpet the U.S. position: In Iraq, times have changed.
Bremer, whose team is based in one of Saddam's palaces, has vowed to end the lawlessness and looting that has plagued Baghdad and other Iraqi cities since Saddam's fall, and to restore basic public services and utilities. Most importantly, he has said that a national conference to choose an interim government will probably not be held until July.
"We certainly have a law and order problem in Baghdad we're trying to deal with," he said last week. "We're trying to deliver security to the Iraqi people."
But, he added, "Life is getting better for Iraqis very quickly."
The perceived failure to achieve a return to normalcy, though, has cast a shadow -- not only over Bremer's performance but over the Bush administration's attempts to win international acceptance of its occupation of Iraq.
Even Britain and Australia, America's staunchest allies in the war, have acknowledged continuing problems with law and order in Baghdad. Their governments fear a further political backlash after the U.S. failure to uncover any weapons of mass destruction -- the main reason President Bush cited for the war.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who visited Iraq last week, made clear that Bremer's administration needed to do much more to restore security, saying that took precedence over any efforts to forge an interim authority.
"We really do need a better performance in re-establishing law and order," Downer said after emerging from a meeting with Bremer. "People understandably are unhappy."
On Baghdad's streets, Iraqis have little praise for Bremer's fledgling administration.
"Things have become worse since he arrived. Gas lines are longer, garbage is piling up, there's no electricity, and security is so bad that people are too scared to allow their children to go to school," said Alaa Rasul, 47, a Baghdad handyman with 5 children.
"This is not freedom," he said. "This is chaos."
Although no crime statistics are available, during the past week there appeared to be less gunfire on Baghdad's streets. Still, the appearance of bodies killed in overnight robberies or confrontations has become a routine event.
On Sunday morning, traffic crawled around a dead man lying on the pavement on Jadiriyah Bridge as U.S. soldiers arrived to remove it. Later, a group of looters, dressed in fake police uniforms, stopped cars on a main thoroughfare and shot a driver who refused to hand over his keys.
U.S. officials insist things are getting better.
They say the lawlessness is being steadily reduced and say that the 1st Armored Division -- a unit with significant experience in conflict resolution -- is arriving to take over responsibility for security in the capital from the 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd saw heavy fighting during the war and has been helping keep the peace since.
Some analysts have said the 3rd Infantry Division has had trouble transforming itself from a fighting force into a peacekeeping unit tasked mainly with policing duties -- and trouble cooperating with the newly reconstituted police force.
"This will be our prime mission, to improve security throughout the city," said Maj. Scott Slaten, spokesman for the 1st Armored.
Slaten said the division's three armored brigades were currently taking up positions in the city. Changes will include the arrival of thousands more U.S. military police in Baghdad in coming weeks, he said, though exact numbers haven't been released.
The heavy Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles rumbling around Baghdad since April will be replaced with more nimble Humvees. The new division also plans to use its 4th Brigade -- composed of Apache and Black Hawk helicopters -- to assist ground patrols, especially at night.
To beef up security even more, the former New York Police Department commissioner Bernard Kerik has been hired "to assist in the establishment of security, stability and law and order in Iraq."
But a group of Iraqi men gathered in a storefront near the U.S. headquarters said they were wondering when the normal rhythms of daily life would return.
"Bremer is always hiding in Saddam's palace, he never comes out to see how we live," said Ahmed Jassim, a 55-year-old builder.
He pointed to the gridlock at the intersection directly in front of the palace gate, and at the U.S. sentries looking on impassively.
"Look at this mess. They can't even regulate traffic in front of their base," he said. "How can they hope to solve problems elsewhere in Baghdad?"
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-plotting-the-future,0,2233343.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
This news story was sent to you by request
A news story has been electronically sent to you at the request of the
sender listed below. The story originally appeared in post-gazette.com,
the online edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The sender supplied the following information. A reply to this message
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Name: Patti
E-mail: spliffslips@aol.com
Message:
Sender IP: 172.192.120.177
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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
From: spliffslips
--------------------
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
--------------------
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer
May 25, 2003, 3:36 PM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- He's banned the Baathists from government, ordered Iraqis to disarm and consigned Saddam Hussein's military to history's trash bin.
L. Paul Bremer has all but said there's a new sheriff in town, yet the U.S. civilian administrator's difficult task has just begun to restore order and basic public services and show that the American effort to rebuild post-war Iraq is advancing steadily.
Since Bremer arrived in Iraq on May 12 and took the reins of the American-led administration from retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, he has moved quickly to expunge the remnants of Saddam's regime from positions of influence.
After U.S. military authorities banned the Baath Party, Bremer outlawed other organizations that also served as the pillars of Saddam's regime, including the government's various security agencies.
He blacklisted Baath officials, ordered the Iraqi military and Republican Guard to disband, and abolished the Information Ministry, which exerted total control over the Iraqi media for the past four decades. The moves, while largely on paper, trumpet the U.S. position: In Iraq, times have changed.
Bremer, whose team is based in one of Saddam's palaces, has vowed to end the lawlessness and looting that has plagued Baghdad and other Iraqi cities since Saddam's fall, and to restore basic public services and utilities. Most importantly, he has said that a national conference to choose an interim government will probably not be held until July.
"We certainly have a law and order problem in Baghdad we're trying to deal with," he said last week. "We're trying to deliver security to the Iraqi people."
But, he added, "Life is getting better for Iraqis very quickly."
The perceived failure to achieve a return to normalcy, though, has cast a shadow -- not only over Bremer's performance but over the Bush administration's attempts to win international acceptance of its occupation of Iraq.
Even Britain and Australia, America's staunchest allies in the war, have acknowledged continuing problems with law and order in Baghdad. Their governments fear a further political backlash after the U.S. failure to uncover any weapons of mass destruction -- the main reason President Bush cited for the war.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who visited Iraq last week, made clear that Bremer's administration needed to do much more to restore security, saying that took precedence over any efforts to forge an interim authority.
"We really do need a better performance in re-establishing law and order," Downer said after emerging from a meeting with Bremer. "People understandably are unhappy."
On Baghdad's streets, Iraqis have little praise for Bremer's fledgling administration.
"Things have become worse since he arrived. Gas lines are longer, garbage is piling up, there's no electricity, and security is so bad that people are too scared to allow their children to go to school," said Alaa Rasul, 47, a Baghdad handyman with 5 children.
"This is not freedom," he said. "This is chaos."
Although no crime statistics are available, during the past week there appeared to be less gunfire on Baghdad's streets. Still, the appearance of bodies killed in overnight robberies or confrontations has become a routine event.
On Sunday morning, traffic crawled around a dead man lying on the pavement on Jadiriyah Bridge as U.S. soldiers arrived to remove it. Later, a group of looters, dressed in fake police uniforms, stopped cars on a main thoroughfare and shot a driver who refused to hand over his keys.
U.S. officials insist things are getting better.
They say the lawlessness is being steadily reduced and say that the 1st Armored Division -- a unit with significant experience in conflict resolution -- is arriving to take over responsibility for security in the capital from the 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd saw heavy fighting during the war and has been helping keep the peace since.
Some analysts have said the 3rd Infantry Division has had trouble transforming itself from a fighting force into a peacekeeping unit tasked mainly with policing duties -- and trouble cooperating with the newly reconstituted police force.
"This will be our prime mission, to improve security throughout the city," said Maj. Scott Slaten, spokesman for the 1st Armored.
Slaten said the division's three armored brigades were currently taking up positions in the city. Changes will include the arrival of thousands more U.S. military police in Baghdad in coming weeks, he said, though exact numbers haven't been released.
The heavy Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles rumbling around Baghdad since April will be replaced with more nimble Humvees. The new division also plans to use its 4th Brigade -- composed of Apache and Black Hawk helicopters -- to assist ground patrols, especially at night.
To beef up security even more, the former New York Police Department commissioner Bernard Kerik has been hired "to assist in the establishment of security, stability and law and order in Iraq."
But a group of Iraqi men gathered in a storefront near the U.S. headquarters said they were wondering when the normal rhythms of daily life would return.
"Bremer is always hiding in Saddam's palace, he never comes out to see how we live," said Ahmed Jassim, a 55-year-old builder.
He pointed to the gridlock at the intersection directly in front of the palace gate, and at the U.S. sentries looking on impassively.
"Look at this mess. They can't even regulate traffic in front of their base," he said. "How can they hope to solve problems elsewhere in Baghdad?"
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-plotting-the-future,0,2233343.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
This news story was sent to you by request
A news story has been electronically sent to you at the request of the
sender listed below. The story originally appeared in post-gazette.com,
the online edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The sender supplied the following information. A reply to this message
will be directed to the e-mail address supplied by the sender.
Name: Patti
E-mail: spliffslips@aol.com
Message:
Sender IP: 172.192.120.177
Click here to access the story:
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---
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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
From: spliffslips
--------------------
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
--------------------
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer
May 25, 2003, 3:36 PM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- He's banned the Baathists from government, ordered Iraqis to disarm and consigned Saddam Hussein's military to history's trash bin.
L. Paul Bremer has all but said there's a new sheriff in town, yet the U.S. civilian administrator's difficult task has just begun to restore order and basic public services and show that the American effort to rebuild post-war Iraq is advancing steadily.
Since Bremer arrived in Iraq on May 12 and took the reins of the American-led administration from retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, he has moved quickly to expunge the remnants of Saddam's regime from positions of influence.
After U.S. military authorities banned the Baath Party, Bremer outlawed other organizations that also served as the pillars of Saddam's regime, including the government's various security agencies.
He blacklisted Baath officials, ordered the Iraqi military and Republican Guard to disband, and abolished the Information Ministry, which exerted total control over the Iraqi media for the past four decades. The moves, while largely on paper, trumpet the U.S. position: In Iraq, times have changed.
Bremer, whose team is based in one of Saddam's palaces, has vowed to end the lawlessness and looting that has plagued Baghdad and other Iraqi cities since Saddam's fall, and to restore basic public services and utilities. Most importantly, he has said that a national conference to choose an interim government will probably not be held until July.
"We certainly have a law and order problem in Baghdad we're trying to deal with," he said last week. "We're trying to deliver security to the Iraqi people."
But, he added, "Life is getting better for Iraqis very quickly."
The perceived failure to achieve a return to normalcy, though, has cast a shadow -- not only over Bremer's performance but over the Bush administration's attempts to win international acceptance of its occupation of Iraq.
Even Britain and Australia, America's staunchest allies in the war, have acknowledged continuing problems with law and order in Baghdad. Their governments fear a further political backlash after the U.S. failure to uncover any weapons of mass destruction -- the main reason President Bush cited for the war.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who visited Iraq last week, made clear that Bremer's administration needed to do much more to restore security, saying that took precedence over any efforts to forge an interim authority.
"We really do need a better performance in re-establishing law and order," Downer said after emerging from a meeting with Bremer. "People understandably are unhappy."
On Baghdad's streets, Iraqis have little praise for Bremer's fledgling administration.
"Things have become worse since he arrived. Gas lines are longer, garbage is piling up, there's no electricity, and security is so bad that people are too scared to allow their children to go to school," said Alaa Rasul, 47, a Baghdad handyman with 5 children.
"This is not freedom," he said. "This is chaos."
Although no crime statistics are available, during the past week there appeared to be less gunfire on Baghdad's streets. Still, the appearance of bodies killed in overnight robberies or confrontations has become a routine event.
On Sunday morning, traffic crawled around a dead man lying on the pavement on Jadiriyah Bridge as U.S. soldiers arrived to remove it. Later, a group of looters, dressed in fake police uniforms, stopped cars on a main thoroughfare and shot a driver who refused to hand over his keys.
U.S. officials insist things are getting better.
They say the lawlessness is being steadily reduced and say that the 1st Armored Division -- a unit with significant experience in conflict resolution -- is arriving to take over responsibility for security in the capital from the 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd saw heavy fighting during the war and has been helping keep the peace since.
Some analysts have said the 3rd Infantry Division has had trouble transforming itself from a fighting force into a peacekeeping unit tasked mainly with policing duties -- and trouble cooperating with the newly reconstituted police force.
"This will be our prime mission, to improve security throughout the city," said Maj. Scott Slaten, spokesman for the 1st Armored.
Slaten said the division's three armored brigades were currently taking up positions in the city. Changes will include the arrival of thousands more U.S. military police in Baghdad in coming weeks, he said, though exact numbers haven't been released.
The heavy Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles rumbling around Baghdad since April will be replaced with more nimble Humvees. The new division also plans to use its 4th Brigade -- composed of Apache and Black Hawk helicopters -- to assist ground patrols, especially at night.
To beef up security even more, the former New York Police Department commissioner Bernard Kerik has been hired "to assist in the establishment of security, stability and law and order in Iraq."
But a group of Iraqi men gathered in a storefront near the U.S. headquarters said they were wondering when the normal rhythms of daily life would return.
"Bremer is always hiding in Saddam's palace, he never comes out to see how we live," said Ahmed Jassim, a 55-year-old builder.
He pointed to the gridlock at the intersection directly in front of the palace gate, and at the U.S. sentries looking on impassively.
"Look at this mess. They can't even regulate traffic in front of their base," he said. "How can they hope to solve problems elsewhere in Baghdad?"
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-plotting-the-future,0,2233343.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
This news story was sent to you by request
A news story has been electronically sent to you at the request of the
sender listed below. The story originally appeared in post-gazette.com,
the online edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The sender supplied the following information. A reply to this message
will be directed to the e-mail address supplied by the sender.
Name: Patti
E-mail: spliffslips@aol.com
Message:
Sender IP: 172.192.120.177
Click here to access the story:
http://www.post-gazette.com/world/20030519election0519p4.asp
---
http://www.post-gazette.com
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
From: spliffslips
--------------------
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
--------------------
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer
May 25, 2003, 3:36 PM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- He's banned the Baathists from government, ordered Iraqis to disarm and consigned Saddam Hussein's military to history's trash bin.
L. Paul Bremer has all but said there's a new sheriff in town, yet the U.S. civilian administrator's difficult task has just begun to restore order and basic public services and show that the American effort to rebuild post-war Iraq is advancing steadily.
Since Bremer arrived in Iraq on May 12 and took the reins of the American-led administration from retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, he has moved quickly to expunge the remnants of Saddam's regime from positions of influence.
After U.S. military authorities banned the Baath Party, Bremer outlawed other organizations that also served as the pillars of Saddam's regime, including the government's various security agencies.
He blacklisted Baath officials, ordered the Iraqi military and Republican Guard to disband, and abolished the Information Ministry, which exerted total control over the Iraqi media for the past four decades. The moves, while largely on paper, trumpet the U.S. position: In Iraq, times have changed.
Bremer, whose team is based in one of Saddam's palaces, has vowed to end the lawlessness and looting that has plagued Baghdad and other Iraqi cities since Saddam's fall, and to restore basic public services and utilities. Most importantly, he has said that a national conference to choose an interim government will probably not be held until July.
"We certainly have a law and order problem in Baghdad we're trying to deal with," he said last week. "We're trying to deliver security to the Iraqi people."
But, he added, "Life is getting better for Iraqis very quickly."
The perceived failure to achieve a return to normalcy, though, has cast a shadow -- not only over Bremer's performance but over the Bush administration's attempts to win international acceptance of its occupation of Iraq.
Even Britain and Australia, America's staunchest allies in the war, have acknowledged continuing problems with law and order in Baghdad. Their governments fear a further political backlash after the U.S. failure to uncover any weapons of mass destruction -- the main reason President Bush cited for the war.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who visited Iraq last week, made clear that Bremer's administration needed to do much more to restore security, saying that took precedence over any efforts to forge an interim authority.
"We really do need a better performance in re-establishing law and order," Downer said after emerging from a meeting with Bremer. "People understandably are unhappy."
On Baghdad's streets, Iraqis have little praise for Bremer's fledgling administration.
"Things have become worse since he arrived. Gas lines are longer, garbage is piling up, there's no electricity, and security is so bad that people are too scared to allow their children to go to school," said Alaa Rasul, 47, a Baghdad handyman with 5 children.
"This is not freedom," he said. "This is chaos."
Although no crime statistics are available, during the past week there appeared to be less gunfire on Baghdad's streets. Still, the appearance of bodies killed in overnight robberies or confrontations has become a routine event.
On Sunday morning, traffic crawled around a dead man lying on the pavement on Jadiriyah Bridge as U.S. soldiers arrived to remove it. Later, a group of looters, dressed in fake police uniforms, stopped cars on a main thoroughfare and shot a driver who refused to hand over his keys.
U.S. officials insist things are getting better.
They say the lawlessness is being steadily reduced and say that the 1st Armored Division -- a unit with significant experience in conflict resolution -- is arriving to take over responsibility for security in the capital from the 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd saw heavy fighting during the war and has been helping keep the peace since.
Some analysts have said the 3rd Infantry Division has had trouble transforming itself from a fighting force into a peacekeeping unit tasked mainly with policing duties -- and trouble cooperating with the newly reconstituted police force.
"This will be our prime mission, to improve security throughout the city," said Maj. Scott Slaten, spokesman for the 1st Armored.
Slaten said the division's three armored brigades were currently taking up positions in the city. Changes will include the arrival of thousands more U.S. military police in Baghdad in coming weeks, he said, though exact numbers haven't been released.
The heavy Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles rumbling around Baghdad since April will be replaced with more nimble Humvees. The new division also plans to use its 4th Brigade -- composed of Apache and Black Hawk helicopters -- to assist ground patrols, especially at night.
To beef up security even more, the former New York Police Department commissioner Bernard Kerik has been hired "to assist in the establishment of security, stability and law and order in Iraq."
But a group of Iraqi men gathered in a storefront near the U.S. headquarters said they were wondering when the normal rhythms of daily life would return.
"Bremer is always hiding in Saddam's palace, he never comes out to see how we live," said Ahmed Jassim, a 55-year-old builder.
He pointed to the gridlock at the intersection directly in front of the palace gate, and at the U.S. sentries looking on impassively.
"Look at this mess. They can't even regulate traffic in front of their base," he said. "How can they hope to solve problems elsewhere in Baghdad?"
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-plotting-the-future,0,2233343.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
This news story was sent to you by request
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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
From: spliffslips
--------------------
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
--------------------
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer
May 25, 2003, 3:36 PM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- He's banned the Baathists from government, ordered Iraqis to disarm and consigned Saddam Hussein's military to history's trash bin.
L. Paul Bremer has all but said there's a new sheriff in town, yet the U.S. civilian administrator's difficult task has just begun to restore order and basic public services and show that the American effort to rebuild post-war Iraq is advancing steadily.
Since Bremer arrived in Iraq on May 12 and took the reins of the American-led administration from retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, he has moved quickly to expunge the remnants of Saddam's regime from positions of influence.
After U.S. military authorities banned the Baath Party, Bremer outlawed other organizations that also served as the pillars of Saddam's regime, including the government's various security agencies.
He blacklisted Baath officials, ordered the Iraqi military and Republican Guard to disband, and abolished the Information Ministry, which exerted total control over the Iraqi media for the past four decades. The moves, while largely on paper, trumpet the U.S. position: In Iraq, times have changed.
Bremer, whose team is based in one of Saddam's palaces, has vowed to end the lawlessness and looting that has plagued Baghdad and other Iraqi cities since Saddam's fall, and to restore basic public services and utilities. Most importantly, he has said that a national conference to choose an interim government will probably not be held until July.
"We certainly have a law and order problem in Baghdad we're trying to deal with," he said last week. "We're trying to deliver security to the Iraqi people."
But, he added, "Life is getting better for Iraqis very quickly."
The perceived failure to achieve a return to normalcy, though, has cast a shadow -- not only over Bremer's performance but over the Bush administration's attempts to win international acceptance of its occupation of Iraq.
Even Britain and Australia, America's staunchest allies in the war, have acknowledged continuing problems with law and order in Baghdad. Their governments fear a further political backlash after the U.S. failure to uncover any weapons of mass destruction -- the main reason President Bush cited for the war.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who visited Iraq last week, made clear that Bremer's administration needed to do much more to restore security, saying that took precedence over any efforts to forge an interim authority.
"We really do need a better performance in re-establishing law and order," Downer said after emerging from a meeting with Bremer. "People understandably are unhappy."
On Baghdad's streets, Iraqis have little praise for Bremer's fledgling administration.
"Things have become worse since he arrived. Gas lines are longer, garbage is piling up, there's no electricity, and security is so bad that people are too scared to allow their children to go to school," said Alaa Rasul, 47, a Baghdad handyman with 5 children.
"This is not freedom," he said. "This is chaos."
Although no crime statistics are available, during the past week there appeared to be less gunfire on Baghdad's streets. Still, the appearance of bodies killed in overnight robberies or confrontations has become a routine event.
On Sunday morning, traffic crawled around a dead man lying on the pavement on Jadiriyah Bridge as U.S. soldiers arrived to remove it. Later, a group of looters, dressed in fake police uniforms, stopped cars on a main thoroughfare and shot a driver who refused to hand over his keys.
U.S. officials insist things are getting better.
They say the lawlessness is being steadily reduced and say that the 1st Armored Division -- a unit with significant experience in conflict resolution -- is arriving to take over responsibility for security in the capital from the 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd saw heavy fighting during the war and has been helping keep the peace since.
Some analysts have said the 3rd Infantry Division has had trouble transforming itself from a fighting force into a peacekeeping unit tasked mainly with policing duties -- and trouble cooperating with the newly reconstituted police force.
"This will be our prime mission, to improve security throughout the city," said Maj. Scott Slaten, spokesman for the 1st Armored.
Slaten said the division's three armored brigades were currently taking up positions in the city. Changes will include the arrival of thousands more U.S. military police in Baghdad in coming weeks, he said, though exact numbers haven't been released.
The heavy Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles rumbling around Baghdad since April will be replaced with more nimble Humvees. The new division also plans to use its 4th Brigade -- composed of Apache and Black Hawk helicopters -- to assist ground patrols, especially at night.
To beef up security even more, the former New York Police Department commissioner Bernard Kerik has been hired "to assist in the establishment of security, stability and law and order in Iraq."
But a group of Iraqi men gathered in a storefront near the U.S. headquarters said they were wondering when the normal rhythms of daily life would return.
"Bremer is always hiding in Saddam's palace, he never comes out to see how we live," said Ahmed Jassim, a 55-year-old builder.
He pointed to the gridlock at the intersection directly in front of the palace gate, and at the U.S. sentries looking on impassively.
"Look at this mess. They can't even regulate traffic in front of their base," he said. "How can they hope to solve problems elsewhere in Baghdad?"
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-plotting-the-future,0,2233343.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
This news story was sent to you by request
A news story has been electronically sent to you at the request of the
sender listed below. The story originally appeared in post-gazette.com,
the online edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The sender supplied the following information. A reply to this message
will be directed to the e-mail address supplied by the sender.
Name: Patti
E-mail: spliffslips@aol.com
Message:
Sender IP: 172.192.120.177
Click here to access the story:
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---
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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
From: spliffslips
--------------------
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
--------------------
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer
May 25, 2003, 3:36 PM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- He's banned the Baathists from government, ordered Iraqis to disarm and consigned Saddam Hussein's military to history's trash bin.
L. Paul Bremer has all but said there's a new sheriff in town, yet the U.S. civilian administrator's difficult task has just begun to restore order and basic public services and show that the American effort to rebuild post-war Iraq is advancing steadily.
Since Bremer arrived in Iraq on May 12 and took the reins of the American-led administration from retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, he has moved quickly to expunge the remnants of Saddam's regime from positions of influence.
After U.S. military authorities banned the Baath Party, Bremer outlawed other organizations that also served as the pillars of Saddam's regime, including the government's various security agencies.
He blacklisted Baath officials, ordered the Iraqi military and Republican Guard to disband, and abolished the Information Ministry, which exerted total control over the Iraqi media for the past four decades. The moves, while largely on paper, trumpet the U.S. position: In Iraq, times have changed.
Bremer, whose team is based in one of Saddam's palaces, has vowed to end the lawlessness and looting that has plagued Baghdad and other Iraqi cities since Saddam's fall, and to restore basic public services and utilities. Most importantly, he has said that a national conference to choose an interim government will probably not be held until July.
"We certainly have a law and order problem in Baghdad we're trying to deal with," he said last week. "We're trying to deliver security to the Iraqi people."
But, he added, "Life is getting better for Iraqis very quickly."
The perceived failure to achieve a return to normalcy, though, has cast a shadow -- not only over Bremer's performance but over the Bush administration's attempts to win international acceptance of its occupation of Iraq.
Even Britain and Australia, America's staunchest allies in the war, have acknowledged continuing problems with law and order in Baghdad. Their governments fear a further political backlash after the U.S. failure to uncover any weapons of mass destruction -- the main reason President Bush cited for the war.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who visited Iraq last week, made clear that Bremer's administration needed to do much more to restore security, saying that took precedence over any efforts to forge an interim authority.
"We really do need a better performance in re-establishing law and order," Downer said after emerging from a meeting with Bremer. "People understandably are unhappy."
On Baghdad's streets, Iraqis have little praise for Bremer's fledgling administration.
"Things have become worse since he arrived. Gas lines are longer, garbage is piling up, there's no electricity, and security is so bad that people are too scared to allow their children to go to school," said Alaa Rasul, 47, a Baghdad handyman with 5 children.
"This is not freedom," he said. "This is chaos."
Although no crime statistics are available, during the past week there appeared to be less gunfire on Baghdad's streets. Still, the appearance of bodies killed in overnight robberies or confrontations has become a routine event.
On Sunday morning, traffic crawled around a dead man lying on the pavement on Jadiriyah Bridge as U.S. soldiers arrived to remove it. Later, a group of looters, dressed in fake police uniforms, stopped cars on a main thoroughfare and shot a driver who refused to hand over his keys.
U.S. officials insist things are getting better.
They say the lawlessness is being steadily reduced and say that the 1st Armored Division -- a unit with significant experience in conflict resolution -- is arriving to take over responsibility for security in the capital from the 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd saw heavy fighting during the war and has been helping keep the peace since.
Some analysts have said the 3rd Infantry Division has had trouble transforming itself from a fighting force into a peacekeeping unit tasked mainly with policing duties -- and trouble cooperating with the newly reconstituted police force.
"This will be our prime mission, to improve security throughout the city," said Maj. Scott Slaten, spokesman for the 1st Armored.
Slaten said the division's three armored brigades were currently taking up positions in the city. Changes will include the arrival of thousands more U.S. military police in Baghdad in coming weeks, he said, though exact numbers haven't been released.
The heavy Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles rumbling around Baghdad since April will be replaced with more nimble Humvees. The new division also plans to use its 4th Brigade -- composed of Apache and Black Hawk helicopters -- to assist ground patrols, especially at night.
To beef up security even more, the former New York Police Department commissioner Bernard Kerik has been hired "to assist in the establishment of security, stability and law and order in Iraq."
But a group of Iraqi men gathered in a storefront near the U.S. headquarters said they were wondering when the normal rhythms of daily life would return.
"Bremer is always hiding in Saddam's palace, he never comes out to see how we live," said Ahmed Jassim, a 55-year-old builder.
He pointed to the gridlock at the intersection directly in front of the palace gate, and at the U.S. sentries looking on impassively.
"Look at this mess. They can't even regulate traffic in front of their base," he said. "How can they hope to solve problems elsewhere in Baghdad?"
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-plotting-the-future,0,2233343.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
This news story was sent to you by request
A news story has been electronically sent to you at the request of the
sender listed below. The story originally appeared in post-gazette.com,
the online edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The sender supplied the following information. A reply to this message
will be directed to the e-mail address supplied by the sender.
Name: Patti
E-mail: spliffslips@aol.com
Message:
Sender IP: 172.192.120.177
Click here to access the story:
http://www.post-gazette.com/world/20030519election0519p4.asp
---
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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
From: spliffslips
--------------------
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
--------------------
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer
May 25, 2003, 3:36 PM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- He's banned the Baathists from government, ordered Iraqis to disarm and consigned Saddam Hussein's military to history's trash bin.
L. Paul Bremer has all but said there's a new sheriff in town, yet the U.S. civilian administrator's difficult task has just begun to restore order and basic public services and show that the American effort to rebuild post-war Iraq is advancing steadily.
Since Bremer arrived in Iraq on May 12 and took the reins of the American-led administration from retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, he has moved quickly to expunge the remnants of Saddam's regime from positions of influence.
After U.S. military authorities banned the Baath Party, Bremer outlawed other organizations that also served as the pillars of Saddam's regime, including the government's various security agencies.
He blacklisted Baath officials, ordered the Iraqi military and Republican Guard to disband, and abolished the Information Ministry, which exerted total control over the Iraqi media for the past four decades. The moves, while largely on paper, trumpet the U.S. position: In Iraq, times have changed.
Bremer, whose team is based in one of Saddam's palaces, has vowed to end the lawlessness and looting that has plagued Baghdad and other Iraqi cities since Saddam's fall, and to restore basic public services and utilities. Most importantly, he has said that a national conference to choose an interim government will probably not be held until July.
"We certainly have a law and order problem in Baghdad we're trying to deal with," he said last week. "We're trying to deliver security to the Iraqi people."
But, he added, "Life is getting better for Iraqis very quickly."
The perceived failure to achieve a return to normalcy, though, has cast a shadow -- not only over Bremer's performance but over the Bush administration's attempts to win international acceptance of its occupation of Iraq.
Even Britain and Australia, America's staunchest allies in the war, have acknowledged continuing problems with law and order in Baghdad. Their governments fear a further political backlash after the U.S. failure to uncover any weapons of mass destruction -- the main reason President Bush cited for the war.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who visited Iraq last week, made clear that Bremer's administration needed to do much more to restore security, saying that took precedence over any efforts to forge an interim authority.
"We really do need a better performance in re-establishing law and order," Downer said after emerging from a meeting with Bremer. "People understandably are unhappy."
On Baghdad's streets, Iraqis have little praise for Bremer's fledgling administration.
"Things have become worse since he arrived. Gas lines are longer, garbage is piling up, there's no electricity, and security is so bad that people are too scared to allow their children to go to school," said Alaa Rasul, 47, a Baghdad handyman with 5 children.
"This is not freedom," he said. "This is chaos."
Although no crime statistics are available, during the past week there appeared to be less gunfire on Baghdad's streets. Still, the appearance of bodies killed in overnight robberies or confrontations has become a routine event.
On Sunday morning, traffic crawled around a dead man lying on the pavement on Jadiriyah Bridge as U.S. soldiers arrived to remove it. Later, a group of looters, dressed in fake police uniforms, stopped cars on a main thoroughfare and shot a driver who refused to hand over his keys.
U.S. officials insist things are getting better.
They say the lawlessness is being steadily reduced and say that the 1st Armored Division -- a unit with significant experience in conflict resolution -- is arriving to take over responsibility for security in the capital from the 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd saw heavy fighting during the war and has been helping keep the peace since.
Some analysts have said the 3rd Infantry Division has had trouble transforming itself from a fighting force into a peacekeeping unit tasked mainly with policing duties -- and trouble cooperating with the newly reconstituted police force.
"This will be our prime mission, to improve security throughout the city," said Maj. Scott Slaten, spokesman for the 1st Armored.
Slaten said the division's three armored brigades were currently taking up positions in the city. Changes will include the arrival of thousands more U.S. military police in Baghdad in coming weeks, he said, though exact numbers haven't been released.
The heavy Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles rumbling around Baghdad since April will be replaced with more nimble Humvees. The new division also plans to use its 4th Brigade -- composed of Apache and Black Hawk helicopters -- to assist ground patrols, especially at night.
To beef up security even more, the former New York Police Department commissioner Bernard Kerik has been hired "to assist in the establishment of security, stability and law and order in Iraq."
But a group of Iraqi men gathered in a storefront near the U.S. headquarters said they were wondering when the normal rhythms of daily life would return.
"Bremer is always hiding in Saddam's palace, he never comes out to see how we live," said Ahmed Jassim, a 55-year-old builder.
He pointed to the gridlock at the intersection directly in front of the palace gate, and at the U.S. sentries looking on impassively.
"Look at this mess. They can't even regulate traffic in front of their base," he said. "How can they hope to solve problems elsewhere in Baghdad?"
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-plotting-the-future,0,2233343.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
This news story was sent to you by request
A news story has been electronically sent to you at the request of the
sender listed below. The story originally appeared in post-gazette.com,
the online edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The sender supplied the following information. A reply to this message
will be directed to the e-mail address supplied by the sender.
Name: Patti
E-mail: spliffslips@aol.com
Message:
Sender IP: 172.192.120.177
Click here to access the story:
http://www.post-gazette.com/world/20030519election0519p4.asp
---
http://www.post-gazette.com
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
From: spliffslips
--------------------
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
--------------------
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer
May 25, 2003, 3:36 PM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- He's banned the Baathists from government, ordered Iraqis to disarm and consigned Saddam Hussein's military to history's trash bin.
L. Paul Bremer has all but said there's a new sheriff in town, yet the U.S. civilian administrator's difficult task has just begun to restore order and basic public services and show that the American effort to rebuild post-war Iraq is advancing steadily.
Since Bremer arrived in Iraq on May 12 and took the reins of the American-led administration from retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, he has moved quickly to expunge the remnants of Saddam's regime from positions of influence.
After U.S. military authorities banned the Baath Party, Bremer outlawed other organizations that also served as the pillars of Saddam's regime, including the government's various security agencies.
He blacklisted Baath officials, ordered the Iraqi military and Republican Guard to disband, and abolished the Information Ministry, which exerted total control over the Iraqi media for the past four decades. The moves, while largely on paper, trumpet the U.S. position: In Iraq, times have changed.
Bremer, whose team is based in one of Saddam's palaces, has vowed to end the lawlessness and looting that has plagued Baghdad and other Iraqi cities since Saddam's fall, and to restore basic public services and utilities. Most importantly, he has said that a national conference to choose an interim government will probably not be held until July.
"We certainly have a law and order problem in Baghdad we're trying to deal with," he said last week. "We're trying to deliver security to the Iraqi people."
But, he added, "Life is getting better for Iraqis very quickly."
The perceived failure to achieve a return to normalcy, though, has cast a shadow -- not only over Bremer's performance but over the Bush administration's attempts to win international acceptance of its occupation of Iraq.
Even Britain and Australia, America's staunchest allies in the war, have acknowledged continuing problems with law and order in Baghdad. Their governments fear a further political backlash after the U.S. failure to uncover any weapons of mass destruction -- the main reason President Bush cited for the war.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who visited Iraq last week, made clear that Bremer's administration needed to do much more to restore security, saying that took precedence over any efforts to forge an interim authority.
"We really do need a better performance in re-establishing law and order," Downer said after emerging from a meeting with Bremer. "People understandably are unhappy."
On Baghdad's streets, Iraqis have little praise for Bremer's fledgling administration.
"Things have become worse since he arrived. Gas lines are longer, garbage is piling up, there's no electricity, and security is so bad that people are too scared to allow their children to go to school," said Alaa Rasul, 47, a Baghdad handyman with 5 children.
"This is not freedom," he said. "This is chaos."
Although no crime statistics are available, during the past week there appeared to be less gunfire on Baghdad's streets. Still, the appearance of bodies killed in overnight robberies or confrontations has become a routine event.
On Sunday morning, traffic crawled around a dead man lying on the pavement on Jadiriyah Bridge as U.S. soldiers arrived to remove it. Later, a group of looters, dressed in fake police uniforms, stopped cars on a main thoroughfare and shot a driver who refused to hand over his keys.
U.S. officials insist things are getting better.
They say the lawlessness is being steadily reduced and say that the 1st Armored Division -- a unit with significant experience in conflict resolution -- is arriving to take over responsibility for security in the capital from the 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd saw heavy fighting during the war and has been helping keep the peace since.
Some analysts have said the 3rd Infantry Division has had trouble transforming itself from a fighting force into a peacekeeping unit tasked mainly with policing duties -- and trouble cooperating with the newly reconstituted police force.
"This will be our prime mission, to improve security throughout the city," said Maj. Scott Slaten, spokesman for the 1st Armored.
Slaten said the division's three armored brigades were currently taking up positions in the city. Changes will include the arrival of thousands more U.S. military police in Baghdad in coming weeks, he said, though exact numbers haven't been released.
The heavy Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles rumbling around Baghdad since April will be replaced with more nimble Humvees. The new division also plans to use its 4th Brigade -- composed of Apache and Black Hawk helicopters -- to assist ground patrols, especially at night.
To beef up security even more, the former New York Police Department commissioner Bernard Kerik has been hired "to assist in the establishment of security, stability and law and order in Iraq."
But a group of Iraqi men gathered in a storefront near the U.S. headquarters said they were wondering when the normal rhythms of daily life would return.
"Bremer is always hiding in Saddam's palace, he never comes out to see how we live," said Ahmed Jassim, a 55-year-old builder.
He pointed to the gridlock at the intersection directly in front of the palace gate, and at the U.S. sentries looking on impassively.
"Look at this mess. They can't even regulate traffic in front of their base," he said. "How can they hope to solve problems elsewhere in Baghdad?"
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-plotting-the-future,0,2233343.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
This news story was sent to you by request
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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
From: spliffslips
--------------------
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
--------------------
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer
May 25, 2003, 3:36 PM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- He's banned the Baathists from government, ordered Iraqis to disarm and consigned Saddam Hussein's military to history's trash bin.
L. Paul Bremer has all but said there's a new sheriff in town, yet the U.S. civilian administrator's difficult task has just begun to restore order and basic public services and show that the American effort to rebuild post-war Iraq is advancing steadily.
Since Bremer arrived in Iraq on May 12 and took the reins of the American-led administration from retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, he has moved quickly to expunge the remnants of Saddam's regime from positions of influence.
After U.S. military authorities banned the Baath Party, Bremer outlawed other organizations that also served as the pillars of Saddam's regime, including the government's various security agencies.
He blacklisted Baath officials, ordered the Iraqi military and Republican Guard to disband, and abolished the Information Ministry, which exerted total control over the Iraqi media for the past four decades. The moves, while largely on paper, trumpet the U.S. position: In Iraq, times have changed.
Bremer, whose team is based in one of Saddam's palaces, has vowed to end the lawlessness and looting that has plagued Baghdad and other Iraqi cities since Saddam's fall, and to restore basic public services and utilities. Most importantly, he has said that a national conference to choose an interim government will probably not be held until July.
"We certainly have a law and order problem in Baghdad we're trying to deal with," he said last week. "We're trying to deliver security to the Iraqi people."
But, he added, "Life is getting better for Iraqis very quickly."
The perceived failure to achieve a return to normalcy, though, has cast a shadow -- not only over Bremer's performance but over the Bush administration's attempts to win international acceptance of its occupation of Iraq.
Even Britain and Australia, America's staunchest allies in the war, have acknowledged continuing problems with law and order in Baghdad. Their governments fear a further political backlash after the U.S. failure to uncover any weapons of mass destruction -- the main reason President Bush cited for the war.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who visited Iraq last week, made clear that Bremer's administration needed to do much more to restore security, saying that took precedence over any efforts to forge an interim authority.
"We really do need a better performance in re-establishing law and order," Downer said after emerging from a meeting with Bremer. "People understandably are unhappy."
On Baghdad's streets, Iraqis have little praise for Bremer's fledgling administration.
"Things have become worse since he arrived. Gas lines are longer, garbage is piling up, there's no electricity, and security is so bad that people are too scared to allow their children to go to school," said Alaa Rasul, 47, a Baghdad handyman with 5 children.
"This is not freedom," he said. "This is chaos."
Although no crime statistics are available, during the past week there appeared to be less gunfire on Baghdad's streets. Still, the appearance of bodies killed in overnight robberies or confrontations has become a routine event.
On Sunday morning, traffic crawled around a dead man lying on the pavement on Jadiriyah Bridge as U.S. soldiers arrived to remove it. Later, a group of looters, dressed in fake police uniforms, stopped cars on a main thoroughfare and shot a driver who refused to hand over his keys.
U.S. officials insist things are getting better.
They say the lawlessness is being steadily reduced and say that the 1st Armored Division -- a unit with significant experience in conflict resolution -- is arriving to take over responsibility for security in the capital from the 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd saw heavy fighting during the war and has been helping keep the peace since.
Some analysts have said the 3rd Infantry Division has had trouble transforming itself from a fighting force into a peacekeeping unit tasked mainly with policing duties -- and trouble cooperating with the newly reconstituted police force.
"This will be our prime mission, to improve security throughout the city," said Maj. Scott Slaten, spokesman for the 1st Armored.
Slaten said the division's three armored brigades were currently taking up positions in the city. Changes will include the arrival of thousands more U.S. military police in Baghdad in coming weeks, he said, though exact numbers haven't been released.
The heavy Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles rumbling around Baghdad since April will be replaced with more nimble Humvees. The new division also plans to use its 4th Brigade -- composed of Apache and Black Hawk helicopters -- to assist ground patrols, especially at night.
To beef up security even more, the former New York Police Department commissioner Bernard Kerik has been hired "to assist in the establishment of security, stability and law and order in Iraq."
But a group of Iraqi men gathered in a storefront near the U.S. headquarters said they were wondering when the normal rhythms of daily life would return.
"Bremer is always hiding in Saddam's palace, he never comes out to see how we live," said Ahmed Jassim, a 55-year-old builder.
He pointed to the gridlock at the intersection directly in front of the palace gate, and at the U.S. sentries looking on impassively.
"Look at this mess. They can't even regulate traffic in front of their base," he said. "How can they hope to solve problems elsewhere in Baghdad?"
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-plotting-the-future,0,2233343.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
This news story was sent to you by request
A news story has been electronically sent to you at the request of the
sender listed below. The story originally appeared in post-gazette.com,
the online edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The sender supplied the following information. A reply to this message
will be directed to the e-mail address supplied by the sender.
Name: Patti
E-mail: spliffslips@aol.com
Message:
Sender IP: 172.192.120.177
Click here to access the story:
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---
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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
From: spliffslips
--------------------
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
--------------------
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer
May 25, 2003, 3:36 PM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- He's banned the Baathists from government, ordered Iraqis to disarm and consigned Saddam Hussein's military to history's trash bin.
L. Paul Bremer has all but said there's a new sheriff in town, yet the U.S. civilian administrator's difficult task has just begun to restore order and basic public services and show that the American effort to rebuild post-war Iraq is advancing steadily.
Since Bremer arrived in Iraq on May 12 and took the reins of the American-led administration from retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, he has moved quickly to expunge the remnants of Saddam's regime from positions of influence.
After U.S. military authorities banned the Baath Party, Bremer outlawed other organizations that also served as the pillars of Saddam's regime, including the government's various security agencies.
He blacklisted Baath officials, ordered the Iraqi military and Republican Guard to disband, and abolished the Information Ministry, which exerted total control over the Iraqi media for the past four decades. The moves, while largely on paper, trumpet the U.S. position: In Iraq, times have changed.
Bremer, whose team is based in one of Saddam's palaces, has vowed to end the lawlessness and looting that has plagued Baghdad and other Iraqi cities since Saddam's fall, and to restore basic public services and utilities. Most importantly, he has said that a national conference to choose an interim government will probably not be held until July.
"We certainly have a law and order problem in Baghdad we're trying to deal with," he said last week. "We're trying to deliver security to the Iraqi people."
But, he added, "Life is getting better for Iraqis very quickly."
The perceived failure to achieve a return to normalcy, though, has cast a shadow -- not only over Bremer's performance but over the Bush administration's attempts to win international acceptance of its occupation of Iraq.
Even Britain and Australia, America's staunchest allies in the war, have acknowledged continuing problems with law and order in Baghdad. Their governments fear a further political backlash after the U.S. failure to uncover any weapons of mass destruction -- the main reason President Bush cited for the war.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who visited Iraq last week, made clear that Bremer's administration needed to do much more to restore security, saying that took precedence over any efforts to forge an interim authority.
"We really do need a better performance in re-establishing law and order," Downer said after emerging from a meeting with Bremer. "People understandably are unhappy."
On Baghdad's streets, Iraqis have little praise for Bremer's fledgling administration.
"Things have become worse since he arrived. Gas lines are longer, garbage is piling up, there's no electricity, and security is so bad that people are too scared to allow their children to go to school," said Alaa Rasul, 47, a Baghdad handyman with 5 children.
"This is not freedom," he said. "This is chaos."
Although no crime statistics are available, during the past week there appeared to be less gunfire on Baghdad's streets. Still, the appearance of bodies killed in overnight robberies or confrontations has become a routine event.
On Sunday morning, traffic crawled around a dead man lying on the pavement on Jadiriyah Bridge as U.S. soldiers arrived to remove it. Later, a group of looters, dressed in fake police uniforms, stopped cars on a main thoroughfare and shot a driver who refused to hand over his keys.
U.S. officials insist things are getting better.
They say the lawlessness is being steadily reduced and say that the 1st Armored Division -- a unit with significant experience in conflict resolution -- is arriving to take over responsibility for security in the capital from the 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd saw heavy fighting during the war and has been helping keep the peace since.
Some analysts have said the 3rd Infantry Division has had trouble transforming itself from a fighting force into a peacekeeping unit tasked mainly with policing duties -- and trouble cooperating with the newly reconstituted police force.
"This will be our prime mission, to improve security throughout the city," said Maj. Scott Slaten, spokesman for the 1st Armored.
Slaten said the division's three armored brigades were currently taking up positions in the city. Changes will include the arrival of thousands more U.S. military police in Baghdad in coming weeks, he said, though exact numbers haven't been released.
The heavy Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles rumbling around Baghdad since April will be replaced with more nimble Humvees. The new division also plans to use its 4th Brigade -- composed of Apache and Black Hawk helicopters -- to assist ground patrols, especially at night.
To beef up security even more, the former New York Police Department commissioner Bernard Kerik has been hired "to assist in the establishment of security, stability and law and order in Iraq."
But a group of Iraqi men gathered in a storefront near the U.S. headquarters said they were wondering when the normal rhythms of daily life would return.
"Bremer is always hiding in Saddam's palace, he never comes out to see how we live," said Ahmed Jassim, a 55-year-old builder.
He pointed to the gridlock at the intersection directly in front of the palace gate, and at the U.S. sentries looking on impassively.
"Look at this mess. They can't even regulate traffic in front of their base," he said. "How can they hope to solve problems elsewhere in Baghdad?"
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-plotting-the-future,0,2233343.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
This news story was sent to you by request
A news story has been electronically sent to you at the request of the
sender listed below. The story originally appeared in post-gazette.com,
the online edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The sender supplied the following information. A reply to this message
will be directed to the e-mail address supplied by the sender.
Name: Patti
E-mail: spliffslips@aol.com
Message:
Sender IP: 172.192.120.177
Click here to access the story:
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---
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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
From: spliffslips
--------------------
Bremer's Work in Iraq Just Beginning
--------------------
By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer
May 25, 2003, 3:36 PM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- He's banned the Baathists from government, ordered Iraqis to disarm and consigned Saddam Hussein's military to history's trash bin.
L. Paul Bremer has all but said there's a new sheriff in town, yet the U.S. civilian administrator's difficult task has just begun to restore order and basic public services and show that the American effort to rebuild post-war Iraq is advancing steadily.
Since Bremer arrived in Iraq on May 12 and took the reins of the American-led administration from retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, he has moved quickly to expunge the remnants of Saddam's regime from positions of influence.
After U.S. military authorities banned the Baath Party, Bremer outlawed other organizations that also served as the pillars of Saddam's regime, including the government's various security agencies.
He blacklisted Baath officials, ordered the Iraqi military and Republican Guard to disband, and abolished the Information Ministry, which exerted total control over the Iraqi media for the past four decades. The moves, while largely on paper, trumpet the U.S. position: In Iraq, times have changed.
Bremer, whose team is based in one of Saddam's palaces, has vowed to end the lawlessness and looting that has plagued Baghdad and other Iraqi cities since Saddam's fall, and to restore basic public services and utilities. Most importantly, he has said that a national conference to choose an interim government will probably not be held until July.
"We certainly have a law and order problem in Baghdad we're trying to deal with," he said last week. "We're trying to deliver security to the Iraqi people."
But, he added, "Life is getting better for Iraqis very quickly."
The perceived failure to achieve a return to normalcy, though, has cast a shadow -- not only over Bremer's performance but over the Bush administration's attempts to win international acceptance of its occupation of Iraq.
Even Britain and Australia, America's staunchest allies in the war, have acknowledged continuing problems with law and order in Baghdad. Their governments fear a further political backlash after the U.S. failure to uncover any weapons of mass destruction -- the main reason President Bush cited for the war.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, who visited Iraq last week, made clear that Bremer's administration needed to do much more to restore security, saying that took precedence over any efforts to forge an interim authority.
"We really do need a better performance in re-establishing law and order," Downer said after emerging from a meeting with Bremer. "People understandably are unhappy."
On Baghdad's streets, Iraqis have little praise for Bremer's fledgling administration.
"Things have become worse since he arrived. Gas lines are longer, garbage is piling up, there's no electricity, and security is so bad that people are too scared to allow their children to go to school," said Alaa Rasul, 47, a Baghdad handyman with 5 children.
"This is not freedom," he said. "This is chaos."
Although no crime statistics are available, during the past week there appeared to be less gunfire on Baghdad's streets. Still, the appearance of bodies killed in overnight robberies or confrontations has become a routine event.
On Sunday morning, traffic crawled around a dead man lying on the pavement on Jadiriyah Bridge as U.S. soldiers arrived to remove it. Later, a group of looters, dressed in fake police uniforms, stopped cars on a main thoroughfare and shot a driver who refused to hand over his keys.
U.S. officials insist things are getting better.
They say the lawlessness is being steadily reduced and say that the 1st Armored Division -- a unit with significant experience in conflict resolution -- is arriving to take over responsibility for security in the capital from the 3rd Infantry Division. The 3rd saw heavy fighting during the war and has been helping keep the peace since.
Some analysts have said the 3rd Infantry Division has had trouble transforming itself from a fighting force into a peacekeeping unit tasked mainly with policing duties -- and trouble cooperating with the newly reconstituted police force.
"This will be our prime mission, to improve security throughout the city," said Maj. Scott Slaten, spokesman for the 1st Armored.
Slaten said the division's three armored brigades were currently taking up positions in the city. Changes will include the arrival of thousands more U.S. military police in Baghdad in coming weeks, he said, though exact numbers haven't been released.
The heavy Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles rumbling around Baghdad since April will be replaced with more nimble Humvees. The new division also plans to use its 4th Brigade -- composed of Apache and Black Hawk helicopters -- to assist ground patrols, especially at night.
To beef up security even more, the former New York Police Department commissioner Bernard Kerik has been hired "to assist in the establishment of security, stability and law and order in Iraq."
But a group of Iraqi men gathered in a storefront near the U.S. headquarters said they were wondering when the normal rhythms of daily life would return.
"Bremer is always hiding in Saddam's palace, he never comes out to see how we live," said Ahmed Jassim, a 55-year-old builder.
He pointed to the gridlock at the intersection directly in front of the palace gate, and at the U.S. sentries looking on impassively.
"Look at this mess. They can't even regulate traffic in front of their base," he said. "How can they hope to solve problems elsewhere in Baghdad?"
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-plotting-the-future,0,2233343.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
This news story was sent to you by request
A news story has been electronically sent to you at the request of the
sender listed below. The story originally appeared in post-gazette.com,
the online edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
The sender supplied the following information. A reply to this message
will be directed to the e-mail address supplied by the sender.
Name: Patti
E-mail: spliffslips@aol.com
Message:
Sender IP: 172.192.120.177
Click here to access the story:
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---
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AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
From: spliffslips
--------------------
AP-Latest-Iraq-War-Headlines At 10:30 a.m. EDT
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 25, 2003, 10:32 AM EDT
More Troops Are Needed to Restore Order in Iraq, British Official Says; U.S. Plans More Patrols
Sailor Who Served in Iraq War Presumed Dead After Falling Overboard During Return to U.S.
U.S. Coalition Makes It Official: Iraqis Must Give Up Weapons by Mid-June
Key Developments Concerning Iraq
Iraq's Crude Output Will Double in a Month and Exports Will Resume in 3 Weeks, Official Says
British Broadcasting Corp. Plans to Show Graphic Footage of British Soldiers Killed in Iraq
Six Lion Cubs Born in Baghdad Zoo to Be Relocated to South Africa Sanctuary
Local Elections in Kirk, Iraq, End in Shouting Matches, Threats of Arab Walkout
Handing Over Control: As Fresh Troops Take Over Baghdad, Iraqis Get New Neighbors
Shiites in Baghdad Said to Be Tracking Down, Killing Baathists
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
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This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-latest-iraq-war-headlines,0,6613873.story
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Saturday, May 24, 2003
Five Suspected Saddam Loyalists Detained: "American soldiers detained five members of an Arab delegation participating in voting for a northern Iraqi oil town's new city council Saturday, saying they were suspected members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraqis paid first wages since war in BBC: War in Iraq
The silencing of dissent on graduation day (22 May 03) in Radio Free USA
Iraq Oil Output Predicted To Double Soon: "This from ABC News (US) : The acting oil minister of postwar Iraq predicted Saturday that crude production would double within a month and oil exports would resume "within three weeks."
"
Thamer al-Ghadhban said Iraq was currently producing 700,000 barrels of oil a day and working hard under U.S. occupation to increase that number as quickly as possible.
"It is a matter of a few weeks, and we can reach 1.3 or 1.5 million barrels a day," al-Ghadhban said at a coalition-sponsored news conference in the capital. Prewar production under Saddam Hussein was about 3 million barrels daily.
In Command Post: Irak
Iraq Liquor Trade Becomes Casualty Of Chaos: "Democracy! Whiskey! Sexy! The New York Times reports that: Mr. Hussein shuttered Basra's dance halls and bars in the early 1990's, though he allowed the minority Christian population to keep their liquor stores open under government oversight. Since his fall, however, the owners of the liquor outlets have seen their livelihoods victimized by a series of attacks on the alcohol industry.
WHAT?! I don't know how y'all feel, but for me, this may be the most compelling reason to fear a non-secular majority government in Iraq. And I KNOW how Michele feels about her margaritas ..."
One store owner recently had a firebomb thrown into his shop. At least two others have been shot dead and several have received warnings from armed men that the new Iraq does not allow alcohol.
In Command Post: Irak
war blog updates
Iraq Liquor Trade Becomes Casualty of Chaos: "The owners of liquor stores have seen their livelihoods victimized by a series of attacks on the alcohol industry."
In New York Times: World Special
Dosky and Tubbs: "An unlikely partnership that has paid dividends during the ground campaign in Iraq and the messy peace that has followed."
In New York Times: World Special
COALITION EFFORTS AID IRAQ'S RECOVERY in CENTCOM: News Release
Army War College Monograph On Reconstructing Iraq: "Here's something worth reading, found via the Atlantic Monthly's Primary Sources : A monograph recently published by the Strategic Studies Institute of the Army War College lays out in comprehensive detail the many obstacles that will confront coalition forces after presumed military victory in Iraq. Written by Conrad C. Crane, the director of the U.S. Army Military History Institute, and W. Andrew Terrill, the SSI's Middle East specialist, the report points out that U.S. forces will have to prevent Sunnis from fighting Shiites, secular Iraqis from fighting religious ones, returned Iraqi exiles from fighting non-exiles, Kurds from fighting Turkomans or establishing an independent state, tribes within all these groups from fighting one another, Turkey from invading from the north, Iran from invading from the east, and the defeated Iraqi army?which may be the only national institution that can keep the country from being ripped apart?from dissolving. All that (the easy part) is merely a prelude to the hard work of nation-building...
You can read the summary, and download the entire report in PDF format, here ."
... The report includes, as an appendix, a "mission matrix for Iraq": a list of 135 tasks that must be accomplished, including securing weapons of mass destruction, training a new Iraqi army, stabilizing the currency, training indigenous lawyers to work in new courts, and operating orphanages.
In Command Post: Irak
GOOD NEWS: Baghdad IMC established: " At http://www.almuajaha.com/ you will find the new, bilingual, Iraqi Independent Media Center. ..."
In Catalyzer Newsroom
US abolishes former Iraq army, assurances given on postwar contracts: "A day after UN sanctions on Iraq were ended, the United States announced Saddam Hussein's army had been abolished while UN Secretary General Kofi Annan named Sergio Vieira de Mello his special representative in Iraq. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
US Fires State Workers to Rid Iraq of Saddam Links: "Iraq's U.S. governor, wielding powersnewly endorsed at the United Nations, fired hundreds ofthousands of state employees Friday as part of what he called adrive to rid the nation of links to Saddam Hussein's era. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
US: No AIDS drugs to countries banning GMO food: " A bill backed by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist suggests, in veiled terms, that African countries..."
In Catalyzer Newsroom
Iraqi Jews Seeking Claims: "Now that the war on Iraq is winding down, exiled Iraqi Jews, from the wealthy community dating back to the Babylonian Exile of 587 BCE, are considering compensation claims for their property expropriated 50 years ago by Saddam's predecessors. . . . in 1950, the Iraqi parliament stripped Jews of their citizenship if they registered to leave the country. And later legislation effectively confiscated the property of those who had declared their intention to leave. ?Detailed regulations limited the items which emigrating Jews were permitted to take with them. Even the permitted number of pairs of shoes and sets of underwear was set out in the law,? she said. ?As a result of these legislative confiscations, an estimated $150 million to $200 million worth of Jewish property was left behind in Iraq.?
"
In Command Post: Irak
No Talks for Saddam's Son Odai, U.S. Says: "American military commanders are making it clear that the Bush administration will accept nothing less than unconditional surrender from Saddam Hussein's eldest son - and, by implication, his top advisers and Baath Party members still hiding in Iraq. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
UN Iraq Resolution Lacks Teeth on Rights, Say Groups: "WASHINGTON, DC, May 23 (OneWorld) - In lifting 12-year-old sanctions against Iraq, the United Nations Security Council has missed a key opportunity to address key human rights concerns, U.S. and other rights groups said Thursday. (OneWorld.net)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Time's attack on Canada doesn't ask right question (22 May 03) in Radio Free USA
NGOs decry 'bribes' and 'threats' behind U.N. vote (23 May 03) in Radio Free USA
Friday, May 23, 2003
War Blog Updates
IAEA confirms plans to send nuclear inspections team to Iraq: "The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it would soon send inspectors to a nuclear facility in Iraq after reaching an agreement with the United States. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Congress asks CIA to "reevaluate" intelligence on WMDs in Iraq: "Congress asked the CIA to "reevaluate" the quality of US intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, and on that country's links with the al-Qaeda terrorist network. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
How many lives per gallon, indeed: "A survey being conducted in Iraq right now suggests that anywhere from 5,000 to 10,000 Iraqi civilians were killed in "Operation: Iraqi Freedom." Because the investigators from the Iraqi Red Crescent aren't finished, they won't commit to numbers, but one searcher had this to say: "Thousands are dead, thousands are missing, thousands are captured. It is a big disaster.""
In Alternet: War On Iraq
Annan Names UN Rights Chief as His Envoy on Iraq: "Secretary-General Kofi Annan hasnamed the U.N. human rights chief on Friday as his specialrepresentative for Iraq, clearing the way for the world body tobegin fleshing out its role in Iraqi reconstruction, U.N.sources said on Friday. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
US seizes truck with suspected 500 million dollars in gold bars in Iraq: "US soldiers in Iraq seized a truck believed to be loaded with 2,000 gold bars worth as much as 500 million dollars during a routine search near the Syrian border, the US military said. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Allies Kiss And Make Up: "In his latest Diplomatic Dispatch, CBS News State Department Reporter Charles Wolfson looks at the postwar rapprochement between the U.S. and foes of its invasion of Iraq, France, Russia and Germany."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
Two Hurt in Attack on Israeli Bus: "The Islamic militant group Hamas attacked an Israeli bus in the Gaza Strip with explosives Friday - an apparent challenge to Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas a day after he asked the group to stop targeting Israelis."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
U.S. Troops in Iraq Find $34M in Gold: "American troops confiscated gold bars valued at $34 million from a truck in northern Iraq, defense officials said Friday."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Blix Suspects Iraq May Have Had No Banned Weapons: "From WCVB : The chief U.N. weapons inspector says he's starting to suspect Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction.
For those with the interest, you can read the original article Der Taggesspiegel article here , and a Google Bablefish translation here ."
Hans Blix told a German newspaper, Der Tagesspiegel, that Saddam Hussein's evasive behavior may have only been related to his need to control - and wasn't about hiding weapons of mass destruction.
Blix notes in the interview that the man whom officials identified as the leader of Iraq's unconventional weapons program surrendered, and told the United States there were no weapons of mass destruction.
Blix says the Iraqi is likely telling the truth because he no longer fears retaliation by Saddam.
In Command Post: Irak
Powell: U.S. Still Disappointed In France: "From the Wichita Eagle / AP : The United States does not intend to punish France for its opposition to the U.S. invasion of Iraq, but would review joint cooperation "in the light of changed circumstances," Secretary of State Colin Powell said Friday.
"
Powell and French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin emerged from a breakfast meeting saying they would like to put the feud over Iraq behind them. Powell added that the United States wants to "work out any remaining sharp edges ... that are still there as a result of this disagreement."
In Command Post: Irak
NYTimes.com Article: Dosky and Tubbs
This article from NYTimes.com
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Dosky and Tubbs
May 23, 2003
By MICHAEL GORDON
An unlikely partnership that has paid dividends during the
ground campaign in Iraq and the messy peace that has
followed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/23/international/worldspecial3/24GORDON.html?ex=1054731424&ei=1&en=5597e5ec19b11126
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Iraq War Updates
Small Shipments Of Iraqi Oil Could Resume Next Week: "From ABS CBN (Philippines) : With the UN Security Council?s adoption Thursday of a resolution lifting sanctions on Iraq, diplomats and industry experts predicted that small shipments of Iraqi oil could resume as early as the next week or the week after.
"
By recognizing the US-led coalition?s authority over Iraq and its oil revenue, the resolution clears a major hurdle to restarting oil exports, which have been shut down since hostilities began on March 20. Iraqi oil likely will just trickle out in the early stages, with larger shipments following.
In Command Post: Irak
U.S. Troops In Iraq Find $34M In Gold: "Personally, I think our folks in uniform should get a finder's fee for things like this ... say 6%? From The Wilmington Morning Star / AP : American troops confiscated gold bars valued at $34 million from a truck in northern Iraq, defense officials said Friday.
"
The truck carrying 1,600 gold bars was stopped at a military checkpoint near Qaim, a northwestern city near Iraq's border with Syria, Pentagon officials said.
In Command Post: Irak
USA Shakes Up Iraq After UN Approval: "A take on the post-UN vote US response, from Norwegian news source Aftenposten : The US administrator in Iraq acted swiftly on America's overwhelming victory at the United Nations over its plans to rebuild the oil-rich country, dissolving several key Baathist ministries and bodies on Friday.
"
Only hours after the Security Council voted to end 13-year-old crippling sanctions, Washington's man in charge of Iraq, Paul Bremer, sacked hundreds of thousands of public employees and soldiers by abolishing the defense and information ministries and military and security courts.
In Command Post: Irak
US Disbands Iraq's Armed Forces: "From the Toronto Sun : Iraq's military and the security organizations that supported Saddam Hussein's regime have been officially dissolved, and a new defense force "representative of all Iraqis" will be set up to replace them, the U.S. civil administrator announced Friday.
"
In Command Post: Irak
Investors Dreaming of Windfalls Home in on Iraq: "Foreign entrepreneurs in Baghdadlooking to get rich in a post-Saddam Iraq unfettered by U.N.sanctions said on Friday likely rewards outweighed the dangersin a country now gripped by lawlessness. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
London axes plan for British troops to replace US troops in Baghdad: "British officials have rejected a reported plan for British troops in southern Iraq to replace US troops in Baghdad. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
European firms meet in London to push for Iraq reconstruction work: "Companies from Britain and elsewhere in Europe were meeting US construction firm Bechtel in London in the hope of winning lucrative contracts to rebuild Iraq's shattered infrastructure. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
In Basra, Iraq Scavengers Dismantle Their Own City: "Hamed Fadil was watching a Lebanesemusical on video when his house in the Iraqi city of Basra wasplunged into darkness. Looking out of the window, he sawlooters race off with the street's underground power cables. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Only the FCC can stop the media giants (22 May 03) in Radio Free USA
Uday to Surrender?: "Fox News (TV), quoting the Wall Street Journal, is reporting that Uday Hussein is negotiating a surrender.
More as we get it..."
In Command Post: Irak
War Blog Updates Iraq War
Lifting of Iraq Sanctions Frees Trade: "With the immediate lifting of economic sanctions against Iraq, the international community now can resume oil shipments and start the long process of reconstruction and building a democratic government."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Palestinians Want to Stick to 'Road Map': "Palestinian officials said Friday they would not accept any changes to a U.S. backed-Middle East peace proposal. The statements came after Israel signaled it might give cautious support to the plan, but only if some of its objections were taken into account."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Sharon Cautiously Supports Peace Plan: "President Bush is weighing a new round of personal Mideast peacemaking, hoping to capitalize on momentum gained by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's cautious embrace of a new peace plan."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Television Returns to Air in Baghdad: "During Saddam Hussein's 33-year reign, the Iraqi people could watch only state-controlled television networks whose main task was to act as Baath Party mouthpieces and praise Saddam and his policies. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
UN Council Takes Step to Patch Rifts from Iraq War: "The U.N. Security Council,taking a first step toward patching deep rifts created by theU.S.-led war on Baghdad, has granted the United States andBritain broad powers to run postwar Iraq and use its abundantoil resources to finance its reconstruction. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
War Blog Updates
Pentagon Releases Names of Marines Killed: "The Pentagon on Thursday disclosed the names of four Marines killed Monday when their CH-46 transport helicopter crashed into a canal in central Iraq shortly after takeoff. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
UN members lift sanctions on Iraq after 13 years: "After weeks of internal wrangling, the United Nations voted to lift crippling sanctions imposed on Iraq in 1990 and give the UN a key role in rebuilding the devastated country. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.S.-British Rule of Iraq Wins U.N. Vote: "Putting aside bitter divisions over the Iraqi war, the U.N. Security Council gave the United States and Britain a mandate Thursday to govern Iraq and use its oil riches to rebuild the country. The resolution opened the door to a quick resumption of oil exports. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Senior Baath Party Leader in U.S. Custody: "Reports of a death notice and a mourning ceremony did not fool U.S. forces tracking down Aziz Saleh al-Numan, the highest-ranking capture on the list of the 55 most-wanted Iraqis. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Al Qaeda in Iran, so sayeth Iran in IraqWar.info
Iraqis fire in the air to celebrate lifting of UN sanctions: "Celebratory gunfire rattled out across the Iraqi countryside and tracer fire and flares lit up the sky as Iraqis celebrated the lifting of 13 years of sweeping UN sanctions and the hope of a better life. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Texas dept of public safety shreds documents used in Democratic lawmaker manhunt (22 May 03) in Radio Free USA
Propaganda? Was Pfc. Lynch used? (22 May 03) in Radio Free USA
Afghans' uranium levels spark alert (22 May 03) in Radio Free USA
A new level of French-bashing: "Six French journalists were detained and treated as prisoners for 26 hours this week for attempting to cover a video game trade show in Los Angeles without a press visa. The article from Reporters Without Borders details disturbingly arbitrary rules governing who would be allowed entry, and who would be detained, interrogated, and physically searched before being forcibly sent back to their home country."
In Alternet: War On Iraq
Thursday, May 22, 2003
260 DIE AS EARTHQUAKE HITS ALGERIA: "At least 260 people feared dead and nearly 1,700 injured as massive earthquake rocks Algeria..."
In Mirror.co.uk
KILL SMOKING: "192 nations sign historic anti-tobacco pact"
In Mirror.co.uk
CNN.com - Iran admits holding al Qaeda operatives - May. 22, 2003
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Byrd Says Bush Built 'House of Cards' on Iraq War in IraqWar.ru (English)
US analysts link Iraq labs to germ agents in IraqWar.ru (English)
Keep the eyes peeled in IraqWar.ru (English)
Bombings Expose Rifts in Saudi Society in IraqWar.ru (English)
U.S. hockey fans smack 'communist' Canadians in IraqWar.ru (English)
Support Our Troops Send A Care Package
Tehran Demands Proof al-Qaida in Iran: "Iran demanded on Thursday that Washington prove its claims that Tehran harbors al-Qaida terrorists and accused Osama bin Laden's network of "threatening" Iranian national interests."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Unpatriotic Halliburton: "Who is more unpatriotic - the Dixie Chicks for speaking out against the war or Halliburton for doing business with most of the countries on the so-called axis of evil. In an excellent column, Bob Herbert points out that this is the company that opened an office in Teheran in 2000, asserting, "We are committed to position ourselves in a market that offers huge growth potential." Continue »"
In Alternet: War On Iraq
CIA Eyeing Its Iraq Spying: "Before the war, the U.S. made a list of allegations against Iraq concerning illegal weapons and terrorism. Now the CIA is looking at whether the prewar intelligence matches up with what troops are finding on the ground."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
war blog iraq war updates
5,000 to 10,000 Iraqi civilians dead in IraqWar.info
Arab-American woman goes to court over parking tickets - judge accuses her of being a terrorist (21 May 03) in Radio Free USA
U.S. Troops Shoot Two Iraqis After Being Rocketed: "Gunmen fired rocket-propelledgrenades at a U.S. armored vehicle in the tense Iraqi town ofFalluja late on Wednesday, prompting heavy retaliation thatkilled two Iraqis. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.S. Armored Vehicle Damaged in Ambush: "A U.S. armored vehicle was ambushed during a late-night raid in a restive city in central Iraq, an American military officer said Thursday. Townspeople said two Iraqi civilians were killed in the shooting that followed. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
French Official: Iraq War Stance the Same: "French support for a U.S.-backed resolution on Iraqi reconstruction does not mean Paris now approves of the U.S.-led invasion, the foreign minister said Thursday."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
4 More Arrests Made in Saudi Crackdown: "Saudi police have arrested four more suspects linked to al-Qaida in their crackdown on extremists following the Riyadh bombings, a Western diplomat said Thursday."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Report: Istanbul Blast Injures at Least 2: "An explosion at a small snack bar in downtown Istanbul injured at least two people Thursday, news reports said."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
U.N. Council to End 13 Years of Sanctions on Iraq: "A drive by the United States toend 13 years of U.N. sanctions on Iraq looked set for approvalfrom the Security Council on Thursday after France, Germany andRussia announced their support. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
British officer denies allegations he mistreated Iraqi POWs: "A senior British army officer has denied allegations he mistreated prisoners of war during the recent conflict in Iraq, in an interview published here. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
War critics back US Iraq plans in BBC: War in Iraq
U.S. Troops Kill Two Iraqis After Attack -Witnesses: "Gunmen fired anti-tank rockets ata U.S. armored vehicle in the tense Iraqi town of Fallujahovernight, sending U.S. troops into a shooting spree thatkilled two Iraqis, residents said on Thursday. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Kurds Flock Back to Iraqi Oil City: "Ahmad Najib Ahmad didn't wait. As soon as Saddam Hussein was ousted, Ahmad grabbed his wife and 2-year-old son and joined hundreds of other Kurds in moving back to Kirkuk, part of a migration that could create a Kurdish majority in northern Iraq's oil center. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.S. Peacekeeping Unit Arrives in Iraq: "The United States' most experienced peacekeeping unit has arrived and is ready to tame the chaotic, lawless Iraqi capital. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraqi Officials Probe Looted Nuclear Site: "The Iraqi Health Ministry has ordered an immediate health assessment around the country's largest nuclear facility after scavengers said they came into contact with radioactive materials they removed from the site. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Still Angry Over War, Pentagon Limits Contacts With France: "From WaPo : Months after France said it would veto a U.N. resolution authorizing the invasion of Iraq, forcing the United States to withdraw the measure and go to war without it, realpolitik has overcome resentment in most of the Bush administration. Although there is little desire to cuddle up with Paris, officials at the White House and the State Department say they are willing to work with the French on issues where views coincide, and work around or oppose them when they disagree.
There's more; read the rest ..."
But the Pentagon apparently is not ready to move on. A Defense spokesman said yesterday that slots for foreigners in Red Flag, an exercise held with a rotating group of allies several times a year, in which France has participated annually since the 1980s, "are going to be reserved for those with whom we will likely be participating in operations in the future."
In Command Post: Irak
Illness Reported After N-Site Looting: "Related to this post , from the Advertiser (Australia): The Iraqi Health Ministry has ordered an immediate health survey around the country's largest nuclear facility amid fears for locals after looting.
"
US military officials, who are conducting a damage assessment at the Tuwaitha plant, have said a fifth of the radioactive materials knnown to have been stored there are missing...
... Villagers nearby have begun reporting ill effects they attribute to contact with hazardous waste.
Menem Abed Ali, who lives in the village of al-Mansia adjacent to the plant, said that since the looting took place he had been suffering from exhaustion and skin irritation.
In Command Post: Irak
Canadian Soldier Injured In Iraq: "From CBC News : A Canadian Forces officer has suffered minor injuries in an explosion near the Baghdad airport, the Defence Department said on Wednesday.
"
The officer was injured last Friday when a grenade exploded near a convoy the soldier was travelling in. He suffered shrapnel scrapes on one arm and temporary hearing loss, the military said. The officer has returned to duty.
In Command Post: Irak
US Soldier Behind Allegations Of British Misconduct In Iraq War: "An update on this post , from The Scotsman : A US officer is behind allegations about the conduct of a high-profile British Army officer during the war in Iraq, it emerged today.
"
The Ministry of Defence is investigating Lieutenant Colonel Tim Collins, who commanded the 1st Battalion of the Royal Irish Rangers during the war against Saddam Hussein?s forces.
In Command Post: Irak
War Blog Iraq War Updates
Surveys Pointing To High Civilian Death Toll In Iraq: "From the CSM : Evidence is mounting to suggest that between 5,000 and 10,000 Iraqi civilians may have died during the recent war, according to researchers involved in independent surveys of the country.
"
None of the local and foreign researchers were willing to speak for the record, however, until their tallies are complete.
Such a range would make the Iraq war the deadliest campaign for noncombatants that US forces have fought since Vietnam.
In Command Post: Irak
US Marines To Leave Iraq By End Of August: "From MSNBC : All 60,000 U.S. Marines now in Iraq and Kuwait are expected to leave the Gulf and return to home bases in the United States and elsewhere by the end of August, the Marine Corps commandant said on Wednesday ...
Of course, if you've been reading the Op-Ed page, you know that others have a different explanation for the Marines' departure ..."
... While up to 100,000 or more U.S. Army troops are expected to remain in Iraq to help keep peace and stability, Hagee said that Marines - now in southern Iraq - were likely to be replaced by forces volunteered by other nations.
In Command Post: Irak
Four Blasts Near US Forces In Iraq, Jazeera Says: "From Reuters : Four explosions rocked a U.S. command post near the Iraqi town of Fallujah and a U.S. tank was ablaze, Qatar-based al-Jazeera television reported on Wednesday, citing witnesses at the scene.
"
U.S. officials at the Pentagon and at U.S. central command said they had no information on anything happening in Falluja, west of Baghdad.
In Command Post: Irak
France, Germany, Russia To Back Iraq Resolution: "Up with the Coalition of The Willing To Help Out Afterwards! From Reuters : France, Germany and Russia have decided to back the latest draft of a U.S.-proposed resolution lifting U.N. sanctions on Iraq, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said Wednesday.
"
"Even if this text does not go as far as we would like we have decided to vote for this resolution... This is because we have chosen the path of unity of the international community," Villepin said at a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer and Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov.
In Command Post: Irak
Occupation Of Iraq Illegal, Blair Told: "And what if it was Germany, 1945? From the Guardian : Leaked advice from the attorney general, Lord Goldsmith, reveals that he warned Tony Blair two months ago that attempts at postwar reconstruction of Iraq by US-British occupying authorities would be unlawful without a further UN resolution.
"
Lord Goldsmith, the government's chief law officer, told the prime minister that the longer the occupation went on and the more the actions of the occupying authorities departed from their main task of disarmament, the harder it would be to justify the occupation as lawful.
In Command Post: Irak
US: IAEA Inspectors Will Soon Be In Iraq: "An update on this post , from VOA : State Department spokesman Richard Boucher says Washington and the International Atomic Energy Agency have agreed to send a joint team to the Tuwaitha nuclear research center as soon as it is ready to go.
"
In Command Post: Irak
Bush got balls: "Dubya's campaign photo-op on the deck of an aircraft carrier dazzled the American people, who got an eyeful of their president "assets" thanks to his crotch-hugging uniform. A coinicidence? Richard Goldstein doesn't think so: "I can't prove they gave him a sock job, but clearly they thought long and hard about the crotch shot. ... nothing works like fighter-pilot drag, with its straps that frame and shape the groin.""
In Alternet: War On Iraq
Wednesday, May 21, 2003
U.N. Poised to Lift Iraq Sanctions Thursday -Envoys: "The Security Council is expectedto approve on Thursday a U.S. bid to lift U.N. sanctions onIraq after Washington offered fresh concessions to reassurecountries seeking a greater U.N. voice in Iraqi reconstruction,diplomats said on Wednesday. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Total Information Awareness 2.0: "The Pentagon is set to launch LifeLog, an ambitious program designed to collect information about a person's life into a searchable database. Which information, you ask? ALL OF IT! Everything you say, everywhere you go, all you do, even all you feel recorded in the name of national security."
In Alternet: War On Iraq
Saudi Suspects Accused of Plotting Hijack: "Three al-Qaida suspects arrested in Saudi Arabia this week planned to hijack a plane from the southwestern port city of Jiddah, Saudi security officials said, in what appeared to be a plot for a suicide attack."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Draft resolution on Iraq is final: Negroponte: "The United States said that its draft resolution to lift UN sanctions on Iraq would be put to the vote in the Security Council at 9:30 am (1330 GMT) Thursday and that it hoped for a unanimous approval. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.S.: Some Iraq Nuclear Material Missing: "Some 20 percent of the known radioactive materials stored at Iraq's largest nuclear facility are unaccounted for, and U.S. nuclear experts have found radioactive patches on the ground where looters dumped out barrels believed to contain hazardous materials."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
COALITION EFFORTS AID IRAQ'S RECOVERY ( MAY 21, 2003) in CENTCOM: News Release
War Blog Iraq War Updates
US makes fresh bid to win UN support on Iraq sanctions: "The United States was expected to unveil a fresh revision of the resolution to lift UN sanctions against Baghdad, as Washington's top administrator in Iraq postponed a key meeting on the country's political future. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
British officer reportedly in Iraq war conduct probe: "A top British army officer, praised for his inspirational speech on the eve of the war in Iraq, is facing allegations that his treatment of prisoners of war and an Iraqi civic leader may have broken the Geneva Convention, The Sun tabloid said Wednesday. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Fluffy the Iraqi Wonder dog saved by US Spec Ops in IraqWar.info
'I knew my soldier husband wasn't coming back': "The widow of an Army bomb disposal expert feared to have been executed during the war in Iraq has told how she "just knew" her husband was not coming home."
In Ananova: War In Iraq
Annan says he?ll move quickly on Iraq envoy once Security Council acts: "United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today he would move ?very quickly? to appoint a Special Representative for Iraq as soon as the Security Council passes a resolution to that effect."
In Electronic Iraq
Unexploded ordnance injure 350 in Kirkuk: "Unexploded ordnance (UXOs), left by Iraqi forces fighting around Iraq's northern city of Kirkuk, was injuring an average of 25 people per day following the fall of the city to coalition forces on 10 April, according to an international NGO working on UXO and mine clearance in the region."
In Electronic Iraq
U.S. plans to keep control of Iraq oil in Radio Free USA
NATO Envoys Back Polish Call for Iraq Help: "NATO ambassadors agreed unanimouslyWednesday to provide Poland with the logistical support itsought in running a "stabilization zone" in Iraq. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.K., Germany Close Saudi Embassies: "Britain, Germany and Italy joined the United States in closing diplomatic offices in Saudi Arabia after officials warned al-Qaida was plotting new attacks and U.S. authorities raised the national terror alert level."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
War Blog Iraq War Updates
"They are changing themselves like snakes!": "Plagued by street crime, power blackouts and punishing heat, Iraqis take to the streets to denounce the resilient elements of Saddam's ruling party."
In Salon: Iraq War
UN agencies push on with relief work in Iraq: "United Nations relief agencies continued to step up their activities in Iraq today, both from the overall standpoint of general coordination and from the more specific focus of settling special issues."
In Electronic Iraq
Security Council resolution silent on human rights: "The new U.N. draft resolution on Iraq contains no explicit plans for protecting human rights or setting up an international tribunal for past abuses. These defects will make it much more difficult to establish peace and security in Iraq, Human Rights Watch said today."
In Electronic Iraq
Franks War Crimes Complaint Sent to U.S.: "The lawyer who filed a war crimes complaint against the commander of U.S.-led forces in Iraq said Wednesday he will appeal a government decision to refer the case to the United States."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
U.S. Calls for Thursday U.N. Iraq Vote: "The United States has called for a vote Thursday on a U.N. resolution to let the U.S.-led coalition run Iraq until it has a recognized government and use the country's oil revenues for reconstruction. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Barrels Missing From Iraqi Nuclear Site: "Some 20 percent of the known radioactive materials stored at Iraq's largest nuclear facility are unaccounted for, and U.S. nuclear experts have found radioactive patches on the ground where looters dumped out barrels believed to contain hazardous materials. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraqi Politicians to Issue a Protest of Occupation Rule: "[NYT] Iraq's main political groups said tonight that they were drafting a formal statement of protest to the American and British authorities over their plans to declare an occupation authority in Iraq, which would delay the rapid turnover of sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government.
Iraqi political figures who attended a meeting tonight with David Manning, the foreign policy adviser to Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, said they wanted to work in partnership with Washington and London. But they said they were strongly opposed to the reversal in policy announced to them Friday.
Full story..."
In Command Post: Irak
Barrels Missing From Iraqi Nuclear Site: "Some 20 percent of the known radioactive materials stored at Iraq's largest nuclear facility are unaccounted for, and U.S. nuclear experts have found radioactive patches on the ground where looters dumped out barrels believed to contain hazardous materials."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Iraqi Gov't Conference Delayed Until July: "A national conference that will pick Iraq's new interim government will probably be delayed until mid-July, the top U.S. official in Iraq said Wednesday."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Vote delayed on bid to end Iraq sanctions: "UN Security Council members discussed a proposal to lift sanctions against Iraq as Washington and London offered new concessions to opponents of the measure. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Tuesday, May 20, 2003
Israel Leaves Gaza Town After 5-Day Siege: "Hundreds of residents of Beit Hanoun burned tires and blocked the main road Tuesday, in a burst of anger at militants who have prompted Israeli incursions by firing rockets from the town at Israeli targets."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Coalition set for long Iraq role in BBC News | War in Iraq
Iraq's landmine legacy: "The UN says Iraq is littered with devices aimed to maim and kill."
In BBC News | War in Iraq
War Blog Iraq War Updates
Iraq 'first battle of a wider US war' (20 May 03) in Radio Free USA
You let al-Qaida off hook, Bush told -- Democrats attack presidential record on homeland security (19 May 03) in Radio Free USA
US claim: Thousands of al-Qaida suspects ready to attack (19 May 03) in Radio Free USA
Sesame Street breaks Iraqi POWs in BBC News | War in Iraq
Four U.S. Marines Die in Iraq Helicopter Crash in IraqWar.Ru
Blair has betrayed Britain... not me in IraqWar.Ru
Russia-India naval exercise starts in Indian Ocean in IraqWar.Ru
Iraq blow to Russia's grand oil plan in IraqWar.Ru
Think Iran, Think Long Term in IraqWar.Ru
US and Philippines resolve to crush Abu Sayyaf "once and for all" in IraqWar.Ru
Pentagon approves 15 billion dollar plan to upgrade army forces in IraqWar.Ru
Rebels Target Aid Workers in Afghanistan: "The five crouching gunmen shattered the windows and punctured the tires of Mohammad Saddiq's mine-clearing agency vehicle with a hail of gunfire as it crossed a dry riverbed in southern Afghanistan."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
US helicopter crashes in Iraq in BBC News | War in Iraq
U.S. Presses for Quick Postwar Iraq Vote: "The United States is pressing for a vote as early as Wednesday to lift U.N. sanctions against Iraq, a measure the Security Council seems virtually certain to approve. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
US Compromises at UN but Keeps Control of Iraq Oil: "In hopes of getting (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
War Blog Iraq War Updates
US proposes giving UN more authority in Iraq: "US and British officials proposed giving the UN special representative in Iraq increased authority in a bid to draw more international support for an interim government. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
France's open letter to the U.S.: "The previous post "France Says It Is Target of Untruths" linked to a WaPo article that said, "The French government believes it is the victim of an "organized campaign of disinformation" from within the Bush administration, designed to discredit it with allegations of complicity with the Iraqi government of Saddam Hussein..."
The letter from France is here , and their (partial) list of "false accusations" is here . The following are very brief summaries of each: 1. NYT alleged "that in 1998, France and Germany had supplied Iraq with high-precision switches used in detonating nuclear weapons..."
2. Disputes the WaPo article saying that "France, along with Russia, Iraq and North Korea, possesses prohibited human smallpox strains..."
3. Disputes Bill Gertz' report "that two French companies had sold Iraq spare parts for airplanes and helicopters..."
4. Disputes William Safire's claim that France sold a missile propellant to Iraq.
5. Disputes MSNBC's Joe Scarborough claim that France sold Iraq ""planes, missiles, armored vehicles, radar equipment and spare parts for Iraqi fighter planes," and of offering to sell nuclear reactors, without mentioning specific dates..."
6. "On April 21, Newsweek reported the "possible" discovery of Roland 2 missiles by coalition forces in Iraq and implied that they had been manufactured in 2002. A charred Roland 3 missile launcher was also allegedly found..."
7. Disputes the story claiming that France provided passports to Iraqi leaders .
8. Disputes WashTimes' WashTimes reports that "France and Russia of seeking to sign oil contracts with Iraq just before the start of the war."
And, "A "military expert" asked by MSNBC about the coalition's failure to discover banned weapons insinuated that "weapons could well have been discovered" and that they "could very well be French or Russian," which would have led the administration not to mention them "out of concern for easing tensions."
Some of these are hard to prove or disprove, but please leave links to additional information in the comments."
In Command Post: Irak
Saddam Plotting Return to Power, Ex-Generals Say: "[Rueters via Yahoo] Saddam Hussein is hiding in Iraq with a small group, probably including his sons, and issuing orders to trusted supporters as he plots a return to power, according to former Iraqi generals returned from exile.
The generals, who were in exile for years and now play a key role in working with U.S. forces to purge the Iraqi public service and security apparatus of Saddam die-hards, said the deposed president had ordered a name-change for his Baath party.
Maj. Gen. Tawfiq al-Yassiri told Reuters that Saddam had changed its name in the last few days to "Auda," meaning return.
Full story..."
In Command Post: Irak
War Blog Iraq War Updates
Coalition Forces Capture Saddam's In-Law: "Coalition forces in Iraq said Monday they captured the brother-in-law of toppled President Saddam Hussein."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Saudis, U.S. Cooperate on Bombing Probe: "Saudi and U.S. investigators are fully cooperating in the probe into the Riyadh suicide bombings, linked to al-Qaida, though an FBI team is not interrogating suspects, a U.S. official said Monday."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Baghdad Diary: "Something is going on in Baghdad. The Iraqi dinar ? over 2000 to the dollar last Friday - is now down to 900. The town centre's main shopping street is full of new TVs and satellite dishes for sale. Someone is getting rich out of the new Iraq. Oxfam Media Officer Alex Renton reports from the Iraq capital."
In Electronic Iraq
Monday, May 19, 2003
Yahoo! News Photos - Iraq
jeff bader (spliffslips@aol.com) has sent you a news slideshow
Personal message:
War Photos
Yahoo! News Photos - Iraq
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  Email this slideshow | A veiled marsh Iraqi woman makes her way through dry land in the village of Abu Sholan in southern Iraq (news - web sites), May 19, 2003. Under the rule of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites), most of the Iraqi Marshes were drained of water and the inhabitants forced to leave their homes but, now, efforts are being made to restore water to the marshes and some of them are returning. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
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Forwarded Article: Russia Preparing for Nuclear Attacks on U.S, Britain
The following article has been forwarded to you from NewsMax.com.
To visit NewsMax.com, point your browser to http://www.newsmax.com.
--------------------------------------------------
Forwarded by: Spliff (spliffslips@aol.com)
Comments: War Blog Updates
--------------------------------------------------
Russia Preparing for Nuclear Attacks on U.S, Britain
Russia will soon launch a mock nuclear attack against the U.S. and Britain during military exercises over the next week.
Moscow's Nezavisimaya Gazeta reports that Russia's strategic bombers and
nuclear submarines "will deliver hypothetical nuclear strikes on the U.S. and Britain, while locating and destroying aircraft-carrier groups of the U.S. Navy."...
To read the rest of this article, go to http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/5/16/102442.shtml
--------------------------------------------------
NYTimes.com Article: Slain Gay Soldier's Case Slows a General's Rise
Slain Gay Soldier's Case Slows a General's Rise
May 18, 2003
BY THE NEW YORK TIMES
For the second time, a Senate committee has delayed a vote
on the promotion of an Army general who commanded a base
where a gay soldier was beaten to death.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/18/politics/18GENE.html?ex=1054259911&ei=1&en=80b5563c0b2338f6
---------------------------------
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An Iraqi pensioner is supported by U.S. Army soldiers after standing long hours in the sun in front of the pension office in Baghdad, May 19, 2003. Iraqi pensioners queued there to receive a 40-dollar emergency payment for the second day. Scuffles erupted outside the building yesterday as thousands had gathered for the payment. REUTERS/Akram Saleh
Thousands of Shiites stage anti-U.S. demonstration in Baghdad in IraqWar.ru (English)
US Iraq chief in Mosul in IraqWar.ru (English)
Flashback: Russian MP claims US carried out September 11 attacks in IraqWar.ru (English)
City one-ups Patriot Act fuss in IraqWar.ru (English)
Strengthen Japan's deterrent in IraqWar.ru (English)
Iran's challenge to nonproliferation in IraqWar.ru (English)
Japan, U.S. eye sanctions on Pyongyang in IraqWar.ru (English)
U.S. dangerous military moves under fire in IraqWar.ru (English)
Analysis / Intelligence versus Al-Qaida By Ze'ev Schiff in IraqWar.ru (English)
War B,log Iraq War updates
Russia saved NATO from disintegration in IraqWar.ru (English)
Iceland urges US to keep base after Russian flights in IraqWar.ru (English)
Instant-mix imperial democracy - buy one, get one free (18 May 03) in Radio Free USA
Fox News from the inside (19 May 03) in Radio Free USA
Baghdad's Death Toll Assessed (18 May 03) in Radio Free USA
Body on Tel Aviv Beach ID'd As Bomber: "A body found on a Tel Aviv beach last week was identified Monday as that of an accomplice of a suicide bomber who blew himself up outside a Tel Aviv pub last month, a forensics expert said. Both men were Britons."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Bus drivers demand their sacked Baathist boss be reinstated: "About 100 bus drivers staged a protest demanding their company chief be reinstated by the US authorities who sacked him because of his Baath Party background. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Suicide Bomber Wounds 3 Israeli Troops: "In the fourth Hamas suicide attack in two days, a Palestinian riding a bicycle detonated a bomb near an Israeli jeep in the Gaza Strip on Monday, killing himself and lightly injuring three soldiers."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Shiites March in Baghdad Against U.S.: "In the biggest anti-U.S. demonstration since the end of the war, thousands of Shiite Muslims marched peacefully through the capital on Monday to protest the U.S. occupation and reject what they feared would be a U.S.-installed puppet government."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
UNICEF Warns of Iraq Humanitarian Crisis: "The U.N. agency that cares for the world's children warned Sunday that postwar Iraq could slip into a "major crisis" without quick action to meet its urgent humanitarian needs. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Three U.S. Troops Killed in Iraq, Four Injured: "Three U.S. troops were killed andfour were injured in three separate accidents in Iraq, theUnited States Central Command said on Sunday. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Sunday, May 18, 2003
War Blog Iraq \War Updates
Islamic Militants Held in Morocco Blasts: "Police investigating a string of suicide bombings that killed 28 bystanders in downtown Casablanca detained suspected Islamic militants in raids across Morocco on Sunday, an official said."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
 Èðàêå àðåñòîâàí êîìàíäóþùèé ðåñïóáëèêàíñêîé ãâàðäèåé in IraqWar.Ru
U.S. Official Meets Northern Iraq Council: "America's top administrator in Iraq went north Sunday, meeting with a U.S.-installed city council in turbulent Mosul and appraising the challenges of restoring order to the ethnically volatile region."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Saudis Arrest 4 in Riyadh Suicide Blasts: "Saudi authorities have arrested four people in the Riyadh suicide bombings, the Saudi interior minister told reporters Sunday, adding that three of the attackers who died had been sought in an earlier al-Qaida probe."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
US Iraq chief arrives in Mosul, capping first week on the job: "Iraq's US administrator Paul Bremer arrived here after announcing a host of political and law-enforcement measures in his first week on the job, as a top UN official came to Baghdad to focus on the plight of the Iraqi children. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Lebanese Premier Tours Saudi Bomb Scene: "The Lebanese prime minister on Sunday toured the scene of last week's bombings by suspected al-Qaida terrorists, and said Islam was torn by a struggle between its moderate and extremist factions."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Bremer Says U.S. Actively Seeking Iraq Transition: "The U.S. administrator for Iraq,Paul Bremer, said on Sunday he was pushing ahead with settingup an Iraqi interim authority, denying media reports thatWashington was suspending the transition process. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
War Blog Iraq War Updates
DNC chairman accuses Bush of `new McCarthyism' by questioning rivals' patriotism (17 May 03) in Radio Free USA
Odyssey of frustration - in search for weapons, army team finds vacuum cleaners (18 May 03) in Radio Free USA
U.S. Administrator Tours Northern Iraq: "The top U.S. official in Iraq went north Sunday, meeting with an American-installed city council in the volatile city of Mosul and surveying the challenges he faces in getting that ethnically volatile section of the country moving once again. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.S. Says No Plan to Delay Iraqi Interim Authority: "The U.S. administrator for Iraq,Paul Bremer, said on Sunday that Washington had no plans tosuspend the transition to an Iraqi interim authority plannedfor the next few weeks. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
War Blog Iraq War Updates
SOLDIER KILLED, 3 INJURED IN DETONATION OF UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE in CENTCOM: News Release
ROCKET PROPELLED GRENADE ATTACKS in CENTCOM: News Release
COALITION FORCES AID IRAQ'S RECOVERY (MAY 18,2003) in CENTCOM: News Release
Turkey to End Ban on Greek Cypriots: "Turkey will open its doors next week to Greek Cypriot tourists, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday, signaling an end to a decades-long travel ban."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
War Blogs Iraq War Updates
Jerusalem Bombings Kill at Least Four: "A suicide bomber blew himself up on a Jerusalem bus early Sunday, and seven passengers and the bomber were killed. At least 20 others were wounded, four in serious condition, and another bomber blew himself up on the outskirts of the city."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Iraq's Slide Into Lawlessness Squanders Good Will for U.S.: "Awe at American power in war has been transformed into anger at American impotence in peace."
In New York Times: World Special
Arabs and Kurds Clash in Kirkuk, and at Least 5 Are Killed: "In the worst violence in the northern city of Kirkuk since the war, clashes in several neighborhoods left at least 5 dead."
In New York Times: World Special
One Iraqi City Tries on Democracy and Finds It Fits Well: "While most cities in Iraq are still caught in the aftermath of war, the southeastern city of Amra has already installed a popular local government."
In New York Times: World Special
His Face Still Gives Fits as Saddam Dinar Soars: "Saddam Hussein may be out of power or even dead. But his maligned currency has abruptly skyrocketed in value."
In New York Times: World Special
Japan to Announce $70 Million in Iraq Aid-Report: "Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumiis planning to announce $70 million in new aid for Iraq aheadof a meeting with President Bush on Thursday, Kyodo news agencysaid on Sunday. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Iraq could break with OPEC: report: "Iraq, which sits on the world's second-largest proven oil reserves, after Saudi Arabia, could one day drop OPEC quotas, a Pentagon-appointed oil adviser to Iraq said in a newspaper report published. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.K. Troops Teach Iraqi Kids About Mines: "Scanning the crowd of students around him, Sgt. Maj. Nick Pettit pointed to the array of land mines, grenades and mortars laid out at his feet. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Israeli Airline Suspends Flights to Kenya: "The Israeli airline El Al suspended flights to Kenya Saturday because of security concerns."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
War Blog Iraq War Updates
Mideast Leaders Fail to Resolve Friction: "The Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers failed Saturday to narrow sharp differences over a U.S.-backed peace plan in a three-hour summit - the first since fighting erupted nearly three years ago - that was overshadowed by violence."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Suicide Bomber Strikes in Hebron Enclave: "A Palestinian suicide attacker disguised as an observant Jew blew himself up in a West Bank square crowded with Israeli settlers Saturday, killing himself and an Israeli man, military officials said."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Ruler Vows No Tolerance for Terrorists: "Fearful of new bombings, foreigners kept off the streets in this western Saudi Arabian city Saturday, and the kingdom's ruler vowed that terrorists would not be tolerated."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Iraqi Students and Faculty Face Task of Purging Baathists in IraqWar.ru (English)
Suicide Bombs Kill Dozens in Casablanca in IraqWar.ru (English)
US agents join hunt for Saudi blast suspects in IraqWar.ru (English)
U.S. Plans Inspection of Iraq Nuke Site in IraqWar.ru (English)
Iraq Chaos Linked to Troubled Reconstruction Planning in IraqWar.ru (English)
Tokyo daily: N. Korea increasing missile exports to Mideast in IraqWar.ru (English)
Iraqi POWs 'tortured by British and Americans' in IraqWar.ru (English)
Amnesty International: UK/US troops torchured Iraqis in IraqWar.ru (English)
Saturday, May 17, 2003
War Blog Iraq War Updates
Iranians in the south become IDPs: ""They sent us away, the people there. They said to us we had to go to our homes in Iran. We would have been killed," said Saleheh Batah, an Iranian woman who has been living in Iraq with her family for years."
In Electronic Iraq
Senior UN relief official discusses lack of security with US authorities: "As the United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator asked the United States authorities in Iraq to improve security, other UN officials turned their focus to the refugee problem, calling for return or compensation for up to 1 million people displaced internally by Saddam Hussein and preparing for the repatriation of up to 500,000 external exiles."
In Electronic Iraq
"We just want to know the truth": "Several weeks have elapsed since the end of hostilities and people continue to dig in search of their loved ones. The horror of the past is beginning to surface in the form of mass graves which continue to be uncovered throughout the country. In the latest discovery in the town of al-Mahawil, near al-Hilla, Iraqis have dug up some 3,000 bodies from a site that is said to contain up to 15,000 "disappeared" people. All are believed to have been arrested and summarily executed in the aftermath of the 1991 uprising."
In Electronic Iraq
Bones unearthed in central Iraq: "MSNBC/AP Searchers at an Iraqi military firing range have unearthed human bones and articles of clothing they say belong to a mass grave of people executed in the 1990s.
Full story »»"
In Command Post: Irak
War Blog Iraq War Updates
Top Saddam regime official surrenders in Iraq as mass grave uncovered: "A member of Saddam Hussein's inner circle surrendered to coalition forces in Iraq, where a mass grave thought to hold hundreds of Kuwaiti prisoners of war was uncovered outside Baghdad. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
COALITION EFFORTS AID IRAQ?S RECOVERY (MAY 17, 2003) in CENTCOM: News Release
US bars Baath chiefs from Iraqi posts, clerics plays Islamist card: "The United States moved to tighten its grip on Iraq, barring former Baath party officials from public posts, while clerics raised the specter of an Islamist push for power amid threats of violence. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
'Salam Pax' plays Americans for fools in Iraq: "Ottawa Citizen, David Warren Salam is the scion of a senior figure from Iraq's Baathist nomenclature. He was brought up at least partly in Vienna, which is the OPEC headquarters; his father was therefore an oilman, and possibly a former head of Iraq's OPEC mission.
Full story »»
Also read this Command Post Op-Ed article"
In Command Post: Irak
War Blog Iraq War Updates
Hoon welcomes troops home from Iraq: "Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon has welcomed the Royal Navy's flagship HMS Ark Royal back to the UK."
In Ananova: War In Iraq
Northern Iraq Oil City to Get New Council: "The northern oil city of Kirkuk will become the latest community in Iraq to edge toward democracy next week when it installs a new municipal council, the U.S. military commander in the region said Saturday."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Israeli, Palestinian Leaders Set to Meet: "Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas convened his Cabinet on Saturday to resolve internal squabbles ahead of his summit with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon later in the day."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
U.S. Reshuffles Iraqi 'Most-Wanted' List: "The U.S. Central Command on Fridayissued a revised list of the top 55 most-wanted Iraqis, keepingousted President Saddam Hussein and his two sons, Qusay andUday, in the top three slots. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
COALITION AND IRAQI POLICE WORK TO MAKE IRAQ SECURE (MAY 17, 2003) in CENTCOM: News Release
GENERAL KAMAL MUSTAFA ABDALLAH SULTAN AL-TIKRITI TAKEN INTO CUSTODY in CENTCOM: News Release
Debate on economics of pay-to-read independent journalism: "Kevin Drum at Calpundit.com has some interesting musings on a business model for independent journalism."
In Back to Iraq 2.0
A change of heart in the Saudi media: "The fall of Baghdad and the bombings in Riyadh have made the Arab News think seriously about the enemy within, says the paper's editor."
In Salon: Iraq War
Wild in the streets of Baghdad: "Belatedly, the Pentagon is cracking down on looting and violence in the Iraqi capital. But U.S. credibility is already deeply damaged."
In Salon: Iraq War
War Blog Iraq War Updates
Allies Ask for Iraq Resolution Changes: "Russia, China and France made clear Friday they want major changes in a U.S.-backed resolution to lift sanctions against Iraq, but Germany indicated it was likely to support the proposal. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Jessica Lynch Story Fraud?: "The BBC reports that the Jessica Lynch rescue was a deceptive, staged event , that there was dishonesty about the nature of her injuries, and that there was failure to report earlier, less dramatic, and more embarassing attempts to get her out of Iraq.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a story about the story , with some more information.
(Previous info on this story also appeared in The Guardian .)"
In Command Post: Irak
In Reversal, Plan for Iraq Self-Rule Has Been Put Off: "The U.S. and Britain have put off their plan to allow Iraqi opposition forces to form a national assembly and an interim government by the end of the month."
In New York Times: World Special
Among Kurds, Impatience and Anger Is Growing: "Kurds are returning to the towns from which they were banished by Saddam Hussein, and they are confronting Arabs who were brought in to replace them."
In New York Times: World Special
The Return: "There are two remarkable facts about Col. Martin Stanton. One is that he was in Iraq more than a decade ago. The second is how he got there."
In New York Times: World Special
First Post Saddam Soccer Match: "May 16 - Thousands of happy Iraqis celebrated the first soccer match since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime."
In War In Iraq from www.FeedRoom.com
Soccer's Return To Baghdad Offers 90 Minutes Of Escape: "WaPo brings us a story of returning normalcy. "This is not a game for you only, but for all of Iraqi sports," Raad Hamoudi, the Iraqi national soccer team's star goalkeeper of the 1980s, told his old team, Police, before it took the field in the first professional match in Iraq since the war ended. "I want you to forget the hatred and any vengeance you may have in your heart. I want you to think about the present and the future."
Read the rest ..."
In Command Post: Irak
U.S. Adviser Says Iraq May Break With OPEC: "The cartel will love this. From WaPo : The U.S. executive selected by the Pentagon to advise Iraq's Ministry of Oil suggested today that the country might best be served by exporting as much oil as it can and disregarding quotas set by the Organization of Oil Exporting Countries. His comments offered the strongest indication to date that the future Iraqi government may break ranks with the international petroleum cartel.
"
In Command Post: Irak
U.S. Creates Iraq Reconstruction Agency: "The Commerce Department said Friday it had created an Iraq Reconstruction Task Force to help American companies that want to participate in the rebuilding of Iraq. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Former NY cop gets Iraqi beat in BBC News | War in Iraq
Top U.S. Official in Iraq Meets Leaders: "The new top U.S. official in Iraq met for the first time Friday with the seven political leaders likely to form the core of a new government and said he found common ground on the way forward. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.S.: Iraqis Won't Return Missing Artwork: "Thousands of antiquities missing from the Iraq National Museum have been found but not returned because citizens won't hand them over to either their American occupiers or remnants of the hated former government, U.S. investigators say."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Friday, May 16, 2003
FREE T-SHIRT WHEN YOU SUPPORT OUR TROOPS & SEND A CARE PACKAGE 39.95 FREE SHIPPING
capt.apmorocco_explosions
At Least 20 Die in Casablanca Blasts
war blog updates
U.S. Moves to Ban Key Baathists in Iraq: "The United States moved Friday to purge its Iraqi reconstruction effort of any Baath Party influence and to recover most of the millions of dollars taken by Saddam Hussein's family and regime."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Captain Steve's last Iraq flight: "Finis Flight
Splitting headache. Tired like never before. Still I'm not willing to acknowledge that I'm sick. I go to the chow hall and while I know I should be hungry, absolutely nothing there looks edible. I down a couple grapes and drink some iced tea. I head for the room and it's about 110 degrees out. I'm walking in the direct midday sun and I have chill bumps. I'm shivering. OK, now I'll admit it. I'm not quite feeling my best."
In Command Post: Irak
Mass Graves in Iraq: A Marine's account: "Pontifex ex Machina visited the site of the latest mass grave discovery: The place smelled of death, of rot. The ground you walked on -- you could feel, in the pit of your stomach, that you were walking on somebody's grave. The faces, the wails...
"
Maybe it's superstition, or maybe old bones still can hold power over the earth, but I tell you, if evil has a texture, a feel to it, you could feel it there. And you could see everybody else around you feeling it, too.
In Command Post: Irak
War Blog Updates Iraq War
Remains of toxic bullets litter Iraq - Christian Science Monitor finds high levels of radiation left by US armor-piercing shells (15 May 03) in Radio Free USA
Baath Party Sent To Showers: "U.S. officials say they plan to ban as many as 30,000 members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party from any future Iraqi government. The Security Council, meanwhile, is weighing the United States' postwar proposal."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
Rumsfeld denies shoot-on-sight policy in IraqWar.ru (English)
Hussein's stamp still all over Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
Was Baghdad Handed Over? in IraqWar.ru (English)
Lawlessness stalls Iraq oil revival, say officials in IraqWar.ru (English)
I'm not being kicked out of my Iraq job, Garner says in IraqWar.ru (English)
New Iraq administrator goes after Baath party in IraqWar.ru (English)
U.S. Unprepared for 'Dirty Bomb' Aftermath in IraqWar.ru (English)
Shiite leader in Baghdad warns women, alcohol sellers, cinemas: "Shiite religious leader Mohammed al-Fartussi threatened "sinful women," alcohol sellers and cinemas of grave consequences if they did not stop their practices within a week. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Saddam Fit Enough to Stay Hiding for Years -Doctors: "Saddam Hussein was in excellent healthwhile he was Iraqi president and has the experience and brainsto remain in hiding for years, according to his most trusteddoctors. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
NEWS RELEASE
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND
7115 South Boundary Boulevard
MacDill AFB, Fla.
33621-5101 Phone: (813) 827-5894; FAX: (813) 827-2211; DSN 651-5894
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
May 13, 2003
Release Number: 03-05-44
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SOLDIERS EXPOSED TO UNKNOWN CHEMICAL
TAJI, Iraq -- Fourth Infantry Division soldiers moving barrels in order to get to ammunition in a warehouse in the vicinity of Taji this afternoon were exposed to an unknown industrial chemical that leaked out of a 55-gallon drum.
All soldiers involved were decontaminated at the scene. Twenty-two soldiers were medically evacuated to the 21st Combat Support Hospital for evaluation and treatment, and four are being held for observation at the battalion aid station.
A FOX chemical detection vehicle dispatched to the site indicated the chemical was not a nerve, blister or blood chemical agent and confirmed it as an industrial toxin.
Further tests on the chemical are being conducted.
The names of the injured are being withheld pending notification of next-of-kin.
-30-
FREE T-SHIRT WHEN YOU SUPPORT OUR TROOPS & SEND A CARE PACKAGE 39.95 FREE SHIPPING
War Blog Iraq War Udates
U.S. Revises Iraq Resolution in Push for U.N. Vote: "In an effort to meet objectionsfrom Security Council members, the United States submitted anew draft of its resolution to lift sanctions against Iraqwithout changing any basic demands. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
3rd Infantry return to US on hold in IraqWar.info
Official: Baathists Out for Iraqi Gov't: "Between 15,000 and 30,000 Baath Party officials will be banned entirely from any future Iraqi government, a senior U.S. official said Friday. He said the move will eliminate Saddam Hussein's party and "put a stake in its heart." (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
US wins German support on Iraq sanctions, modifies UN resolution: "The United States and Germany, badly split over the Iraq war, made a joint call for the swift lifting of United Nations sanctions against Baghdad, as Washington moved to placate concerns from other UN Security Council members. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Powell Seeks German Support to End Iraq Sanctions: " BERLIN ( Reuters ) - Secretary of State Colin Powell will meet German leaders on Friday seeking support for a United Nations resolution to end sanctions on Iraq with the offer of warmer bilateral relations in return.
"
Powell holds talks with Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer on Friday morning, expected to start mending relations soured by disagreement over the U.S.-led Iraq war as long as Germany supports the United States on post-war Iraq.
The United States is looking for support for a U.N. Security Council resolution that would lift blocks on Iraqi oil exports and Powell made it clear he hoped for backing from Germany, one of the non-permanent members on the council.
In Command Post: Irak
Gruesome Iraqi desert execution uncovered: "Reuters via Yahoo News - Film uncovered after the fall of Saddam Hussein shows what seems to be new evidence of brutality under his rule -- three men being executed in gruesome fashion by being blown up with explosives packed around their bodies.
Convicted in 1985 of a bomb attack that killed children in Baghdad, Saddam's security police wired them up to explosives in the desert and simply blew them up, one by one - the whole proceedings captured on a film obtained by Reuters on Thursday.
The footage shows men in the uniforms of Iraqi security officers strapping what appears to be explosive to one of the blindfolded men and attaching wires to a large vehicle battery.
Full story..."
In Command Post: Irak
Injured Ali leaves intensive care in BBC News | War in Iraq
Umm Qasr leads the way: "Jane Peel on how the return of Umm Qasr to Iraqis is significant for all the country."
In BBC News | War in Iraq
Baghdad Airport Remains Closed: "Steven Edgeley, a lanky Australian in brown-and-yellow camouflage, stood in the circular room atop Baghdad airport's control tower and peered through binoculars at the empty, sprawling runways below - and at the empty sky above. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Guardian Skeptical about Lynch: "Is this the real story behind Pvt. Lynch's rescue:
"It was like a Hollywood film. They cried, 'Go, go, go', with guns and blanks and the sound of explosions. They made a show - an action movie like Sylvester Stallone or Jackie Chan, with jumping and shouting, breaking down doors." All the time with the camera rolling. The Americans took no chances, restraining doctors and a patient who was handcuffed to a bed frame.
There was one more twist. Two days before the snatch squad arrived, Al-Houssona had arranged to deliver Jessica to the Americans in an ambulance. "I told her I will try and help you escape to the American Army but I will do this very secretly because I could lose my life." He put her in an ambulance and instructed the driver to go to the American checkpoint. When he was approaching it, the Americans opened fire. They fled just in time back to the hospital. The Americans had almost killed their prize catch.
I recall seeing the footage, and don't remember seeing any blank adaptors on weapons, so I am skeptical about the accuracy of this report.
(via Calpundit )"
In Command Post: Irak
Thursday, May 15, 2003
War Blog Iraq War Updates
U.S. Forces Struggle to Disarm Baghdad: "Raising both hands in a frantic plea, a woman in a scarf and leopard-print housecoat begged the American soldiers: Don't take away her family's two battered Kalashnikovs."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Five Killed As Israel Seizes Gaza Town: "Israeli troops seized a Gaza town on Thursday and five Palestinians were killed, as Palestinians marked the 55th anniversary of the "naqba," or catastrophe, their term for their displacement during the 1948 creation of Israel."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Iraq: Repatriate vulnerable Iranian refugees: "For the past month between 600 and 700 Iranian refugees, from among the 8,000 Arab Iranian refugees in Iraq, have been living in the middle of large minefield near the Iran-Iraq border. They are waiting for the border to open so they can return to their country. Shannon Meehan just returned to Kuwait after two weeks monitoring humanitarian conditions in southern Iraq."
In Electronic Iraq
Saboteurs Undermining Efforts in Iraq, U.S. Says in IraqWar.ru (English)
war blog iraq war updates
Powell: US Will Consider Initial Suspension of Iraq Sanctions in IraqWar.ru (English)
Pakistan: U.S. needs legal cover in Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
France alleges US smear campaign: "France levelled unprecedented charges that members of US President George W. Bush's administration have waged a smear campaign tying Paris to Saddam Hussein, drawing quick White House denials. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
France fights back: "Tired of being pilloried by the White House, the French government has decided to defend itself in a letter addressed to the U.S. Congress. Describing the nation as the victim of an "organized campaign of disinformation" from within the Bush administration, French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte has included a two page list of false media stories that cite anonymous sources within the administration. The Washington Post is calling the letter "an indication of the depth and bitterness of the breach between the two historic allies.""
In Alternet: War On Iraq
US, Britain press new UN resolution on Iraq against Russian concerns: "The United States and Britain will bring to the UN a new version of a draft resolution to lift economic sanctions against Iraq and put its vast oil reserves under their control for a year, in a bid to meet continued reservations from member states, notably Russia. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Commanders Assess Need for Troops in Iraq: "American commanders are trying to determine how large a force is needed to create a secure environment for the people of Iraq, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Thursday. He denied reports that U.S. forces had orders to shoot looters. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
'Top Iraqi' captured in raid in BBC News | War in Iraq
U.S. Soldier Killed, Two Hurt in Iraq Accident: "One U.S. soldier was killed and twosoldiers were injured in an accident in northern Iraq when thetruck they were driving rolled over, the U.S. military said onThursday. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.S. Official Confident of French Accord Over Iraq: "A senior State Department official saidon Thursday he was confident the United States and France couldagree on the text of a U.N. resolution ending 12 years ofsanctions on Iraq. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Anti-Globalization Protesters Gear Up for EU Summit: "Anti-globalization protesters vowed onThursday to descend on an EU summit in northern Greece in Juneto show off what they say is a surge in their strength sincethe U.S.-led war on Iraq. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
US seeks to reassure Iraq's creditors on its economic proposals: "The United States offered concessions to Iraq's creditors in a bid to muster support in the UN Security Council for a draft resolution to restart the Iraqi economy, diplomats said. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Bremer Says U.S. Working Hard in Iraq: "American forces are working hard to improve security in the Iraqi capital, and 300 criminals have been arrested around the country this week, the new U.S. civilian administrator said Thursday. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
French complain about US media in IraqWar.info
Organized crime in Baghdad in IraqWar.info
US forces conduct major raid. in IraqWar.info
A SOLDIERS MOM
Finally we have news on Brandon's unit.They are in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. " It is west of Baghdad and we are functioning as a maneuver battalion. I have anArea of Operations that is about 30 kilometers by 100 kilometers. Our guysare working to provide a safe and secure environment for everyone in thatarea. We just got some showers hooked up and we're working to build a betterliving area for the guys. Right now everyone is living in the dirt on cots,but I hope to have pre-fab buildings with A/C before I leave if not muchsooner. Its tough, but our guys are hanging in."exceprt from Officers Note. Needless to say I am filled with pride for my son and his unit.God Bless Our Troops.Patti Bader05/15/03Army Mandates Post-Iraq Emotional Program
A SOLDIERS MOM
Two soldiers killed in vehicle accident.Many soldiers have been exposed to chemicals.New orders for soldiers are "Shoot to kill" any looters on sight. How does one return to humdrum life after livng under war conditions? I have been impressed with the Army's post deployment re-adjustment training,or "De-briefing as they call it.I even saw one unit teaching new Dad's coming back from war how to diaper a baby! And that my friends is where it's at. The care package campaign is struggling but we have sent off 20 care packages this month and hope to reach our goal of 100 military care packages sent off in May.Please remember to send a care package today.God Bless Our TroopsPatti Bader05/14/03
War Blog Updates
US forces conduct major raid. in IraqWar.info
Russia won't block U.S.-British resolution to end sanctions: "MOSCOW -- Russia, one of the fiercest opponents of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, has softened its objections to U.S. postwar plans, clearing the way for a United Nations vote to end long-standing international sanctions against Iraq. (USA TODAY)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
CJTF-HOA TO HOLD CHANGE OF COMMAND in CENTCOM: News Release
MEMBERS OF IRAQI TOP 55 IN COALITION CUSTODY in CENTCOM: News Release
Troops keep distance at mass grave in CNN - War in Iraq
COALITION EFFORTS AID IRAQ'S RECOVERY (MAY 15, 2003) in CENTCOM: News Release
COALITION FORCES PROVIDE SECURITY AND STABILITY (MAY 15, 2003) in CENTCOM: News Release
War Blog Updates
APEC in the wake of the Bali Bombing in RISQ
Toward a Common European Security Policy in RISQ
Port 'handed back' to Iraqis in BBC News | War in Iraq
U.S. Wants U.N. Sanctions Vote Next Week: "The United States wants a U.N. vote next week to lift sanctions against Iraq but faces resistance from France, Russia and Germany who say they haven't even started to negotiate the U.S. plan for postwar Iraq."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Iraqi street kids bear scars of Saddam's brutal rule: "Ahmed Abdullah Sallal was 10 years old when his cousin put a knife in his hand and ordered him to kill a man. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.S. Military Chief Vows More Troops to Quell Iraqi Looting: "The comments reflected a view among American and British leaders that the postwar lawlessness in Iraq is far more pervasive and intractable than they had originally expected."
In New York Times: World Special
U.S. Detains More than 200 in Iraq Raid: "Heavily armed U.S. Army forces stormed into a village near Tikrit before dawn Thursday, seizing more than 200 prisoners, including one man on the United States' "most-wanted" list of former Iraqi officials. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Shiite Iraqis Question U.S. Presence: "In his little souvenir shop near the shrine of Imam Ali, a revered figure whom Shiite Muslims consider the Prophet Muhammad's successor, Zahra Shokri pulls out a box of American-made Kent cigarettes and scribbles a message for President Bush on the back. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Army Eyes Program to Ease Soldiers Return: "Soldiers coming home from Iraq will get counseling, marital advice and other help in a new Army program aimed at easing their transition from the bloodshed and stress of war back to life in America. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Tribunal Hears Srebrenica Genocide Trial: "Three Bosnian Serbs went on trial for war crimes Wednesday, accused of taking part in the massacre of thousands of Muslims at the Bosnia war killing ground of Srebrenica."
In Associated Press war headlines via GoUpstate.com
US seeks to speed Iraq food aid while clamping down to enforce order: "Iraq's new US boss said he hoped UN food aid would start flowing into the country next week, while US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said US forces will use more "muscle" to restore order. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
NYTimes.com Article: New Army Rules on Ways to Cope With Civilian Life
This article from NYTimes.com
has been sent to you by spliffslips@aol.com.
War Blog Updates Iraq War
New Army Rules on Ways to Cope With Civilian Life
May 15, 2003
By ERIC SCHMITT
The Army announced a sweeping overhaul of how it will help
soldiers returning from combat duty and other overseas
tours to readjust to civilian society.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/15/national/15ARMY.html?ex=1054007030&ei=1&en=3174c00361a2d8e1
Wednesday, May 14, 2003
A Soldiers Mom
Newspaper Article Likes And Dislikes
There were many articles in the Los ANGELES Times that I really enjoyed. I particularly liked the article by Paul Brownfield "Job swap as a sweeps stunt? Hey it worked." The article was about Jay Leno and Katie Couric switching jobs. It was witty and insightful as well as informative. I would definitely read this reporter again. As for an article I disliked well besides the dull and dreary financials there really wasn't one that I found distasteful or erroneous. So I thought I would talk about a news segment on MSNBC that I found quite disgusting. It was during the time Peter Arnet made his fateful statements on Al-Jeezera TV, and Geraldo was being booted from Iraq. The two stations they worked for MSNBC (Peter Arnet's station) and FOX NEWS (Geraldo's station) started a feud which basically consisted of your reporter is worse than mine. Fox New said Arnet was a traitor and should be fired which MSNBC did. In turn, when GERALDO made he faux paus MSNBC went after him with as much if not more vigor. Going so far as to intimate that when Special Forces saw Geraldo they would wipe their hands with something not so nice then shake Geraldos. No wonder we have produced reporters like Jayson Blair.There are no limits. There is no pride. I hope the levels of idealism will be raised a bar and people become awakened to the time of sense and sensibilities.
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War Blog Iraq War Updates
Rumsfeld: U.S. Used New Missile in Iraq: "The United States used a new kind of missile for the first time in Iraq that can destroy the contents of the first floor of a building while leaving the rest of the structure intact, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld told Congress on Wednesday. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
US hopes for food aid to Iraq; mass graves yield Saddam's victims: "Iraq's new US boss said he hoped UN food aid would start flowing next week, as fraught Iraqis scoured a mass grave south of Baghdad for the remains of relatives missing under Saddam Hussein's regime. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Bush Officials Change Tune on Iraqi Weapons: "The Bush administration has changedits tune on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, the reason itwent to war there. Instead of looking for vast stocks of bannedmaterials, it is now pinning its hopes on finding documentaryevidence. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.S. unresponsive on mass graves: "The U.S. government has known since May 3 about the existence of a mass grave in Hilla but has not taken action to protect the site, Human Rights Watch charged today."
In Electronic Iraq
2 U.S. Servicemen Die in Iraq Accidents: "A U.S. Marine was killed when a munitions bunker caught fire and exploded, and a soldier with the Army's 101st Airborne Division died in a road accident in northern Iraq, military officials and witnesses said Wednesday."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
U.S. Sought Saudi Security Upgrade: "The United States sought futilely to get security tightened around western residential compounds in Riyadh before this week's terror attack, the American ambassador to Saudi Arabia said Wednesday."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
New US chief in Iraq vows to get tough on security, pave way for UN aid: "The new US administrator of post-war Iraq, Paul Bremer, said he hoped badly-needed UN food aid operations would start next week but was bluntly told security concerns needed to be addressed first. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Six Iraqi Children Killed Playing with Bomb: "Six Iraqi children were killed and 10injured when an Iraqi bomb they were trying to dismantleexploded, the British Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
AP Corrects Iraq Shootings: "In an April 30 story about the U.S. Army's shooting of Iraqi protesters in Fallujah, Iraq, The Associated Press reported erroneously that a protest banner held by Iraqis said, in part, "we'll kill you." The banner said, "we'll kick you out." (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.S. Commander Faces War Crimes Complaint: "A left-wing candidate in Belgium's parliamentary elections lodged a war crimes complaint Wednesday against U.S. Gen. Tommy Franks, the commander of American forces in Iraq. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Saudis Link Car Bomb Attacks to Al-Qaida: "Nonessential U.S. diplomats were ordered out and other Westerners made plans to leave Wednesday after coordinated suicide attacks linked to al-Qaida killed at least 25 bystanders at compounds housing foreigners."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
4 Hurt As Bomb Rips Through Yemeni Court: "A bomb exploded Wednesday in a Yemeni court where a suspected al-Qaida militant was condemned to death last week for killing three U.S. missionaries, security officials said. A judge and three other people were wounded."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
U.N. Aid Agencies Security in Iraq
From: Patti Patton-Bader
BlogUpdates
--------------------
U.N. Aid Agencies Security in Iraq
--------------------
By CHARLES J. HANLEY
AP Special Correspondent
May 14, 2003, 10:50 AM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Faced with continued looting and thefts, local U.N. agency heads told the new American administrator in Baghdad that security must be reinforced quickly to protect food supplies and other elements of postwar recovery for Iraq.
The top U.N. humanitarian official in Baghdad said equipment at its water plants, for example, remains vulnerable to gangs of thieves, threatening restoration of supplies of clean water.
"From a U.N. perspective, our immediate concerns are related to security in the broad sense, law and order, not for us as persons, but for the society," Ramiro Lopes da Silva told reporters after a one-hour meeting with L. Paul Bremer, who took over Monday as chief civilian administrator for U.S.-occupied Iraq.
In a brief statement, Bremer focused on a U.S. request that an unspecified amount of Iraqi oil revenues, held in a U.N.-administered escrow account, be put toward buying the winter wheat and barley that Iraqi farmers are now harvesting.
Since the mid-1990s, those funds have been used to buy food imports under the "oil-for-food" program, devised to provide for Iraq's humanitarian needs while the country remained under U.N. economic sanctions.
"Mr. da Silva has agreed that we should plan on the World Food Program to spend that money starting as early as next week" on the homegrown cereals, Bremer said.
Da Silva, however, said reinforced security is closely related to purchases of the Iraqi harvest, "so we can move money, and technicians can go around and make purchases."
Iraqi officials say food warehouses have been among the targets of pillagers who stripped government buildings, banks and other sites of everything from commodities to cash to electrical fixtures, beginning when U.S. troops took control of Baghdad on April 9 and toppled the authoritarian Baath Party government.
Bremer's Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) put out a call on May 4 for Baghdad police officers to report back to duty, and so far an estimated 5,000 of 9,000 have done so. The U.S. Army has sent in reinforcements -- 2,000 military policemen thus far for Baghdad, with 2,000 more expected soon.
The current numbers have not restored a sense of security in a city where people still openly loot and set arson fires, and where automatic gunfire resounds through the night.
"In some instances, actions are being taken along the lines we have indicated," da Silva said of the security measures. "In other areas, we are still looking for an improved security situation, like in some of the water plants, for instance, here in Baghdad."
Many U.N. offices in Baghdad were themselves heavily damaged by fire and looters in the aftermath of the U.S. military victory.
Scores of white sport utility vehicles, with "U.N." emblazoned in black on their sides, were stolen. To recover those vehicles, the U.N. office has fielded new vehicles painted in a hard-to-duplicate blue, so that any white U.N. vehicles seen driving around Baghdad can be instantly recognized as stolen.
The New York Times, meanwhile, reported Wednesday that the new U.S. administration for Iraq will now let U.S. forces shoot looters on sight to discourage the rampant lawlessness that has persisted for weeks.
Asked about the report, which cited unidentified American officials, Bremer said: "The existing rules of engagement have not been changed, to my knowledge."
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-security,0,6392012.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
U.N. Aid Agencies Security in Iraq
From: Patti Patton-Bader
BlogUpdates
--------------------
U.N. Aid Agencies Security in Iraq
--------------------
By CHARLES J. HANLEY
AP Special Correspondent
May 14, 2003, 10:50 AM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Faced with continued looting and thefts, local U.N. agency heads told the new American administrator in Baghdad that security must be reinforced quickly to protect food supplies and other elements of postwar recovery for Iraq.
The top U.N. humanitarian official in Baghdad said equipment at its water plants, for example, remains vulnerable to gangs of thieves, threatening restoration of supplies of clean water.
"From a U.N. perspective, our immediate concerns are related to security in the broad sense, law and order, not for us as persons, but for the society," Ramiro Lopes da Silva told reporters after a one-hour meeting with L. Paul Bremer, who took over Monday as chief civilian administrator for U.S.-occupied Iraq.
In a brief statement, Bremer focused on a U.S. request that an unspecified amount of Iraqi oil revenues, held in a U.N.-administered escrow account, be put toward buying the winter wheat and barley that Iraqi farmers are now harvesting.
Since the mid-1990s, those funds have been used to buy food imports under the "oil-for-food" program, devised to provide for Iraq's humanitarian needs while the country remained under U.N. economic sanctions.
"Mr. da Silva has agreed that we should plan on the World Food Program to spend that money starting as early as next week" on the homegrown cereals, Bremer said.
Da Silva, however, said reinforced security is closely related to purchases of the Iraqi harvest, "so we can move money, and technicians can go around and make purchases."
Iraqi officials say food warehouses have been among the targets of pillagers who stripped government buildings, banks and other sites of everything from commodities to cash to electrical fixtures, beginning when U.S. troops took control of Baghdad on April 9 and toppled the authoritarian Baath Party government.
Bremer's Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) put out a call on May 4 for Baghdad police officers to report back to duty, and so far an estimated 5,000 of 9,000 have done so. The U.S. Army has sent in reinforcements -- 2,000 military policemen thus far for Baghdad, with 2,000 more expected soon.
The current numbers have not restored a sense of security in a city where people still openly loot and set arson fires, and where automatic gunfire resounds through the night.
"In some instances, actions are being taken along the lines we have indicated," da Silva said of the security measures. "In other areas, we are still looking for an improved security situation, like in some of the water plants, for instance, here in Baghdad."
Many U.N. offices in Baghdad were themselves heavily damaged by fire and looters in the aftermath of the U.S. military victory.
Scores of white sport utility vehicles, with "U.N." emblazoned in black on their sides, were stolen. To recover those vehicles, the U.N. office has fielded new vehicles painted in a hard-to-duplicate blue, so that any white U.N. vehicles seen driving around Baghdad can be instantly recognized as stolen.
The New York Times, meanwhile, reported Wednesday that the new U.S. administration for Iraq will now let U.S. forces shoot looters on sight to discourage the rampant lawlessness that has persisted for weeks.
Asked about the report, which cited unidentified American officials, Bremer said: "The existing rules of engagement have not been changed, to my knowledge."
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-security,0,6392012.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
U.N. Aid Agencies Security in Iraq
From: Patti Patton-Bader
BlogUpdates
--------------------
U.N. Aid Agencies Security in Iraq
--------------------
By CHARLES J. HANLEY
AP Special Correspondent
May 14, 2003, 10:50 AM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Faced with continued looting and thefts, local U.N. agency heads told the new American administrator in Baghdad that security must be reinforced quickly to protect food supplies and other elements of postwar recovery for Iraq.
The top U.N. humanitarian official in Baghdad said equipment at its water plants, for example, remains vulnerable to gangs of thieves, threatening restoration of supplies of clean water.
"From a U.N. perspective, our immediate concerns are related to security in the broad sense, law and order, not for us as persons, but for the society," Ramiro Lopes da Silva told reporters after a one-hour meeting with L. Paul Bremer, who took over Monday as chief civilian administrator for U.S.-occupied Iraq.
In a brief statement, Bremer focused on a U.S. request that an unspecified amount of Iraqi oil revenues, held in a U.N.-administered escrow account, be put toward buying the winter wheat and barley that Iraqi farmers are now harvesting.
Since the mid-1990s, those funds have been used to buy food imports under the "oil-for-food" program, devised to provide for Iraq's humanitarian needs while the country remained under U.N. economic sanctions.
"Mr. da Silva has agreed that we should plan on the World Food Program to spend that money starting as early as next week" on the homegrown cereals, Bremer said.
Da Silva, however, said reinforced security is closely related to purchases of the Iraqi harvest, "so we can move money, and technicians can go around and make purchases."
Iraqi officials say food warehouses have been among the targets of pillagers who stripped government buildings, banks and other sites of everything from commodities to cash to electrical fixtures, beginning when U.S. troops took control of Baghdad on April 9 and toppled the authoritarian Baath Party government.
Bremer's Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) put out a call on May 4 for Baghdad police officers to report back to duty, and so far an estimated 5,000 of 9,000 have done so. The U.S. Army has sent in reinforcements -- 2,000 military policemen thus far for Baghdad, with 2,000 more expected soon.
The current numbers have not restored a sense of security in a city where people still openly loot and set arson fires, and where automatic gunfire resounds through the night.
"In some instances, actions are being taken along the lines we have indicated," da Silva said of the security measures. "In other areas, we are still looking for an improved security situation, like in some of the water plants, for instance, here in Baghdad."
Many U.N. offices in Baghdad were themselves heavily damaged by fire and looters in the aftermath of the U.S. military victory.
Scores of white sport utility vehicles, with "U.N." emblazoned in black on their sides, were stolen. To recover those vehicles, the U.N. office has fielded new vehicles painted in a hard-to-duplicate blue, so that any white U.N. vehicles seen driving around Baghdad can be instantly recognized as stolen.
The New York Times, meanwhile, reported Wednesday that the new U.S. administration for Iraq will now let U.S. forces shoot looters on sight to discourage the rampant lawlessness that has persisted for weeks.
Asked about the report, which cited unidentified American officials, Bremer said: "The existing rules of engagement have not been changed, to my knowledge."
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-security,0,6392012.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
U.N. Aid Agencies Security in Iraq
From: Patti Patton-Bader
BlogUpdates
--------------------
U.N. Aid Agencies Security in Iraq
--------------------
By CHARLES J. HANLEY
AP Special Correspondent
May 14, 2003, 10:50 AM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Faced with continued looting and thefts, local U.N. agency heads told the new American administrator in Baghdad that security must be reinforced quickly to protect food supplies and other elements of postwar recovery for Iraq.
The top U.N. humanitarian official in Baghdad said equipment at its water plants, for example, remains vulnerable to gangs of thieves, threatening restoration of supplies of clean water.
"From a U.N. perspective, our immediate concerns are related to security in the broad sense, law and order, not for us as persons, but for the society," Ramiro Lopes da Silva told reporters after a one-hour meeting with L. Paul Bremer, who took over Monday as chief civilian administrator for U.S.-occupied Iraq.
In a brief statement, Bremer focused on a U.S. request that an unspecified amount of Iraqi oil revenues, held in a U.N.-administered escrow account, be put toward buying the winter wheat and barley that Iraqi farmers are now harvesting.
Since the mid-1990s, those funds have been used to buy food imports under the "oil-for-food" program, devised to provide for Iraq's humanitarian needs while the country remained under U.N. economic sanctions.
"Mr. da Silva has agreed that we should plan on the World Food Program to spend that money starting as early as next week" on the homegrown cereals, Bremer said.
Da Silva, however, said reinforced security is closely related to purchases of the Iraqi harvest, "so we can move money, and technicians can go around and make purchases."
Iraqi officials say food warehouses have been among the targets of pillagers who stripped government buildings, banks and other sites of everything from commodities to cash to electrical fixtures, beginning when U.S. troops took control of Baghdad on April 9 and toppled the authoritarian Baath Party government.
Bremer's Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) put out a call on May 4 for Baghdad police officers to report back to duty, and so far an estimated 5,000 of 9,000 have done so. The U.S. Army has sent in reinforcements -- 2,000 military policemen thus far for Baghdad, with 2,000 more expected soon.
The current numbers have not restored a sense of security in a city where people still openly loot and set arson fires, and where automatic gunfire resounds through the night.
"In some instances, actions are being taken along the lines we have indicated," da Silva said of the security measures. "In other areas, we are still looking for an improved security situation, like in some of the water plants, for instance, here in Baghdad."
Many U.N. offices in Baghdad were themselves heavily damaged by fire and looters in the aftermath of the U.S. military victory.
Scores of white sport utility vehicles, with "U.N." emblazoned in black on their sides, were stolen. To recover those vehicles, the U.N. office has fielded new vehicles painted in a hard-to-duplicate blue, so that any white U.N. vehicles seen driving around Baghdad can be instantly recognized as stolen.
The New York Times, meanwhile, reported Wednesday that the new U.S. administration for Iraq will now let U.S. forces shoot looters on sight to discourage the rampant lawlessness that has persisted for weeks.
Asked about the report, which cited unidentified American officials, Bremer said: "The existing rules of engagement have not been changed, to my knowledge."
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-security,0,6392012.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
U.N. Aid Agencies Security in Iraq
From: Patti Patton-Bader
BlogUpdates
--------------------
U.N. Aid Agencies Security in Iraq
--------------------
By CHARLES J. HANLEY
AP Special Correspondent
May 14, 2003, 10:50 AM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Faced with continued looting and thefts, local U.N. agency heads told the new American administrator in Baghdad that security must be reinforced quickly to protect food supplies and other elements of postwar recovery for Iraq.
The top U.N. humanitarian official in Baghdad said equipment at its water plants, for example, remains vulnerable to gangs of thieves, threatening restoration of supplies of clean water.
"From a U.N. perspective, our immediate concerns are related to security in the broad sense, law and order, not for us as persons, but for the society," Ramiro Lopes da Silva told reporters after a one-hour meeting with L. Paul Bremer, who took over Monday as chief civilian administrator for U.S.-occupied Iraq.
In a brief statement, Bremer focused on a U.S. request that an unspecified amount of Iraqi oil revenues, held in a U.N.-administered escrow account, be put toward buying the winter wheat and barley that Iraqi farmers are now harvesting.
Since the mid-1990s, those funds have been used to buy food imports under the "oil-for-food" program, devised to provide for Iraq's humanitarian needs while the country remained under U.N. economic sanctions.
"Mr. da Silva has agreed that we should plan on the World Food Program to spend that money starting as early as next week" on the homegrown cereals, Bremer said.
Da Silva, however, said reinforced security is closely related to purchases of the Iraqi harvest, "so we can move money, and technicians can go around and make purchases."
Iraqi officials say food warehouses have been among the targets of pillagers who stripped government buildings, banks and other sites of everything from commodities to cash to electrical fixtures, beginning when U.S. troops took control of Baghdad on April 9 and toppled the authoritarian Baath Party government.
Bremer's Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) put out a call on May 4 for Baghdad police officers to report back to duty, and so far an estimated 5,000 of 9,000 have done so. The U.S. Army has sent in reinforcements -- 2,000 military policemen thus far for Baghdad, with 2,000 more expected soon.
The current numbers have not restored a sense of security in a city where people still openly loot and set arson fires, and where automatic gunfire resounds through the night.
"In some instances, actions are being taken along the lines we have indicated," da Silva said of the security measures. "In other areas, we are still looking for an improved security situation, like in some of the water plants, for instance, here in Baghdad."
Many U.N. offices in Baghdad were themselves heavily damaged by fire and looters in the aftermath of the U.S. military victory.
Scores of white sport utility vehicles, with "U.N." emblazoned in black on their sides, were stolen. To recover those vehicles, the U.N. office has fielded new vehicles painted in a hard-to-duplicate blue, so that any white U.N. vehicles seen driving around Baghdad can be instantly recognized as stolen.
The New York Times, meanwhile, reported Wednesday that the new U.S. administration for Iraq will now let U.S. forces shoot looters on sight to discourage the rampant lawlessness that has persisted for weeks.
Asked about the report, which cited unidentified American officials, Bremer said: "The existing rules of engagement have not been changed, to my knowledge."
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-security,0,6392012.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
U.N. Aid Agencies Security in Iraq
From: Patti Patton-Bader
BlogUpdates
--------------------
U.N. Aid Agencies Security in Iraq
--------------------
By CHARLES J. HANLEY
AP Special Correspondent
May 14, 2003, 10:50 AM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Faced with continued looting and thefts, local U.N. agency heads told the new American administrator in Baghdad that security must be reinforced quickly to protect food supplies and other elements of postwar recovery for Iraq.
The top U.N. humanitarian official in Baghdad said equipment at its water plants, for example, remains vulnerable to gangs of thieves, threatening restoration of supplies of clean water.
"From a U.N. perspective, our immediate concerns are related to security in the broad sense, law and order, not for us as persons, but for the society," Ramiro Lopes da Silva told reporters after a one-hour meeting with L. Paul Bremer, who took over Monday as chief civilian administrator for U.S.-occupied Iraq.
In a brief statement, Bremer focused on a U.S. request that an unspecified amount of Iraqi oil revenues, held in a U.N.-administered escrow account, be put toward buying the winter wheat and barley that Iraqi farmers are now harvesting.
Since the mid-1990s, those funds have been used to buy food imports under the "oil-for-food" program, devised to provide for Iraq's humanitarian needs while the country remained under U.N. economic sanctions.
"Mr. da Silva has agreed that we should plan on the World Food Program to spend that money starting as early as next week" on the homegrown cereals, Bremer said.
Da Silva, however, said reinforced security is closely related to purchases of the Iraqi harvest, "so we can move money, and technicians can go around and make purchases."
Iraqi officials say food warehouses have been among the targets of pillagers who stripped government buildings, banks and other sites of everything from commodities to cash to electrical fixtures, beginning when U.S. troops took control of Baghdad on April 9 and toppled the authoritarian Baath Party government.
Bremer's Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) put out a call on May 4 for Baghdad police officers to report back to duty, and so far an estimated 5,000 of 9,000 have done so. The U.S. Army has sent in reinforcements -- 2,000 military policemen thus far for Baghdad, with 2,000 more expected soon.
The current numbers have not restored a sense of security in a city where people still openly loot and set arson fires, and where automatic gunfire resounds through the night.
"In some instances, actions are being taken along the lines we have indicated," da Silva said of the security measures. "In other areas, we are still looking for an improved security situation, like in some of the water plants, for instance, here in Baghdad."
Many U.N. offices in Baghdad were themselves heavily damaged by fire and looters in the aftermath of the U.S. military victory.
Scores of white sport utility vehicles, with "U.N." emblazoned in black on their sides, were stolen. To recover those vehicles, the U.N. office has fielded new vehicles painted in a hard-to-duplicate blue, so that any white U.N. vehicles seen driving around Baghdad can be instantly recognized as stolen.
The New York Times, meanwhile, reported Wednesday that the new U.S. administration for Iraq will now let U.S. forces shoot looters on sight to discourage the rampant lawlessness that has persisted for weeks.
Asked about the report, which cited unidentified American officials, Bremer said: "The existing rules of engagement have not been changed, to my knowledge."
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-security,0,6392012.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
War Blog Iraq War Updates
The post-Iraq terror in IraqWar.ru (English)
Soldiers exposed to unknown chemical in IraqWar.ru (English)
Two Marines killed in accidental explosion in IraqWar.ru (English)
US military bases in the Middle East in IraqWar.ru (English)
Pyongyang may have fired laser at US aircraft in IraqWar.ru (English)
In Saddam's killing fields: "Stephen Sackur witnesses the horrors of Iraq's recent past at the site of a mass grave."
In BBC News | War in Iraq
Yahoo! News Story - Report: U.S. to Approve Shooting of Iraqi Looters
jeff bader (spliffslips@aol.com) has sent you a news article. (Email address has not been verified.)
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Report: U.S. to Approve Shooting of Iraqi Looters
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030514/ts_nm/iraq_looters_report_dc
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Yahoo! News http://dailynews.yahoo.com/
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
A Soldiers Mom
The sun is starting to set and another day of Brandon's deployment has passed. Another day of terror attacks, Democrats refusing to do their jobs in Texas. Soldiers exposed to deadly chemicals and no peace in site. We do tho have a new deck of cards.The Deck Of Weasels
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AND SO IT GOES
War Blog Iraq War News
1,000-2,000 TONS Depleted Uranium Spread Over Iraq's Cities in IraqWar.ru (English)
China Set To Field World's Most Powerful Tank in IraqWar.ru (English)
Russian Black Eagle Surpasses America's Abrams in IraqWar.ru (English)
Report: Special Forces tracking Saddam in northern Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
U.S.: Spy Photos Show Smoke Coming From N. Korea Nuke Plants in IraqWar.ru (English)
Another Bush ally set to profit from the war on terror in IraqWar.ru (English)
15,000 bodies found in Babylon mass graves: INC: "The remains of 15,000 people killed by the regime of Saddam Hussein have been found in mass graves discovered last week in the central city of Hilla, site of ancient Babylon, the Iraqi National Congress said. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Yahoo! News Story - A Soldier's Story
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A Soldier's Story
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nyt/20030510/ts_nyt/a_soldier_s_story
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War Blog Updates
Militant Groups Open Shop in Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
North Korea abandons nuclear pact in IraqWar.ru (English)
2 dead, 80 injured in Saudi terror hits in IraqWar.ru (English)
Three car bombs detonated at Saudi housing compounds in IraqWar.ru (English)
British minister stings Blair in Iraq resignation speech in IraqWar.ru (English)
New US boss starts work in Baghdad amid anti-West Saudi bombing: "The new US boss in Iraq started work in Baghdad as US hopes of reshaping the region were overshadowed by anti-Western bomb attacks in Saudi Arabia and a harsh rebuke from neighbouring Iran. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
A SOLDIERS MOM
It's Tuesday 05/13/03 my husbands birthday and still no word from Brandon and NO news articles about his unit. I guess in this instance "No News Is Good News'.We have kicked out 12 Cuban Diplomats from the UN.It seems everyday we allienate another country. I hope the aggresive track we are taking will eventually lead us to peace. I went to the grocery store and talked with the checker. He was a Viet Nam vet. He said when he came back from deployment he was a basket case,suicidal. His mother had him talk to a counselor .After that he states, he was fine. Mothers Thank God for them.These soldiers have a long road to hoe still and I plan to support them till this job is done.Patti BaderFREE T-SHIRT WHEN YOU SUPPORT OUR TROOPS & SEND A CARE PACKAGE 39.95 FREE SHIPPING
Monday, May 12, 2003
War Blog Updates
A roadmap to resistance: How to resist the Bush administration's war on liberty (12 May 03) in Radio Free USA
Coalition Captures 2 Key Iraqi Officials: "U.S.-led forces have captured two more important Iraqis - the scientist known as "Dr. Germ" and a top leader in Saddam Hussein's armed forces. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Bush budgets billions to update nukes: " Yesterday the San Francisco Chronicle website reported that the Bush administration's latest budget..."
In Catalyzer Newsroom
Humanitarian non-assistance: "The Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance is holed up in Saddam's old palace. Afraid to leave their headquarters and step into the military chaos outside, the officials are extremely isolated and ineffective. According to the Daily Telegraph, OHRA chief Barbara Bodine did not know about the 13 Iraqis killed by U.S. soldiers for 24 hours after the event."
In Alternet: War On Iraq
Another Black Hawk Down, Three Killed. in IraqWar.ru (English)
War widow's shock over body parts discovery: "A war widow was left "horrified and devastated" when she discovered parts of her husband's body were still on different sides of the Atlantic, even though his funeral had been held."
In Ananova: War In Iraq
Blog Updates Iraq War
FREE T-SHIRT WHEN YOU SUPPORT OUR TROOPS & SEND A CARE PACKAGE 39.95 FREE SHIPPINGcapt.1052779873.saudi_explosion_nyet152Explosions Hit Saudi Capital of Riyadh
By HASSAN JAMALI, Associated Press Writer
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Three explosions rocked the Saudi capital late Monday, including one caused when a car packed with explosives crashed into a compound housing Westerners and blew up. There were casualties, Saudi security officials said.
AP Photo
An unidentified Interior Ministry official told the state-run Saudi Press Agency that three explosions occurred, but the report did not give details on the cause or location of the other two blasts.
Reuters.com - Bombs Explode at Riyadh Expat Compounds -Witnesses - Mon May 12, 2003 06:23 PM ET
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Reuters.com - Bombs Explode at Riyadh Expat Compounds -Witnesses
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=2726830&fromEmail=true
CAPTURED 05/10/03 Slowly but sured the deck of cards falls into coalition hands.
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War Blog War Updates
In Iraq, Slow Going for Oil Crews in IraqWar.ru (English)
Saddam's Hometown Torn Between Loyalty: "Haji Shafiq and Sami Hemeid are treading a fine line. They belonged to Saddam Hussein's Baath Party - but, they insist, that was just a formality. They earned their living working for Saddam - but they acknowledge the failures of his rule. Then again, they argue, everyone makes mistakes. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.S. Overhauls Administration to Govern Iraq: "Bush administration officials confirmed that Jay Garner, the top civil administrator, and other senior officials in Iraq will be replaced."
In New York Times: World Special
Iraqis More Bemused Than Enthused by Cleric: "Muhammad Bakr al-Hakim, the ayatollah who could become an Iraqi kingmaker, was greeted by Iraqis with more curiosity than exhilaration on Sunday."
In New York Times: World Special
Radioactive Material Found at a Test Site Near Baghdad: "An American team searching for unconventional weapons has uncovered what is thought to be the strongest source of radiation found so far in Iraq."
In New York Times: World Special
Mass Grave Is Unearthed Near Basra: "The grave was no more than a long trench, with dirt shoveled over the men executed for their role in Shiite Muslim uprisings in 1999."
In New York Times: World Special
Ahead of Harvest, Farm Fears Grow: "With no government in Baghdad, the wheat and barley harvest in northern Iraq could face serious difficulties."
In New York Times: World Special
Sunday, May 11, 2003
Palestinian Gunman Kills Israeli Motorist
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq: "Palestinian gunmen killed an Israeli motorist in the West Bank and Israeli troops raided a Palestinian town Sunday as Secretary of State Colin Powell urged both sides to take concrete steps toward Mideast peace."
War Blog Updates
Kuwait to Help Iraqis Purify Water: "Kuwait said Sunday it was sending eight water purification and desalination plants to Iraq to help prevent the spread of cholera."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Iranian Opposition Group Turns In Weapons: "An Iranian opposition group began turning in its weapons Sunday under a U.S. surrender agreement reached after American forces ordered it to lay down arms or face attack."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Israel Raids ISM offices, demolishes homes: " On Friday Israel raided the offices of the International Solidarity Movement, whose activities..."
In Catalyzer Newsroom
War Blog War Updates
Baghdad boss recalled as US revamps leadership team in Iraq: "The US administrator for Baghdad vacated her post as Washington prepared a major overhaul of its leadership team in Iraq following sharp criticism of the sluggish pace of reconstruction in the country. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Myers: Banned Iraq Arms Remain a Danger: "Weapons of mass destruction may still be in the hands of Iraqi special units and could be used against coalition forces, the top U.S. military officer said Sunday. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
War Blog Iraq War Updates
Bush administration opens door for new era of nuclear arms (10 May 03) in Radio Free USA
Iraq could be ready for oil exports in June: official: "Iraq could resume oil exports by next month, when production might get back to one million barrels per day (bpd), the acting head of the oil ministry, Thamir Ghadhban, said. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Rights Watch: Many Forced to Flee Iraq
From: p
--------------------
Rights Watch: Many Forced to Flee Iraq
--------------------
By SHAFIKA MATTAR
Associated Press Writer
May 11, 2003, 4:15 PM EDT
AMMAN, Jordan -- Refugees and other foreigners in Iraq -- mostly Palestinians -- have been fleeing to Jordan because of intimidation and attacks, the U.S.-based Human Rights Watch group said in a report released Sunday.
The international human rights group's 22-page report, which highlights abuses against Iraq's refugees, came as U.S. forces work with Iraqis to restore order following Saddam Hussein's ouster.
Amid rampant looting, vandalism and other crimes, landlords -- forced by Saddam to take in Palestinian tenants at discounted rates -- have been taking advantage of the chaos by evicting tenants or demanding unrealistic rental increases, the report said.
In other cases, armed groups have threatened foreigners to leave their homes or face violence.
Saddam was seen as a supporter of the Palestinians and their opposition to Israel's occupation of Arab lands. During the 1991 Gulf War, Iraqi forces fired Scud missiles at the Jewish state, drawing praise from Palestinians in the occupied territories.
Peter Bouckaert, a researcher for the group, said "the lack of security endangers everyone in Iraq, but refugees and other foreigners are especially vulnerable."
He criticized U.S.-led coalition forces for doing too little "to ensure the security of anyone in Iraq, let alone these vulnerable populations."
The group's report highlighted stories of Palestinian refugees, including Khairiyya Shafiq Ali and her family, who claim armed groups threatened to kill them if they didn't hand over $150.
They told her "Saddam is gone, you are nothing here. You own nothing in Iraq. If you want to leave, take only your clothes," according to Human Rights Watch.
Nazima Sulaiman, 50, fled Baghdad with her family after unknown attackers threw explosive devices into her house, killing an infant baby and injuring six others, including three of her children, the human rights group said.
Also, Iranian Kurds living in a refugee camp west of Baghdad fled to Jordan when police stopped guarding the camp, the group said.
The United Nations refugee agency says some 1,000 Iranian Kurds and 450 Palestinians who fled Baghdad are stranded in a no-man's-land between Jordan and Iraq.
Human Rights Watch criticized Jordanian authorities for not freely admitting the refugees.
"The Palestinians were forced to sign vaguely worded documents permitting their repatriation to Iraq, whereas Iranian refugees have been completely barred from entering Jordan," it said.
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-jordan-refugees,0,7493400.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
War Blog Updates Iraq War
U.S. Says Saddam's Baath Party Dissolved: "The American general who commanded the Iraq war issued a statement Sunday saying Saddam Hussein's Baath Party "is dissolved," ordering the political organization that ruled the country for 35 years to cease existence immediately."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
U.S.: Palestinians Must Disarm Terrorists: "Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Secretary of State Colin Powell agreed Sunday that security must be sharply strengthened if peacemaking efforts with the Palestinians are to succeed."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Jordan Confiscates Stolen Iraqi Artifacts: "A larger-than-life statue of Saddam Hussein on a horse and a family photo album of former Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz are among items recently confiscated by Jordanian customs officers searching travelers from Iraq."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Report: Iraq Infiltrated Al-Jazeera TV: "We have some regular readers who are going to love this. From Reuters : Britain's Sunday Times newspaper said Iraqi intelligence agents infiltrated al-Jazeera, the Arab world's most widely watched television station, in an attempt to win favorable coverage.
"
Al-Jazeera spokesman Jihad Ballout told Reuters the network was unaware of "any member of al-Jazeera who is working for any foreign intelligence" organization.
The Sunday Times said documents uncovered by opponents of Saddam Hussein after he was ousted by a U.S.-led invasion force last month showed Iraq's intelligence service had three agents working inside Qatar's al-Jazeera television network.
According to the documents, one alleged agent passed on two letters written by Osama bin Laden, blamed for the 2001 attacks on the United States, to his Iraqi handlers. Two cameramen were also said to be Iraqi agents.
In Command Post: Irak
Assad Discusses Iraq: "From Newsweek comes an interview between Senior Editor and Washington Post columnist Lally Weymouth and Syrian President Bashar Assad. I've posted some of his comments re: terrorism on the GWOT page, but he also comments on Iraq. A highlight: Did you make a mistake in opposing the war with Iraq, keeping Iraqi oil flowing to Syria and allowing weapons to go across your border into Iraq?
Read the rest ..."
We were not close to [Iraqi President] Saddam [Hussein] and did not have an embassy in Baghdad. I never met him or talked with him on the phone. What you said about the oil is true. We had economic relations with Iraq. What you said about this government allowing armaments to go to Iraq is not correct. [But] arms were smuggled into Iraq by individuals; the government had nothing to do with it.
Did Iraqi regime leaders come here during the war?
Yes, some of them came to the border. They weren?t allowed to come in. Some of them were captured by the Americans.
Didn?t some come here?
Somebody came before [the war].
Their families?
We allowed families to come to Syria, women and children. But we were suspicious of some of the relatives?that they had positions in the past and were responsible for killings in Syria in the ?80s ...
In Command Post: Irak
U.S. Envoy Overseeing Baghdad to Step Down
Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq: "The U.S. official sent in to oversee Baghdad and a large swath of its surrounding territory is leaving her position immediately after less than a month, a spokesman for the postwar American administration said Sunday."
War Blog Iraq War Updates
Powell: Abbas Knows Terror Must Stop: "The new Palestinian prime minister understands that terror against Israel must stop for peacemaking to go forward, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday. Israelis told Powell they want to see terror groups dismantled."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
Trailer is a Mobile Lab Capable of Turning Out Bioweapons, a Team Says: "A team searching for evidence of biological and chemical weapons in Iraq has concluded that a trailer found in April is a mobile laboratory."
In New York Times: World Special
Iraqi Mujahideen rebels 'disarm' in BBC News | War in Iraq
FREE T-SHIRT WHEN YOU SUPPORT OUR TROOPS & SEND A CARE PACKAGE 39.95 FREE SHIPPING11SCHM.184
But the Fort Bragg deaths created a perception problem for the military and prompted an assessment, particularly by the Army, into how it helps combat veterans readjust to civilian society. This week, the Army plans to announce new initiatives to help returning soldiers decompress from their battlefield experiences. These steps include counseling and a so-called cooling-down period.
In the last few months, the Army has expanded advocacy programs for victims at all 97 Army posts worldwide. Fewer than half the sites have such programs now. The Army also has a new system to track military-issued protection orders involving domestic violence. Since October, the Defense Department has convened a group of experts from all the armed services to study ways to help troops and their families deal with strains before, during and after overseas deployments.
After Fort Bragg and with this gulf war, "everybody in the area of family support is asking themselves, `Are we doing all we can do?' " said Shelley M. MacDermid, co-director of the Military Family Research Institute, a Pentagon-financed group at Purdue University
This is a major concern of mine
How to Stop the Killing When the Troops Come Home
By ERIC SCHMITT
ASHINGTON — As tens of thousands of American troops arrive home from a war in which a number of them faced vicious fighting, the military is scrambling to smooth their return to civilian society.
Five killings last summer involving Army couples at Fort Bragg, N.C., including three soldiers who were recently back from the war in Afghanistan, raised a troubling question: Had the soldiers' combat skills spilled over into their domestic lives, with tragic consequences?
Military sociologists cite research showing that, adjusted for age and race, military personnel are no more likely to commit domestic violence or other crimes than civilians. An Army inquiry into the Fort Bragg killings concluded that they were probably the result of existing strains worsened by long separation.
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Saturday, May 10, 2003
War Blog Updates
Iraq looters exposed to radioactive yellow cake: "[Asahi.com] They wanted water containers; they may have killed the village.
Iraq-Villagers looted a nuclear power facility here during the waning days of the war and instead of treasure, may have made off with death-drums filled with radioactive uranium oxide concentrate, also called yellow cake.
According to officials with the Iraq nuclear energy commission, the storage facility at Zafaraniya was guarded by Iraqi troops until April 4. However, they fled in the face of approaching U.S. Marines.
Full story..."
In Command Post: Irak
Chinese, Russian FMs Discuss Iraq Issue: "From the People's Daily (China) : Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing and Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov held consultations via telephone Friday evening on the Iraq issue ...
"
... Russia stands ready to keep consulting with China so as to make constructive efforts towards the solution of the Iraq issue, Ivanov said.
Li said the Iraq issue has entered a new stage and China shares quite a few common views with Russia on the issue.
In Command Post: Irak
Death Sentence in Yemen Missionary Deaths: "A Yemeni court sentenced a suspected al-Qaida militant to death Saturday for killing three U.S. missionaries, according to his lawyer."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
A Second Suspected Weapons Lab Is Found in Northern Iraq
Command Post: Irak: "From the New York Times : An American military unit found an abandoned trailer outside a missile testing site in northern Iraq today that they suspect was a mobile biological weapons laboratory. It was the second such find in recent weeks, and could potentially bolster the United States' claim that Saddam Hussein's government was producing biological and chemical weapons.
"
... It was parked, missing its wheels and stripped by looters, about 50 feet from the entrance to Al Kindi, Iraq's largest missile research and testing complex, near Mosul.
Excerpts of Remarks by Iraqi Ayatollah
From: Newsday.com
--------------------
Excerpts of Remarks by Iraqi Ayatollah
--------------------
By The Associated Press
May 10, 2003, 4:31 PM EDT
Quotes from a speech in Basra by Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim, head of the largest anti-Saddam Shiite Muslim organization, after returning to Iraq from more than 20 years of exile in Iran. The comments were made in Arabic and translated by The Associated Press:
"Our Arab and Islamic world is full of dictatorship ... This dictatorship (of Saddam Hussein) confiscated all rights of the Iraqi people, even the simple ones, interfered in all the details of the Iraqi person, even inside his home. ... The Iraqi person became a slave."
"We have some freedom, but it is not complete. When we want to move, we find foreign troops, limitations on our movement to reach our goals ... (A future government) must be a system based on the will of the Iraqi people, elected by the Iraqi people."
"The system must respect the makeup of the Iraqi people. Shiites have their cultural specifics, Kurds, and Turkmens, Sunnis and Christians have theirs which are related to their identities."
"(The new government) will be a modern Islamic regime...to go along with the modern world, today's world ... and it will be able to bring Iraq to its natural place in the Arab and Islamic word."
"We don't want extremist Islam, but an Islam of independence, justice and freedom."
"We have to know that when we say and we make these slogans that people call `religious slogans,' and that we speak apart from life and that we know nothing about this world, tucked away in mosques... That is not true. We also want to build a modern state ... Some people think that women should stay at home. Now, women these days are half of society ... They should be a principal part of this society."
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-ayatollah-quotes,0,348903.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
PARTY POOPER
Mirror.co.uk: "3am EXCLUSIVE Liza moves bash for 260 ..one day before event"
WAR BLOG UPDATES
France, Russia Question U.S. Postwar Plan: "With the U.N. Security Council looking to avoid the bitter divisions that broke out before the war, France and Russia toned down objections to a new U.S. plan for ruling postwar Iraq, but appeared intent to seek changes to give the United Nations a stronger role. (AP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
U.N. council sees plan for U.S.-British control over Iraq in CNN - War in Iraq
Israel Tightens Rules on Foreigners: "Israel is demanding new restrictions on foreigners entering the Gaza strip - a move that could hinder the work of journalists, aid workers and those trying to monitor the fighting between Israelis and Palestinians."
In Seattle Post-Intelligencer: War on Iraq
KEEP YOUR HELEMT ON
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Mother Charged Capitol Murder
Mother kills 2 children seriously wounds toddler,Fox News reporting
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Woman Reports Seeing Memphremagog Monster
By Associated Press
May 10, 2003, 3:04 PM EDT
NEWPORT CITY, Vt. -- A local historian says she saw the Lake Memphremagog monster this month.
Newport resident Barbara Malloy said she saw the creature, known to some as Memphre, May 1 in the 30-mile-long lake shared by Vermont and Quebec.
Malloy said she has seen the monster before -- first in the waters off Horseneck Island and again north of the island in 1983. 
Iranian Opposition Group in Iraq Disarms
Iranian Opposition Group in Iraq Disarms
By LOUIS MEIXLER
.c The Associated Press
CAMP ASHRAF, Iraq (AP) - Surrounded by American tanks, an Iranian opposition group under orders to surrender agreed Saturday to turn over its weapons and submit to the demands of U.S. forces, Army officials said. The United States used the occasion to warn other forces not to assert power.
Representatives of the Mujahedeen Khalq operating near Baqubah, 45 miles northeast of the capital, struck the agreement after two days of negotiations with U.S. forces. Their capitulation was reported by the U.S. Army's V Corps headquarters in Baghdad.
``V Corps has accepted the voluntary consolidation of the Mujahedeen Khalq forces and subsequent control over these forces,'' V Corps said in a statement Saturday night. It said the process would take ``several days'' to complete.
It added: ``When this process is completed, it will significantly contribute to the coalition's mission to set the conditions that will establish a safe and secure environment for the people of Iraq.''
The Mujahedeen Khalq's well-armed force, which for years fought Iran's Islamic rulers from Iraq with the backing of Saddam Hussein's regime, posed a potential challenge to the U.S.-led coalition's authority as Iraq's military occupier. American officials deemed it a terrorist organization in the 1990s.
Military officials at V Corps, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the group had agreed to ``voluntarily hand over all their weapons'' including sidearms. They will be permitted to retain their uniforms.
Calls to the group's Paris headquarters Saturday were answered by a recorded message saying the office was closed.
The Mujahedeen Khalq's weaponry will be consolidated into one area, its members in another. They will be ``protected by American forces,'' one military official said. A rival armed group backed by the Iranian regime is active in the area, and there have been fears the two would clash.
Any travel by members of the Mujahedeen Khalq, including into Baqubah to purchase food, will be ``under escort,'' the United States said.
The V Corps statement did not use the word surrender, and the military officials said they would not describe the capitulation in those terms. The officials said members of the organization would not be classified as prisoners of war but under a status ``yet to be determined.''
``Surrender implies there was a fight,'' said Lt. Col. Bill MacDonald, a military spokesman for the 4th Infantry Division.
Saturday's capitulation, which appeared nonetheless to be a surrender in everything but terminology, underscores the U.S. desire to be the unquestioned and unchallenged armed force in Iraq a month after the fall of Saddam's regime.
Its announcement of the Mujahedeen Khalq developments was accompanied by a warning to any groups that might assert authority in postwar Iraq.
``Groups who display hostile intent or refuse to cooperate with the authority of the coalition will be subjected to the full weight of coalition military power,'' V Corps said. ``These groups are urged to submit to the authority of the coalition immediately.''
On Saturday afternoon, Apache helicopter gunships flew low over the sandstone buildings of Camp Ashraf, the group's headquarters, as negotiations wrapped up.
Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles lined the highway near the camp. Two tanks pointed their guns toward the sandbagged guardpost at the entrance. Two U.S. Air Force spotters - personnel who call in air strikes - were in the back of a Bradley in front of the gate.
The Mujahedeen Khalq, or People's Warriors, is the military wing of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran, an umbrella body said to unite Iran's diverse opposition groups.
Before Saddam's ouster, the group helped train his elite Republican Guard units, according to the U.S. military. It has several camps near Baqubah, not far from the Iranian border.
The confrontation between the group and the U.S. military that escalated Friday came three weeks after a truce between the Iranians and the Army, which American officials had called a ``prelude'' to surrender.
Under the April 15 truce, the Mujahedeen Khalq could keep its weapons to defend itself against Iranian-backed attacks but had to stop manning checkpoints it had set up.
But reports of roadblock confrontations in recent days suggested it had continued playing an active role in the region.
The Mujahedeen Khalq was allied with the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini's Islamic fundamentalists during the 1979 revolution that overthrew the pro-American dictatorship of Shah Mohammed Reza Pahlavi. But the new government soon banned the Mujahedeen Khalq and other groups that advocated a secular regime.
During the 1970s, the group was accused in attacks that killed several Americans working on defense projects in Iran, although the group denies targeting Americans. It reportedly backed the takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979.
Associated Press correspondent Denis D. Gray with the U.S. Army's V Corps contributed to this report.
05/10/03 15:27 EDT
.
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U.S. Deports Saudi Envoy Living in Calif.
From: Newsday.com
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U.S. Deports Saudi Envoy Living in Calif.
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 10, 2003, 10:16 AM EDT
LOS ANGELES -- U.S. authorities expelled a Saudi consular official and Muslim leader who had been living in Southern California, saying he was suspected of having terrorist links.
Fahad al Thumairy, 31, was detained at Los Angeles International Airport earlier in the week after arriving from Frankfurt and was deported Thursday. He may not return to the United States for five years, authorities said.
"He was placed on an international flight, destined for Riyadh," Saudi Arabia, said Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security.
Al Thumairy's diplomatic visa was revoked in March, and his name was added to a list of travelers who should not be allowed to enter the United States because of suspected links to terrorism. Officials would not immediately provide details on the alleged connection.
Officials of the Saudi consulate in Los Angeles and the Saudi Embassy in Washington declined to comment.
Al Thumairy had worked for the Saudi consulate in Los Angeles since 1996 and held a post in the Islamic and cultural affairs section of the consulate.
He was also the imam at the King Fahd Mosque in Culver City, which has one of the largest Muslim congregations in the region. The mosque, built with financing from the Saudi government, was the target of a foiled bomb plot by a member of the militant Jewish Defense League in 2001.
"He never dealt with politics, in his public comments or in private gatherings," said Tajuddin Shuaib, who directs the mosque, which is run by a nonprofit group.
"Like the rest of us, he was really shocked about Sept. 11. He felt it was wrong and, in the long term, that it would harm Muslims. His impression was that it would have some bad repercussions," Shuaib said.
Since Sept. 11, 2001, the United States has increased scrutiny of visa applications from Muslim nations around the world. The number of Saudi Arabians who received visas dropped nearly 70 percent in the 2002 fiscal year to about 14,100.
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-saudi-expelled,0,1873462.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
U.S. Offers Rewards in Iraq Weapons Hunt
From: Patti Bader
Money Talks
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U.S. Offers Rewards in Iraq Weapons Hunt
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 10, 2003, 3:16 PM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- American authorities have promised rewards to Iraqis for information leading to discovery of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons programs, the U.S.-run Information Radio said Saturday.
Besides the unspecified reward, potential informants were offered anonymity and guarantees of safety in exchange for useful information "regarding any site that manufactured or held weapons of mass destruction."
"The reward you may get can improve your living standard," it said.
The lengthy spot on the Arabic-language radio was part of a growing U.S. government campaign to find Iraqi sources potentially knowledgeable about prohibited arms programs.
The suspected presence of such weapons was the prime reason cited by the Bush administration for launching the war against Iraq.
>From November to March, U.N. weapons teams conducted more than 700 surprise inspections at hundreds of Iraqi sites, and did not report finding any weapons-making programs. A U.S. military unit of experts in unconventional arms that followed invading U.S. troops into Iraq in March, has surveyed 75 of 90 high-priority sites, and thus far also has not reported conclusive evidence of such programs.
The difficulty in finding the banned weapons now threatens U.S. and British plans to end U.N. sanctions against Iraq. Russian diplomats have said they need to see conclusive evidence that such programs have been eliminated before approving the lifting of the 13-year sanctions regime, and President Vladimir Putin has even raised the possibility that Saddam Hussein could still be alive and in possession of the deadly weapons.
American officials have indicated they would increasingly depend on fresh information from hoped-for Iraqi informants to trace any weapons-making programs.
High-ranking Iraqis already in custody have uniformly denied that their government, ousted last month by the invasion force, had any weapons of mass destruction, U.S. officials say. The deposed government maintained it destroyed its chemical and biological weapons by the early 1990s. It never succeeded in building a nuclear weapon.
Saturday's radio announcement said the U.S.-British coalition was interested in "locations of components, materials and supplies that had been used in developing, processing, manufacturing and maintaining weapons of mass destruction."
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-weapons-reward,0,7667056.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
SECOND BIO-TERROR LAB FOUND
Fox News is reporting a second Bio lab found
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US SETS UP DATABASE
MATCHING UP CHARACTERISTICS
Biometrics — the measuring of physical human features — ensure that a person, once registered, can be identified later, even if his or her identity documents or facial characteristics change. The process involves capturing and matching unique whorls on a fingerprint, vibrations of a vocal cord or patterns in an iris — considered the most reliable.
Stored in a central database, the biometric files get searched for a match each time they’re queried by, say, an immigration inspector at Miami International Airport or an FBI agent poring over a crime scene.
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FREE T-SHIRT WHEN YOU SUPPORT OUR TROOPS & SEND A CARE PACKAGE 39.95 FREE SHIPPINGcapt.1052590510.iraq_iran_opposition_abl101
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WHERE IN IRAQ IS BRANDON
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WAR UPDATES
Prominent Iraqi Shi'ite Leader Returns from Exile: "The leader of Iraq's biggestShi'ite Muslim group returned home on Saturday to the cheers ofthousands of emotional Iraqis after 23 years in exile inneighboring Iran. (Reuters)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Top Iraqi Shiite Muslim leader returns home from exile, US watches closely: "The head of Iraq's main Shiite Muslim movement returned home from 23-years of exile in Iran promising to push for an Islamic state, threatening to complicate US efforts to foster a pluralistic society in the country. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Make A soldier Smile
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Iran is more "Americaized than we think.
Iran Jails 15 Dissidents for Anti-State Propaganda
Sat May 10, 2003 11:04 AM ET
TEHRAN (Reuters) - A hard-line Iranian court has sentenced 15 liberal dissidents to jail terms of up to 11 years for anti-state propaganda and insulting top officials, sources close to the defendants said on Saturday.
The dissidents, members of a "religious nationalist alliance" which advocates the separation of religion and state, were arrested during a hard-line crackdown against leading critics of Iran's Islamic establishment two years ago.
Tehran's Revolutionary Court handed out sentences ranging from four to 11 years and banned the defendants from any political activities for 10 years, Marzieh Mortazi-Langroudi, wife of one of the dissidents, told Reuters.
They were found guilty of a range of crimes including propaganda against the state, insulting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and collecting confidential state documents, said Mohammad Sharif, lawyer for six of the defendants.
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Gossip
Moore is out after heart op: "ROGER Moore was last night expected to speak at a charity event less than 48 hours after having a pacemaker fitted."
In Mirror.co.uk
eBAY ROW OVER BLAIR 5OTH GIFT: "Party chief accused of pulling rank to rig auction of historic autograph book of political leaders..."
In The Mirror
NYPD Blue's Kim Delaney in rehab: "According to reports, NYPD Blue actress Kim Delaney has checked into a rehab facility in Arizona, seeking treatment for alcohol abuse."
In National Enquirer
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Well I messed my blog up again.I do not know how I keep doing it but I sure do.Bear with me all.
Remeber to send a smile to a soldier today.
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War Updates
Iraqi Documents on Israel Surface on a Cultural Hunt: " In one huge room in the flooded basement of the building, American soldiers from MET Alpha, the "mobile exploitation team" that has been searching for nuclear, biological and chemical weapons in Iraq for the past three months, found maps featuring terrorist strikes against Israel dating to 1991. Another map of Israel highlighted what the Iraqis thought were the locations at which their Scud missiles had struck in the Persian Gulf war of 1991. The strikes were designated by yellow-and-red paper flowers placed atop the pinpointed Israeli neighborhoods.
Continue reading here ."
In Command Post: Irak
Fox News: Saddam in Belarus or Russia: "[No link. From live broadcast]
Fox News military analyst Gen Paul Vallely reports intelligence from very high levels in the middle east that Saddam, Qusay and other high leaders left Iraq around April 6 for Damascus, and then flew to Belarus. They are now likely in either Belarus or Russia. Other leaders and families are in Latakia, Damascus and Aleppo.
[This was originally reported several weeks ago at debka.com, except that the method of transport was implausible: flying directly from Baghdad in the middle of the war.]
Vellely also reports that satellite photos [and intelligence?] indicate that Iraqi WMDs were buried in the eastern Bekaa Valley of Lebanon by Syrian engineers. These include chemical weapons and some biological weapons. This activity took place from Jan 26 through early March.
He also reports that information in the hands of military intelligence from Iraqi archives shows close ties between Chirac and his family to Saddam and his family and lots of corruption. In Vallely's opinion this might cause "an earthquake" in French politics and the fall of the Chirac government."
In Command Post: Irak
U.S. Army Hunts for Ordnance in Iraq
From: Patti Patton-Bader
--------------------
U.S. Army Hunts for Ordnance in Iraq
--------------------
By CHRIS TOMLINSON
Associated Press Writer
May 10, 2003, 1:40 AM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The gray cylinder was almost completely buried under the rubble of a bombed-out house. A small portion of what appeared to be a 7-foot-long explosive device was visible to the bomb disposal experts.
Sgt. Matt Chapman of Annapolis, Md., gently brushed away some of the cement dust that covered the object and found a serial number stenciled in black paint. Probably a lot number, he said -- not something that would help him identify what kind of missile they had found.
"I don't think it's American," Chapman told his boss with the 18th Ordnance Company, Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Elliott. He pointed at a small piece of steel sticking out the side of the cylinder: "That lug right there -- that's Soviet. I know we'd never weld a lug on like that."
Elliot and his team have been working overtime since they arrived in Baghdad shortly after U.S. forces began occupying the city April 7.
On average, U.S. forces haul away 50 cargo trucks full of Iraqi weapons and ammunition every day from fighting positions, buildings and houses all over the city.
Whenever any of the material looks unstable, an explosive ordnance disposal, or EOD, team is called to inspect the munitions and make sure they can be moved safely.
Sometimes it is safer for the team to simply pack a weapons cache with explosives and blow it up. Elliott's team also deals with unexploded bombs and missiles, which often require delicate work to defuse.
"This is an EOD paradise here. There is stuff here you won't see anywhere else. There's so much knowledge to be gained here," Elliott said. His team has dealt with everything from Chinese hand grenades in schools to large surface-to-surface missiles mounted on trailers and parked in the city zoo.
At the bombed-out house in Baghdad, the four-man explosive ordnance disposal team at first suspected it was dealing with a 2,000-pound bomb, because of the size of the gray cylinder.
The team's job: dig the bomb out, defuse it, then remove it from the neighborhood.
But figuring out what exactly you're dealing with is key to doing that job safely.
The inside of the house was full of Iraqi Republican Guard stationery, which at first led Elliott to believe it might have been an unexploded U.S. bomb. But the more they uncovered the cylinder, the more it appeared to be Soviet-built.
Among the documents scattered on the floor of the house were diagrams he recognized as fuse and missile schematics labeled in Arabic.
Chapman and Elliott, both based at Fort Bragg, N.C., continued to uncover the cylinder and soon revealed "SP 31" painted on one side, and more lugs welded on the sides.
"SP 31 -- that sounds European," Chapman said.
"As long as Connor has his computer out, have him put SP 31 in it and see if he comes up with something," Elliott said.
"Connor" was Sgt. Jonathan Connor of Jacksonville, Fla., who was working outside at the team's specially equipped trucks.
On a heavy duty Army laptop computer, the team has a classified library of publications and photographs of explosive devices from around the world, Elliott said. Whenever the bomb experts find something they don't recognize, they can enter the device's dimensions and description into the database and find out what they are dealing with.
But in this case, the computer came up blank.
Inside the house, the bomb experts figured out they were looking at the tail end of a missile, where the fuel and motor are located. The lugs were where the fins had been attached.
Elliott stuck a rod into the hole at the end of the cylinder. It was empty for at least three feet, indicating the fuel burned up.
Chapman dug under the collapsed roof and found the other end of the missile. The warhead was no longer attached.
Since the propulsion system usually drops off the missile long before the warhead hits its target, finding the missile tail by itself is not unusual. The cylinder, not dangerous, could be safely removed by combat engineers.
"When we find something like that, we start wondering, `How did it get here?' It's not part of the job, but it gets the mind working," Elliott said. "Why it's sitting in this house, I can't explain."
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-unexploded-ordnance,0,6287381.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
U.S. Soldiers Patrol Iraq-Jordan Frontier
From: Patti Bader
Not Brandon's unit.
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U.S. Soldiers Patrol Iraq-Jordan Frontier
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By SLOBODAN LEKIC
Associated Press Writer
May 10, 2003, 4:14 AM EDT
ON THE JORDAN-IRAQ BORDER, Iraq -- Standing in the shimmering heat beside a long line of waiting cars, pickups and trucks, U.S. Army Sgt. Jeffrey Parker scrutinized the vehicles' occupants, matching their faces with passport photos, and reflected on his unexpected assignment.
"I never thought I'd be doing Border Patrol work on the Iraq-Jordan border," Parker, 29, of Kalkaska, Mich., said Friday as he waved through a van packed with an Iraqi family returning home from Jordan.
Dozens of soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment milled around the dusty crossing point 360 miles west of Baghdad. Nearby, several parked Bradley fighting vehicles aimed their turrets at hundreds of cars and trucks waiting to cross.
As their peacemaking mission expands, American soldiers are gradually being deployed to most of Iraq's major border crossings, which were abandoned by Iraqi frontier guards and customs agents immediately after U.S. forces took Baghdad on April 9.
The collapse of Saddam's regime sparked an orgy of looting, including at border facilities. These were stripped of furniture, air conditioning units, generators and files by inhabitants of nearby villages. The buildings were not burned and were quickly put into use again, officers said.
The lack of controls enabled thousands of Iraqi civilians to buy secondhand cars in Jordan and bring them into the country without having to get government permits or pay the steep customs duties that used to make imports prohibitively expensive.
Jordanian customs officers several hundred yards away said they had confiscated dozens of AK-47 automatic rifles and numerous artifacts from the passing motorists. These appeared to have been looted from Iraqi armories and Baghdad's museums during the free-for-all that followed the government's demise.
The arrival of U.S. troops last week has reduced that sort of smuggling. American soldiers said they found and seized three assault rifles during their first day on the job as impromptu immigration agents.
"I would rather have spearheaded the attack on Iraq," Parker said. "We'll do anything our bosses tell us to and we'll do it well, but I wasn't really expecting this when I joined the Army."
Several soldiers manning the checkpoint and regulating traffic said the experience had made them interested in joining the U.S. Border Patrol.
Staff Sgt. Derek Czapnik said the troops had quickly settled into the new routine but were surprised to be dealing with so much traffic.
"The main problem we have here is road rage," said the 30-year-old Boston, Mass., native.
Losing patience with the long wait, frustrated drivers regularly engage in shouting and shoving matches as they try to cut into the chaotic and densely packed traffic wedge leading to the American checkpoints. To maintain order, troops have engaged a group of Iraqi civilian volunteers to break up disputes before they turn ugly.
"They could quickly develop into full-scale riots," said an officer who wouldn't identify himself.
Several Iraqi and Jordanian drivers waiting in the midday heat complained that the arrival of the Americans had made the crossing much more complicated than during Saddam's reign.
"In the past, you could slip a customs official $10 and you would be through in five minutes," said Haitam Abu Anuus, a Jordanian who regularly drives the 560-mile route between Amman and Baghdad, "Now it takes about three hours."
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-border-patrol,0,1264053.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Friday, May 09, 2003
Scientists Fear Return of Ocean Toxin
From: Patti Bader
I hope with all our cool science we can find a cure for this.
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Scientists Fear Return of Ocean Toxin
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By ANDREW BRIDGES
AP Science Writer
May 9, 2003, 5:37 PM EDT
LOS ANGELES -- Two dozen sick or dead sea lions and dolphins have washed ashore in Southern California in recent weeks, heralding the apparent return of a naturally occurring toxin that last year caused the second-largest marine mammal die-off in U.S. history.
The California sea lions and common dolphins have been found on beaches between Santa Barbara and San Diego and were believed to be victims of domoic acid poisoning. Last spring, the nerve toxin killed roughly 800 of the two species over a three-month period.
"We're seeing the same sort of pattern we experienced last year," National Marine Fisheries Service wildlife biologist Joe Cordaro said.
Domoic acid is produced by blooms of microscopic algae. The toxin is concentrated in filter-feeding animals, such as anchovies, sardines and shellfish, which are in turn eaten by marine mammals.
The toxin also causes a human illness, amnesic shellfish poisoning, which can be deadly. The state Health Services Department has warned Californians not to eat mussels and other bivalves that they collect themselves.
Authorities are awaiting lab results that would confirm the presence of domoic acid. But the behavior of some sea lions, including head waving and seizures, suggests it is the culprit, as does the rate at which dead and dying animals have been found.
Last year, domoic acid was implicated in the deaths of 685 sea lions and 98 dolphins in Southern California. An additional 500 sea lions were sent to rehabilitation centers for treatment; about 60 percent survived.
While dramatic, the numbers hardly dented the overall populations of the species, which number in the hundreds of thousands.
Last year's die-off was the largest since 1987-88, said John Heyning, curator of mammals at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-toxic-algae,0,2893208.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Yahoo! News Story - Tom Sizemore Arrested Again in L.A. Assault Case
jeff bader (spliffslips@aol.com) has sent you a news article. (Email address has not been verified.)
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Personal message:
Alls well in Hollywood
Tom Sizemore Arrested Again in L.A. Assault Case
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030509/en_nm/crime_sizemore_dc
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Afghans Bitter Over Guantanamo Detention
From: Patti Bader
They had to concede Americans treated them well.
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Afghans Bitter Over Guantanamo Detention
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By TODD PITMAN
Associated Press Writer
May 9, 2003, 2:58 PM EDT
KABUL, Afghanistan -- Two Afghans just freed from U.S. military custody expressed bitterness Friday at being sent to prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, without being questioned first at home -- asserting they could easily have proven their innocence.
But even in Afghanistan, they are still being held.
The men, among a dozen prisoners released this week, were held for nearly a year without charges or access to lawyers. Upon release from Guantanamo, they received no apology or compensation for their time in the high-security prison on suspicion of links to the Taliban or al-Qaida terror network.
In an interview with The Associated Press, they described their treatment in U.S. custody as fair -- with decent meals and permission to pray -- but said they should never have been taken to Cuba.
"I'm just angry that the Americans waited until we were in Guantanamo to interrogate us. Had they questioned us here in Afghanistan, it would have saved us a lot of trouble," said 28-year-old Mohammad Tahir.
"They could have realized a lot sooner that I was innocent."
Human rights advocates have repeatedly criticized the Bush administration for holding prisoners at the U.S. naval base on Cuba and without charging them with any crime or giving them legal counsel.
The men released this week, who arrived Thursday at Bagram Air Base, the U.S. military headquarters in Afghanistan, were part of the third group of prisoners set free.
Deputy Interior Minister Hilal Uddin told AP that 11 prisoners had arrived at Bagram. The two detainees interviewed said they were then transferred to a police station in Kabul.
Afghan authorities said they will release the men after brief interviews and checks to make sure they are not wanted for any crimes.
Wearing a dark blue traditional Afghan pantaloon suit, 22-year-old Rostum Shah said his American interrogators took him from his cell two or three times a week, his feet and hands bound in chains.
"All the time they asked us, 'Where are you from? Are you Taliban? Were you in Pakistan? Why were you captured with the Taliban?'" Shah said. "They said: 'If you're innocent, then why did you go to fight against your own people?'"
Shah answered like his fellow prisoner, Tahir.
"The Taliban forced us to fight," he said. "They took us away from our houses and told us it was our responsibility to fight."
Shah was sent to fight in Bamiyan from the southern province of Helmand by Taliban forces. Tahir, who said the Taliban demanded one man from each family in his village in central Ghor province, was also sent to Bamiyan.
In late 2001, both said they were captured by Hezb-e-Wahadat, a Shiite Muslim faction comprised mostly of ethnic Hazara's opposed to the Taliban.
The two were held for four months by the faction, which then handed them over to the Americans. The men were held at a U.S. detention center in the southern city of Kandahar for four months before being sent to Guantanamo.
"When they took us to Guantanamo, they didn't tell us how long we'd be there," Shah said. "We didn't know when we'd be released. We didn't even know why they brought us there."
Aside from the repetitive interrogations, none of the former inmates had anything bad to say about their treatment at the U.S. prison.
All were allowed to pray, to eat three times a day and smoke cigarettes. They were allowed showers twice a week, when authorities came to clean their rooms, and to communicate with their families in messages sent through the international Red Cross.
At their release, the men said, they received no acknowledgment that they were held unfairly -- only a blue sports bag. "We didn't get much. They didn't give us any money," Tahir said. "We got this bag and what's in it."
Inside was a new pair of pants and tennis shoes, a jacket, underwear and a bottle of shampoo.
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-afghan-guantanamo-memories,0,316623.story
Visit Newsday online at http://www.newsday.com
Family Confirms Soldier Killed in Iraq
From: Patti Bader
My heart goes out to this family.
--------------------
Family Confirms Soldier Killed in Iraq
--------------------
By Associated Press
May 9, 2003, 5:36 PM EDT
HAMILTON, Ohio -- One of the two U.S. Army soldiers gunned down in Baghdad this week had been expected to return home to within a few weeks, his wife said Friday.
Davonna Rockhold said her husband, Pfc. Marlin Rockhold, 23, was shot in the back of the head in Baghdad on Thursday. She said the Army notified her of his death that night.
"He was on a bridge in Baghdad directing traffic. He got killed by an enemy sniper attack," Davonna Rockhold, 28, said in a telephone interview Friday from her home at Fort Stewart, Ga.
She said she was awaiting word on whether the sniper had been captured.
Pfc. Rockhold was with the 3rd Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart and was a 1998 graduate of Hamilton High School. He and his wife, also from Hamilton, were married March 2, 2002, two days before he joined the Army. Marlin Rockhold was the stepfather of her 8-year-old child, she said.
He left Fort Stewart for Kuwait on Jan. 20. Davonna Rockhold said her husband called her Sunday.
"We talked about how much we missed each other and how much we loved each other," she said. "He was expecting to come home at the end of the month, right before my birthday."
His grandmother, Eileen Henderson, said she had received a letter from Rockhold on Thursday, just the second from him since he left.
"It sounded like he was prepared to do what he had to do," she said. "He said, 'You don't want to fight a war, but sometimes you do what you have to do.'
In Thursday's other shooting, an Iraqi walked up to a soldier on a bridge and opened fire with a pistol at close range, according to senior U.S. Army officers in Baghdad who had heard reports of the shooting.
The officers said the slain soldier, whom they did not identify, belonged to the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment from Fort Polk, La.
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-soldiers-slain,0,519025.story
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War Updates
'Occupying Powers' Want A Year In Iraq: "A month after the fall of Baghdad, the U.S. and Britain are asking the United Nations for permission to administer Iraq for a year or more. The issue of ending sanctions could again divide the Security Council."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
Pentagon challenged over cluster bomb deaths in IraqWar.ru (English)
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In Baghdad, Rumors Abound About Saddam
From: Patti Bader
OMG The rumor mill has begun!
--------------------
In Baghdad, Rumors Abound About Saddam
--------------------
By NIKO PRICE
Associated Press Writer
May 9, 2003, 3:08 PM EDT
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The CIA is hiding Saddam Hussein in the United States, but the deposed Iraqi president will return to unleash chemical weapons on his own people. Meanwhile, Saddam is taking a cut of the profits from all the oil the United States is secretly pumping in southern Iraq.
But wait -- that can't be right. Saddam has been dead for eight years, part of a plot by his son Qusai, who hired an actor for his father's television appearances. Saddam's other son Odai surrendered Friday, but the Americans are keeping it quiet because he's a U.S. agent.
True? You'd think so -- if you listened to the talk on the streets of Baghdad, where there are few newspapers, little electricity for radios or TVs, no authorities to give definitive answers and enough desperation and fear to excite an already overactive rumor mill.
"You hear a lot of things. Most seem impossible, but these are rumors -- Saddam's rumors," said Kamal Jehan Bakish, manning his fly-infested shampoo stall in a street market in the slum once known as Saddam City.
Graffiti, scrawled in the shadows, helps fuel the rumors. In eastern Baghdad's Zayuna neighborhood, pro-Saddam slogans appeared this week on a pedestrian bridge. "Long live the leader Saddam Hussein," said one.
Another was ominous. "We swear to God -- we swear to God -- that we will chop all the hands that wave to American soldiers whose hands are stained by the blood of our great martyrs," it read.
With little law enforcement, gasoline or electricity in Baghdad, most commercial establishments are closed. That leads not only to hunger and frustration, but to a lot of free time for trafficking in rumors in a part of the world where conspiracy theories flourish.
Complicating matters is the unresolved fate of the deposed Iraqi leader. No one can say definitively if Saddam's dead or alive, inside Iraq or not. And though many in Baghdad believe he's not dead -- and quite possibly in the United States -- the swirl of inaccurate information only makes things muddier.
In the Azamiyah neighborhood, where Saddam was last reported seen April 9, a group of men sat on wooden benches Friday, smoking cigarettes and sipping tea.
"If you want to know where Saddam is, ask the CIA," said Ahmed Jassem Issa, 56, a retired Irrigation Ministry worker. "They have him now. He is their son. I even heard he released an audiotape."
No, interjected Ahmed Rashad Ahmed, 57, a mechanic: "The tape was from Hala," Saddam's youngest daughter,
"I tell you, it was Saddam," Issa snapped back. "Just ask the CIA about him."
The rumor about Saddam unleashing chemical weapons has a history. At first, Saddam was to commit this atrocity on his birthday, April 28. "People were afraid," said 51-year-old Abdul Kalek Kamal.
When that day passed with no attack, several other dates were mentioned -- including Friday, one month after the fall of Baghdad.
After Saddam, the most common subject for the rumor mill is Iraq's oil. Pretty much everybody in Baghdad is convinced the Americans invaded to steal oil, and many believe they're already making a profit from it.
"They are secretly pumping oil and stealing it," said Nazar Mohammed, 59, fingering his yellow prayer beads as a mechanic worked on the fuel pump of his Chevrolet Caprice.
That rumor had made its way across town to the former Saddam City, where Kamal expounded on it from his empty wholesale food shop.
"There is a rumor that Saddam is demanding a share of the oil they are pumping," he said. "There is another rumor that the Americans will give it to him in return for his quick withdrawal from Baghdad."
Down the street, Hassan Jouma, 31, guarded a branch of the Bank of Baghdad with a pistol and tossed out another speculation.
"I heard Saddam has been dead since 1995," Jouma said. "The actual ruler was Qusai, and the man on TV was a double. That's why the Americans -- with all their technology -- can't find him."
Bakish said Saddam was probably in the United States, but added he'd be back soon. He said Saddam was promising to "return to power to rebuild Iraq and let people live in prosperity."
How did he know that? "Some people heard him say that on a secret radio wave," he said.
Kuwaitis also figure prominently in the rumor mill, often as marauders who arrived to exact revenge for Iraq's 1990 invasion of their country.
"I saw it with my own eyes. I saw Kuwaitis, accompanied by Americans, carrying gasoline," Jouma said. "The Kuwaitis burned our buildings, saying, `Now we have our revenge against Iraq.'"
There are many more rumors out there -- some widespread, some more obscure. At the Everyday Supermarket in Zayuna, the manager, who wouldn't give his name, said he was keeping his to himself.
"I have heard many rumors, but I'm not going to tell them to you," he said. "Maybe some of them are true."
* __
EDITOR'S NOTE: Niko Price is correspondent-at-large for The Associated Press.
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-the-rumor-mill,0,4670755.story
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Journalists Who Died in Iraq War
From: Patti Bader
--------------------
Journalists Who Died in Iraq War
--------------------
By The Associated Press
May 9, 2003, 3:37 PM EDT
News organization employees killed in combat situations since the war on Iraq began March 20.
* Tareq Ayyoub, Jordanian journalist for Al-Jazeera, Qatar, April 8, at the Al-Jazeera office in Baghdad.
* Jose Couso, cameraman for Spanish television network Telecinco. April 8, at the Palestine hotel in Baghdad.
* Taras Protsyuk, a Ukrainian television cameraman for Reuters, April 8, at the Palestine hotel in Baghdad.
* Christian Liebig, journalist for Focus weekly, Germany, April 7, south of Baghdad.
* Julio Anguita Parrado, reporter for El Mundo, Spain, April 7, south of Baghdad.
* Kamaran Abdurazaq Muhamed, a Kurdish translator working with the BBC, April 6, northern Iraq.
* Michael Kelly, editor-at-large, The Atlantic Monthly, April 3, near Baghdad.
* Kaveh Golestan, Iranian freelance cameraman for the BBC, northern Iraq, April 2.
* Terry Lloyd, correspondent for Independent Television News, Britain, March 22, southern Iraq.
* Paul Moran, freelance cameraman for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, March 22, northern Iraq.
In other deaths, disappearances:
* Two other Independent Television News journalists, cameraman Fred Nerac of France and translator Hussein Osman of Lebanon, have been missing since the shooting incident March 22 in southern Iraq in which Terry Lloyd was killed.
* Elizabeth Neuffer, a reporter for The Boston Globe, died May 8 after the car in which she was a passenger apparently struck a guardrail near the town of Samarra, about halfway between Baghdad and Tikrit. Neuffer's translator, Waleed Khalifa Hassan Al-Dulami, also died in the accident.
* Veronica Cabrera, an Argentine free-lance camerawoman, died April 15 of injuries from a car crash outside the Iraqi capital, which instantly killed Mario Podesta, an Argentine TV reporter, on April 14.
* Reporter David Bloom of NBC News died April 6 from an apparent blood clot while covering the war south of Baghdad.
* Gaby Rado, a correspondent for Channel 4 News, Britain, died March 30 after apparently falling from a hotel roof in northern Iraq.
Copyright (c) 2003, The Associated Press
--------------------
This article originally appeared at:
http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/wire/sns-ap-iraq-journalists-glance,0,2510443.story
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NEWS FROM THE FRONT by A soldiers Mom
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS SEND A CARE PACKAGE
NEWS FROM THE FRONTA Soldiers Mom 05/09/03I was able to glean a small amount of information from Fort Sill wives.The news is that SOLDIERS IN THE 2-5 BATTALION are sleeping on the ground,the temperature is in the 100's, 108 is the most common temp.They have water to drink but none for a shower.They have their MRE's (Meals Ready To Eat) and what we send them from home. Needless to say these care packages are a Godsend to these brave soldiers.Not only is there the heat there are fleas.The worst news to get was that they are NOT sitting quietly on a hill.Their duties now are security, they carry their gun 24/7 more than likely on checkpoint duty.Keeping up morale is of the upmost importance.Letters, care packages,postcards,small notes anything will mean the world to these heroes suffering horrors we can only imagine about.
War Updates
Witnesses Say U.S. Troops Shoot Dead Iraqi Man in IraqWar.ru (English)
US-Led Coalition Calls Planes to Calm Afghan Clash in IraqWar.ru (English)
Aid Agencies Wary of U.S. Military Control in Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
MOD 'considering' Iraq war service: "The Ministry of Defence is "actively considering" a service of thanksgiving to mark the end of the conflict in Iraq."
In Ananova: War In Iraq
US and Britain seek to limit UN role in Iraq in IraqWar.ru (English)
Para, 18, killed in Basra shooting in IraqWar.ru (English)
Tuesday, May 06, 2003
War Updates
Saddam Set Bank Heist Record: Report: "As war approached, he sent his son and a trusted aide to remove $900 million in cash ? enough to fill three tractor-trailers ? from the central bank in the middle of the night, says a newspaper."
In CBS News: Iraq Crisis
Report: France Helped Iraqi Leaders Escape: "
The Washington Times reports:
The French government secretly supplied fleeing Iraqi officials with passports in Syria that allowed them to escape to Europe, The Washington Times has learned.
An unknown number of Iraqis who worked for Saddam Hussein's government were given passports by French officials in Syria, U.S. intelligence officials said.
The passports are regarded as documents of the European Union, because of France's membership in the union, and have helped the Iraqis avoid capture, said officials familiar with intelligence reports.
"
In Command Post: Irak
Friday, May 02, 2003
Update War Blog
Rumsfeld: Iraq 'not fully secure' in BBC News | War in Iraq
End of combat: "Just 43 days after announcing the start of the war in Iraq, President Bush on Thursday told the nation that "major combat operations in Iraq have ended." He said the toppling of Saddam Hussein's government was "one victory in a war on terror that began on Sept. 11th, 2001, and still goes on." He spoke not from the White House but from the deck of the aircraft carrrier USS Abraham Lincoln, a dramatic setting that also exerted maximum political effect for the president."
In CNN - War Tracker
Bush declares Iraq fighting over as Powell turns heat on Syria: "US President George W. Bush declared the major fighting in Iraq over but warned Washington might confront other "outlaw" regimes in its war on terror as Secretary of State Colin Powell headed to Syria to press it to end its support for Arab militants. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
Two more "most-wanted" Iraqis in coalition custody: "Two more of the 55 leaders on a US list of most-wanted figures from Saddam Hussein's former regime are in coalition custody. (AFP)"
In Yahoo! News: War with Iraq
-->
""If anybody is wondering: Where are the young idealists? Where are the people willing to devote themselves to causes larger than themselves? They are in uniform in Iraq, straddling the divide between insanity and order."
By David Brooks
""If anybody is wondering: Where are the young idealists? Where are the people willing to devote themselves to causes larger than themselves? They are in uniform in Iraq, straddling the divide between insanity and order."
By David Brooks
"
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